tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post5061147099997295458..comments2023-09-23T11:16:00.352+02:00Comments on The Franco-American Flophouse has moved: Why Did You Leave?Victoria FERAUGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-83039965587404678822013-10-05T07:15:01.151+02:002013-10-05T07:15:01.151+02:00@anonymous, Thank you so much for your comment an...@anonymous, Thank you so much for your comment and for the tip about Varro's piece. Your job sounds fascinating. Migration is definitely not gender neutral.<br /><br />A friend also passed me an old copy of Hommes et Migrations (1993) about bi-national/bi-cultural marriages. Les mariages mixtes. Varro has a piece about Franco-American couples that I will definitely review for the Flophosue. Some real surprises in there for me.<br /><br />I will scan the article and send it to anyone who is interested. v_ferauge@yahoo.comVictoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-18862922222231367862013-10-02T23:19:13.316+02:002013-10-02T23:19:13.316+02:00Thanks Victoria - "The transplanted Woman&quo...Thanks Victoria - "The transplanted Woman" that is available free on the internet. I have a lot of experience in this field, both personally and because my professional life involves daily contact with refugees and immigrants here in the EU - Thank you so much for your blog. Cheers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-88220215760447613912013-09-30T18:54:48.910+02:002013-09-30T18:54:48.910+02:00Thank you for asking, Victoria. Before my parents ...Thank you for asking, Victoria. Before my parents divorced while we were still living in the US, we used to have to move fairly often because of my father's work. So I guess you could say that I was used to being uprooted. I didn't have anyone in the way of extended family in the US (as both my parents were immigrants there) so I looked forward to being part of the very large family I had in Canada through my mother. It was almost like coming home for me, although I'd only visited Canada once before moving here, the year before we actually made the move. I suppose unlike your children who may have felt uprooted, I actually established roots for the first time in my life by moving to Canada.bubblebustinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01789474207408205280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-90972581300676989222013-09-30T16:45:21.079+02:002013-09-30T16:45:21.079+02:00No, there are no easy answers. And we are more mo...No, there are no easy answers. And we are more mobile now though it's not just the young. IRM (international retirement migration) is growing. Imagine seniors hanging out in a village in Mexico - I have a distant family member who did that. No running water, very few amenities but she's apparently having the time of her life. Who would have guessed?<br /><br />@anonymous, I'm glad you liked it. I love your description of where your sense of self came from.<br /><br />@bubblebustin, Would you believe that Florida is one part of the world I have never EVER been to? It's good to hear that a decision that was made for you became your own decision over time. When the Frenchlings were younger and we were moving them around they sometimes got very angry with us. How do they feel about it today? I will have to ask.<br /><br />@anonymous, I can really relate to your mom. There were a few times as I was putting down roots that I wanted to just pack up and leave. If I hadn't been able to negotiate with my spouse over terms I might have done so. There is an excellent book out there by Gabrielle Varro called The Transplanted Woman. http://www.amazon.com/La-femme-transplantee-franco-americain-bilinguisme/dp/2859392467/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1380552206&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=La+femme+transplantee<br />I read it a long time ago and am now looking for a copy so I can read it again. Really interesting research.Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-32736087485386369412013-09-30T13:38:41.546+02:002013-09-30T13:38:41.546+02:00I couldn't wait to leave the US where I ended ...I couldn't wait to leave the US where I ended up when my parents left Europe and brought me along. Most of my childhood I saw how bitterly my mother missed her family, friends and the life left behind her. Trapped in the US with too many children a husband with a low paying job and then illness. So I escaped back and used to have nightmares of being "re-trapped" every infrequent time I returned to the US. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-3738199089693043622013-09-29T22:31:49.295+02:002013-09-29T22:31:49.295+02:00I left the US for Canada as a child with my siblin...I left the US for Canada as a child with my siblings when our Canadian mother brought us here, so for me there was really no other choice in the matter, but I'm happy it was made for me. I cannot even imagine how my life would be had I remained in Florida. I do have reason to believe that due to rising sea levels I would not have been able to remain there into my old age, however, as I believe that most of Florida will be under water within 20 years. <br />When I left at 12, I distinctly remember thinking that the US was the best country on earth and any country that didn't want to emulate the US was backwards.<br />Moving to another country taught me otherwise. It has enriched my life and given me a greater appreciation for a diversity of experience that I may not of had had I remained in the US.bubblebustinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01789474207408205280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-2984980675620534852013-09-29T15:38:28.894+02:002013-09-29T15:38:28.894+02:00Casting Errors is a keeper. So succinct and for me...Casting Errors is a keeper. So succinct and for me, helpful in understanding the goodness of fit issues with which I have concerned myself. First, family of origin, who were trying mightily to establish a middle class lifestyle and leave behind working class demands. How I developed a sense of self was inextricably connected to parental ideals of fitting in with social norms at the time. Then nation of origin, whose entire identity has been shaped by unrestricted voices of media, industry and commerce. In both contexts I felt as if I could not breathe or find solid ground. Immigrant inlaws gave me a family connection with greater soul, and having the opportunity to do long distance hiking gave me a context in which I could feel whole. Whole with less. What a concept. Psychotherapy over the years has been a huge part of developing self and trusting perception and choosing more of what would feel right to me in many areas of life. Travel has given me glimpses of social contexts I might prefer, and I stay open to that horizon as much as I can, Flophouse being one lovely portal for such pursuits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-1689587492789743222013-09-29T12:40:20.790+02:002013-09-29T12:40:20.790+02:00Interesting reflections. No easy answer, and we al...Interesting reflections. No easy answer, and we all have different reasons, and our mental space can be different from our physical space. My general sense is that we are more mobile now, it makes sense when young to explore, and see how the randomness of life (work, relationships, experience) translates into a decision.<br /><br />My approach was the foreign service which gave me the international experience without migration, but changed and broadened my identity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com