Warrant Officer Suzie Paquin left Val Cartier this summer (22nd Regiment) to settle in Naples. This is her first posting outside of Canada. When she was offered a position in Naples she was over the moon. She exclaimed, “Impossible! It's unbelievable that this is happening to me!” The assignment was a good fit for her personal life. Her older children were excited for her and had nothing but words of encouragement. Suzie left Quebec alone, but not completely. She brought with her irresistible little Méo, a crested Chinese dog that follows her everywhere. Expatriation is quite a challenge! Especially in a country where one has never set foot. It's a leap of faith! We don't know where and how we will land. "I don't come from a family of travelers," says Suzie. "When we were young, we didn't go further than Old Orchard." Nevertheless, Suzie prepared for her move with a desire for change and discovery. She says, "When standing in front of the toothpaste shelf, I'm the kind of person who chooses the brand she doesn't know. I also come with the idea of buying local. It's important to me." This change is taking place in a more difficult international context. But restrictions imposed by the pandemic have not been a problem for Suzie. In fact, they were more of an advantage. Quarantine allowed her to go slower and to rest. The hectic pace at work before leaving, the demanding preparations for the posting: providing documentation, selling the house, preparing boxes, were all exhausting. The 14 days at the hotel proved to be a healthy break time to listen to the local radio, study the maps and finally relax!
Suzie the go-getter Barely out of quarantine, Suzie overcame her fears and drove her car to discover her new city. "Of course, it's not always easy on your own. Sometimes I've found myself going in one-way little streets," says Suzie. "The ATM in Italian is not always easy. Once I went to the toilet to wash my hands, and I couldn't find the taps. There were none. It was a pedal under the sink. Laugh!!!" Changing my approach Suzie shared, "Even though I'm ready for anything, I realized I had to change my approach. I challenged myself to go to Capri for the day. This involved going to Naples port, buying tickets, finding a parking spot, taking the ferry to the island just across from there. I almost missed the departure of the ferry because I didn't quite understand where the line was. I was stressed all day and it ended up not being the nice outing I was hoping for because of that. I should have just gone there and come back for the first day. Having a little drink on a terrace, enjoying the landscape, was already a lot! One step at a time. Enjoying each little victory." Suzie also discovered that you have to be willing to repeat the little everyday things more than once before you can succeed. Finding a store, ordering and receiving a package is not always easy in Naples. "I don't let myself say it can't be done! But one must accept that it doesn't happen like at home." Suzie is posted to Naples for four years! She can't wait to receive her container with her furniture and her car and to move into her new house which has one of the most beautiful views of the Gulf of Naples. She also has ambitious projects to realize during these four years. Like walking around Mont-Blanc, for example. But before embarking on such adventures, she starts with more humble beginnings like discovery activities every weekend and working on developing her Italian!