Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Away We Go We Go follows the journey of Sophie & Jordan Epton, an American couple who moved to France with their 10-month old twins, and the crazy adventure that follows. We dive deep into what it's really like moving and living abroad as expats, interview others who have taken the road less traveled, provide travel tips, discuss how you can do hard things to change your own life, and everything in between.
A year and a half ago, we risked it all and moved to France. We'll be sharing about our life abroad, how people could do hard things to transform their own lives, and everything in between. This is Sophie and Jordan Eptin. Welcome to the Away We Go We Go podcast. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Away We Go We Go podcast.
Jordan:Back together again.
Sophie:Back together. It has been so long, I feel like, since we have been together recording a podcast, you guys, between, I don't know, the last two months being some of the craziest of our lives with work and travel. But, yeah, it's just welcome back. We're excited to be here. So we kind of thought it'd be really fun to talk a lot more about just what we've been up to and then also answer some questions because we haven't done that in a while.
Sophie:So where do we even start, my love?
Jordan:Oh my gosh. I mean, seriously, this run has been from like months ago. You did a bunch of travel and then we kind of ramped up. But honestly, I think, like, the last whirlwind just from a few weeks back was Paris the beginning of that?
Sophie:Paris was the beginning.
Jordan:Yeah.
Sophie:So we went to Paris for just a few days. It was really crazy, really fast paced, which Paris can often be, but super beautiful. I felt like, you know, in October, you never know what the weather is going to bring you in Paris. I was in Paris a year ago in October, and it rained the whole time. It was disgusting.
Sophie:But they also say don't go to Paris if you like, if you care about the weather because it's you just never know. But this time, I feel like we got such good weather. Like, it was beautiful temperatures. Like, the sun was rattled.
Jordan:Was part of it. I think a lot of times it's like just really brisk, windy in October if it's not raining. Yeah. And it was really tame.
Sophie:It was really nice. And that was perfect. And one of our most favorite things that we got to do was we checked out these two hotels that we had never really spent a lot of time at. But we first went to Hotel Particulier, which I will absolutely link in our notes. It's this really wild, kind of almost like secret hotel or the way that it's, like, tucked back in, it feels very secret.
Jordan:Tucked back.
Sophie:Yeah.
Jordan:It's really cool.
Sophie:And it's it's definitely very it's like a very, like, sceney, vibey place. Like, they have a they have a plaque in one of the, like, public restrooms that says Brad Pitt pissed here. So it's definitely like a place I think that, like, a lot of celebrities have frequented. But it's I don't know. To me, it's like just a cool place to get, like, a glass of wine and a big bowl of great french fries and sort of people watch.
Sophie:But it's up in Montmartre, which is, like, just blown up, I feel like, in the last I don't know. Certainly since COVID, it's blown up, like, even more. And it's I mean, I feel like it's almost, like, too overcrowded. But
Jordan:There's a lot of foot traffic there. Yeah. But the the hotel is really cool because it really is just like a sit down and chill and kind of vibe place and just like have a really nice long conversation, share a bottle of wine. It's like really like tree covered. Yeah.
Jordan:And you just kind of like don't feel like you're in the middle of any city, let alone Paris.
Sophie:Right. Oh, and they have these two chickens that are like their little mascots. Chickens. Property chickens that just run around and hang out, and it's like the cutest, funniest thing in the whole world. Like, run the show, truly.
Sophie:Yeah. But that was super cool. And then we also got to, like, check out this other hotel that we had never been to called the Hotel Maisons, which is in the Marais District. The place is somewhere that we would recommend, like, for sure staying at because it just you walk in and it's like this super wild place. It has, I mean, in the best way possible, like, just fabrics and textures and colors everywhere.
Jordan:Visuals are nuts. It's just like, yeah, the wallpapers everywhere, like, super detailed and it just works there.
Sophie:It really does.
Jordan:It's funky.
Sophie:Like, I'm someone who I don't always love how people put together. You have to be really, really good at putting together like mixed, you know, fabrics and patterns and colors, but they've done a really good job with it. So just like, the food was amazing. It's in a great location. The rooms are incredible.
Sophie:Like, they have the cutest bar. It just it's it was fabulous. Like, highly, highly recommend.
Jordan:Food's good. Drinks are great.
Sophie:Yeah. Yeah. And the owner and just like the people that run it are really nice, which is like, you don't always know what you're gonna get in Paris, but that was a real treat. Like, we got to, you know, hang with some really cool people that work there.
Jordan:Oh, the pool. Pool.
Sophie:Oh my
Jordan:gosh. Streets are cool.
Sophie:Yes. It's like
Jordan:an indoor little spa pool, but I mean, you it, like, definitely whisks you away to, like, just this really I don't I don't even know.
Sophie:Well, just got this beautiful, like, kind of two different types of, like, turquoise tile that it just it it's just so amazing and different and interesting. And then there's this huge mural that's painted above it, and it's actually painted by a local French artist that my parents actually ran into, like, this year super randomly. I know.
Jordan:I didn't know that.
Sophie:Yeah. And he told them that he had painted it, but I need to I'll I'll link his name because I cannot remember it right now. But it's just it's, like, wild. It's, like, fantasy. I just feel like for anyone wanting to stay in the Marais in a hotel and not an Airbnb, like, that is one of the top places I'd recommend.
Jordan:Yeah. It's fun.
Sophie:It was great. And then one of our favorite things that we always do, which I will also link this, is that we like, whenever we train it into Paris, we always get Liza, like, right when we here. So my it's favorite Lebanese restaurant, and there's so many in Paris, obviously. But what I love about it is it's actually it's if it's not a Michelin mention at this point or might even be a Michelin star, but it's for sure a Michelin mention, It's but you can, like, order it on Uber Eats to be delivered to your house, and it's, like, it's just so good.
Jordan:So good.
Sophie:And we just don't I mean, we have some Lebanese food and eggs, but it's just not the same. So that's like one of my favorite.
Jordan:You guys have really, really smooth and delicious hummus that is like Yeah. I think about that hummus. I will say the the the one funny thing is they don't give a fuck about pita bread.
Sophie:Yeah. I don't understand this. It's literally they have store bought pita bread. Yeah. I'm like, what?
Jordan:When order the, like, the takeaway or whatever delivery, they just give you the bag of it. It's just like you bought the
Sophie:licorice else stuff. Is, like, so fresh, homemade, amazing. Like, I don't maybe that's, like, it's just part of their kitschy vibe. I don't know. Right.
Sophie:It's really funny. Oh, but the one other thing that I wanted to mention too is that for the first time since it opened, Jordan and I took the train. It was the Frechiarossa train, which is the Italian train Oh, yeah. From Aix to Paris, and we loved it.
Jordan:It was really nice.
Sophie:Like, it was Because the
Jordan:other the other the main ones, right, it's it's Wego Inuit.
Sophie:This was a beautiful train that has, like, they specialize in having more like business class seats, but the business class is like half the cost of what it is for the other train lines we were just discussing. It's amazing. The design is very, like, simple and streamlined, but it was very easy. We loved our service. It was great.
Sophie:And, yeah, like, half the price.
Jordan:Super, super comfy ride.
Sophie:We'll see how long that lasts. You know, maybe it's just because the first year, but it was great. So highly recommend looking a little bit more into those Italian trains. They're like, they're setting up so much between France and Italy. They're just creating more of a presence in France, and it's really cool.
Sophie:From Paris, you guys, we were gone for I just I want to, like, backtrack a little bit. We were gone for twelve days because of the trip. We had looked at it because we had to be in Paris, but then we looked at should we go back to X for like we thought we have, like, technically two days between when we need to leave for The US. But when we thought about it, we were like, this is so ridiculous because we'd have to go home, see the kids for one night and then fly right back out and then go on a big international flight. We were like, this is going to kill us.
Jordan:And then I know this the And it was like, what is it? Because the only point to coming back would have been to see them and then get back home.
Sophie:And that might killed me too, honestly, to see them for a night
Jordan:and then
Sophie:go right back out. So we were like, you know what? We're just gonna go to London because that's where we're flying out of. It's a perfect little retreat. We needed the rest.
Sophie:So what was so funny is and and I say this coming, I know from from a I know how lucky I am, and I know how grateful I am for these opportunities. But we've probably now been to London, what, 16 or 17 times at this point. And, like, because oftentimes we're flying out of London. We always stay there for a day or two. We've had trips there.
Sophie:But this time, it was like the weather was typical London in October, like overcast, rainy. It was cold, and we just I don't know. I just thought, I don't need to go out. I just wanna stay in. We just got to, like, snuggle in and order a lot of takeout, and it was great.
Sophie:It was, like, it was the perfect little reset, I think, before we had to hop on an eleven hour flight to get to The US. So that was awesome. And then you got to go out and work at your London based office, which was great.
Jordan:It was cool to get some FaceTime with some buddies. Yeah. And easy to get there. Just taking the tube.
Sophie:So Yes. And then we got to meet up for dinner with my cousins who my one of my absolute favorite pubs is in Notting Hill. It's called Walmart Walmart. Wow. Say that three times fast.
Sophie:Walmart Castle.
Jordan:Walmart Castle.
Sophie:I'll link that as well. But it's just really cool because it's a nice pub if you just, you know, want to go for, like, the pub experience in London. But then upstairs is this really beautiful, cozy dining area where it's like it's got like dark wood floors and the fireplace and like just like soft light. And the food is so good. And so we just it was so great to catch up with them and just eat some yummy soup.
Sophie:And before we headed out to to California, it was seriously whiplash because within, what do we say, four days, we hit four major cities technically. Yeah. Because we went from Paris to London, then London to LA, and then LA to San Diego. Mhmm. So the thing that's so crazy is we've been flying to California for work really consistently the last two years.
Sophie:And what I realized is there's something about this route. Love it between London and California. They mostly fly very, very north. Like, we're talking the base of Greenland through Canada, and then finally hit back into The US when you're flying over what Salt Lake City, Utah kind of area. And for someone, poor Jordan, who's had to deal with me, deal with my ass for sixteen years of not being the best flyer.
Sophie:It's really funny because I have traveled all over the world, but it doesn't matter. Have never fully gotten used to when turbulence hit. It's I think it's because I'm I love control. And so I feel so out of control that it's just not okay. Anyone listening, I hope if you're someone like me, you feel me on this.
Jordan:If if you're like me, you get on the flight and you wait till you get there. If you're like Sophie, you're investigating a little bit. You're looking at the Tourbilling app. You're trying to get a sense of, all right, when are we going to hit turbulence? How long is it going to last for?
Jordan:What's the route we're taking? What does the pilot sound like when you first sit down? Are they really open about the path? If they are, Sophie will kind of turn and look at me and give me, oh yeah. All right.
Jordan:We gotta get in here. Control here. If not, if they don't say anything, she'll look at me like, great. We don't even know what to expect. Come on.
Sophie:Well, I don't know. I just feel there's something about a pilot that I don't understand why they don't they don't communicate more with what's happening. Like, I will never forget. I was taking a flight by myself. It was for my stepsister's wedding.
Sophie:And you I think for some reason, I think because you had work, you had to come in after me.
Jordan:Yeah.
Sophie:And I had to come in early for it because I was a bridesmaid, and I was by myself. This is the last time I ever sat in an aisle seat because I realized that exacerbates what the turbulence feels like. So now I always sit at a window so I can look out. But we hit this, like, air pocket going over, I think it was Kansas. I don't even know.
Sophie:And and the plane dropped very suddenly and kind of almost went sideways a little bit. And I just remember I'm sitting next to this adorable lesbian couple who were just trying to calm me down. I mean, I wasn't, like, hysterical, but I just the tears were coming. And all I was thinking was, I just want Jordan here. This is awful.
Jordan:And go figure that I'm not sitting next to you to calm you down when that happens.
Sophie:So I'm just I'm just not yeah. I'm just not flying is not my vibe. Like, I wish like, I love getting places, but I just wish that someone could, like, put me on a drip that knocked me out, like, put me under until we get there.
Jordan:I will say, though, that we were, I think it was just the other day we were talking about this because we're talking about some of the decisions we've made and the level of convenience or lack thereof that they've reached. And I think as, as little as you enjoy the whole process of traveling, it would never stop you from doing it.
Sophie:Never.
Jordan:And so it's not like we decide to not travel or not plan trips or do things because it would stress you out. I mean, I would say that we probably don't book two connecting flights to get to a destination. No.
Sophie:Direct every time if I can help it. Like, I'd much rather get somewhere and drive a little bit than have to take a connecting flight. Like, that's just how I feel. And especially with what's going on right now in The US, it's a disaster. So one flight, one plane, one pilot, like, let's just simplify things a bit, shall we?
Sophie:But anyways, what's so crazy is that we've now taken this flight so much in the last two years. And there's something about it, I think, because you're flying so north and you're not north part of, like, the world, and you aren't hitting those, like, pockets where the cold and the warm air are mixing to create that turbulence. And so like the flights generally are so smooth. And I'm not literally knock on wood because I feel like the next time it's not going to be that way. But I don't know.
Sophie:It's just it's just so pleasant. Like, it's the first time I've ever been able to get sleep coming back when we come back from The US back to Europe and on an overnight flight. I've actually been able to sleep on a plane like ever. So that's been amazing. And also what's really fun about constantly taking this Los Angeles, LA or so sorry, London, LA flight is that the last two times we've come back, we've had celebrity sightings.
Jordan:Oh, yeah. That's true.
Sophie:Yeah. Because
Jordan:What what who is the first one?
Sophie:Well, last year
Jordan:was Jasmine. Yeah. That's right.
Sophie:And then we when we just got back, I remember, like, if Jordan hadn't told me, I would have never guessed ever because they were really dressed down and, like, kind of nondescript, but he he turns to me. He's like, that's Gary Old man. I'm like, Gary Old man?
Jordan:I remember walking, and I I was, like, looking back at you with, like, this, like, whatever that face you make is, and you're like, woah. There's a celebrity right next to me. This is awesome. But, like, I could just tell. And so I was, looking him up and down.
Jordan:Was walking right behind him. He had a it was like you said, he was kinda nondescript, but he had, like, a really nice black, like, sports coat on. It wasn't like a dress up coat. It was like a very cool, different coat. And he had like the cleanest brand new Chucks ever.
Jordan:And we're just walking. I saw him like turn a couple times because it was like he was walking in front of me and then his wife was like right behind him to the side and then I was right behind her to the side and left and so I was just looking. He kept looking back at her and I was like, that's Gary Old man. That's awesome. And so you're in those moments where you're like, you wanna say something and you're like, what would I even say to this guy?
Jordan:And I'm like, I I didn't know.
Sophie:If I which I would never watch before. I was a celebrity and I had just been on an eleven hour flight.
Jordan:That's what I thought.
Sophie:And someone came up to me, I would dropkick them.
Jordan:Yeah, I know. That's what I thought. I was like, think about the context here. I was like, there's there's times where it's absolutely cool and easy and totally appropriate to go up to somebody that you know and just say, what's up? And say something.
Jordan:In this moment, I was like, I'm sitting here dragging ass after this long ass flight. And we had like a really long day too before the flight.
Sophie:It was twenty eight hours of travel.
Jordan:We all our Airbnb from San Diego. And from that moment, we were like location less. We drove up to LA. We hung out with my boy, actually the one who made the IntraNatro music. And, and then we got to the airport early and had to drop off the car, do all the things.
Jordan:And so it was so long. And I was like, if roles are reversed, I like you said, I would have slapped the dude in the face. But, like, just fuck off, man. Come on. This is this isn't the time.
Jordan:Be normal. Still fun to see him, though.
Sophie:Let's talk about California a little bit because it's really wild because you've gone back to Austin several times since we've lived here, but I haven't because I'm watching the kids. But for our work, we've been going back to California together. And when people I think some people who especially expats who live in France, I think there's a lot more of a shock when they go certain places in The US when they have to come back. And for me, California is just its own amazing place that I just never feel weird when I go there. You know?
Sophie:Like, I never feel like, oh, it's weird being back, and these are the things I missed or didn't miss about. Well, there's a lot of things I miss about The US, but that's the reality. You just never feel like you're fully in either place.
Jordan:Yeah. That's true.
Sophie:It's true.
Jordan:Well, and and with California too, I and I think this is relevant for us, which I think a lot of people could probably relate to in some ways, but we we were in Austin for fifteen years. We're in the city or in the surrounding city, whatever. And then we moved to another city. California is like, we're right by the beach. We're by the ocean.
Jordan:Like all the views are like that. Just how the vastness that you can see. And there's a lot of driving, but you can see a lot. And I think it just
Sophie:Well, especially in San Diego. Like, I'll say this right now. Like, LA is fine. I think that there's some amazing things about what you can
Jordan:I love visiting LA?
Sophie:Yeah. Visiting LA is fun.
Jordan:But we like San Diego more.
Sophie:San Diego is it's just it's the best. And, yeah, even when you're stuck in traffic, everything is so beautiful around you that you kind of just I don't know. It just doesn't feel as crazy. Now this is not saying this is someone who's not living in every day, but but I get annoyed with traffic everywhere else we go. So I don't know.
Sophie:Yeah, but I don't know. It's just it's I feel like it's become our happy place and especially like the things that people talk about with The U. S. Food, Where where we go, when we go to San Diego, it's I mean, the food is so fresh. It's as fresh as you find here.
Sophie:So so it's just funny. We'd be like, how was it? What was it like going back to The U. S? And we're like, it was amazing.
Sophie:We love so many parts of The US too.
Jordan:We haven't done, which a lot of people do, those like three week trips, four week trips where you're just kind of there
Sophie:with the
Jordan:kids. Because we did this whole trip. This twelve days was without the kids.
Sophie:Makes a big difference.
Jordan:It does. I think that's also part of it. Right? Because our, just like our lives now, our travel changes when we're accommodating them and showing them around and doing all that stuff. So until we do that, I think our perspective is very, just the two of us popping off, making the trip what we needed to be outside of the responsibilities.
Jordan:And Yeah. It's pretty damn good.
Sophie:I know. So, I mean, it's like we're always working hard when we go to California, but the the great thing is we always find time to steal moments to go enjoy the beach and just be surrounded by the beautiful scenery and eat all the wonderful food. And if you follow us on Instagram, you know that we go to California. It is our goal to eat tacos every single day. Every single day because it's like that is the thing that I miss the most.
Sophie:I mean, especially coming from living in Austin and having tacos and queso and all these
Jordan:Everywhere. I
Sophie:love tacos. It's funny. So many restaurants in Austin are not Tex Mex. They're like interior Mexican. So it tastes like if you would go to Mexico City or Oaxaca, it has those vibes, just like a really amazing, like a fish taco with fresh pico and like just like a homemade corn tortillas and all those things that we miss.
Jordan:Such a damn good vehicle for eating.
Sophie:Oh, it's when we go to California, especially San Diego, it's like they have that whole Baja California Cabo influence to those
Jordan:fish tacos.
Sophie:There's this one place we go to. It's called Litsgo. It's, like, totally nondescript. It's in a strip mall. Like, it kind of the Northern part of San Diego.
Sophie:It is so legit. These tacos are so fresh and amazing. Like, I would get on a plane for eleven hours and go eat.
Jordan:I mean, legit, I think we had before leaving San Diego, we left our Airbnb at 09:00 in the morning. We went straight to Los Tacos, crushed some fish tacos. Happy breakfast. Let's road trip up to LA. I mean, it was
Sophie:I told you I had to get them one more time before we left because I was gonna miss them too much.
Jordan:Of of the many things that I love about you, one of them very much is your conviction around eating the best food no matter the hour.
Sophie:That's true. It doesn't matter.
Jordan:It doesn't matter. I just want good food. We've done many a breakfast for dinner because it's just great. We've done, the midnight twenty four hour joint runs or the 3AM twenty four hour joint runs because we want to. It's been a while since that, but, you know, we'll travel for food.
Jordan:Yeah. And we'll definitely travel for tacos when there's time. Love to get tacos and then wash it down with some fucking ice cream. And there's a lot of good ice cream there too. There's good ice cream everywhere, man.
Jordan:Ice cream cultures.
Sophie:I know. We go to a place called Handles. I think we might have talked about it before.
Jordan:Yeah. The Grand Central Station.
Sophie:The Grand Central Station.
Jordan:With, like, chocolate coated graham cracker bites and fuck, it's so good.
Sophie:It's a great place. We normally like to stay in Encinitas or Cardiff to be closer to the beach, but this time, we stayed at this really cute Airbnb that was in Downtown San Diego. We got to try kind of some, like, other different things like, you know, we went to Anne's Hat Makers for ice cream, which was great.
Jordan:Dry cleaners.
Sophie:Or dry cleaners. That's right.
Jordan:Yeah. Makers and dry cleaners. They took over these shots. Really cool, really interesting stuff. I still think we preferred handles.
Jordan:Like, tried and true, this Graham Central Station. Like, I'm thinking about the flavor in my mouth right now.
Sophie:I know.
Jordan:Oh, man.
Sophie:But anyways, the point is is like we it's just we will always have such a big place in our heart for California and The US. And I mean, there's so many things, of course, we miss.
Jordan:I
Sophie:think we'll talk about that in an upcoming episode because people ask us all the time, like, what we miss the most, you know, what are the differences? I know we've touched on it, but I think we're really gonna dive into a new episode with that soon. But California is really our happy place, and it always feels like we're coming home. So but there's nothing like traveling twenty eight hours back from California and going right back into it with the kids.
Jordan:We knew reentry was gonna be very reentry rific.
Sophie:Did not understand quite how much. So first and foremost, if you do not know this, because I did not know this before I moved here, and then it was the surprise of the century and not in a good way, was that it there's a philosophy here that not only do they not have school generally on Wednesdays. Now we the international school that our kids go to, we pay to have them go on Wednesdays, but they also every eight weeks, school's only in session for six of those weeks. Those other two weeks are just a break every eight weeks. Okay?
Jordan:I mean, look, we know that this benefits somebody, but it ain't us.
Sophie:We don't know who. And PS, PS, I don't I just feel like this is a system that has been going on for so long. Like, I feel like maybe it's a way that they can capture, like, really good teachers because the teachers need time off, which I understand because watching kids and teach them is it's a really tough job, and it's an amazing job. But but when you ask anyone whether they're an expat, especially whether they're a French person, like, I think maybe, like, one two week break in the first semester of school, so to speak, and one two week break in the second is more doable. But no one likes that there's Wednesdays off or that it seems to be or that there's all this time.
Sophie:So anyways, we came back right into the middle or the I should say the beginning of that two week break.
Jordan:The middle of the first week, essentially. It was yeah.
Sophie:And I had a lot of stuff to work on. You went back to work. Trying to balance it all was interesting.
Jordan:It was crazy. I mean, you know, I will say this that it would have been nice if we came back midway through the second week. Correct. I'll say this. What was really cool was it would have absolutely sucked.
Jordan:And I think it would have gutted all of us if we came back. Cause we got back. I think like Wednesday night.
Sophie:Yeah, we did.
Jordan:And it was like, after they'd already gone to bed, that would have sucked to wake up super early in the morning, be like, Hey, oh my God, missed you for two weeks. Good to see you. Go to school early in the morning. See you at the end the day. Like that would have been shit.
Sophie:No, it was so fun. But yeah, you're right. Cause if we would have had them like come back and have them for like maybe, you know, four days before they went back to school, would have been perfect it's like
Jordan:like people visiting you. Then like by day three, you're like, okay. This is really lovely. So great seeing you. Thanks for coming to visit.
Jordan:Fuck off.
Sophie:Don't you think parents should get, like, a break every three days? Like, a really good break the same way that we get a break from visitors?
Jordan:Yeah. Absolutely.
Sophie:But but yeah. So it was it was really intense. We didn't get a ton of sleep, but it was, you know, we made it through. We had it. We did have some really good times with the kids.
Sophie:They got to celebrate Halloween.
Jordan:Halloween was great. This is the first holiday, I think, where they like contributed, were like understood that it was a celebration and the things that like go into it and like what you do for it. Like they they got that. Also, I think what was aided by that was they celebrated their Halloween midway through October because they were going home for two weeks, which is gonna be over Halloween. So it was like, well, if we don't do it before Halloween, they're not gonna get to say celebrate Halloween at school.
Jordan:So they had two weeks of wearing their costume and asking for candy and wanting to go trick or treating. We're like, not yet. You're waiting.
Sophie:Yeah. It was it was cute. We did. What was funny is they left their part of their costume at school, so we didn't have their witch hats. So so they had their, like, little witch skirts and their little witch brooms.
Sophie:But then I was like, I already spent money on this costume. We're just gonna work with what we have.
Jordan:Just got back from a two week trip. Yeah. Yeah.
Sophie:And, you know, I wanna be that mom, but I'm just not that mom that's gonna, like, spend I don't have the time right now to spend fifteen hours on a
Jordan:costume. Mom. This is the mom that you are.
Sophie:And it is what it is.
Jordan:Yeah. We I also agree. I was like, why would we rebuy the costume? Like, they're not even gonna care. Let's modify.
Jordan:You came up with a great idea because we had these little, like, mouse ears from their birthday. So repurpose that, paint a mouse face on. Luckily, there was, like, some some day of the dead celebrations happening on our street. So I took them to get their face painted a couple days in a row, which is awesome. Yeah.
Jordan:And made it super easy. We all did a little mouse face paint.
Sophie:Well, then they changed into bunny ears from Aster. So it was it was a witchy, mousy bunny costume. Yeah. But it totally worked. They looked adorable.
Sophie:We went on the little train that goes around town that the school had set up. And then and then the school had set up all of this trick or treating, like, in acts at all these designated stores, which was so fun to, like, just it just that's the thing. It's like life is so crazy with kids, but being able to see how they view things, like, through their perspective and their eyes and their sort of wonderment in the world is pretty magical. So that was really fun. And now it's now we're getting into November, which I can't believe.
Sophie:And, like, just being able to experience Halloween with them makes me so excited for what's coming up because I am Halloween is not my favorite. I'm not saying I don't like it. It's I think it's great, but it's I'm about Thanksgiving and especially like Christmas is my jam. And of course, Hanukkah too.
Jordan:Right.
Sophie:So all of it coming up, which will be really fun because they're really starting to grasp and understand. And that's
Jordan:I mean, yeah, they they're like asking about Christmas now. And they're like, and they like know a lot of this stuff. So yeah, it's it's cool that they're getting to that age. They're just over three, and they're really, like, you can, like, you know, celebrate with them, have conversations with them, and get excited about stuff. So that's That's good.
Jordan:It's starting to get fun.
Sophie:Yeah. And that's, in a nutshell, that has been the absolute craziness
Jordan:What a fucking nutshell,
Sophie:man. And, you know, we appreciate everyone's patient with us because we're human, and we just we're trying to figure everything out on the back end. So we're back in it though. We're ready to ready to rock. So on that note, I thought it'd be fun because we haven't done this in so long to I asked everyone on Instagram for some questions that you have, and we won't be able to get to all of them.
Sophie:Everyone's sending quite a few, but I thought Thanks
Jordan:for contributing because we did get some I fun ones to
Sophie:thought it'd be fun to touch on a few for this episode, and we'll we'll kinda get into it. So someone asked, is French bureaucracy or the French language harder to deal with? I think that's such a good question.
Jordan:Oh, feels loaded because they're both challenging. But
Sophie:personally, here's how I feel. Find the French language, even though it should be harder when you think about it, like it's already a hard language to learn between the pronunciation and just the things that don't make sense as people who have learned English in America.
Jordan:Mhmm.
Sophie:It's there's still a rhythm to it. And if you do all the right things, you will learn. And French bureaucracy is sort of the opposite. Okay. And for those who don't understand, other countries are much faster at processing visas and getting back to you in a timely manner, and France is notorious for not being one of those places.
Sophie:I have had friends who have applied for a visa and didn't hear back for two years until their lawyer had to sue the prefecture. I've had I mean, this is a perfect example. Last year, Jordan and I applied for our visa at the exact same time with the exact same information. Obviously, they know we're married. Our last names are Eptin.
Sophie:Mine got back within a month, and his took five.
Jordan:Mhmm.
Sophie:There's absolutely no rhyme or reason to it. It is bang your head against a wall. And the other thing too is if you're having any issues, there's really no way to get a hold of them in a proper way where you think, okay, I can email, and then someone from inside the prefecture will get a hold of me. No. You you will email someone and all they can tell you is what you already know based upon if you go into your account where everything is at.
Sophie:It's crazy. And you can't really it's impossible to make an appointment. It is really, really hard. So the best thing I could say is get an attorney. We've said this every single time we talk about this.
Sophie:Get an immigration lawyer because it will save you in spades with headaches and just knowing the ins and outs. And also, they have all of the connections that if they do need to escalate something, they can. So even though it might take us a lot longer to learn the French language, I find the French bureaucracy to be so much harder to deal with.
Jordan:Here's here's my take on it from a complexity standpoint. I mean, bureaucracy, that that side of things, I think, is tough because there's there's so much unknown Sophie's describing. I think the the the difference in the difficulty really comes down to with the French language. If you're living in a French speaking country, you have the opportunity to practice it every single day. So the the exposure to how complicated it is, you can kind of overcome that in small feats much more quickly versus the bureaucracy side.
Jordan:There's, you know, maybe you have to do something right when you get there. And then another thing a couple months later, and then another thing a year later, or there's like other different aspects that are, that have their own process. And that makes it really complex. Like learning another language is really hard, but you do have a chance to really like express what you're learning constantly if you try. Yeah.
Jordan:And so I think
Sophie:way that French bureaucracy The
Jordan:itself is very not straightforward. And French people joke about it all the time. There's a really funny Instagram account, this guy Loic Soberville, who's I think he's a comedian and I honestly don't know where he's originally from, but he fluently speaks French, English, and Spanish. And he just does really funny, like takes on, on all three languages in his style. But both, both things are challenging, but at least learning the French language is more fun than dealing with French bureaucracy.
Sophie:There's nothing fun about
Jordan:French You feel like you interact with people and talk to people versus just like, I'm gonna send them this form and hopefully I don't have to pay more money or get in trouble.
Sophie:Right. Well, we had another follower from Instagram ask, now that it's fall, what's going on at the markets? What produce are you seeing? We're gonna do a fall a really fun reel for kind of all the fall markets and what's happening because, you know, after living in Austin for fifteen years and not really getting to experience the seasons, it has been so much fun since we moved here. It's now our third fall that we've experienced, and it's it just gets better and better.
Sophie:And so the markets, there's gonna be many things that are changing that are really seasonal. Now, of course, we're seeing all these gorgeous so many varieties of apple, so many varieties of pears, the citrus. There's pumpkins. There's still things that you can obviously get, like a lot of root vegetables. What's wild is, like, we were still getting berries, but they just, of course, are, like, gross.
Sophie:We, you know, talk about getting things out of season.
Jordan:Yeah. Avoiding the berries right now.
Sophie:Yeah. We're avoiding all that. But it's, I mean, it's kind of like a lot of it's like the typical things that you would see maybe, you know, change over in a in a grocery store in The US. But they're just the it's so good here, though, because it's very local. It was, you know, farmed very close by.
Sophie:And the farmers, they literally come in with their goods, with all their food every single morning at one market in X. So it's it's really fun, though. And, like, all all the leaves are changing. Like, we just did a really fun photo shoot with the kids yesterday with all the, like, leaves, and it's just it's it's cool. But I what I do love, though, and I love that, you know, this person asked this is because to get to experience the markets is so much fun.
Sophie:That's one of the best parts of living here. But to also get to experience them, like, as the seasons change and know that, of course, I'm sad that berry season and, like, all the beautiful fruits and vegetables, like all the great heirloom tomatoes, like, all of that is kind of done because we're getting now into November. But then we have like, I mean, I just peeled a clementine and it like almost knocked me back off my chair. It was so good. So it's just like there's there's certain things that won't be as good.
Sophie:There's other things that they're in season and they're just it's like feeling like you're tasting the best thing you've ever tasted. Once again, one of the reasons we we live here. So Yes. Yeah. Do you have anything to add to that, my love?
Jordan:No. I mean, I you know, it as the the produce shifts a little bit, you know, there's a couple more, like, meat and cheese stands around. You get a little bit warmer. And
Sophie:then Yeah.
Jordan:And then in X, at least, they I think it's literally the very December, if not a week or two sooner. They in the main, you know, promenade in town, the Coromero Bow, they have all their Christmas cabins or whatever they are.
Sophie:Oh, I know. I'm definitely gonna be showing that on Instagram.
Jordan:Yeah. That's really fun because, you know, you you get these really, like you get mulled wine and you get these other little, like, stands and everything. And they sell some fun stuff like that and like pretzel stands with some mustard or whatever. So I just the whole the whole thing is fun. And it's like, it's it's always been interesting to me because I I kind of suck at cold weather, even though I grew up in Chicago and lived in Colorado for a while.
Jordan:And like these guys are like day after day in those outdoor markets. So next question is, is our podcast about American expats living in France or just generally about expats living everywhere? I really liked that question a lot. I think when we had started this, it was always intended to come from the perspective of our experience because we can't speak to any other one. Right.
Jordan:But it's not about expats moving to France. This is our when we do episodes where it's either a solo episode or just the two of us, we're going to share our story, we're gonna share our perspective. It's our fucking podcast, right? Like, this is what we're going to talk about. We're talking about our family, what we're experiencing.
Jordan:That's the reason why we wanted to start it. But we also recognized very quickly that that's a very, narrow perspective on just the concept of doing really hard things, specifically moving, but anything else. And so moving to any country from any country, it's a really big deal. And that's where we have started to really target people who have really interesting stories. And we've gotten really lucky with having, we have some cool friends and some cool family.
Jordan:We've met some cool people doing amazing things that we hadn't met before reaching out to be guests on the podcast. And they have completely different experiences. Have that we've teed up some people that are upcoming that we're excited to talk about as well. And part of it is us curating the people that we feel we vibe with. And we think that from what we know about them, their stories are interesting and, and they can share cool, unique perspectives about how they got to that point.
Jordan:Because I think the the questions that we get, which we've addressed, which is why we're not addressing them on this one, are a lot around the how. How'd you do it? How did you get there? How did you decide to go there? How are you making it work?
Jordan:How are you doing this? And I think everybody has their own unique kind of how to. And so this podcast was never designed to be, here's how you do it. Here's all the steps you take. Again, we're not immigration consultants.
Jordan:No. We're not lawyers. No. We just wanted to share our experience. And so that's why, because in our experiences, we're meeting a lot of people that are Americans and moved to France, your mom and a couple other people that we've interviewed.
Jordan:But this is really more just big picture.
Sophie:And also, like, something to to bring up. I mean, yeah. So we well, obviously, some of our guests are living in France as expats. Like, we've had people from other countries, Sweden, Italy. We're gonna be getting England geared up soon.
Sophie:Had interviewed someone who was, like, on his way to live in Asia and preparing for that. So it just it's really, really fun to have perspectives from people all over the world. And so we will continue to always try to have guests that we find have amazing stories and can share a different perspective and hopefully be really inspiring to everyone here.
Jordan:Yeah. And the way that we're we're going about the guests that we're getting on here, right? There's a ton of people that move abroad. Right? But I think the the people that we have lined up and that we've already spoken to, I think that they're just very unconventional paths to doing this.
Jordan:And so getting their like long background story of how they ended up getting there is, is really what we're kind of after. Because the decision making process, it's a lot of the like cognitive related stuff, you know, the physical moving is challenging because you're losing sleep and you're in a different time zone and you're trying different foods and drinking different water. Like there's all of that stuff, which is has its own challenges in of itself. But I think the mindset part of it and us just being genuinely curious about what went into the decision, how they overcame obstacles, and just help to make that inspiration that, that people have to do something like this more approachable and kind of demystify this idea that moving abroad or starting a company or getting out of your comfort zone and doing something that just you've never done before, but you fell in love with an idea thing or a person and then you just want to pursue it. Like, that doesn't matter if you're moving abroad or if you're just doing it like the, I believe that the, the formula and process of going through that has its own similarities.
Jordan:And I think that was really what the podcast side by side with selfishly, we wanted to create this for the twins when they're older. And, again, they get to go back and at some point, the question is going to come up of like, sorry, we were 10 old, and you moved us to a different country. The fuck is wrong with you? And instead of having to answer that question, I'd be like, I'm glad you asked. I have a whole library of blah, blah, blah.
Jordan:Go listen to it. Come talk to me after. Just kidding. So, anyways, that that that's my take on it.
Sophie:We have we've been asked this before, but it I think it's worth revisiting is how do you get medical care in France and what are the pluses and minuses of the health care system there?
Jordan:Yeah.
Sophie:So the wonderful thing about France as a country is they believe that no matter who you are and where you come from, once you're inside of their country, that you deserve to have health care. That is a human right. So what's wonderful is as so when you do get your this is something I will speak to, is that when you do get your first visa, which, you know, depending on what you end up getting, but like a lot of people will come here, for instance, on a visitor visa, like a one year, you actually have to prove that you have a year's worth of, like, a worldwide insurance. But once you actually get that stamp on on your visa that turns it into a residency permit, so that's within three months of living here, then you can apply for their CotVital, which is their health card, and it puts you into the system. And while, obviously, you know, it isn't free, like, you will pay into it when they will send you bills yearly, things like that.
Sophie:But it's everyone pays into it so that it's so reasonable. And otherwise, everything is pretty much covered for the most part, which is incredible. When you think about that was one of the things that we had the hardest time with living in The US was that every time that I feel like our son breathes and or our daughter had something, a cough, it's like, Okay, what what is this going to end up costing? Yes. And now it's like, we can just get care here anytime we need it.
Sophie:And the other thing people don't talk about, too, is when you're young parents, Okay, like and your kids are going into school. We all know this. Like, kids are getting sick constantly, which means that parents are also getting sick.
Jordan:Fucking gross, man.
Sophie:Gross. And, I mean, last year between October and March, I was sick straight with it. It was one thing after another.
Jordan:I was so lame.
Sophie:And I had to work through it, and it is what it is. But it just to know that I could go to the doctor because there was a point where it was around Christmas time last year that my nose, I was trying to not be on antibiotics because I'd already been on once within a year. And but my I had this sinus infection that turned to this ear infection was giving me vertigo. It was awful. And so just being able to go go take care of that and get what I need and not ever have to worry about it is it's it's the best.
Sophie:And obviously, our son just had a major surgery in in the summer, and it's just so nice to know that you can go take care of yourself. That is the best. The pluses and minuses. What do you think about that? Yeah.
Sophie:The healthcare system, there's definitely both.
Jordan:Yeah. I mean, there's definitely both. Think the the tricky things are so one of the great things is most of the stuff that you schedule, you can literally do it from an app and you can schedule, you can find doctors, you can see prices, you can see what languages they speak. You can book appointments for yourself and your family, right from the it's called Doctor. Lieb.
Jordan:It's an app and it's awesome. The challenging thing is if you have your doctor and they have a booked up schedule, depending on what you're looking for, you can't book something for like months. Yeah. Months and months.
Sophie:Things will work slower because they do. I mean, because that's the point they take. I mean, because I think one of the big pluses is that they really do care. You find a lot more people, I feel from what I've experienced in the medical field here who have really good bedside manner. And but that also means that, like, when you go to an appointment, like, every time we go to take the kids into their pediatrician, it's like at least an hour after their scheduled
Jordan:It's ridiculous. They're like, come at 02:30 and you show up at 02:25 and you walk in at
Sophie:03:30. If you're lucky. Yeah. If you're lucky. And I it's it's because they take they take so much time with each of
Jordan:their patients. Boot you out. It's kinda like the restaurant vibe where you have to ask for the check. Like, they're never gonna just kick you out. They don't hustle you.
Jordan:So it's funny because I'll sit there and be like, come on, come on, come on, come on, hurry up. Like kids are starting to get a little crazy, a little antsy. Like I need to get in there. This is why we scheduled the appointment at this time. But then when I'm in there, I don't want to be hustled out.
Jordan:And I had that a lot in The US. Okay, great. Thanks. And you're like, I haven't even had time to think of the questions that I know I have to feel good about this before I get in my car. I'm gonna get in my car and be like, all right, I guess I hope you're okay.
Jordan:And this is like, you know, I can sit there and they'll just kind of patiently look at me while I'm like, oh, wait, one other question. Hang on. Let me Google translate this.
Sophie:That's the other thing. Once you feel like you've got in, you're like, okay, well now I'm going to ask all my questions too, since everyone else did.
Jordan:Don't be a dick. Other people are doing that too, and just know that it takes longer.
Sophie:Yeah. The other thing I would say is that don't don't be weirded out by the fact that certain things, for instance, kind of the infrastructure of hospitals is old because they have only a certain amount of money that gets allotted to them and everyone pays into the health care system. I think they want to make sure the French really want to make sure it seems like the people, which is very important, the doctors and nurses and all the specialists, and the equipment is the absolute top of
Jordan:Meals they provide you are like any other hospital food.
Sophie:Yeah. But what was so funny is when we went to take our son to the hospital in Marseille, it was like I felt like it was a hospital from, like, the nineteen seventies. Once we were inside, like, he they he couldn't have gotten better care. And we even and we knew very much, like, equipment that they use in The US versus the equipment they use here. We were in it, you know, with him in the ICU, and it's it's the same.
Jordan:They have striker beds.
Sophie:They have striker beds. So it's like everything about that is incredible. But just know that, like, certain things are gonna feel a little bit older because they don't care about this stuff. It's not where they're putting their money and their resources. And you are gonna potentially have to wait longer to get an appointment to sit around for an appointment because, again, if things just move a little bit slower, that's that's harder as an American when you're, you know, always wanting to be on time.
Sophie:And but again, does it almost doesn't even matter because when you go to the doctor's office, I know Seinfeld makes this joke about like how it's like you finally get in to the doctor because you have to wait there and then you get into another room called the waiting room. And what are you going to do? You're to sit around and wait. So it's like, yeah, yeah. Oh, because that was the other thing, too, is sometimes when you get into the doctor's offices here, because again, they don't they're not going to spend the money on having a waiting room and then having another little waiting room and all these things like you go you always go right into their office and in their office, they always have right next to them, like where they're examining you.
Sophie:So, for instance, this is a good thing for women to know if you go to your OBGYN, it's like one minute, it's all in the same room. You're sitting there and you're discussing things at the desk. And then the next minute, you're like on the table and they're examining you. So it's the same thing for the kids. So that was a little interesting to get used to, to not feel like they're going to walk out of a room and walk back in and yeah.
Jordan:Just going for it.
Sophie:But overall, I mean, we've loved the system here is really, really good, and they really care about taking care of people. I think that's probably about all the time we have today. I think there's a couple questions that maybe we get to at the next episode.
Jordan:But Yeah. I think that's fun. It's go over.
Sophie:It was really fun to reconnect with Honey and do this again. And like I we'll be back to our regular cadence starting this week. So thank you to everyone. And again, just keep DMing us with any questions you have, and we will see you next week. Thank you.
Sophie:Bye, guys.