#ProvenceExpats Life Stories: Céline Domas

1. Where are you originally from? Where were you born & brought up?

I was born in Paris and I brought up in France because my parents are French. I moved a lot with my parents and my two brothers inside the country : Paris, Lyon and then a small city in the Drôme. After that, we moved to Montpellier, the city where I studied.

Graduate from the University of Medicine, Montpellier, I moved to Lyon. After staying 5 years for work in Lyon, I wanted to return in the South of France…and I found a job in Marseille…more exactly in La Ciotat, a small city located between Marseille and Toulon.

In 2009, I moved to Baltimore, in USA with my husband and my kids. It was a great experience and it was very exciting to discover a new culture, new people.

And then, after this experience, I moved back to Marseille.

2. Where do you currently live? Why did you move here and When?

I currently live in Manosque. I moved to Manosque in August 2019 because my boyfriend lives here and I sought a life less stressful, more peaceful with less traffic-jams and pollution.

3. What are you doing here for work/hobby?

I work in La Ciotat as a part-time midwife. I am a freelance photographer too. By the way, I just created my website. Feel free to take a look: http://www.celinedomas-photography.com

4. What do you like to do here for your free time with your friends / family?

I really love the area of Manosque. There are plenty of things to do, especially if you like nature. I love hiking or running in the hills; I like doing paddle board on the lake too.

But what I prefer the most is to go out with my motorbike. All roads in the area are beautiful. We often ride all day (or more), doing stops to drink a coffee or eating something on the side of the road or visiting a new place.

5. How do you meet people and make friends here?

It is tough to meet people when you don’t work in the city where you live or when you have no kids to pick up at school.. like me.

It is why I contacted this Meetup group… to meet people and to speak English. :)

Right now, it is a bad time to connect with people and go out…everything is closed because of curfew and lockdown.

6. What advice would you give newcomers or people looking to create roots around here?

My advice would be “don’t hesitate to contact the meetup group and people who have the same hobbies as you.

Take your time to discover the area :)