What is Trust?

Trust is....sitting here twiddling our thumbs, having committed to purchasing the vehicle of choice and the house of choice, yet having signed nothing in either case, and other people are busy doing what they need to do in order for us to complete both purchases. We have put no money down on either, and in fact the Car Dealer almost looked offended when we offered to give him money, at this stage of the purchase process.

We haven't even signed anything! NOTHING, ZILCH!

How does this process work? Is this going back to a more gentle time when your word was your bond? How nice to think that might still exist!

Granted the Notaire (house purchase lawyer) has copies of our passports, among other means of identification, and can probably find us in a hay stack if necessary, and the Car Dealer has a copy of my Florida Driver's license, but that is truly all...all...all!

Our Realtor assures us that this past week has been spent doing all the diagnostics on the house. As I have said already, this involves Termite inspection, Lead Paint inspection, Boiler clean and service (all these are compulsory for a house sale/purchase) and much more. They are not expecting any different reports than the one they gave us that had been done 6 yrs ago, in 2012, when the house was purchased by the now seller. Actually, we hope it has improved! Riiight!

Today I bought three folders: One for Banking info/papers etc, One for everything to do with the house purchase, and One for everything to do with the car purchase. I suspect that I am at least one folder short. I forgot about the Insurances, but then we are going to do those through the bank too, I suspect. It might be a little more expensive in the short term, but it does help us build a relationship with our bank/bankers, and we would very much like to do that. Having a personal relationship with the Branch Manager appears to be of great import in these parts.

Transferring money from the USA to France has brought up yet another trust situation.
Last night I had a slight panic situation when I went into my internet banking site and realized that they had the wrong phone number on the transfer site, and I was unable (because my brain was in panic mode, duh!) to change it to enable me to get the transfer code.
Lots of phone calls to my private banker and the folks who can validate my person and account details later, I was able to change the phone number....the one that I found on there couldn't get the texted code because that number doesn't work in France. Now changed, BUT...both my banker and my broker in the USA have never met me! Merde! I have banked and invested with these two people for many years now...well, actually with their predecessors! Is it MY fault that nobody I had previously met and been verified with, has passed along that information? That would mean nothing, anyway. The current folks who do all this for me live and work where I cannot go and talk to them. Another city and another state!
That, is a long story...another day.

However, in the meantime we have been to branches (in Florida) where the Private Banker has verified our persons in order to help us with something. They have also made a call to my broker/banker in this other city, and had them on the phone with us in the room...we have actually spoken to them on the Bank phone! Hmm...Still, the people who do the banking and investing have to see me THEMSELVES in order to verify who I am.

NO trust here as this is the banking world, and there are many who abuse systems and find ways around their protocol. I am forever grateful that someone out there is looking out for my financial safety, no matter how humbug that may be in any given situation.

Two totally different worlds we inhabit now. I wonder what other surprises are in store for us?

I like to think that I keep an open mind and anything new is just a new experience to enjoy/overcome/deal with, and not panic/get upset/frustrated with. I try to approach each new situation with humor, a willingness to learn, and above all else, gratitude that someone (hopefully) knows their job in order to help me do mine.

All of this new learning can be a bit exhausting. It is also exhilarating and wonderful brain food. One of the reasons for changing our  place of domicile is the necessity to learn another language, customs etc, and to succeed at this.  The other reasons we wont go into just now...keep you guessing! lol.

We dont have BLIND trust/faith, however. We investigate as much as we can, hopefully make informed choices and decisions, and when we dont have enough information (to our satisfaction) we ask the right people. It is usually worthwhile buying an hour of professional time to satisfy the need for legal help/information and until we know the 'process' en campagne (in field/country) and have familiarized ourselves, we will continue to get 'professional/ help.

Our English neighbors here have just left for the return trip to the UK. They live here part time and there part time. Despite being retired, they still have an elderly father and a grown son back home to take care of and be in contact with. As an only child, the elder care falls to the son, which he does with pleasure, bless him. We did ask them when they would live in France year round, and they replied that they quite like their two totally different lives, and taking a break from each, a couple of times a year.

Not long after they departed, the  UK owner and Lord of the Manor opposite us...across the small river and valley and through the trees...arrived at our doorstep with his pooch, Jack. He has invited us to a meal with him and his daughter, on Monday evening. We very much look forward to that and getting to know them better. Even though we are temporary neighbors, they will still only live and hour away, when we are in our new home. That is nothing, in the scheme of things, and the friendships we are making now may endure...we hope.

We would like to think we have friends of all nationalities in our local community, and this will take time, but expat folks seem to be more open and available to befriend, we find. This is similar to the boating community where friendships are made fast because we are all temporary citizens in whatever parts we find ourselves.
There is a common bond between expats I find, and whichever of the 7 countries I have lived in over the years, there have been fast and enduring relationships built sometimes through adversity, but most often because of a common heritage.


On our visit to the car rental place in Angouleme, I looked up at some of the apartment blocks near the Station, and saw these buildings with wonderful artwork on them.

 These ones are books and piles of paper. I couldn't photograph the left side of the building as I was driving, and Waz objects to me stopping in the middle of the road to photograph interesting things:)  relly!

Time for a walk. The sky is blue with some grey clouds, as I sit here, but I know that behind me there is a HUGE black cloud waiting for me to walk outside without my raincoat! Point taken. Coat and brolly firmly in hand might stave off the rain.

A bientot.