Blog - Page 95 of 143 - Sonia Marsh

“My Gutsy Story” by Muriel Demarcus

December 5, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

My Gutsy Story

By background, I am an Engineer. I used to be able drive trains and my specialty was Signalling (you know, the stuff that always fails on the railways). I have walked down the tracks while new trains were being tested (scary) and opened new metro lines in Paris. I have also investigated train accidents and tried to re-calculate speed profiles using complicated modeling tools to understand what had gone wrong. I am French-born, and it is fair to say that until recently I was a pure French product: I had been to the right schools and universities, and was pretty much brought up to climb the corporate ladder. Oh, and I could barely speak English -let alone write it, because German was my first foreign language (don’t ask, it is a French thing).

But, in 2004, I had to go out of my comfort zone: to cut a long story short, my husband was offered a job in London. Basically, I had two options: change husband, or change job. I chose the latter, which meant that I had to drop my much-loved job (an important part of my identity!) and find something else, in London this time. My industry works a lot by word of mouth and I eventually managed to find something else, less interesting of course, but somehow I felt that I couldn’t be too picky, given that my English was so basic…

Soon enough, I felt that I was wasting my time and my talents. I felt trapped. As a woman with a French accent, I wasn’t being taken seriously at all. I have lost count of the “Do I know you from somewhere?” comments. My notes were constantly edited to make them “Oxbridge-compliant” (I am used to working in bullet points, but it wasn’t doing the trick over here!). So, after a while, I decided to start my own business in parallel. It was about the development and management of commercial properties, mainly to maintain and store boats –I just saw an opportunity and grabbed it when I bought some cheap land close to the coast.

Eventually, my business started to make more money than my day job. It was time to change my priorities. My boring but comfortable job was holding me back. I didn’t like it any more. Still, finding the strength to resign was more difficult than I thought: most people wait patiently for a nice redundancy package, but that was not my mindset, and I knew that the extra-time spend on my business would bring me new clients anyway. After months of procrastination, I finally resigned and left. Most of my colleagues didn’t understand why I didn’t wait to get some more money.

What I love about my business is that it gives me the time and flexibility to take care of my family and explore other side of my personality, such as writing.

I started my blog (www.FrenchYummyMummy.com) as a new year’s resolution. It became addictive. After a few weeks I had more than 4,000 hits a month. I couldn’t believe that my thoughts and worries could be of any interest. I was clearly wrong.

It felt good.

I am now writing as much as I can, with a view -who knows?- to publish a book one day. It is all about explaining how it feels to be French amongst the British. But more importantly, I feel more like myself. I am finally designing my life around what matters to me. I know it is better late than never. But, after years of always doing what was expected from me, I am slowly starting to become what I want to be. Oh, and I am learning to drive boats now!

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Muriel Demarcus is a self-proclaimed French Yummy Mummy living in London. She started working in Paris in the Railways industry and never imagined that she would have to move abroad.
At 32 years, she discovered that life outside of France was possible and even enjoyable when all the family had to move to London due to her husband’s new job. It was 7 years ago and since then she doesn’t feel French any more and isn’t British yet.

Muriel and her two lovely daughters

Her two daughters have now started to correct her bad English accent, which she hates. In 2011, she decided to start a blog and hasn’t looked back since. She can be found at www.FrenchYummyMummy.com or @FrenchYumMummy on Twitter.

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Our First Story for the December “My Gutsy Story” Contest

Thank you Muriel. What a great story about getting out of your comfort zone and adapting to a new life in the U.K. Not only that, but you started your own company, taught yourself English, and started your successful blog French Yummy Mummy. I love reading books about Americans, Australians and British women who moved to France. One I enjoyed in particular is called, “What French Women Know,” by Debra Ollivier. So now finally, Muriel Demarcus will write a book about the reverse: A French woman living in the U.K. It is all about explaining how it feels to be French amongst the British.

(Please leave your comments below for Muriel to answer. She will be over I’m sure.)

Sonia Marsh

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VOTE for your Favorite November “My Gutsy Story”

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HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN “My Gutsy Story”
To submit your own, “My Gutsy Story” you can find all the information, and our sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story” contest page. (NEW VIDEO) Submission guidelines here.

“Bonjour 40 days in Paris”

December 1, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

The 4-0 Equation.

By Karen A. Chase

Author of Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log

(40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds)

Karen Chase published an exciting book called “Bonjour 40” about how she planned something unique and “Gutsy” to celebrate her 40th birthday. She stayed in Paris for a month. Karen offered to Guest post the “4-0 equation” today and for those of you who love Paris or want to learn more about Paris, the food, the people and the way of life, please jump over to Karen’s website, watch the book trailer and download or order her book. She has some great photos of her month in Paris.

The dreaded 4-0. Forty. It happens to every woman, right? Yes. Even to me. When I turned 39 last year, my parents happily said, “Welcome to your 40^th year on the planet. Where will you go when you actually turn 40 next year?” I was going to be 40., like it or not, so I better plan for it.

Although my parents were teasing me, their intentions were good. They wanted to find out how I was going to embrace my age. I’m not one to shy away from growing older, because I hope it also means I’m growing wiser. Their question of where would I go really made me stop and think. I could roll over and groan about my number of years, and go out to the same restaurant to celebrate, or I could revel in my milestone birthday and use it to take stock of my life. So I did.

I planned for a year, and just after my 40^th, I booked a month off from my life, took the money I would have otherwise invested in my IRA, and went to Paris for a month. I went alone for the first three and half weeks so I could get to know Paris, and be forced to speak French. I can honestly say I wasn’t afraid to do it. “Gusty!” a few friends called me.

“No,” I thought. Amelia Earhart circumnavigating the globe on a solo flight is gutsy. My little adventure was nothing compared to that! However if others see me that way, maybe it’s because Amelia and I are both examples of how “gutsy” doesn’t happen overnight.

My trip to Paris didn’t seem bold to me because my trip came after traveling alone on short weekend adventures first. It came after moving across the continent, and after experiencing a nine-day trip to Maine on my own a few years ago. Perhaps Amelia’s last solo flight didn’t feel gutsy to her after she’d taken lessons, helped invest in an airport, and flown solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Maybe gusty is a product of having gumption. Maybe having guts is simply getting up each day and trying new things. I recall one of my last days alone in Paris. I was riding on a rented bike through the city during rush hour without a helmet. I remember the thrill of knowing where I was going, knowing I had chosen to be in Paris, and that I was embracing my life. My age. I was forty and loving it. I was happy. And there it was. There was my life’s equation.

Gumption = gutsy = embracing new things = happiness.

What’s your life’s equation?

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CONTEST GIVEAWAY BY KAREN CHASE

Thanks Karen for your wonderful story and for motivating us to do something different and special, like you did.

To go along with our writing contest called, “My Gutsy Story”, Karen Chase has kindly offered a free copy of her book and a 5″x7″ print of one of her Paris photos from the book.

The first person who sends in a “My Gutsy Story” to our contest which is selected for our Monday post wins a free copy of her book and a 5″x7″ print of one of her Paris photos from the book.

Please remember to vote for your favorite “My Gutsy Story” for November. You have until December 13th, to pick your favorite story.

What do you think of Karen’s adventure? What would you like to do to celebrate a special birthday?

Vote for Your Favorite “My Gutsy Story”

December 1, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

From December 1st until December 13th midnight, PST, you can vote for your favorite November 2011, “My Gutsy Story.”

To VOTE, please go to the poll on the sidebar of any of the 5 “My Gutsy Story,” submissions, (not on the homepage.)

Here are the 5 stories. Only ONE vote per person.

1). Rhonda Hayes

2). Karen van Der Zee

3). Lauri Kubuitsile

4). Jill Fales

5). Nikki Ah Wong

The winner will be announced on December 14th.

Good Luck to all of you. Your stories are amazing and inspiring.

Above Photo credit

“My Gutsy Story” by Nikki Ah Wong

November 28, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

Two bags and a yellow motorbike

At 49 years old, I was a manager in a non-profit organisation with a great salary, a company car, a phone and laptop. At 50, I became sort of motorbike riding gypsy, with no regular income. I spent the whole year travelling, exploring and living on an average of $100 a week.

It was a magical year.

I have always loved travelling and started at an early age. When I was three years old, my parents left England for New Zealand, the land of clean, green pastures, rugged hills, and described in my childhood as the quarter acre, pavlova paradise. I feel exceedingly fortunate to have grown up there.

I took holidays to Fiji, Singapore and England in my late teens. I got married in Samoa, and lived there for a year, sometimes staying in homes with no glass in the windows, no flushing toilet and a shower that was a hose attached to a tree branch.

Even when I had five sons, we managed a trip to Disneyland with a weekend In Hawaii and another week in Samoa.

I loved being a mother but my marriage was always hard work.

Finally, just before I turned fifty, and the second to youngest turned 18, I finally realised my marriage would never be any better and moved out into a flat of my own. I left my husband the house and children so he could continue his home based business. He repaid me by taking the youngest, who was almost 12, to Australia.

I love New Zealand and it surprised me to see so many of my friends and family move to Australia. I thought it was just a bigger New Zealand, with koalas, kangaroos, giant spiders and poisonous snakes.

I wanted to be closer to my youngest, so I decided to follow.

Before I could set a date to leave, an alcoholic I met online began to cause trouble for me. He called the police to report me missing and then sent hate letters to my employer. Soon after, I was made redundant from my well-paid job.

It seemed like the ideal time to go to Australia.

Luckily, I had also met a wonderful Australian man while online dating. He was my physical and moral support as I left New Zealand to follow my son.

I applied for a live in role at a health retreat but it was only two days before my flight that I received a call saying I could stay with them while they processed my application. The retreat was not what I expected and the job I applied for never materialised, but is set me up as an adventurer. Once I had made the leap, I decided to continue.

After the generous gift of a motorbike from my friend, I began to travel thousands of miles on my own up and down the east coast and mid-western highways. I took up scuba diving again after a thirty year hiatus and began hunting for geocaches*[1] in remote and diverse spots.

Nikki and her motorbike

To solve the problem of a place to live, I began to house sit. I moved into my first suburban home with one small bike bag and a backpack and began a new life. I stayed in 15 homes in one year. A dilapidated bungalow in the city, a recently constructed urban ghetto development, a Midwest country town, and several up market homes in inner city Brisbane, including one in a multi-million dollar gated community.

In between, I travelled and explored. I spent a night in a luxury High Rise overlooking the city and many more nights in a pub rooms that were no better than the back of a stock truck. I even slept in a friend’s car.

It has been a wild and adventurous ride and the adventure isn’t over yet.

I have plans to head to Greece, South America and Malta, the land of my birth. I want to visit Spain, Turkey and as many European countries as possible.

I expect to accompany my friend as he sails from New Zealand to Australia and one day I might try International Housesitting.

I have adopted the quote from the movie called Mr Magorium’s Emporium and now refer to myself as a wonder aficionado. While some people find the years when their children are grown are difficult, I love my new life.

I have written a book about my marvellous year and hope my story inspires others to take a chance on a dream and try something radically new, especially in their later years.

There is a whole wide wonderful world still waiting to be explored.

[1] Geocaching is explained in more detail in my book “Housesitting in Australia – Big Adventures on a Tiny Budget”.

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Biography – Nikki Ah Wong

Author of “Housesitting in Australia –Big Adventures on a Tiny Budget”.

Mr Magorium said it best. I am a wonder aficionado. I love life and adventure.

I am a life coach, mentor, house sitter, writer and lifelong learner. I am also a grandmother and the mother of six wonderful sons. I have been exploring the East Coast of Australia on my motorbike.

I am almost ready to release my new book called “Housesitting in Australia – Big Adventure on a Tiny Budget”. It is a story of my transformation from stay at home mother, to a motorbike-riding adventurer. I am very happy and I want to share that happiness with others.

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Thanks Nikki for this Gutsy change in your life and for sharing your adventures in Housesitting and traveling around Australia. I can think of several people who would love to start a new life, away from the “conventional” life, and this might inspire them.

Sonia

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To submit your own, “My Gutsy Story” you can find all the information, and our sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story” contest page. (NEW VIDEO)

REMEMBER TO VOTE:

Our first poll starts December 1st-December 14th to vote for your favorite “My Gutsy Story” of the month.

Thank you to those who have already submitted your “My Gutsy Story” to Gutsy Living. We are saving them for future posts and have five sponsors for November. We shall be getting more exciting sponsors in the future.

Please leave your comments and questions for Nikki Ah Wong below, and please share her” My Gutsy Story” with others who need some motivation and inspiration.

Do you workout on Thanksgiving Day?

November 24, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

My pre-Thanksgiving dinner workout.

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” MARCEL PROUST.

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. A time to be with family and to reflect on all the positives in your life.

Think about all the things you’ve accomplished in your life.
Stop worrying that something may happen in the future which prevents you from enjoying this moment.
Appreciate who you are and the value that you bring to those in your life.

Here is how I started my Thanksgiving Day.