Why this American moved from Paris to Dordogne after 30 years in France

Kate Mailfert, who grew up in South Dakota, moved to Paris in 1970 after meeting her husband, Richard, at Cornell University.

“I moved to France for the best of reasons: I fell in love with a Frenchman,” she laughed.

After a career at Kodak-Pathé, and bringing up two daughters in the capital, she wanted a change of scenery when they retired in 2000.

“I had grown up on a farm in South Dakota… so I thought it would be fun to buy a little farm – not to farm, but to garden and have a few animals,” she said.

The Périgord Vert, a lushly forested area of northern Dordogne, was “exactly what we were looking for”, and they moved to a small village north of Périgueux.

One thing Kate loves about Dordogne is the diverse expat community.

“There’s the Dutch and the Brits, of course, and there’s a substantial group of Americans and Canadians, but our friends also come from Venezuela, Ukraine, Taiwan, Germany, and we have, of course, many French friends.”

The couple soon built a flourishing social life by joining local arts and culture associations.

They are both involved with Périgueux’s own opera company; Richard will sing in the chorus of this year’s production of La Bohème, while Kate, who plays the cello and French horn, is playing in one of the orchestras.

A keen science fiction writer, Kate is a member of two writing groups and will take part in a newly organised science fiction festival in June.

“It’s so encouraging. I’ve made really close friends through those groups.”

But moving to rural France has not been without challenges. They live in an area often classed as a “medical desert”.

“My dentist closed about a year ago. I thought I’d find another quickly, but many weren’t taking new patients. I have one now, but it is not easy.”

Another reality of rural life is that Kate and her husband both need a car.

“It is panic time if one of our cars breaks down. There just are not the buses and local transport; it just hasn’t been developed in the way I wish it had.”

What tips does she have for other Americans or foreigners moving to France?

“My advice is: no excuses, learn French. If I hear one more person say, ‘Oh, I’m too old to learn a new language’… I’ve been working on Japanese, and I think I’m going to start learning Arabic.”

“You can learn a language at any age; you just might learn a little differently or a little more slowly. You can get very good working French, and that is how you really feel like you are in the country.”

What are the biggest differences between the US and France?

“People have often commented that Americans tend to be more optimistic, the can-do attitude. The French often see the obstacles, see the problems, and maybe do not jump on a new idea quite as quickly. I see that at every level.”

“The French do not like to fail, whereas Americans have the attitude that it is OK to fail: you learn something from failure, and you are going to be stronger with the next project.”

After so long in France, Kate feels American, French and European, and lately has discovered a hobby that has transported her back to her roots.

“My husband and I do country and line dancing. What is fun is that it is the country music I grew up with. I used to go to local rodeos, and that music is part of my identity. It is fun to find, rather later in life, something that brings you back to where you grew up.”