I wrote about our transition as my wife and I leave the US for France soon.

[ivovanwilligen@mastodon.social]

@chergert Welcome to Europe 🇪🇺!

[araly@gamedev.lgbt]

@chergert "bon courage" in your move for both you and your wife, I hope France treats you well !

[lffontenelle@mastodon.social]

@chergert Thanks for everything so far, and I wish the best luck in your move to Europe.

FWIW, adults are more able to learn new languages than we usually give ourselves credit for; it's more a matter of how much can we invest in learn a new language:

https://youtu.be/gTgbDXYG_OY

[espadrine@mastodon.social]

@chergert I learned French when I was a child. I cannot fathom learning it now. Your resolve is inspiring.

[foo__@mastodon.social]

@chergert c'est un honneur de vous accueillir (in french on purpose) 🙇

Stay safe in the meantime :)

[catnux@social.linux.pizza]

@chergert Bienvenue en France ! I'm not a developper and I suppose I won't be able to help you for your work, but feel free to ask if you need help about life in France, administration, etc. 😉

[colinstu@birdbutt.com]

@jzb @chergert I’m gonna blame IBM on that one.
Their relocation policies BLOW. (Unless they’re the ones initiating it)

[allpurposemat@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@chergert Congrats on the move and good luck! Shame that RH didn't help you, I hope you find employment someone nice. Or somewhere cool, in case you aren't moving to Nice.

[ef@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@chergert you may want to check visa terms and what happens once you apply for residency (do it on day 1 if you can). Thought you could work or apply to be an auto-entrepneur but perhaps you meed residency first or a work visa. France is very bureaucratic... very. Do check any tax agreements between the US and FR... it will differ from what you are used to and may catch you out.

Good luck with the move and feel free to ask questions as been through much of the process.

[scaroo@floss.social]

RE: https://my.devsuite.app/@chergert/116026324458430589

@chergert While sad that the current situation pushes people out of their homeland, their habits and far from their families, as a French I can't be more proud to count you amongst us in the near future. RH is loosing a HUGE asset and hopefully one of @collabora @igalia @codethink @SUSE or whoever will help you continue your awesome contributions to FLOSS. As many in the replies, I am available about any info regarding France and its peculiarities.

[waarisbal@mastodon-belgium.be]

@chergert Welcome to Europe. As many European governments, including the French, are looking for more digital independence you might find some opportunity’s with your background, if you can get a woking visa that is.

[karolherbst@chaos.social]

@chergert sad to hear that the relocations haven't worked out 😢

[pid_eins@mastodon.social]

@chergert Welcome to Europe! Hope you'll feel at home here soon!

[csoriano@mastodon.social]

@chergert all the best man 🙏

[lw64@chaos.social]

@chergert I wish all the best!!!

[ross@hachyderm.io]

@chergert welcome, hope the move goes well!

[anatolegc@piaille.fr]

@chergert Oh that’s a shame that you have to leave the US but it’s awesome that you chose France! Ping me if you need anything, some advice, or some help in French. I hope that you’ll be stable soon, take care

[guepi@mamot.fr]

@chergert Dear Christian. Thanks for all you've done for GNOME.
I'm not able to join a project and maintain it, but I'll be very happy to help you to learn french.

[postaron@mstdn.fr]

@chergert first of all, welcome to France !
Secondly : always think about social security if you need to see a doctor : do not hesitate nor wait.
It is known that americans tend to neglect this because, well, healthcare is kind of shitty in the US. Do not hesitate to go see a doctor !

[fredericjacob@darmstadt.social]

@chergert Welcome to Europe! 👋
Sad that the situation in the US urges people to leave their country, though. Regarding your OS engagement: Stories like yours are a very good reason for initiatives like an "EU sovereign tech fund": https://eu-stf.openforumeurope.org/
Or in Germany, we have the #SovereignTechAgency with the goal to fund critical OS infrastructure. It's really important that widely-used OS software like GNOME is well-funded, not dependent solely on unpaid volunteers.