Hello all,
I am from the Alsace region in the east of France and, after years of denial and running away from myself, started  my transition from male to female in 2008, just as I was hitting the fifties. I started with HRT and,  after a couple of years stop-go,  decided to really go the whole way a couple of years later. Since then I have done a very complete FFS, hair implants on the top of my head , hair removal on my face (aaaaaghhhhh!!!!!) and come out to everyone who counts in my life.  I now pass well enough to be very comfortable assuming my female persona publicly and I guess more than anything else, I just feel happy about finally assuming my identity.
Still a bit to do before I can transition on my job but I am very hopeful that I can get this done successfully over the next year too.
Finally for now, I happily married to my second wife of 8 years who has been amazingly supportive through all the changes over the last few years, something that has brought us together more than ever and which contributed dramatically to helping me to accept myself.
I found this forum a bit by accident and just hope it will provide the opportunity to open new horizons and  meet new and interesting people.
Best regards to all.
Donna

Hello Donna,
         Welcome to the family, hope we get to know you better as time goes by. 

Hi Shantel,
Thanks for your message and you know the warning about "always being careful about what you wish for..." !  But yes, you probably will get to know me better over time...
By the way, you have beautiful eyes!
Warm regards.
Donna

Hi Donna,

Welcome to our little family. Over 10819. That would be one heck of a family reunion.

Feel free to post your successes/failures, Hopes/dreams.  Ask questions and seek answers. Give and receive advice.

But remember we are family here, your family now. And it is always nice to have another sister.

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Janet  )O(

From sunny southern California, a warm welcome Donna Elvira! 

Bienvenue, Donna !

Bonjour Donna et bienvenue. 
This site has been very helpful and supportive, and I have made good friends here.  I am sure you will find the same.

Karen.

Hi all,
Thank you all for your kind words of welcome. Sometimes I think I am fine just going about a pretty busy, work-centric life, all the more so as my transition has been very well accepted by almost everyone who was anyway close to me.
However, no one understands what it is to be TG as well as other TG's so the need to interact with kindred spirits always comes back sooner or later.
I guess that as I have gotten through quite a lot of obstacles over the last few years I may also have a few things to share which may be of interest to others.
Anyway, for now it is just nice to find myself in such a supportive environment.
Bises à toutes et à tous.
Donna
 

Welcome to Susan's, Donna.Thank you for sharing your wonderful story.

Hi Donna !

Excellent story, happy that you stuck with it, and were true to yourself.  It's ok to move slowly, at your own pace.

My family is originally from Alsace as well... we must be sisters !   

Love the poem, is that Hopkins?

Hugs & Kisses,
Karla

Hi Donna!

Welcome!
Bist du zufälligerweise Deutschsprachig? Bist du also aus Elsaß, und nicht wirklich aus Alsace? :-) ;-)

Andrea

Gut morgen Andrea,
Danke sehr. Ich bin nicht wirklich aus Elsass aber ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch wie beinahe jeder der wohnt hier. Ich komme von Irland aber ich wohne in Frankreich seit 1976.
Jetzt, muss ich zu arbeit gehen.
Bis spâter.
Donna

Quote from: Donna Elvira on April 17, 2013, 12:21:35 AM
Gut morgen Andrea,
Danke sehr. Ich bin nicht wirklich aus Elsass aber ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch wie beinahe jeder der wohnt hier. Ich komme von Irland aber ich wohne in Frankreich seit 1976.
Jetzt, muss ich zu arbeit gehen.
Bis spâter.
Donna

Wie schön!!! Elsaß ist ja so toll!!!
Die Ursprache zu erhalten find ich echt wichtig! Spricht man da mehr Deutsch oder mehr Französisch?

Frohes Schaffen auf Arbeit, Donna Elvira!

Andrea

Hi Andrea,
Wann ich genug Zeit habe, auf  Deutsch antworten gefällt mir sehr aber hier ist dass unmöglich, zu schwer.  Ich spreche und ich schreibe zu läufig auf English und auf Französisch, nur ein bisschen Deutsch,  eine Sprache die ich selbst gelernt habe.
In Strasbourg viele  Leute verstehen und sprechen Deutsch aber wir sprechen meistens auf  Französisch.  Dazu, wie Jeder in Deutschland English spricht, habe ich  wenig  Gelegenheit  Deutsch zu üben.  Am Ende, bin ich zu alt und zu faul der Bemühung zu machen...

Alors, si ça ne te gêne pas, pouvons nous faire connaissance en Français par exemple?
Bises Donna.

P.S. I already saw that you write excellent English but it's good to make me use my brain a bit..  

Quote from: karla.allen on April 16, 2013, 11:23:41 PM
Hi Donna !

Excellent story, happy that you stuck with it, and were true to yourself.  It's ok to move slowly, at your own pace.

My family is originally from Alsace as well... we must be sisters !   

Love the poem, is that Hopkins?

Hugs & Kisses,
Karla

Hi Karla,
Small world isn't it and yes that is Hopkins, by far and away my favorite poet. I'm not a bit religious but I just love his sensitivity and the way he uses language. Loved him ever since I discovered him in high school and still invariably end out in tears if I read a poem like Felix Randal out loud.
Hugs and kisses too.
Donna

Quote from: Donna Elvira on April 20, 2013, 11:36:45 AM

Alors, si ça ne te gêne pas, pouvons nous faire connaissance en Français par exemple?
Bises Donna.

P.S. I already saw that you write excellent English but it's good to make me use my brain a bit..

Bonjour Donna Elvira,
Est ce que je parle anglais tres bien? Je suis Americaine! :-) Le Francais, je le comprend bien mais je le parle seulement un peu. :-)

A bien tot,
Andrea

Quote from: NotThereYet on April 20, 2013, 12:20:18 PM
Bonjour Donna Elvira,
Est ce que je parle anglais tres bien? Je suis Americaine! :-) Le Francais, je le comprend bien mais je le parle seulement un peu. :-)

A bien tot,
Andrea

Félicitations pour le français Andréa! Suis franchement bluffée mais pense que tu dois être une Américaine très européenne, où plutôt germanique...je me trompe?

With that, so that we don't appear rude to others, it would probably be best to continue in English. I am however open to a little German von Zeit zu Zeit. It might give me the motivation to get properly stuck into a language that requires a lot of work to master.
Bises
Donna

Hi Donna Elvira!

Non, tu te ne trompes pas: although I am an American citizen, I was born and raised in Southern Germany. :-)

Believe it or not, of all the languages I speak, I find French to be the most difficult one to learn...

I can picture you speaking English with a thick Irish accent!!! Too cute!!! :-)

Was it easy for you to learn French?

Talk to you soon,
Andrea

Quote from: NotThereYet on April 21, 2013, 04:00:18 AM
Hi Donna Elvira!

Non, tu te ne trompes pas: although I am an American citizen, I was born and raised in Southern Germany. :-)

Believe it or not, of all the languages I speak, I find French to be the most difficult one to learn...

I can picture you speaking English with a thick Irish accent!!! Too cute!!! :-)

Was it easy for you to learn French?

Talk to you soon,
Andrea

Hi Andréa.
I'm afraid you would be disappointed with my accent. No doubt still some of the Irish softness but I have been living in France for so long (1976) that it has changed quite a lot and ,BTW, not all Irish accents are thick....

When I first left Ireland I actually spent some time in Southern Germany, a village called Dellmensingen in Baden Wurtemberg. I worked on a farm where, among other things, I looked after the pigs. I only stayed a few weeks as it was a real back of the woods place and I was desperately lonely but in the few weeks I was there, I think I must have castrated several hundred piglets. A whole symbol n'est-ce-pas???

Other than that, yes I think I found French quite easy to learn. I started in highschool and loved the language. For example we studied Guy de Maupassant and I still remember the fascination I felt reading him. The stories are fantastic but so is the language, so rich and colorful...

Have a great day!
Donna

P.S. You must either be up very early or having a rather late night. Where do you live in the US?

P.P.S. Have just checked your profile and understand that it was still evening for you...

Hi Donna,
Your story really offers me hope. I'm a little scared right now.
Thank you.

Love,
Ciara