Part of the reason is that we were busy. We spent 20+ hours per week caring for the house, dog, property, and guests. We also took on extra consulting work in an effort to develop our skills. But the main reason that I wasn't blogging was simple: I wasn't happy.
We were faced with new challenges each week and, along with the general stress of language barriers, feeling isolated, and trying to juggle our newfound responsibilities, life wasn't exactly a vacation. It would have been easy to use this blog as an outlet to vent my frustrations, but that's not the tone that I wanted to establish here.
Now that we've had a chance to step away for a few days, we're starting to unwind. It's a relief to let go of the negative feelings associated with our summer in France. It feels like we're turning a corner and, instead of holding on to our gripes, we're starting to appreciate the many ways that we've grown as a result of this experience.
Who knew that housesitting a Provencal mansion would be such an illuminating experience?
