How we ended up moving from America to a tiny French village with a Baguette machine.

There’s a question people can be surprisingly weird about when you’re an expat.

Americans — and even some expats — will occasionally adopt a certain tone and ask: “But do you have FRENCH friends?”

We’ve all heard it. When you’re searching for something different, someone will tell you that you can find what you’re looking for right where you are — if you just look hard enough. Don’t do anything too drastic.A relative visiting us recently said exactly that. And Jason had the perfect response.

When we decided to move to France, one of my quiet anxieties was the unknown. Back in Texas, I know the drill — wild boars, venomous spiders, scorpions, snakes, tornadoes, hurricanes. I’ve got a playbook for all of it. But France? What hazards might be lurking here that I wouldn’t even think to Google?

Last week, I got my answer. And naturally, I’m passing it straight on to you.

If you’re deep into your move-to-France research, you may already know that Americans from certain states can exchange their driver’s license for a French one—no test.