I am a Canadian/Czech, married to a Frenchman and living in Normandy since 2016.
I came to France in 1984 at the tender age of 18. I lived with a wonderful French family in Cherbourg and have stayed in touch ever since. At that time I met a soulful and independent Frenchman and after 30 years, we reconnected, I managed to get my Czech citizenship and I moved back to France. That, in itself is a big story and you’ll just have to wait for my upcoming book to read more.
Come with me as my husband and I travel France and beyond in our 20o1 converted Iveco van. Learn about places we have visited, the foods we’ve cooked, wines we’ve discovered and mythical places bursting with texture and history.
During this blogging journey, I will also branch off into other subjects as they come up but it’s primarily about travel and what I bring to each moment, what I learn, mistakes I’ve made and discoveries about life along the way.
Who is Dana?
Early years
I was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up in West Vancouver, British Columbia. My parents were intrepid travellers and I spent my youth sailing, skiing and going on long car trips down through the United States as well as trips to Mexico and Hawaii.
Art, painting, reading, sewing and classical piano filled my youth and instilled in me an ability to amuse myself without the need to constantly have people entertain me. I grew up “making stuff” and I still do.
1984-1985 in France
After high school, my parents allowed me to take off for a year to France where I lived in a French family, did an additional year of high school, took art lessons and experienced freedom and trust from a truly exceptional family. I’m happy to say that I am still in contact and recently visited my host mother in Toulon, where she now lives.
University and Japan
The years that followed included higher education and I completed a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Apparel Production Management at Ryerson University in Toronto. After that, I headed off for three years in Japan where I was immersed in the beauty of Japanese design, culture and cuisine. It was a profoundly impactful three years and has shaped my design esthetic ever since.
ESL and master’s degree
When I returned to Canada, I continued teaching English as a Second Language until I went back to school to complete a Master of Counselling Psychology. At the end of my training, I went through a rather difficult period personally and ended up dropping psychology in order to have some fun and run my own business.
Running my own business
For ten years I ran a spice company, creating and selling my own blends of nut and spice mixtures, mustards and a chocolate wine sauce under the name Hot Chick Spice Company. It was a busy time in my life but I made some colossal financial and personal mistakes that cost me pretty much everything I had.
The dark years
When people talk about the dark night of the soul, I really had no idea how deep one can sink and it was the serious break of my right arm on January 1st, 2013 where I hit my ultimate low. I was seriously in debt because of choices I made in my personal and business life and was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Due to the accident, I also was pushed face-first into peri-menopause and it hit me hard, along with contact hives that lasted for well over a year after my accident. I had to give up both martial arts and motorcycle riding because my arm was just too weak and I was broke. I couldn’t afford to continue running my business either. Generally, I was a total mess and I really didn’t know where next to turn.
Recovery and growth
Fortunately, I have an absolutely wonderful family and the kindest of friends. I managed to finally pull myself out of financial ruin and today am happy to be living debt free. I was finally reconstructing my life again and it felt tentative, yet correct. Exciting? No. But safe? Absolutely. Alas, anyone who knows me would not use the word “safe” to describe how I approach life.
Today
It was exactly as I was starting to pull my life back together that my old flame from France reappeared one day, and that, my friends, changed my trajectory once again. I left everything in Canada, moved to France, got married in 2017 and here we are, in our van travelling France, Spain, Morocco and life together. It’s not easy, but, whatever. It’s my life and I screw up, get back up and start over. Sometimes I learn from my mistakes and often I don’t.
What I have learned is that I bring to life exactly who I am and what I think about. So, I practice focussing on the feelings of joy that art and deep, loving, spiritual conversations provide and use that bliss to fuel my future plans and “rockets of desire,” as Abraham Hicks describes it. Sometimes magic happens, sometimes I forget to practice and then I circle around and try again.
How I make a living
Alas, for me, work comes and goes all the time. It’s never stable. When I came to France, it was easier to go back to teaching English as a Second Language as becoming a counsellor in France is complicated. I could possibly have started counselling expat anglophones but there again, I was in such a whirlwind of settling in and learning French that I just went the path of least resistence.
I taught for a training institute, a technical highschool, a French training BTS school and since 2018, I have my own business teaching both English and French. when I’m home, I go to people’s homes in and around where I live, but as I travel, I teach online. If you’re at all interested in language lessons, my technique is one of comparative grammar. I explain how English works and then how French differs and vice versa. It really works and my students have been suprised and gratified by their progress. I’m super proud of them too and it gives me a thrill every time I help someone learn and grow in their ability to communicate.
I also have a small Etsy store selling my designs. If you’re interested, please visit my Etsy shop.https://www.etsy.com/shop/CaribouCanadian
Future plans
This blog is a jumping off place for me as I try to build an audience and eventually, I hope add some affiliate links so that I can earn a small portion from anything my readers choose to buy through clicking on a link. I’m not ready to do this yet and for the moment, I’m more interested in refining my writing process.
I have also been working on my new book and again, I will move forward with publishing it once I feel that it’s ready. It’s a book about life in France, adaptation and personal growth through the exploration of the ego mind and consciousness. It’s a revealing and very personal book but I think it will touch a lot of people’s lives and help them navigate their own journey through the muck and into personal agency and strength. Stay tuned.
In the meanwhile, visit my blog, send me a message, and if you have any post requests, let me know. I’m learning and my blog will evolve as I do in this digital world. Take care everyone, and I leave you with a hug and a bisous.
Dana