New year, new beginnings

This is one blog post I hope I won't be repeating this year. I almost named this post, "A bad start to 2013", but I decided that it would be better to try and look forward rather than backwards.

A few days ago I received a negative reply to a job that I had applied to in February of last year. Yes, things really do take that long in France sometimes. Normally the response for this job was supposed to have been in November, but what's a few more months, right?

I've decided that I will apply again for next year's round. I don't really feel like applying again, but I know I've got to keep trying. I knew the odds were that I would be rejected so I was prepared for it. Who knows, maybe if they keep seeing my application every year they'll give me the job to get rid of me. I'm just hoping they'll see this as proof of my motivation. So maybe next year, or the year after that...

A friend and he husband were robbed at the Gare du Nord a few days ago while waiting for the train to London. Their tickets were stolen as well, so unfortunately their trip to London and Cambridge had to be cancelled. There was no way they could go, as even her Carte de Séjour was stolen as well. I have never been robbed like that in broad daylight, but I really fear this happening. I would feel so violated if this happened to me.

And last but not least, my uncle (my father's older brother) passed away a few days ago. This morning I called my father and found him, obviously upset, sitting alone at the kitchen table. It's times like these that make living abroad really difficult. If only I could be there for him...

I am really sad that I didn't bring my husband to meet my uncle. He was a kind person, always speaking to everyone with a quiet and soothing voice. I don't talk about him often, but I talked about visiting him to my husband the day after he passed, without knowing he was gone already. Isn't life strange?

The thing is, I'm supposed to visit my other uncle (my father's younger brother) on Tuesday and will be staying just over a week. This is trip I planned a few weeks ago. I hesitated about going after hearing about the passing of my uncle, but my cousins think I would make a good distraction. My father's family lives in Italy, so unfortunately he can't be there (since he lives in Canada). If only he could be there as well...

I hope that Denmark will be the breath of fresh air that I need. It'll be a chance to start off 2013 on a better note. We'll be really busy the first few days with paperwork and settling in. I'm thinking I might even learn some Danish! It is not a terribly useful language, but why not?  Despite the setbacks to this new year, I'm looking forward to the rest of this year. Bring on the good times!