#ProvenceExpat Life Stories: Sanne Verhagen
Bonjour to everyone!
I was born and raised in the Netherlands. I grew up with three older sisters in a house between the meadows in a little village. When I got older, I met my boyfriend Torben and we lived in a big city in the south: Eindhoven.
Professionally, I worked with children who needed extra support.
Personally, we had been travelling a lot and we thought it would be perfect to live more in the sun and have more adventure. Torben found the perfect opportunity: Working and studying at ITER in the south of France!
We were very excited with this opportunity and in retrospect, a little too optimistic. We quit everything (our rent, jobs, hobbies) and had a big farewell party and off we went! Without a house or even a plan, we moved with a big truck with all our stuff to the south of France. We stayed for a month in a camping car in Manosque (it was a beautiful time).
After a little stress (actually a lot!) we finally found an apartment in Aix-en-Provence.
In October 2019, we started our new lives in Aix.
Torben started working at ITER and I looked for a job. I thought it would be easy to find one. But after a lot of failed applications, it turns out that you really need to know French! I've been studying French in different settings and I'm now on level A2. Corona didn't really help me study...
Now Torben and I see different friends, we play basketball every Sunday and we like to explore the beautiful nature. In the meantime, I am still learning French, doing yoga, trying to get a permanent job and doing some babysitting.
So my most important advice for people who try to settle here is: learn French! I suggest to take lessons locally, I recommend SUFLE, so you will also have the chance to meet people. For further social engagements, be sure to check on MeetUp (we found our basketball group via this website and very good friends) or different Facebook groups.
But most importantly: Take your time and enjoy this beautiful area!
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