Well my first post in my newly discovered role. It is almost 4 months since we landed the family in France to try on a new life for size. It has been an amazing journey so far and one where Christine and I have discovered a new perspective and developed (are developing) new roles for ourselves. The boys are also finding it very new and are still trying to work out how they fit into a different culture, learn a different language and make the shift from big city to small town attitude.
Christine has been focused on learning to be a full time athlete. This is a significant change from training when and where she can, to having the opportunity, and facing the challenge of taking her training and performance to a new level. At the same time I have been working out how I fit this new lifestyle and how it fits me. I no longer spend my weeks addressing the problems of Australian retail banking and commuting to Melbourne on the flying bus, while also trying to jam in family life, fitness and friends into the remaining time in the week. So what do I do and what do I find interesting.
Being true to my personality I have taking the emergent strategy approach to this path of discovery. Arriving in a new country for a holiday is one thing, arriving to set up a new life is another. We knew we were landing ourselves in the deep end chosing to live in a small country town in a country that is very proud of its language and heritage.
The Language Apprenticeship
So while Chris was adjusting to life as a full time athlete and the boys were wondering what planet they were on, I led the charge on trying to master the mechanics of French, with an extension program in French bureaucracy. I discovered that despite the difficulty it was (and still is) very satisfying each time I achieve a breakthrough and could understand or make myself understood. Mastering French will ultimately be a life time pursuit, but I can now manage the basics of getting things done and have a good platform to learn from. It is and needs to continue to be a daily obsession on completing my apprenticeship.
The Body
I have been on a journey of discovery about the body, both mine and that of a full time athlete. In my new incarnation as Crew Chief I have taken on the role of 'panel beater'. This involves keeping the body of a fulltime athlete in as good a shape as possible. Yes that means massage, at least once a week I put on my swedish accent, unpack the massage table and deliver the Crew Chief version of a serious massage to Christine. It is amazing to see the positive impact that this can deliver in keeping her on the road and able to train injury free. The typical feed back I receive is grunts of pain as I work on the network of knots across the body, but I am told I am moving up Chris' list of top 5 sports masseurs so a future as body mechanic is becoming more real.
The Bike Mechanic and Mechanics
I was reliably told that they were simple machines and that with a little practice they were easy to look after. Well from recent experience I can tell you that although this is not quite true. Amazingly I am starting to crack some of their secrets, with of course the reliable help of You Tube. I am now able to manage the basics of assembly, cleaning, changing breaks, changing wheels, switching cogs and with a key remaining mystery to crack tuning gears to come soon (I hope). I am now beginning to mascarade as the resident bike mechanic. Importantly I need to continuously road test these bike mechanics and make sure all is in good order. This needs to be done regularly and on the variety of incredible terrain across the region.
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