Wine. Strikes. Merde. Must be France.

Neuf Has Ruined My Life

2008-04-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Way back in October/November, when I was at the height of my moving & getting settled stress, the only thing that seemed to go right for me was Neuf. Ah, the shiny little Neufbox, all lit up, that offered me endless internet and long-distance calls. It saved my life. I was a happy girl for the next several months.

In my attempt to be responsible, I mailed off my letters of notice to my landlord, utilities, etc., asking to please end all services at the end of April when I vacate my apartment. Letter stated very clearly to end service on April 30.

So what does Neuf do? While I was away in Bulgaria (yes, I'm getting around to writing a blog about those travels as well), Neuf cancelled my service. I came home to a dead Neufbox and no phone line. My savior Rich, whose French is far better than mine, called them on my behalf to find out what happened. Yup, they recieved my letter. Yup, they cancelled my service on April 9, a full 21 days early. Yup, they acknowledge this was an error on their part. And yup, in typical French fashion, they claimed there was nothing they could do to reverse this. I was officially no longer with Neuf. No more internet. No more phone. No more life as I knew it.

Jess calmed me from my complete and utter breakdown. I feel so lame for being so upset by this-- after all, I only have a few more days here and went for almost 2 months without phone & internet when I first arrived and managed. I just hate being detached from everyone back home. It sucks.

Lifesaver Rich gave me a spare set of his keys and said I can come to his place and mooch his internet whenever I need to. He may want to retract that offer soon! Unfortunately he doesn't have the phone deal I had, so I went and bought a phone card today so I can use his phone and not be subjected to stupid payphones.

So, way to go Neuf. For probably the first time in French history, you were ahead of the game. And you ruined my life in the process. Moral of the story: Being responsible and giving 30 days' notice will come back to haunt you.

I am so ready to come home...

Wien & Le Sleaze Parisien

2008-04-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

No, that is not German for "wine." It is the German, or if you get technical, Austrian spellling of Vienna. I've been here since about 11:30AM, and now only have a couple of hours left til my flight to Sofia.

The morning started off OK. I caught the 5AM train to Paris and while sitting in the train station overheard 2 girls speaking English. But... I didn't know them. How could there be ANY anglophone in Troyes that I had not encountered?! Turns out the girls are Irish and have been studying in Troyes since September-- basically, the same time we assistants got there. How the heck could we have missed them?! I didn't ask how many other students there were-- it was 5AM after all and I was a bit groggy. It's too bad that I meet them now, just a few weeks shy of coming home.

Paris was fine and dandy. I tried to sleep on the train ride but did not have much success. The RER at Gare du Nord was a nightmare as always. I hate the RER. I am dreading having to battle my way while loaded down with suitcases when I fly back to the US-- this time was bad enough. So we're smashed in like sardines, and naturally there is unwanted contact. A bump here, a foot stepped on there-- this happens when you have 298398587587 people crammed on a car meant to hold about 50. An elbow to the ribs is forgiveable. A man pressing himself against my cute lil derriere and grinding against me is not. I did my best to squirm away, reposition my suitcase to use as a barrier, anything I could but Mr. Rubby was persistent. I repositioned my hand on the bar, he'd move his close to mine, being sure to brush it (1 or 2 times of this would've been a coincidence. 5 or 6 is just downright sketch). Whenever the doors opened and people got on, even if there was much more space on the other side, he squeezed right up next to me. He found a way to me no matter how far away I managed to get (which, sadly, was never very far). Finally the car emptied out a bit and I managed to squeeze away from the main pole thingie and to the side, near the fold-out chairs, and threw my suitcase and laptop on top of it. Then for whatever reason he took to wandering through the car, between the seats and BOTH times he would pass me he would do the whole hand-on-my-shoulder-please-let-me-by thing. Which was unnecessary as there were several inches of space between us, nor did he feel obliged to make this gesture for the people he damn near trampled down. My numerous murderous glares did nothing. But luckily, one stop away from my final destination, I snapped-- nay, snarled-- in crystal-clear English, "Get. Away. From. Me." I'm sure I was baring my teeth. Who knows if he understood English but he definitely understood my message and proceeded to chat up the girl half his age who got on the stop before mine. I wanted to vomit.

So that was my morning. Orly was uneventful as usual. Didn't have to go through their passport control which is always a relief. The flight was fine, I had a whole row of 3 seats to myself. I splurged and ordered wine, hoping it would help me sleep. It did, but not on the flight. I'll get to naptime in a bit. The view of the Alps (at least I assume they were the Alps) was really pretty. Luckily I snapped a few pics.

So, Vienna. By the time I got off the plane, found the baggage carousel, got my bag, found a potty, determined that once again I did not have to go through customs control, and found a place to grab some lunch, it was almost 1:00. As I had mentioned, I was hoping to get a chance to explore Vienna properly since I had so much time here. But I thought it might be impossible since check-in for my flight only started 2 hours before, not to mention I was beginning to feel the effects of the previous night's 4 hours of sleep. I decided I better find out where I needed to be for my flight, stopping in various shops along the way (I need to find my mom a shotglass. She gets shotglasses from every country I go to).

The coolest one so far was the grocery store. A full-on grocery store in the airport! I dunno why but grocery stores in foreign countries always amuse me. And to my delight, this being the land of Red Bull & all, they had a Red Bull cola drink AND... the elusive Red Bull bottles Brad & I searched tirelessly for in Amsterdam. I will definitely try to get some back to France/the U.S. to show my fellow Red Bull junkies. I was also pleased with the selection of California wine. They had a Stag's Leap which is an excellent wine (but under a different name... Stafer? Saffer? But the price label listed it as Stag's Leap-- Jess, explain please!). I don't recall how much it costs per bottle back home but here it was the bargain price of like, 42Euro. I'm certain it is much cheaper back in CA.

Something else weird about Vienna airport-- there is still smoking allowed. Not in all areas but every restaurant (which is pretty out in the open) and even in some corridors between terminals & such. Even for someone living in France, smoking in airports is shocking. I do believe it is the first city I've been to with such a lax smoking policy. OK, maybe Vegas too.

So I managed to check my bag a couple hours early (yay!), grab an info brochure for the direct train into Vienna center, and have decided to check it out when I'm here again in a week. I've navigated the airport, know where all I need to be, and probably won't be as tired. So Vienna exploration will wait til next Wednesday.

I made my way to my gate a good 3 hours before boarding. It was pretty deserted so I found a cushy (?) bench thing and curled up for my nap. I got a good 1 1/2 hours in before I started hearing people milling around. And now... here I am, updating my blog. Yay for wifi!

I'm debating if I should buy something to eat now and go through the X-ray thingie again or just get something on the plane. Only a few more hours til I get chez Keil! :)

Bulgaria & Beyond

2008-04-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Downside: I have to get up at like, 4 to catch my 5AM train to Paris. Le yucky.

Upside: I'M GOING TO BULGARIA TO SEE STEVE & FAMILY TOMORROW!!! Yay! I am excited to see our friends. I am stoked to get to see another country (maybe two, since my layover in Vienna is so long I'm considering hitting up the city center just so I can say I've seen it!). I am THRILLED that the weather is supposed to be in the 20s (70s, for you Americans).

My flight gets into Sofia around 9:30PM. I *think* Bulgaria is one hour ahead of France, I'll have to double check. I get back into Paris around 8PM next Wednesday, which is too late to catch the last train to Troyes. Thankfully, I posted about my dire situation on the Assistants in France board and a Parisienne assistant offered to let me stay the night with her. Karma, how I love thee...

Steve just texted me from his Bulgarian phone so I know I have the correct number. No idea if my phone will work in Bulgaria-- even if it does, it will be expensive for me to send/get calls & texts. I've decided to bring my laptop so I can A) keep myself amused during my long layovers (Vienna airport has lots of wifi spots), B) finalize my last lesson plans, and C) keep myself amused as needed in Sofia if/when Steve is working and Kristina is busy with the little ones.

I'm excited to meet Jahn and Skai, Steve & Kristina's two young sons. I'm bringing them gifts because (and Kristina confirmed) we all know the way to a kid's heart is through presents. I've got lil somethings for Steve & Kristina too of course. I randomly bought a lil 4-pack of port wine while I was in Porto last February not knowing who I would give it to. Afterwards, when this whole Bulgaria plan was in the works, I remembered that Steve likes port, so that's perfect for him. During NYE in Paris Kristina loved the macaroons sold in the patisseries so I bought a box of a dozen assorted macaroons for her. Jahn is getting a Playmobil dinosaur (it says age 4+, he is 3, so hopefully it will still be OK) and Skai is getting a stuffed cat that meows when you squeeze its belly (Kristina said he likes cats and things that make noise-- two birds with one stone).

It's gonna be a long day of travel but I'm so excited I don't think I'll mind too much... then again, my feelings on that may be different when I'm walking to the train station at 4:30AM tomorrow morning!!! :)

Presque La Fin

2008-04-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

So this last week was my last week of class before vacation. I have 6 more days of teaching left. This week I also started the process of ending contracts & whatnot. Called Neuf (internet/phone) and found out what all to do (send in a letter, and return the Neuf box via certified mail). Went to EDF (electricity) and asked about ending my contract (go read the meter, and take in the final number to them to calculate my final bill). And (ugh), went to the bank to find out about closing my bank account. My conseiller is nice enough but always talks to damn fast and throws WAY too much info at me at once. I just wanted to stop my automatic rent payments and find out how to officially close my account when all transactions have gone through. I was scared that if I said I were going back to the US she would insist I close the account right then & there (which I can't, since I've still got some bills to pay and need to get my security deposit back), so I lied and said I didn't know when I was going back. Now all I have left to do is meet with my landlord and return the keys/get my security deposit back. I am hoping he will give it to me before I leave so I won't have to worry about it.

I am so ready to go home!!! Less than 4 weeks til I am back in the US of A. I know I will miss France, and all my friends here, so much when I leave but I have been so homesick for quite a while now; in fact, I don't think it ever went away. When I studied abroad, the homesickness was there but disapated eventually, and I was generally very happy. I haven't felt genuinely "happy" here. The other assistants and my new friends are great but we don't have the same connection as I had with the girls in Le Mans. I've also had to deal with the stressful things like finding an apartment, getting my CDS, and being sick-- all things I didn't have to deal with last time. It really wears on a girl.

I've also been experiencing an onslaught of anxiety/panic attacks in the last few months. I don't know if it's related to depression, or the lack of sunshine (seriously, I have not seen the sunshine since Prague!) or what. I have noticed that the anxiety and depression tend to coincide with heavy drinking. I've been drinking a LOT lately, and need to cut back. And my attempts at quitting smoking have mostly been in vain. As Jess pointed out, now is probably not the best time in my life for me to successfully quit, as I'm down enough. And I've been sick pretty much since I got to France, with a recurring cold/sinus infection popping up from time to time. In Paris a couple of weeks ago the cold (or maybe allergies) were really hitting me hard, and the inside of my nose is still so sore and irritated. I never get allergies, but I seem to remember getting them quite badly around this time of year in Le Mans too. I've also been biting my nails again, which I haven't done in a couple of years.

Not to mention I've been away for pretty much my entire engagement, which has been so hard. We got engaged 2 weeks before I left for France, and I'll be home for about the same time before we get married. No getting to enjoy being engaged together, no engagement party, no bridal shower, heck Jess and I both have been scrambling to squeeze in bachelor(ette) parties! And I hate that I missed my sister's bridal shower and wedding dinner. I am slightly resentful that she couldn't have waited just a couple more months (she had originally said they'd be engaged for like 2 years!), and that they *have* to have their reception like, as soon as I get back. So I'll be jet-lagged, rushed, stressed, with a thousand things to do for my own wedding, yet I still very much want to be involved.

At least I have Bulgaria to look forward to. That will make time go by faster. And after I get back I'll be so busy with packing and cleaning and whatnot... I guess I'm just antsy knowing the end is so close.

OK! This post is awfully depressing-- sorry, readers! Time to perk up. I'm waiting to hear from Mike about hitting up the museum (it's free on the first Sunday of the month). Then only 3 days til I leave for Bulgaria. I still need to do laundry, pack, and pick up some gifts for Steve & Kristina's kids.

Smile, Nikki, smile!!! :)

Chris Visit, Part Two: Prague

2008-04-05T03:53:00.001-07:00

Continued from previous post...

On Wednesday the 26th, Chris and I headed back to Paris to catch our flight to Prague. We got in around 7PM, and after the customs fun and getting bags and figuring out how to get where we were going, we found our hotel around 8PM. First thought: WOW!!! We paid the same price there as the hotel in Paris-- cheap, as both were a bit out of the way, but MAN what a difference! Still the same dinky beds thisclosetogether, but a huge entry area, massive bathroom complete with a bathtub (YAY!!!), and a bar and restaurant on the premises. We ate at that restaurant at least once a day, it was so yummy and pretty cheap. That night, we were a bit too tired to venture into town so we found a local dive bar and got huge Pilsner Urquells for 29CZK (about 1 Euro!). Yum.

On Thursday we jumped into tourist mode. We walked around Prague Center and saw all sorts of things:

The old Jewish Cemetary, with 12,000 tombstones for about 100,000 bodies...

The astronomical clock, with a little coo-coo clock action...

The Charles Bridge...

And of course, Absinthe!

We also saw Wencelas Square with all its shops and restaurants, walked along the river, saw the Medieval Torture Museum and saw some churches. We tried to get to the palace but by the time we got there it was closed. Prague is an absolutely gorgeous city!!!

Friday, we set off for a day trip to Kutna Hora. Chris was especially keen to go here as I had heard about a "Bone Church" decorated with about 40,000 human skeletons. So naturally, the first stop was the ossuary, which lived up to its reputation:

Weird sculpture thing. Can you find the bird and the lady?!

Next we worked our way to St. Barbara's cathedral. The outside was under renovation but the inside was still gorgeous.

We headed back to our hotel and went to bed rather early. Back home in California, our sister had just gotten married and Jess was planning to call us around 1:30AM Europe time. We were both exhausted though, so the phone call was brief. Congrats, Mr. & Mrs. Alukic!!!

The next day was our last day in Prague. Our flight wasn't until 5PM so we were able to hit up the palace. It was awesome. We didn't have time to wait in the huge line for the Basilica, but were still satisfied with our visit. The view was incredible...

View from Prague Castle

Chris was especially taken with the collection of medieval weapons, armor and fashion on display. I think I would've fit in well during the medieval Prague days...

Princess Nikki

After a few hours at the palace we were on our way to the airport. To anyone who has never been to Prague: GO. Everyone I know who has been loved it, and now I see why. Although keep in mind that Absinthe BURNS-- won't be trying that stuff again!

We had to stay Saturday night in Paris as we got in too late for the last train. By Sunday we were back in Troyes, and early Tuesday morning I accompanied Chris to CDG to see him off. I hope he enjoyed his first trip to Europe as much as I did. I love living vicariously through Europe newbies, and re-living my own amazement at travelling for the first time. Which is ironic, considering how ready I am to come home!!

Chris Visit, Part One: Paris

2008-04-03T02:34:00.000-07:00

So way back, 2 Thursdays ago, I headed back up to Paris to take advantage of Brad's hotel room. I met him at the Bibliotheque Nationale, where he had been working, and we got in to an exhibit they were holding; basically, it was porn through the ages. Quite amusing, and interesting. Dinner, then bed. Brad got up the next morning for work and a couple of hours later I was on my way to CDG to pick up Chris.
Navigating CDG is never an easy task, but imagine my surprise when a gendarme (military-type cop) stops me from passing through this one section of walkway. There is a group of people gathered around, and another group about 50 feet away being blocked by another gendarme. After a few minutes, they told us to cover our ears. POP! And we were free to go. Uhh...
So I got to the arrivals gate and got to talking with some other people. Turns out a bag had been abandoned and they decided to blow it up. Better safe than sorry, I guess.
About an hour later Chris emerged from the customs exit. Yay! We promptly headed to the hotel, as Chris was desperate for a shower (can't blame him). We had lunch, he took a nap for a bit, then we headed to the Louvre, which is free on Fridays for people under 26 (mind you, that is UNDER 26, and contrary to popular belief, my carte professionelle did NOT get me in for free). But anyway, Chris was delighted to wander amongst the old Roman, Egyptian and Greek artifacts. We walked around a bit and headed back to the hotel.
On Saturday, Chris, Brad and I headed to Versailles. I had never been before, and Chris was dying to go. If you go to Versailles, my advice is to buy your admission tickets BEFORE you get there. It was a total mob scene. Tour groups fighting to get through the narrow doorways, people walking right in front of your camera... c'est la vie I guess. The gardens were lovely but it was so cold outside we didn't walk around as much as I would've liked. Oh well.

The gang at the Hall of Mirrors- Versailles

That night we splurged on an amazing fondue dinner in the Latin quarter. Soooo yummy! I've definitely gained wait thanks to Chris visiting (and us travelling and therefore, having to go to restaurants all the time). The three of us headed to a pub near Brad's hotel and played billiards.

Good times!

The next day was just wandering. We met Brad at the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine to the Arc de Triomphe, walked along the Champs Elysees and tried to see the catacombs but they were closed for renovation. Lame, that's the THIRD time I've tried to get into that places and couldn't. Lamecore indeed. We then headed to Montmarte and Sacre Coeur (I warned the boys to keep their hands in their pockets, lest they fall victim to the overpriced string bracelets like Jess & I did in January).
On Monday, which I had off because of Easter, we spent our final afternoon together going to Pere Lachaise cemetary. Paid our respects to Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Moliere, and the other famous residents.

RIP Jim!

Then it was time for Chris and I to head back to Troyes.
We got back to my place around 8PM. We met up with Rich and had some wine, then called it a night. After all, some of us had to work the next day! ;)
I apologize I can't be bothered to post more pics; if you're interested, check out my Flickr. Stay tuned for Part Two: Prague.

No, I Have Not Gone AWOL

2008-04-01T02:53:00.000-07:00

A brief update to say I will be updating briefly. It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, but it has been a busy couple of weeks! The end of Brad's visit coincided with Chris' arrival, so I was busy busy busy with my two favorite baldies. Plus, in Prague we didn't have internet for several days so updates were impossible.
But Chris left this morning and now I am back in Troyes. It's April, which means I only have one month left of my contract and honestly, could not be more thrilled. I'm even contemplating calling Lufthansa to see what kinda costs could be incurred if I tried to change my flight to leave even earlier. I am so ready to come home. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I did this program and have some amazing memories to show for it but I think I can safely say that France is out of my system now.
But anyway, more on that later. Having gotten up at 5AM today, I am a bit knackered and hence, off for a nap :)

Amsterdamming

2008-03-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

OK, so backtrack to last Thursday. Miss Ants in the Pants, AKA me, didn't think her classes could go by any slower. But before I knew it, it was 4:15 and I was at Gare de l'Est. Just a hop, skip & jump to Gare du Nord, where I awaited my Bradley. The Eurostar came in, I stared at the gate searching-- but no Brad. Hm. I had noticed his flight was delayed but hoped it wouldn't have caused him to miss his Eurostar. As in all times of panic, I called Jess. "He had an HOUR to get from Heathrow to St Pancras?! No way," stated my London-savvy lad. Well, in all honesty that put my mind at ease for the moment. Assuming he caught the next Eurostar out, I bought an overpriced espresso and waited.

Bingo. Eurostar #2 rolled into the station and there was Brad. YAY! After several of Brad's awesomely wonderful hugs, we were on our way. Through the pouring rain we navigated the French, Belgian and Dutch freeways and got to Amsterdam around 1AM. Sadly, our target locales were closed by the time we got all checked in, but we were able to pop into a small club for some drinks. We were tired anyway and decided to call it a night. A big weekend lay ahead!

Day 2: We wandered. We ate. And man, did we find some coffee shops!!! We went to the Poezenboat (cat boat), wandered around town, drank Heineken, and coffee shopped it up. That night we attempted to go dancing. The club was OK, but the music went downhill and we took off. Honestly, don't remember much else. But I know Friday was a good day.

Day 3: Bikes! My third time in A'dam and I had never rented a bike before. Brad and I headed out across the big canal behind Centraal station and took off into the countryside. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike but MAN, I am so glad he talked me into it. So much fun. We stopped in a park area and ate the best Gouda ever. Mmm. Then back into town, I'm sure more coffee shops were involved. We found one that had games. We played a game of checkers, and were a good few minutes into it until we realized this was no ordinary checkerboard. Instead of 8 x 8, it was 10 x 10. Good game anyway, thanks in part to the vaporizer on hand. Hehe.

Day 4: Back to la France. The rain was back as well. We stopped briefly in Rotterdam, just because Brad wanted to, but other than a couple of spiffy bridges we weren't too impressed. We stopped again in Belgium for lunch-- again, nothing to write home about. We got back to Paris around 8PM. I helped Brad navigate the metro, find his hotel, and decided to stay with him because it was late and I did not want to deal with lugging baggage on a train back to Troyes. We spent the evening drinking an overpriced bottle of wine while walking along the Latin Quarter, had a yummy Italian dinner, and went to bed.

So Monday, back to Troyes for me. Was tough to get back to work after such a great weekend, but the pain was dulled by my lycee's St Patrick's celebration. I had invited Rich along, and it was a good time. "Traditional Irish" food (beef stew, with that distinct French beef-y taste that started making me nauseous), Guinness, Irish folk music and dancing. Wow was that a funny time. Rich tore up the dance floor. I did a waltz with my responsable, Patrick. I jigged with some of my students. It was hilarious.

I didn't have class today because, as Patrick told me last night, he was on strike and therefore I was too (I have 2 of his classes on Tuesdays). Then he continued, "I always go on strike the day after St Patrick's Day." Finally, some logic behind the infamous French laziness.

Brief Update

2008-03-17T06:56:00.001-07:00

OK don't have much time to update this but just a quick note that the A'dam trip was AWESOME! Soooo good to see Bradley, and partake in all Amsterdam has to offer. Stayed with Brad last night in Paris and headed back to Troyes today. Back up to Paris on Thursday, and Chris gets here on Friday! Yay! :)

More later, hopefully with pictures. Happy St. Patrick's day, everyone!

Tootsie Pops

2008-03-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Class was OK today. I am still having difficulty with one group of terminales. It isn't so much the students as it is their prof. I ask her for copies of whatever text/image they are working on so I could study it beforehand and better prepare for a discussion with the students, but nada. So I basically get these kids and really have NOTHING to do with them. I ask them (in French and in English) if they have texts or images to work on. Silence. Anything I can help them with? Silence. Just nothing. I want to help these kids-- it's my job! But it is hard when the prof gives me nothing to work with. I managed to half-ass an hours' worth of "assistance" by referring to my freshman year Oral Comm class survival skills of how to give an effective speech. Wanna know how to use up all 10 minutes of bac babble? Speak slowly, enunciate, pause after each sentence, breathe. They did seem to appreciate this. I think next week I will print out some tongue twisters to help them with their pronounciation.

My wonderful fiance brought me lots of wish list items last weekend. Among these: Goldfish crackers (YES!!!), a small box of Bisquik (Nikki's famous pancakes, anyone??), and lil treats for my kids: Tootsie Pops. Last time I asked for Reese's peanut butter cups and, although a hit with my students, they got miserably smashed. Hence, hard candy this time around. I brought a bag for my new BTS class, since I gave out Reese's to my classes from the first half of the year.

I knew my BTS kids were getting their practice exam results back today. For me, it was another lesson in just how different the American & French education systems are. Granted, this was my responsable's class, and he was as kind as anyone could be in this scenario. I guess "kind" is relative; this is what the French are accustomed to; hence, it is not as cruel to them as it is to me. He read off every student's name, followed by a critique of their errors-- no high points, no "You did well on XY or Z" but "You did poorly on AB and C"-- and *gulp* their mark. Americans reading this, can you possibly imagine sitting there in class while your prof announces your grade to EVERYONE?! While it was good for the students who scored highly (one girl got a 17-- frickin' AMAZING), I cringed for the students who scored lower than 10. Poor things.

Luckily, the good ol' assistant was there to hand out American candy. The rest of the class period was spent chit-chatting and discussing that the chocolate-y Tootsie roll center really isn't chewing gum.

Raindrops & Teardrops

2008-03-10T06:31:00.001-07:00

The sad thing about weekends is... they always end. My wonderful weekend came to an end just a few hours ago. I had such an amazing weekend with Jess, starting with meeting him at the train station Friday afternoon (he brought me flowers!!!), then making dinner chez moi and meeting up with some friends for drinks. Saturday was even better, with a minivan excursion to Epernay for some Champagne tasting, then back to Troyes, where my wonderful fiance had booked us a room at the nicest hotel in town. Big, cozy bed, a BATHTUB, and just all around a wonderful lil place. Sunday was mostly spent lounging in bed, cuddling, watching movies, taking baths, drinking Champagne. Then this morning it all came to an end...

Jess wanted to catch the 7:20 train, so we left the hotel, got the rest of his stuff from my apt, and headed to the train station. Alas, there wasn't actually a 7:20 train, but there was one leaving within a couple of minutes so he got a ticket for it. Our goodbye was, therefore, brief. I wanted to cry but the tears would not come. I tried to look for him on the train as it took off but didn't see him-- hopefully he saw me waving from the platform. I headed back to the hotel (heck, it was paid for and check-out was noon!!!), curled back up into bed for a couple more hours, ate breakfast, took a bath, and headed out, only to notice...

Rain. Buckets of rain. Windy, nasty, rain. And me, freshly washed & dried hair, cute but not rain-effecient shoes, a suitcase and my laptop. The weather matched my already shitty mood. By the time I got home, the tears had arrived. Then Jess texted- his plane is delayed due to the weather. Fuck you, rain. You ruin everything. Go away.

It took all my energy to drag myself through the rain again to go to class. I have a break now, so I came home lest I have a breakdown (would rather brave the rain than burst into tears in the salle de profs). I need to go grocery shopping in a bad way but can't muster the motivation. Honestly could care less right now if I starve. My heart is starving, already in Jess withdrawl. I try to take solace in the fact that I will be home in just a few short weeks, and ordinarily I think it would work, but this weather is just so miserable and depressing. All I want to do is curl up into a little ball and cry, but I know if I do I will only feel worse. Must keep smiling.

I sound like such a downer. This time was easier to say good-bye than the last time was, and that time was easier than the time prior. I guess I'm just ready to be at the stage where I never have to say good-bye to him again. I have so much to look forward to-- I get to see Bradley on Thursday, and we're going to Amsterdam! My brother will be here next week! Paris, and Prague, and Bulgaria, all with wonderful people who love me and always make me smile. So why isn't it enough?

And so, the raindrops-- and teardrops-- keep falling. But like weekends, I know that they too will eventually end.

Il Neige!

2008-03-06T08:47:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Mere stopped by on her way to meet the others. I was in part two of my chicken soup-ing, and had to wait til it finished. But as she left, she stood, shocked, in my doorway. I looked out and sure enough-- snow! Just some flurries, and it didn't stick, but still, it was the first time I actually saw snow in Troyes (although heard it had snowed a couple other times). So yay, I did get to see my snowfall. But it is supposed to start getting warmer, which makes me happier.

JESS GETS HERE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!!! I am praying he can catch the 9:40 train and be in Troyes by 11:15. But he would only have an hour & twenty minutes to land, get his bags, get the RER into Paris, get the metro to Gare de L'est and make his train. I'm not holding my breath :( What is more likely is that he will have to wait & catch the noon train, getting into Troyes at 1:30. It would kill me to know he is sitting in Paris while I am waiting anxiously in Troyes, but think I will have to forgo the temptation of buying a 22E roundtrip ticket to just go up & come right back (even if it does mean sitting on a train snuggled with my honey). I am just so excited to finally see him-- it'll have been exactly 2 months since he last visited. And then, the final stretch... the next time I see him will be at San Francisco airport. :)

So everyone, keep your fingers crossed, pray to the transportation gods, whatever you can think of that may influence fate to enable Jess to catch that early train! :D

Chicken Soup

2008-03-04T10:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a long day, despite only having 3 classes (I only see my 1er class every other week, this was an off-week). I was 80% thrilled, and 20% disappointed with my TGRH1 classes. First of all, half the students showed up late or not at all. Just as well, since the ones who were on time are the generally well-behaved ones. Plus, like other assistants have pointed out, once those 2 or 3 chatty ones are MIA the others behave much better. I had an article about life in Britain, what it means to "be British," that I copied from one of the ESL magazines in the CDI (the school library). I had them take turns reading, then gave them the exercise. First it was a fill-in-the-blanks, stuff like, "The U.S. is governed by a _____, Britain is governed by a ______" (president, queen). They were, dare I say it, EAGER to shout out the answers they knew as I wrote them on the board. Next we briefly discussed stereotypes, and then I had them fill in the blanks in a chart I had made. 3 columns: French, British, American, with words filled into 2/3 of the spaces. For instance, under "French," I wrote, "vacances," left the British box blank, and under American wrote, "vacation." "HOLIDAY!!!" they shouted out. One of the more chatty/less motivated students even said to me after class, "This was a good lesson. It was... I understood. Clear." Looks like the essays & grammar from hell will have to wait ;)

My ESLV4s had it rough too. They are a fun group of jokers. But last night their prof came in and said to me, "You will give them this photo. They have 30 minutes to prep, and then they present. Write down EVERYTHING that they say, then give me your notes." I could see where this would go.... I write, "Student A had difficulty pronouncing WORD." She tells them, "Student A, the assistant said your pronounciation is terrible." That's how French teaching is. No wonder the poor kids were terrified (or, desparate-- a couple kept trying to bribe me!). So all I wrote for each individual student were their high points-- "Student A justified his reasoning by pointing out X, which was good." All criticisms were written under the "General Notes" section. I don't want to be the bad guy. These kids need praise from SOMEONE, a concept foreign to most French educators. Sigh...

I came home exhausted and had just started thinking about dinner when Rich & Laura invited me over for dinner. Chicken risotto, mmmm... props to chef Laura! Mike was over too, and we hung out til around 10. As usual, I took the chicken carcass home to make soup.

Today was OK. I finished my music lesson with my TL1s. It was the second group (I see one half one week, the second half the next week), and they are hands-down my favorite class. Fun, eager, excellent English. They enjoyed listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers and filling in the missing words to the lyrics. A couple of the guys even got into drumming along to the beat on the desks. I always leave that class with a smile. Next was another small group of terminales with their image from a hypothetical bac exam. I think I got 5 words total from the whole group, despite reminding them that they NEED to SPEAK to pass the exam. Ugh. At first I thought maybe their English is just weak, but even after trying to explain in my not-so-great French, their faces were still blank. Can't win 'em all....

And then, my BTS classes today & tomorrow are cancelled. Free day for me tomorrow (yay!). So I started the soup-making process. My cupboard of an apartment is all steamy (France doesn't believe in good ventilation systems), but smells of yummy chicken soup-- perfect for a cold, windy day like today. Since I couldn't make my hunny homemade soup when he was sick last week, I can give him some when he visits on FRIDAY (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), plus I will have enough to give to Rich & Laura as a thank-you-for-the-chicken-bones gift. Who doesn't like homemade chicken soup?!

Tomorrow I plan to be productive. Gonna finally call Neuf and see what all I have to do to officially end my contract. Gonna go in to the EDF office to ask the same thing (why spend money on a phone call, which I HATE doing in French, when the office is 5 min away?). And I am going to mail off my letter to my landlord saying I am moving out in April. In France, the law says 3 months notice, but from what I gather in the lease, he only needs 1 month notice. So I am compromising with 2 months.

Jess will be here on Friday! I am so excited. Friday night: hang out, meet a French friend of mine for a drink, then see what the other assistants are up to. The fair is in town, so we may go to that. We went last weekend, but want to see it all lit up at night. Saturday will be an adventure-- we have reserved a minivan, and Jess is going to drive me & 5 other assistants to Epernay for some champagne tasting. Miam miam! Then Saturday and Sunday night, Jess reserved us a room at the nicest hotel in Troyes, saving us from 2 nights of my child-sized bed and hot water deficient shower.

When there's chicken soup involved, life is good.

L'assistante Americaine Sera Bientot L'assistante du Diable!

2008-02-29T05:13:00.001-08:00

Everyone thinks evil thoughts at some point. It's just a matter of whether or not you act on them that makes the person him/herself actually evil.

In that case, my 2 TGRH1 classes are about to think I am on par with the devil in terms of my evilness (is "evilness" even a word?).

On the one hand, I want to give the kids some slack: the first Monday back from vacation is rough on everyone. But they have been giving me a rough time since the get-go and lately it has gotten really out of hand. But I feel just handing them back to their teacher would be too easy (plus, heaven forbid, if I gave up those classes I put myself at risk of being stuck with some 8AM classes or something instead). Basically, save for 2 or 3 semi-decent kids, I have decided I pretty much hate them. I am over trying to get them to like me. I swear the little bastards just want to make my life hell during those two hours. Here goes, my open rant to my first two classes of the week:

OK, TGRH1, you've asked for it. You think my English class is synonymous with wandering in whenever you feel like it, taking 10 minute bathroom breaks, and catching up with your semi-wretched friends about the last episode of Nouvelle Star (which totally off-topic, I just read on the assistants' website that an assistant in Burgundy was on the show-- tres chouette!)... Don't get me started on the fact that your collective English skills is hands-down the worst of ANY of my classes. You think I ask about your interests and work hard making lesson plans & activities that will be fun and educational for you for my frickin' health?! Do you come to my class drunk and/or stoned?! Maybe you should lie and say yes, because then at least you would have an understandable excuse for forgetting EVERY BIT OF ENGLISH you have EVER learned.

Alas, TGRH1, I am stuck with you for another 7 class meetings. And my goal is to have your little derrieres whipped into shape by the time I leave. I just spent a good hour creating the most vile, mind-numbingly boring, so very unfun grammar/essay "quiz," and it is just for you. Past tense and future tense, synonyms and antonyms, and lastly, an open-ended essay question on the following topic:
"Do you think it is acceptable that you and your classmates do not listen to the assistant? Why do the students refuse to participate in her activities? Do you prefer to do grammar exercises instead?"

I saved it for the end, and hopefully if they are not crying of boredom by that point, they will be ridden with guilt by the time they are through. I feel bad having to give the punishing quiz to all the students, even the 2-3 decent ones, but I just can't handle it anymore. I am torn between going in on Monday with my original lesson plan and as soon as they act up, hand it out, or just make this my lesson plan and hope they learn their lesson by the next class. I'm leaning towards the latter; that way, I will go in with my heart-of-stone mentality and just not care. You don't understand? Poor you-- maybe you should have paid attention during the last 4 months of class instead of text-messaging your friends. C'est quoi? Pardon? No, I seem to have forgotten all 10 years of my French, just like you can't remember any of your 10 years of English. And for all intents and purposes, these quizzes will be "graded."

Gosh, re-reading this post I am beginning to think I AM on par with the devil. Overall I don't think they are bad kids: just rude, obnoxious and ungrateful. But I am polite, and quite gracious, and can only handle those who aren't for so long. I am, in fact, acting on my evil thoughts. But that doesn't REALLY make me an evil person... right?

Travels

2008-02-27T08:46:00.001-08:00

I suddenly felt inclined to make a list of all the cities/states/countries I've visited... Forgive me, I do random stuff when it is too yucky outside to be productive.

USA: California (everywhere), Oregon (Ashland), Washington (Seattle), Hawaii (Big Island, Kauai), Nevada (Tahoe, Reno, Virgina City, Las Vegas), Arizona (Tucson), Texas (Midland), Louisiana (Monroe), Georgia (Atlanta), Michigan (Detroit), Massachusetts (Nantucket Island). Driven thru: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. Layovers in: Pennsylvania, New York & Colorado.
Mexico: Tijuana, Ensenada, San Felipe
France: Le Mans, Troyes, Paris, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, St. Raphael, Tours, Chambord, Amboise, Blois, Chenonceau, Lille, Reims.
Monaco: Monte Carlo
Luxeumbourg: Luxembourg Ville, Vianden
England: London, Oxford
Spain: Barcelona
Portugal: Porto
Switzerland: Zurich
Italy: Venice, Rome, Florence
Germany: Trier, Bitburg, Saarbrucken, Munich, Dusseldorf
The Netherlands: Amsterdam
Belgium: Brussells, Antwerp

Coming up: The Netherlands (Rotterdam, maybe), Austria (Vienna, maybe), Czech Republic (Prague), Bulgaria (Sofia), St Lucia.

I'm feeling quite well-travelled all of a sudden!

Minivans & Miscellany

2008-02-27T08:01:00.002-08:00

It was soooo nice and warm and sunny on Sunday. What happened?! It has been cold and gray and rainy here since then. Blech.

Last night was the first time I'd gotten a decent night's sleep in awhile. So ironic that this morning I had a morning class and had to drag myself out of my cozy bed, trek 20 minutes to class, and less than an hour later, trek 20 minutes back. But it's a really nice BTS class, and I don't actually teach it myself (my responsable teaches, I sit and chip in when he asks. Easy enough). I see this class twice a week, and during yesterday's class they were all excited because of an upcoming mock oral exam. They asked for a practice for their practice exam, which I found kind of amusing. But amusement went to flattery when they asked Patrick if I would be there to help. Sure, I'll be there, I said. Not like I have anything else to do for 5 hours on a Wednesday afternoon...

I still can't help but reflect on the fact that Jess should be arriving here in less than 48 hours. But what can ya do? At least, as he pointed out, the gap between seeing each other this visit and the next time will be a week shorter. Such an optimist. Why the hell is he marrying ME?! ;) Luckily everyone is able to still go to Epernay for Champagne tasting next week-- in fact, MORE of us are. Jess called Hertz yesterday to book a minivan, as we have 6 people going. It will be about 25E per person for the car, gas, tolls, etc.- a bit pricey, but a lot cheaper (and quicker!) than the train/bus combo you'd need to take coming from Troyes. That Jess is a brave man; driving in France is one thing, driving a minivan in France... yikes. But he has to drive-- he and I are the only ones old enough, and Princess here doesn't know how to drive a manual transmission (which, upon discovery, always yields a laugh from my students).

I just emailed Jess, Brad and my brother officially asking them if they'd be willing to serve as my pack mules. I had such a difficult time getting all my bags to the train station and through CDG last time I left France that I am trying to plan ahead (especially since, unlike Le Mans, Troyes not only doesn't have a direct train to CDG but you have to change train stations in Paris. Ugh.). Yeah there is always the option of shipping but A) it is expensive, and B) last time it took over THREE MONTHS for my stuff to get from Le Mans to California. No thank you. Whether it's just a bit of space in a suitcase or a willingness to take an entire extra bag, any little bit helps!

Ever since getting back from Barcelona & Porto I have been trying to watch my diet. I need a perfect beach wedding body (well, close enough) so even though the healthier food costs a bit more it isn't terrible. Veggies are always cheap when bought at the marche, and when it was warmer last week I got into eating salads again. Stirfries, soups, whatever I could think of to combine lots of veggies and not so many carbs. But in this crap weather, I finally caved and bought a baguette, and have been nibbling at baguette & pate for the last hour. Hey, I'm only human...

Note to self: Don't forget to...
-Start writing letters to cancel utilities & get out of lease.
-Go to BN flippin' P Paribas, drop off a copy of my CdS, and set up a RDV to figure out how/when to close my account. God I hate them,
-Ask one of my profs if I can have March 27 off to go to Prague with my brother. Well, ask, but more like say I already have my ticket and I am going. She's a dear though, and I doubt it will be a problem (knock on wood).
-Figure out what all I can pawn off onto my aforementioned pack mules.
-Talk to two of the other assistants here who may want to come to Amsterdam with me & Brad. Yay!
-Clean apt before Jess gets here, as this is my last weekend that I will be chez moi for a month!

Comment Dit-On LAMECORE En Francais?

2008-02-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Flus suck no matter what. But when your fiance comes down with one days before he is to board a transatlantic flight and has to push his trip back a week, they suck even more.

My poor boy ended up having to go to urgent care yesterday. He is doing better today though, but definitely not in any shape to get on a 12 hour flight. So he will fly out next week, and will come visit me next weekend instead of this coming one. Sucks, but what can ya do...

Going back to class today was rough. It's always nice to see my colleagues after a vacation, but man the kids are just a pain. They clearly don't want to be back (can't blame them, I was the same way once upon a time), but my weeks always start off on a crap note anyway because of my wretched TGRH1s. Today was just the final straw. I am SO SICK of thinking up interesting, fun lessons (at least what I think are interesting/fun, based on what my classes told me they want to study at the start of the year), only to be met with blank stares. Most of my classes are a pretty decent level of English; these classes still cannot even say what they did for vacation. Not just, "I did XYZ," but even formulating, "During the vacation I..." Nope. Can't do it. And when I passed out my printouts for the activity, with directions written both on the sheet and on the board, in English AND French, nothing. I walked around the room to see how they were doing-- NOTHING. Every single group of them had NOTHING finished. By the end of the second class I finally said f-- it, and just sat up front and ignored them for 15 minutes. I have a note written to their professor to see if she has any advice. If not (and believe me, I have tried the whole separating chatty friends, giving boring grammar, etc), then I am just going to refuse to teach them. Ugh.

It was a long day. By my last class (a group of terminales I have to prepare for the bac-- whole other source of frustration right there considering I have never taken a bac, and therefore don't know what exactly to teach them, and their prof just tells me, "Do whatever you want."), I was done. I see half the group for the first half-hour then switch.When the second group came in (who clearly shared my "I am so over this," sentiment) I half-heartedly attempted to get ANYTHING out of them, gave up, and let them out a few minutes early. Ugh.

Is it April yet?

Sunshine!

2008-02-24T08:19:00.001-08:00

Today was probably the nicest day I have experienced yet in Troyes. 18 degrees! And sunny! Too bad my stupid ass was too hungover most of the day to really enjoy it. But, I did eventually force myself to go for a little stroll. Every outdoor seat at the cafes were taken. So many people were walking around. I mentally kicked myself in the ass repeatedly for not being in good enough condition to make the most of it. Having a book or magazine to take to a park and read would have helped too, but I am totally out of stuff to read.

Despite being bored, I am so not ready to go back to work tomorrow! I hate starting off my week with my two most obnoxious classes. But then it definitely makes the rest of the week easier in comparison. I had hoped to get more of my lesson plans finished this weekend but didn't. I just don't want to have to worry about them while Jess is here next weekend, when I go to Amsterdam with Brad next month, and when my brother comes to visit. Bah. I hate feeling like I have so much to do and not having any motivation whatsoever to do it. I need to clean my apartment before Jess comes on Friday. I need to start figuring out what all I need to do in terms of ending my lease/internet/electricity/bank account. I need to not spend any more money like, ever. Does anyone want to take over my life for me? :) Just kidding. All in all, it's not such a bad life. Not at all :)

Ah, La Vie...

2008-02-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

Today started out rough: My American bank decided to withdraw some money for a random transaction which left me panicking that my payment for my plane ticket wouldn't go through. Ahhh!!! I should know by now how much Bank of America sucks at life, but what can ya do. Overall, the crisis is resolved, and I will deal with their waste of a life selves when I am back.

Secondly, I had to go to the cathedral today. It is 2 years since my beloved cat Homey passed away. I still remember the day I left for France (the first time) and his big roly-poly kitty self, despite being sick, managed to waddle over to say good-bye. I looked at him and said, "I know you have to go someday. Either go now, or wait until I come back." But since when did a cat ever listen to humans...

When I learned he had passed on, it was through a text my brother had sent me at 4AM France time. "Call me. I don't care what time." I remember the panic: either something was wrong with Dad, or something was wrong with the cat. So I threw on clothes, ran down to the payphone and called, only to learn that Ho had left us. It was the first time I got homesick. He had lived a good life, and we knew it was coming, and I just have to give him props for not requiring us to make that horrible decision whether or not to put him down. At 16, he lived a good kitty life.

My friend Anne took me to the cathedral in Le Mans to light a candle in memory of him. I am not religious whatsoever, but I took solace in it. And a year later, while living in San Francisco, I randomly read my journal.... and saw the entry for this date, last year. Such a coincidence. And such a coincidence that the North Beach cathedral bells went off just then. I went down and lit yet another candle to mark the one year we had been without the Big Kitty.

And today, just like I did 2 years ago, I lit another French candle in his honor. I had some other words with the spiritual powers that (may) be. Although I am not religious, I did find some comfort in it, especially considering the pissy way my day had started. If Ho is an angel, Bank of America surely is satan.

I got on with my day-- attempted some lesson planning (by the way, if ANYONE has ideas for a good Saint Patrick's day lesson for lyceens, TELL ME!), watched TV shows on Fanpop, called my mom, chatted to my poor, sick fiance. But eventually I had to wander out to find something for dinner.

I ran into another prof from my school, Antoine, who had invited me to his home for lunch when I first got here. He was walking down the main street of Troyes with his kids (I forgot their names but they are SO cute!) We chatted for a bit, he is really nice. His wife teaches English at another school, and I remember telling her to please call me if she ever wanted to speak English, get ideas for lessons, etc. His kids even faired la bise with me!!! Seeing them all, so happy, so family-like, really cheered me up.

It isn't warm, but nice out nonetheless. I could have gone without a coat. I popped into Marche Plus, found some random items for dinner, and walked back thinking, "Bank of America can kiss my ass. I've got the Big One watching over me!!!"

Porto

2008-02-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Day 4 (Feb. 16) cont.: We finally found the bus to take us to Girona airport. Girona is way on the outskirts of... well I can't even say Barcelona, because it is nowhere near the city itself. For those of you familiar with California, it's like flying from San Francisco out of San Jose airport, or from LA out of Orange County. Only these dinky airports are so old-school you still have to walk out on the tarmac & everything. But anyway, we got there, and were in Porto by 8PM. Good thing we had randomly discovered that Porto is in the same time zone as London, not France & Spain!

So anyway, we braved the Portugeuse metro system and finally got to where we were supposed to be. Our hostel turned out to be gorgeous, but man was it tricky to find! First we had to walk up a cobbled hill (not easy for tiny Mere & her huge backpack, nor for my rolling suitcase which, having cost $30 in Chinatown, could potentially break any day now). Luckily every Portugeuse person we asked for directions was so forgiving of our lack of Portugeuse language abilities, and helped us out.

We finally found the hostel, and MAN! Probably the nicest hostel I have ever seen! Nice, clean rooms & bathrooms, HUGE kitchen and common area, rockin' TV/stereo system and a garden to die for (I imagine this place is very popular come summer time!). It was quiet that Saturday night, but we randomly met 2 other Americans (a couple from Seattle) who had just gotten in, and we instantly became a crew of American travellers. The reception lady, Maria, was so nice; at around 10 she locked up the reception area and she and her friend (from France, go figure) joined us Americans in the common area and shared some port wine. I am not a fan of port wine personally (it's like drinking syrup!) but we had fun sitting and chatting. I didn't last long though, after all the travelling and luggage-hauling and hills, and went to bed around midnight.

Day 5 (Feb. 17): We woke up to a sunny day and a beautiful view from our hostel window.

And here is the room we stayed in...

It was a Sunday, and just like France, almost everything was closed. But we Americans amused ourselves by walking around, admiring the architecture, and making our way down the hill to the river Duoro (Duono? I'll have to check). We saw one of the huge bridges that crosses the river (I guess there are 3 total), but our happy demeanors changed once we noticed a disturbing scene across the river. I won't go into details out of respect but I, being 26 years old and never having seen a dead body... well I will leave it at that. Rivers can be dangerous, I suppose. :-( I was a bit shaken up. To take our mind off things, we decided to check out the Museo do Vinho do Porto (Porto Wine Museum). Something we soon learned about Porto: almost everything museum-wise is FREE!!! We decided we would go port tasting the next day (despite my distaste for the stuff, I am a wine-lover, and when in Rom-- er, Porto...)

We headed back to the hostel just as some raindrops started to fall. We Americans joined forces and made dinner, and spent the evening hanging out with other hostelers.

Day 6 (Feb. 18): Off to a semi-slow start, the crew opted to lounge about and watch a movie on the hostel's rockin' media set-up. I, being restless, wandered around on my own to find a mailbox for my postcards. I also picked up a loaf of Portugeuse bread-- very interesting texture, not bad, but spongy. When I got back, the rest of the gang was just about ready to taste some port. We headed down the hill, across the river, taking pics along the way of the port-carrying gondola-esque boats

Like the museum, the port tour & tasting were free. We went to Croft, which is, according to our tour guide, the oldest port maker. The tour itself was like almost every other winery tour I've been on: lots of barrels, the smell of oak & fermentation, etc. But still, this was PORT, and therefore, cool. Here's the American crew...

I bought a bottle of white port, which my wine-connosieur fiance had never seen before (despite his protests of, "There is nothing you can get there that I can't get in the US." HA!!!!) :) I also bought an assortment of mini-ports, a gift for whoever I know that likes port (I am leaning towards giving it to Jess' friend Steve in Bulgaria, who I may visit during April vacation). And a final souvenier, Mere and I repeated our thievery that had first manifested during our stage in Reims at the champagne tasting: we stole a couple of tasting glasses! Shh, don't tell! ;)

Next stop: the market! Erin and Jared were intrigued by my & Mere's recent lesson in Spanish cooking, so we decided to try it out. We made enough paella to feed an army! As we were all leaving the next day, we left it in the fridge for the other hostel guests to help themselves to. We stayed up a bit longer, but ultimately called it an early night, as we were heading back to France the next day.

Last day (Feb. 19): Erin & Jared had to head out on an early flight, but we still managed to swap contact info. Sadly, I can't find the lil piece of paper with their email addresses on it, but I found Erin on Facebook and hopefully that will work! As Jess & I will be in Seattle sometime soon, I'd love to see them again!

Mere and I showered, packed, checked out and headed to the airport. Something amazing happened on the flight: it got in 15 minutes early! However, even more shocked than us were the airport people at Charles de Gaulle, who I am sure have never encountered a phenomenon as unheard of as an EARLY flight (or early ANYTHING for that matter!). Alas, we had to sit on the runway-- so much for the benefits of an early arrival! We got our bags and headed to Gare du Nord, realizing that we were not going to catch the 7:00 train to Troyes and would have to wait another hour.

By 8PM we were on the train, got to Troyes around 9:30, got to my place by 10. Mere had to endure another night on my cold, drafty floor as there were no more trains to Romilly until the next day. We slept in (aside from being awakened at 8AM by my dad, who said he had been trying to call for days and no answer... glad to know he's up to date on my overseas life!!!), got some take-out pizza, and Mere & her enormous backpack headed back to Romilly.

And now, I am in Troyes alone again, until the other assistants get back on Sunday. At least the weather was nice today!!!

Barcelona, Part 2

2008-02-22T06:48:00.000-08:00

Day 3 (Feb 15): We soon realized that just because we COULD make our sangria as strong as we wanted, that it wasn't necessarily a great idea. Mere and I got off to a slow start, but eventually got our acts together and headed out for another day in Barcelona. We wandered the Gothic quarter some more, and headed for the Picasso museum. I enjoyed the Barcelona Picasso museum more than the one in Paris. It had several works from his private collection on display, as well as a lot of his earlier works & sketches. We randomly met an Australian guy who was travelling around on his own, and we went for a coffee together. We had hoped to go to another cathedral in Barcelona (forgot the name, ahh!) but it was closed for renovations. Mere and I headed back to the hostel for a nap and to regroup for dinner plans.We ended up back on Las Ramblas later that night, had some dinner, and stumbled upon Barcelona's huge marketplace. Ohhh the fruit looked so good! EVERYTHING looked good. But we called it an early night and went to bed fairly early.

Day 4 (Feb. 16): Our last day in Barcelona. Our flight wasn't unti late afternoon, so that gave us some time to explore the Park Guell. Way up on a hill, it wasn't like anything I had expected. Luckily there was an escalator going up, and what a view of the city!

We continued our wandering, and came upon the big plaza/courtyard type thing with a Gaudi'd out bench and a nice view of the Gaudi museum.

Below this courtyard thing was an open area full of pillars & tiles on ceiling. Perfect for a photo op!

After exploring the park for a few hours, we headed back to the hostel to get our things, say good-bye to our new friends, and figure out just how in the heck to get to Girona airport!

Barcelona, Part 1

2008-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

So, the details of our mini Euro-adventure... Mere had stayed chez moi the two nights before we took off. There wasn't much to do in Troyes, and even less in Romilly, so we joined bored forces and hung out, made dinner, utilised my free long distance calling, etc. The girl is a trooper for agreeing to sleep on my 2 square feet for floor space with only a few blankets/sleeping bags, thisclose to my drafty door (Mere, if you get pneumonia, I'M SORRY!!!). But then the day finally came...

Day 1 (Feb. 13): Mere and I got up extra early to get to the train station. We got into Paris just before 10, then had to navigate our way to Paris Orly (I'd been there once, Mere had never been). But we got there sans probleme... until we saw boodles of cancellations on the screens, and a 2.5 hour delay for our own flight. Turned out the air traffic controllers were on strike. But we couldn't complain about our delay, as several flights were being full-on cancelled (memorable moment: the lady on the cancelled flight to Nice who started threatening the staff with lawyers). But eventually, we got on the plane and were on our way to Barcelona. We got into Barcelona around sunset. First off, we got on what is possibily the slowest Metro ever from the airport. We found our hostel easily, just around the corner from the Gaudi house.

The staff could not have been more friendly and welcoming-- they introduced us to every other hosteler by name, impressive! Mere and I searched for some dinner and found it in the form of a noodle bar (random, I know). Memorable moment: Mere's moving noodle dish. We got back to the hostel and chatted with 2 girls who had gone to the Dali museum and said it was so awesome, the biggest piece of surrealist art or something like that (note to self: go next time I am in Barcelona!).

Day 2 (Feb. 14): Valentine's day in Barcelona, and Mere and I had romantic plans with... each other. We started off walking: through the Gothic quarter, where we found an awesome store with lots of knick knacks like these ceramic cats

We passed the Colombus Memorial and finally made it to the beach. Was this California girl happy!!! OK, so was the Ohio girl, as she was brave enough to wade ankle-deep in the water. We had some fun writing beach-y Valentine's for our boys

On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for lunch at one of the many tourist trap restaurants on the way to the water. 11E for a 2 course meal, plus sangria? Count us in. The server seated us, and I have no idea how the topic even came up, but he soon learned we spoke French. Oh la la! He kept popping over to our table every 10 minutes to chat us up-- 2 "single" girls, I'm sure he thought he had an ace in the hole. Eventually one of the universal single rose salesmen guys walked into the patio, offering a rose to every couple (mind you, not to Mere & I). A few minutes later, Overly Amourous Waiter returned to our table, rose in hand. "Today is the day of love!" he proclaimed. Yeah, thanks buddy. He then asked if we wanted to join him at a discotheque that evening. "Sure," Mere & I replied half-heartedly, knowing damn well we would never show up. "Do you mind if I bring my friend?" Great, we were being set up on a double date. As far as I know, Mere still has his phone number in her notebook, sans name, which we never learned.

After lunch, we walked through the Citadel Park and saw the Arc de Triomf.

After that, we cruised by La Sagrada Famillia, but didn't go in due to A) lack of time (had to be back by 6 for our big Valentine's evening plans), B) we are cheap (8E entry?!) and C) the entire thing was under construction anyway. We headed back to the hostel in preparation for the rest of the evening.

And Valentine's night, we made dinner: Yes, Mere and I took a Spanish cooking course! 18E and got to make & enjoy our own sangria, tapas and paella. Yummy! I definitely recommend this to anyone going to Barcelona! We had a fun crew of about 10 of us. Our side of the table made about 3 batches of sangria, and each batch had more brandy than the previous ones.

After the sangria, tapas and paella, the staff welcomed us into the bar for free shots and drink specials. A drunken good time. Mere and I stumbled back to the hostel and, in lieu of hitting up the bars, ended up chatting with the other hostelers over some wine.

OK, more to come later!

Spain & Portugal

2008-02-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

I am not going to get into too much detail about the trip, since I plan to make detailed posts about each day complete with pictures & all. But we (we being Mere & myself) are back in France after a fantastic trip to Barcelona & Porto. We left last Wednesday and got back to Troyes late last night. It was tough to come back to gray, rainy Troyes after almost a week in the warm sunny southern part of Europe. Anyway, time for a webcam with my honey. More later!

Here I Sit...

2008-02-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

I stayed up entirely too late last night, doing who knows what. Chatting with Jess, watching TV online, basically anything. I just wasn't sleepy, but decided to finally call it a night when Jess left work (and hence signed offline) at 4AM France time. I think I subconsciously did that in the hopes that the later I stayed up, the later I would sleep in, and hence have fewer hours of boredom today.

I know it's ridiculous to be in France and be bored. But since I am low on funds & trying to save every last centime I have for Spain & Portugal, I am trying not to spend money, which severely limits my options. I could go to the museum here (which is free with my carte professionelle), but I think Mere & I are going to do that when she comes down on Monday. I did decide I had to get a dose of sunshine & fresh air and took the one thing I have splurged on recently, a British Cosmo-- a real bargain at 5E... not-- and walked down to the river, sat on a bench in the sun and read/watched the ducks for an hour. If I had been feeling motivated I'd have gotten a French Cosmo, but it feels like lately my brain is mush when it comes to speaking/understanding French. Not like it's ever exactly easy for me, but lately it's just like, "Duhh..." which now that I think about it may be because I'm NOT doing things like reading French magazines. Anyway, it managed to kill about an hour and a half of my day, and I always love any excuse to get sunshine. Sadly it's not really warm out yet, otherwise I'd likely have gone to the park and just sat on the grass daydreaming. Hours always fly by when I do that.

All the Brit assistants took off today, and I think Mike's mom is in town so he's not around, and Mere's school shuts off her internet during weekends/vacances so even though she is nearby she isn't online to ease my boredom. I've got some stuff to do-- heavy-duty cleaning, laundry, packing-- but I am trying to space everything out over the next few days. I'm saving laundry until the last possible moment so I have an empty laundry bag when I get back from travelling, I can't pack until I do laundry... yeah you see the cycle. Anyway I doubt anyone reading this really cares about when I do my laundry.

I talked to my sister yesterday, which was nice. I owe the other two (and the brother as well I suppose) a phone call in the near future. She wanted to tell me she's getting married at San Francisco city hall on March 28. Way to go, Cass, picking a date when neither I nor our brother will be in the country (since he'll be here with me, woo hoo!). But she assured me that they will hold off on any kind of reception until I'm back. First my little sister gets engaged before I do, now she's getting married before me. Of course my first reaction to all this news is happiness for her, but... c'mon, it was supposed to be ME first!!! :D She emailed me the dress she picked out, it's pretty-- simple, like the one I chose for my own upcoming beachside nuptials. Oh yeah if anyone is interested, here's what it looks like:

I am so excited for our wedding, more excited than I am for a beach/warm weather in general! I've decided I'm gonna make welcome baskets to put in our guests' rooms with a beach theme: flip-flops, sunblock, etc. So much fun, this wedding planning!

YAY! My honey is online to save me from death by boredom! :D

France & Beyond

2008-02-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

It is officially le vacances for me! So now I am sitting at home... without much to do. Hmm...

Anyway, for the sake of doing something, I made a photo slideshow with pics from my two stays in France (my semester abroad in Le Mans in spring 2006, and my assistantship in Troyes 2007-2008). Obviously I've gotten in a fair share of travelling, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love showing off my pictures.

Enjoy!

Quite Étrange Indeed...

2008-02-06T03:14:00.000-08:00

Walking back from class today I got to thinking...

Isn't it kind of weird/funny/ironic that the French use the same word (étrange/étranger) for "strange" and "foreign"? In general, though I am "étrangère," most people don't give me a, "Oh, you're strange," vibe. Different yes, but at least in English "strange" can have a bit of a negative connotation. But my being "étrangère" doesn't usually affect how people treat me; if anything it actually helps. In general, in my little town of Troyes does not get American visitors/temporary residents every day, and people I randomly encounter A) first assume that I'm English (since it is much more likely that an anglophone in Troyes is from nearby Britain rather than far away America) and B) when they find out I'm American, they are enthralled. Far from the stereotypical Parisian attitude of, "Oh, another American slaughtering our language," Troyens are just amazed: WOW! A real American, right here in Troyes! Added bonus being from California (though said bonus reduces dramatically once they find out I'm not from LA, I'm not in a gang, I don't live next door to celebrities and I am not friends with Paris Hilton), it seems many French view California as a whole separate place from the rest of the US. I think I got this more in Le Mans, but the Troyens are definitely infatuated with the California dreamin' thing as well.

My first class tomorrow is cancelled due to an all-day volleyball tournament or something. My responsable offered to go watch for a bit with me. We'll see. So all I have is my BTS class, a group of four girls who meet me in a café and we chat for an hour over hot chocolates and gauffres. Last time I saw them (it's been a few weeks as they've had some kind of stage or something & missed my class), I brought an American Cosmo in and they LOVED it. Although it definitely made for some interesting vocab lessons ("What is, 'bloated'? 'arousal'?" yeah you get the point). But making fun of bad fashion and celebrity gossip is apparently the universal language between American and French 20-somethings.

My responsable asked me about my plans for the vacances. I'm leaving for Spain and Portugal on the 13th with the assistant from Romilly, I told him. He offered for me to spend this weekend with him & his family at his home about 50km (I think?) from here. A very sweet offer, but I don't know how I feel about going away for a weekend right before I go on a week-long vacation. Will I be bored? What will his family think of an American houseguest with mediocre French? Will they try to push andouillette on me?! Of course I'd never be rude & refuse to eat a homecooked meal while a guest in someone's home but... picky-eater me still hasn't quite grown to love ALL French delicacies. And as ridiculous as this sounds... I don't want to be away from the internet for 2-3 days knowing I won't have regular access for a week right afterwards. How will I talk to my honey?! How will I keep up with my obsessive-compulsive wedding planning?! I can be such a lametard sometimes, I know. Plus Mere and I have tenative plans for a museum day, either here in Troyes or a day trip to Paris. So I don't know yet.

It isn't uncommon to hear the air raid signals blast off at noon 3-4 times a week. But Rich was just over and we heard one (noon on the dot) that happened to be exceptionally loud. We got to talking about the whole, "boy who cried wolf," thing, and that if France ever were under attack (again) no one would know it b/c they've just kind of tuned out the air raid signals. But then it went off again at 12:10, just as loud as the first one. Weird. Maybe they're celebrating the good news of Super Tuesday? By the way: Go Hillary!

OK, it's cold and I'm hungry. Later, étrangers.

Smells Like... Snow?

2008-01-30T05:32:00.000-08:00

I have been checking weather.com daily now, and snow has been in the forecast for a while, but the days keep changing. It is 2C right now (not cold enough for snow) but there is definitely a certain feel to the atmosphere. I had my responsable's BTS class today. "I sink it weel snow," he said in his years-of-English-teaching-but-still-undeniably-French accent, "I can smell eet." I was surprised to hear this, as he looked surprised when I mentioned my forecast findings the other day.

Despite losing my free Wednesdays, I really enjoy his class. He teaches them the stuff they will need to know, but doesn't mind going off-topic and having me discuss, "The way we do it in the US..." and letting the kids have a break from analyzing texts. Although I told myself as I dragged my ass out of bed this AM that I would reviens tout suite for a nap, I instead went and did laundry, bought some groceries and am now at home, well, screwing around online :)

I won't have my other BTS class tomorrow for the second week in a row. So I only have one group of premieres. Luckily their prof told me I could re-use the same lessons I used with the group I had last term, so that's less work for me :)

There has been a fire alarm/smoke detector/shrill sound-making device going off for a good hour now in my complex. Highly annoying. I'll place blame on the elephants upstairs. God these people (I am convinced there's more than one, as one human being could not possible make so much noise)... I'd love to meet them. I'd love to see what it is that they find so amusing about rolling a bowling ball back & forth across their floors. Their apartment must be 100 times the size of mine, as they walk CONSTANTLY. Where to, I don't know-- I could walk from one side of my studio to the next in 10 steps. Maybe they just pace. And every morning without fail, the elephants get up at 7 and march around until 7:30. I assume their job at the circus starts at 8. I have taken to keeping earplugs next to my bed, and when I wake up around 5AM for my nightly pee break I put them in so as not to be woken up again.

Monoprix, as much as I hate that place, has come through. Yesterday I discovered a newly-erected Asain food shelf with "ramen" in several flavors (I use the "" because, as any American knows, ramen costs a dime. This stuff runs 60 centimes-- nearly a buck a pop), stir-fry kits, sauces, etc. I had to have it. Last night I made myself the most wonderful stir-fry I've had since leaving San Francisco. I think Monoprix & I were co-owners of a Chinese restaurant in a past life...

Back on the topic of food, one more rant, dear France... I love me some pasta. And I love that you acknowledge and accomodate this. But WHY can't I find any kind of tomato-based pasta sauce without CARROTS in it?! I don't think this is what the Italians had in mind. Are you just that hell-bent on taking a cuisine that could veyr well rival your own & sabotage it?! Ditto for the pizza with your goddamn emmental cheese on it. That theory would also potentially explain why you don't have decent cheddar cheese (England-- not that Brit cuisine holds a candle to, well, anyone else's!), SPICY salsa (oh Mexico, you may be dirty, but your food is wonderful), or anything open 24 hours (not that "American" food is great, but it's greatness lies within the ability to get whatever you want whenever you want it). You are just that damn proud. Don't worry, the gig's up: the world gives you props for your cuisine. Where would we be without tete de veau and escargots, anyway (don't get me started on the andouillette)...

But you know what, la France? Make me some soft, pretty, powdery snow (not icy rain/snow like weather.com is threatening) and I'll forgive you, just this once...

Officially the Weekend...

2008-01-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Had my meeting with the chef de service today. Good news: none of this turning in the docs 2 months before the wedding date nonsense (though he did say they prefer the stuff to be turned in as soon as possible). The only probs now...
-Jess DOES need to be present for the publication de bans, which must be posted no less than 10 days before the marriage. He was planning to be here for a week. Hmm...
-All witnesses must speak French. Damn. Sorry, Steve and Kristina.
-We cannot simply ask a bilingual friend to be Jess' interpretor during the ceremony; has to be an official translator. So we have to shell out money for a total stranger to do something that several of my friends could and would do for free.
But still, the chef de service was very nice, and seems willing to work with me on this. Yay.

My hours changed, which means I have no more 9AM classes with shitty terminales grudgingly regurgitating texts to me (yay!). But it also means no more free Wednesdays (boo). Although my Wed class is with my responsable, and I'm sure if I wanted to take a day off he would let me. I now don't have any classes before 10, so I can't complain.

Brad is coming to France! For work of course, but he wants to plan a side-trip to A'dam and insists I go with him. I can't afford it, says I. Brad says he will pay. I feel bad-- my boyfriends are always paying my way, how is a girl ever gonna learn to live within her means when she keeps getting spoiled like this?! But Jess pointed out that my refusing to go is going to be a bummer for him, so to accept his offer. OK, twist my arm.

Brad is planning to leave the same day Chris arrives. Plus, Jess may be in London the first week of March. A) lots of visitors. B) lots of visitors coming while I'm not gonna be on vacation. I'm hoping Jess can pop over to Troyes for a few days.

Speaking of vacation plans, Mere and I are booked for Barcelona and Porto during the Feb vacances. We need to book our hostels still but flights are settled. Woo hoo!

I'm starting to stress over all the stuff I need to do before I leave France: terminate my lease, close my bank account, etc. Bah.

And did I mention Jess signed me/us up on the Smart car wait list?! :D

Chillaxin' Sunday

2008-01-20T04:21:00.000-08:00

In regards to my previous post, I was indeed overly excited. I got my CAF letter stating I do only get 40E a month. But I fought the disappointment and realized hey, it's still 40E, it may not be the 80E I'd thought but heck, I'll take it!!! That will more or less be a savings fund for ticket home/wedding dress/Jess' wedding ring. Oh well. :)

Last night was quite nice. Laura, Mike & I got together and made dinner at Laura's place, followed by a galette de rois (Mike was the roi), wine and conversation. Similar to my last time in France, it is so nice to have a kind of instant support network. Like, we're all in this together, we have to be there to support each other. I've heard of other assistants in bigger areas (with presumably, more assistants) who never get together. I see my fellow assistants at least once a week, usually more. I think I'd go insane if I didn't.

Today won't be too exciting. I have a couple of lesson plans to finish up, that's about it. Probably more research for vacation plans, all the paperwork we need for the wedding, general randomness. Speaking of the wedding...

I have a meeting with the chef de service at the mairie's office on Thursday. This will be the make-or-break deal here: I am asking for an exception to the rule stating that BOTH people must be present when bringing in the completed application. Obviously, Jess is not flying to France just to walk 100 yards with me to the mayor's office. It's a catch-22 here: I'm afraid they'll say, "You don't have all the paperwork, so no," whereas Jess & I are thinking, "We're not going through the hassle and money to get all these documents translated until we have the green light." I hope it works. Please send your best thoughts towards Troyes!!!

My honey is so great. I've been saying for about a year now how much I want a Smart car once they come out in the US. Well, it's 2008, and the wait list is long. Jess signed me/us up ($99 refundable deposit) so we could, in theory, have a Smart by 2009. I was ecstatic (and obviously, very spoiled), but my dreams kinda crumbled when I realized Smarts only come in manual transmissions. Um... I touched a stick shift once in my life, 11 years ago, and failed miserably. Not so sure if I want a stick shift... oh Smart, why can't you be more American, just this once?!

I just sent out another update email, which I try not to overdo but at the same time, I love doing it b/c it guarantees I'll get lots of emails from friends & family :) Like I said in the email, my time here is about halfway through. I'm planning to leave in early May (assuming Jess & I can get married here-- otherwise I may try to swing an earlier departure). Now all the end-of-program things are starting to become realities: cancelling my phone/internet, electricity, lease, CAF, bank account. Bah... I can stall another few months on those things I guess. I seriously don't know where I'd be without the assistants in France forums-- they've saved my ass more than once!

OK, best get back to... whatever it is I should be getting back to :)

Let's Not Get Too Excited Here...

2008-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

Ah France. How I cannot wait to leave your pile of bureaucratic paperwork in a smoldering pile of ashes. But just when you piss me off the most, you show me a glimmer of love...
I'm still not completely certain I'm reading this correctly, but I checked my CAF statement online (yay for giving me a little card & login info!). And I can't tell if this is for one month or two, since it lists the pay period as Nov-Dec. But at any rate...
I'm owed a payment of 80E!!! Yay!!! Double yay if that is per month, but hell, even if it's for 2 it's still something. YAY!!!

Camions and Raw Emotions

2008-01-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been hit by a camion. Seriously, I've been doing the drinking thing for about 10 years now, so WHY do I continue to drink myself stupid? Last night at the UN's birthday party (the UN is what we affectionately call the house where Michael, Ramiro and Antje live, as they are all from different parts of the world), there was plenty of wine to be had. I had found a CA Zinfandel at Carrefour and decided on that as my contribution (all due respect to my wine connesieur fiance, Gallo is still crap, I don't know why I listened to you about that one). Of course, CA wine has a much higher alcohol content than French wine, a fact I know yet somehow seem to conveniently forget. I finished a good chunk of that bottle moi-meme, then moved onto more wine, more wine, a beer (thinking maybe one beer would help fight off the wine drunkenness), then the Champagne came out... I don't even know what time it was when I finally said, "I need to go home. Now." Rich was a homey and walked me all the way back into centre ville, a good 45 minute walk. I don't know who all I did/didn't say goodbye to. I was such a mess when I came home that my initial idea of eating something was soon abandoned as I konked out on my bed, sans face-washing or teeth-brushing. Ugh. In all honesty I would still be happily asleep if I hadn't decided to text Mere to see if she wanted to go for a kebab. Turns out she stayed at the UN last night, and they are going to the factory outlets today for the soldes (way to add insult to injury-- I am too broke to shop!). I may tag along, but considering I am A) broke and B) hungover, it may not be a great idea. Plus, I know it will be a mob scene. I do want to be social at every given opportunity though; I have noticed I get depressed when I don't have enough human interaction.
I wanted a kebab but I don't want to put forth the effort of getting dressed, going out, and getting one.
And I just really got a sad wave of missing Jess. He always takes good care of me when I'm in this state. I can't believe it's been almost a week since he left. I miss him so much. Please God, don't make me wait another 4 months to see him again...

Pensees Randonnees...

2008-01-09T06:04:00.003-08:00

My financial situation is basically at rock bottom. Like, I will be living off baguettes until my next paycheck. I take sole responsibility for not managing my finances better (I've always been shit with money), and I absolutely do not regret any of my splurges while Jess was here, but the next few weeks will be stressful as all heck. Basically my CB is off-limits until February, which sucks considering the sales just started and everywhere I look I am taunted with "Reduction de 50%!" signs.

On the bright side, I'm expecting a couple small reimbursements: one from the secu sociale for my medicines from last month (I already got the reimbursement from the dr visit, and I sent the forms in together), and one from CAF. Since I finally got my carte de sejour, my application with them is now complete and they can start calculating how much to give me. One assistant here got almost 200E/month for her 300E rent. My rent is less, and I'm older which will probably hurt me, but still... even 20E would be very much appreciated. No idea how long it will take them to process it though. Keep your fingers crossed for me :)

On another bright note, due in part to the France smoking ban (which has, to my surprise, been very much enforced other than a few places in Paris) and due to Jess wanting to quit, I have decided to quit smoking. I have 2 cigs left in my last pack and after that, I am done. I am not allowed to buy another pack (well, in my aforementioned condition, I have no choice!), I am not allowed to bum them from people, nada. I started smoking regularly the last time I was in France because of a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality: every bar and cafe was smokey, the only way it was completely wretched for me was to smoke too. Then once I started dating a smoker, I saw little reason to quit. I enjoy smoking, but I can't use either of those two excuses anymore. I'm feeling good about life in general, and this will only add to it. But I apologize in advance if I end up mooching anyone's gum excessively; I'll need to satisfy the oral fixation somehow!

This marriage in France thing is starting to seem like more trouble than it's worth. The paperwork & translating of documents isn't so bad, especially since one of Jess' friends is a lawyer with an office in Paris, so maybe we could get some help there. The main problem is that the dossier says, in big bold letters, that BOTH people getting married must be present when the dossier is turned in. I'm trying to find a way around this-- surely they can't expect someone to come here from California just to hand over a pile of papers?!?! But then again, this is France, and I wouldn't put it past them.

My brother is coming to visit in March, so I need to make sure I have enough money saved for a weekend trip with him. We're thinking Prague, and I found flights for 100E which isn't terrible, and I've heard Prague is a fairly cheap city. We may spend a couple nights in Paris-- may have to set out feelers on the assistants boards and see if we can't find a place to stay for free. Not to mention I will have to suck it up and buy the inflatible bed thingie I saw at Carrefour. Expenses keep adding up...
And speaking of expenses, how the f-- am I going to afford Jess' wedding band, and my wedding dress, by May?! Keep in mind that I will also have to buy a plane ticket home at some point. That's a good $1,500 just with those 3 things. It's times like this that I am praying the Euro stays as strong as it has been ;)

I hope Jess can make it to London for February vacation. I know nobody will say that London is a cheap place, but with him there I don't have to pay for a hotel room or most meals. Plus, I get to see my boy, and that is priceless-- even if I had to pay for all expenses I wouldn't give up that chance! And if he doesn't make it to London during that time, I need to make some cheap vacation plans quick. I refuse to spend 2 weeks alone in Troyes. I'd go insane.

I don't mean to make this post sound like a bitchfest-- these things are worrying me to no end, but unlike most of last month, things don't seem bleak anymore. I know I'll make it, it's not like I have a choice after all. My rent is paid, my electricity is paid, I have internet and long distance calling (oh sh*t, I need to pay my FT bill still... FT please don't shut off my phone line!) I just washed all my clothes and I still have plenty of food in my kitchen. I won't be able to go out for meals or even for drinks maybe, but I am far from destitute. If it came down to that, I know there are people back home who could bail me out. But that's the easy way out, and there isn't much to gain from taking the easy way out. I take solace in having that thought in the back of my mind though-- that, and the fact that wine is so cheap here!

Visitor(s?)!

2008-01-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

My little brother is coming to visit me! It will be his first time in Europe. Sadly it won't be during a vacation for me, but with my 3 day weekends it won't be too shabby. We'll spend a couple nights in Paris, and a weekend in Prague (I hope!). And I'm sure Chris will be able to entertain himself with cheese, churches and museums when I do have to teach.
And, there is a chance my good friend Vinay will be in Paris for business, and turn it into a Eurotrip as well. So I'll have two of my bon-est amis in town at the same time.
Even more, my old roomie Christy wants to visit during my April vacation. How I will afford all this, plus wedding stuff, plus a plane ticket home... no idea. I'm due to win the lottery soon, yeah? :)

Don't Cry Because It's Over...

2008-01-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

Don’t Cry Because It’s Over...
... smile because it happened. And I think I've been doing well, for the most part.

Jess landed on Xmas day. In true French fashion, I was late getting to the airport because of an "action sociale" with the RER at Gare du Nord (leave it to the French to strike on Xmas day). But just seeing him was marvelous. We rented the car, drove back to Troyes, and cuddled in my tiny apt to stay warm.

The next day we were off on our Eurotrip. Picked up 2 other assistants in Reims, then stopped in wet, snowy, foggy Luxembourg for the afternoon. After 2 hours of trekking through snowy slush, we were ready to go.

We got to Dusseldorf by nighttime. After wandering around aimlessly trying to find the place the other girls were staying (please, if you are ever tagging along in someone's car, at least have the courtesy to get directions beforehand), and getting miserably lost on the way back to our hotel, we were settled for the night. Dusseldorf is not the most spectacular city; more than anything, it was a layover en route to our next destination, and an excuse for Jess to go to Germany.

The next morning (and more wandering back to find our companions), we were on the road to Amsterdam. That was the only time we hit traffic the entire trip. Jess and I got a kickass hotel/hostel room (a private room in a hostel) smack in the Red Light district. I was, of course, anxious to get to a coffee shop ASAP, and the rest of the trip was a delightful blur. We saw the Puzenboat (a boat on a canal full of stray cats), walked around, got offered drugs on the street a total of 14 times, and after two nights were on our way again, but not so quickly.

Again, back to the whole, "Please, be organized!" thing, one of our tag-alongs was almost 2 hours late meeting us at the train station to head back to the car. Not off to a good start. As a result, our planned afternoon in Antwerp turned into a mere hour before heading to Lille (northern France, our middle ground between A'dam and Paris).

Early the next day we were off again. Destination: Paris. We had to get the rental car back by 10 at Charles de Gaulle airport, then we bid our companions adieu and headed into Paris. We got to our hotel only to learn that the hotel was under construction, and they had gotten us a room at the hotel across the street. Whatev. Steve and Kristina met us and we got our Paris adventure started.

Props to my fiance for picking an awesome hotel in an awesome location-- 10 minutes walking distance to the Eiffel Tower. We climbed it the next day, something I didn't have the chance to do the last time I spent time in Paris. And then, the New Year... thanks to my savior, AKA the unofficial assistants website, I had found some Mexican restaurants in Paris. And though California burritos did not exist, the waiter was actually MEXICAN, the salsa was actually SPICY, and we got there in time for happy hour. Life was good. Back to the hotel to get gussied up for NYE.

We rang in the new year in front of the glowing Eiffel Tower. French fireworks leave a lot to be desired, but the cheerful chants of, "Bonne Annee!" were sufficient. The only downside of this entire trip was later this night, with Jess and I getting into a stupid, drunken fight. I woke up the next morning hungover, physically and emotionally. But in true Nikki & Jess fashion, we were able to calmly discuss the issue and get over it.

The rest of the time in Paris was wonderful, though the touristy stuff was avoided. We went to the Grande Arche in La Defense, which my architecture-loving future hubby adores, and went to the top. It was quite impressive, and the area is also home to the only Starbuck's I have ever seen in France. We caught a train and headed back to Troyes.

That night Jess got to meet Rich, one of my fellow assistants. We had pizza and drinks at Gainz Bar, one of our increasingly favorite haunts (because there is just so much to do here). The next night we hit up Le Montana, which happens to be Ladies' Night on Thursdays. Free entry and champagne for me, a good idea in theory, a bad idea once executed.

During our time in Troyes, we also hit up the mayor's office to find out what, exactly, they demand of two foreigners wishing to get married here. A few, "Why don't you just get married in the U.S.?" and, "This will be very complicated" statements later, we had our list of required paperwork. Typical French bureaucracy here-- if you can successfully complete the damn-near impossible paperwork, you're good to go. That requires Jess and me to gather various documents, have them professionally translated, find 2-4 people to be our witnesses, get an interpretor (I'm hoping I can ask one of my professors to do it and not have to pay someone) and get all this stuff turned in 2 months before we wish to get married. The kicker? We have to be together when we go turn the stuff in. I'm gonna try to find a way around this; even if Jess is in London next month again on business, I don't think he should have to come to France for a day just to walk with me the entire block and a half to hand over some paperwork to the mairie. Damn France.

The next day we rented a car yet again to head to Fontainbleau and Epernay. However, we got to the car place at noon and (curses to me for not thinking of this) they are already on their 2 hour lunch break. So we didn't get the car til about 3, ended up getting wretchedly lost in Fontainbleau, and had to scrap Epernay. Oh well, it was worth it just to stay in a hotel room with a big bed and bathtub once again.

Back to Troyes on Saturday. That night, Jess, the lovely Brit assistants and I gathered for a game of Apples to Apples and a very special treat: a bottle of wine that Jess brought. I missed California wine so much, and the bottle we had on Xmas day knocked me on my ass. But it was a nice time.

Sunday was spent wandering around Troyes once more so Jess could get some pictures. Then the packing commenced, we snuggled into my dinky bed, and enjoyed our last night together.

I don't know if I have ever dreaded an alarm as much as I dreaded the one this morning. I wish I could've gone to Paris with him, just for those few extra precious hours together. Instead, I helped him haul his bags onto the train, kissed him goodbye and jumped off before I too ended up Paris-bound. I watched him take his coat off and get into his seat. I followed the train as it departed. I let out a sob so loud the conductor guy on the platform turned to me. "C'est difficile a dire 'au revoir' a mon amour," I whimpered. "Mais il revien? (But he will come back?)" he asked. "Oui," I said. "Ne pleut pas, alors!" he said with a sympathetic smile.

I wish I could say I took his advice. I did, until the second I got back to my now very empty apartment. I only cried briefly though, because fortunately Chris was online and chatted with me taking my mind off things. I guess it's good classes started again today as it kept me from dwelling on my sadness, and it was nice to see smiling faces asking me if I had a nice vacation.

However, I find it ironic that the Christmas lights in town that have been blinking for weeks are now turned off. And just like this morning, the second I walked in the door, I cried.

But I am not sad. This was cake compared to when I left Jess in London. The days are getting longer, the weather is getting nicer (for now), only one more month til my next vacation and hopefully, Jess will be back in London then. Chris is going to visit me. I may see Priscilla on Friday. Christy is down for 4:20 in Amsterdam and Vinay will be in Paris for business sometime around then as well. And if all goes to plan, Jess will be here again in April, and take something very special back with him-- his new wife.

So This Is Christmas...

2007-12-24T06:07:00.000-08:00

Jess gets here in less than 24 hours! Well, that's assuming his flight from Chicago isn't held up by the storms.
After much deliberation I have decided on a Christmas dinner for us: chicken parmigiana (which was a HUGE hit among the group in Le Mans) and salad. For dessert, I just picked up some "petite gateaux" (little cakes) from Pascal Coffet, touted as the "champion du monde" of chocolate. My only issue is that I don't have an oven (typically required for chicken parmagiana) but I think I can make it work nonetheless. I was surprised Jess agreed to it, as he is not usually a fan of breaded, fried, pasta-y dishes, but he said he wanted someone hearty so voila.
My apartment is clean, a real top-to-bottom job. Sweeping, scrubbing of the bathroom, the fridge, dusting... I've gotten a head start on packing for our trip. Tonight will be all about me: making myself as perfect as possible for my nearly perfect future hubby. Not that I'm not already just drop-dead gorgeous but for instance, my skin seems to think it is 15 and is breaking out as such. I blame the cold-- the same thing happened the last time I was in France.
I wasn't expecting anything to be open today but au contraire, there were mobs on the street! A line out the door at the boulangerie across the street (so much for my plan to get a baguette-- maybe later today). Luckily, Pascal Coffet wasn't crowded at all (amazingly).
I admit, I am bored, bored BORED since the other assistants left. But with less than 24 hours to go... I think I'll manage :)

Take Your Paperwork & Shove It!

2007-12-21T04:33:00.000-08:00

So back in October, after my visite medicale for my carte de sejour, I promptly took my certificate from the dr saying I was weird American plague-free to the prefecture. The final step towards my carte de sejour. This was almost 2 months ago, and the prefecture told me the CDS would be ready "avant Noel." Well today is the last day they are open "avant Noel" (since I'm gonna go out on a limb & assume they aren't open on Xmas Eve). So I dragged myself out into the cold and walked the one block down there. Luckily there isn't much of a wait since they had just re-opened after lunch. And of course, I get to the counter, inquire about my card, and the lady says it isn't ready yet, probably be ready in FEBRUARY, but make sure I come back on the 3rd or 4th of January to renew my recepisse. Grrrr...
To add to that frustrated joy, I got a letter from CAF saying my application has been refused because (big surprise) I don't have my carte de sejour yet! Just like I told the lady the last time I went in, I had ALL the paperwork except my carte de sejour. So, no CDS means no CAF means no money (yet). Oh well, worst case scenario (which sadly seems kinda common among assistants) is I will get my CDS right before my contract is up, which means I will get a big fat check from CAF right before I head home. Blech...

A Faire...

2007-12-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

OK, I am horribly procrastinating on getting my lesson plan done for this week. So in the guise of seeming like I'm being productive, I'll update the blog that maybe one or two other people on earth may possibly read.

LES CHOSES A FAIRE
1. Finish lesson plan (all I really have to do is get the lyrics to "12 Days of Christmas" and black out a few words).

2. Clean. The disadvantage to living in a room smaller than most walk-in closets is that it gets dirty in 2 seconds. However, the advantage is that it only takes about 5 seconds to clean it. But I'm talking a thourough, roto-rooter cleaning: scrubbing the shower, sweeping every unnoticeable corner, hell I may even defrost my frigo if time/motivation permits (I haven't been able to open the lil freezer door since I left for Toussaints; good thing I never use it!).

3. I have been SUCH a slacker on this, but I need to get a signature from the doctor I put as my "medecin traitant" (primary doctor). His hours are whack and whenever his office IS open, I am usually in class. Argh.

4. Start banging down the door of the prefecture. They told me in October (when I turned in my medical visit form, the final step before getting my carte de sejour) that my CDS would arrive "avant Noel." Well, it is almost Noel, and no carte yet. Rumor has it they will send me something in the mail telling me it is ready, but this IS France after all, and a general rule to getting stuff done is being very pro-active. Again, the prefecture is tricky b/c the booth for the CDS is only open weekday mornings & Friday afternoons, so I am usually in class, but this coming Friday, I am all over it like fromage on a baguette.

5. Assuming I have my carte de sejour in hand any time in the near future, I will have to go to the CAF office again and give them a copy, cross my fingers that my mature age of 26 will not hinder my financial assistance award TOO much (can't complain though, even if they gave me 20E a month I would be ecstatic), and watch my bank account balance like a hawk until it arrives.

6. Figure out what all I can bear to part with and send back to the U.S. with Jess. Even though it's only December, I figure anything I can send back now = less stuff for me to haul back in May. The few gifts I have purchased, some clothes (silly me, when I arrived in Sept I thought it might actually still be WARM in France. Then I realized it is NEVER warm in France, haha!), just some random odds & ends.

7. Jess and I have to trek into the mairie's (mayor's) office while he is here and find out what we have to do to be legally married here. According to French law, for a valid marriage, one of the parties must have lived in France for 40 consecutive days before the wedding (says nothing about being an actual legal citizen though). Well.. yeah, that's me. I've got phone bills, electric bills, bank statements, etc to prove it. Other things that I have found we will need: translated birth certificates (although I translated my own for my CDS and, although it did help the lady out, it was not required), a medical visit (umm... I have my lung X-ray, will that count? PLEASE PLEASE don't stab my finger for a blood sugar test again!), a certificate of celibacy (no, this is not something saying you are a virgin; it is something stating that neither of us is currently married and basically are free & able to get married to each other), and who knows what else. Retina scan, first born child, a kidney donation... Bah. Luckily Jess has a lawyer friend who can help us with paperwork.

8. Pack for our upcoming Eurotrip. Long coat, check. Hat, check. Warm gloves, check. Thermals, check. Fleece-y boots, check. Does anything else really matter beyond that??
Oh and if there are any other assistants reading this, we'll be in Paris for NYE and I would love to meet some of you (we'll probably have a couple other Remois assistants, as we volunteered the 2 extra seats in our rental car to anyone who wanted to road trip with us over the vacances). So anyone in Paris, send me a message in a bouteille or something (emails or comments work well too).

9. Our Troyen Assistant Xmas Dinner on Wednesday... so I'm in charge of the stuffing again (turned out decently enough last time, I was pleased with myself). I am planning to put the can of pumpkin sludge from my future mom-in-law to use and make pumpkin pie, but so far the search for "sweetened condensed milk" (lait sucre concentre) has proved unsuccessful. Mere assures me it exists, but I'm starting to wonder if any of France's plentiful other dairy products could be substituted instead.

10. Xmas Dinner on Xmas Day... my future husband will be here, jet-lagged, and probably freezing. I can hear him already, "Wow, you weren't exaggerating, it IS freezing here!" He sounded surprised when he looked at the weather forecast for Paris and saw a high of like, 40. I'm not lying when I say it is freezing here; according to the lil temperature thingie on my computer it is exactly 0C right now. But anyway.... how to make a decent Xmas dinner with A) 2 burners & a microwave, B) very few pots & pans and C) my culinary skills (or lack thereof). Ideas so far: steamed/boiled lobster tails (if I can find tails, and they are not too expensive), a big charcuterie platter, coq au vin, or something with fish (not salmon-- boy doesn't like salmon). By the end of this assistantship I could probably write a book a la MacGyver, "How to Make a Decent Meal with Only XYZ"

Ugh. OK. I suppose I will get to my lesson plan. Or maybe I will just make something to eat. One thing I have not neglected is food, a fact which became horribly evident to me yesterday when Mere insisted we go to the pharmacy with a scale and weigh ourselves. Yeah, definitely put on some kilos-- about 3-4 since I was last weighed at my medical visit for the CDS. I justify it by telling myself that extra weight will keep me warm and hence cut down on my electric bill. Hey, it made sense to me...

Why My Shoulder is Dislocated

2007-12-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

One of my terminale girls MSN'd me this evening to say she got a 10/10 on her "Exam Blanc." Not sure what that is, she said something about the bac (a pre-bac exam maybe?). Anyway, she said her prof asked her if it was because of me. Granted she is a very smart, motivated girl-- speaking to me on MSN in English outside of class, for instance. But, wow, if I was even a small reason why she did so well...
That made me feel so good about myself, I patted my own back. Hence, the dislocated shoulder. :)

Spirit of the Season

2007-12-14T07:31:00.001-08:00

I so prefer Christmas in Troyes than in the U.S. Maybe it's because of the overplaying of Christmas songs on every radio station. Maybe it's the massive traffic jams and lack of parking the entire month before. Maybe it's the stress of family issues: "So and so says s/he isn't coming unless X Y and Z demands are met." "Uh-oh, this relative is having the Crisis of the Year." "Token drunken drama queen of Christmas 200__ is..."
But alas in France... no radio in my apartment to blast obnoxious carols. No car, hence no issues with traffic and parking. And being 7,000 miles away from my family will drastically reduce any unneccessary stress (bless their hearts-- I will miss them tons on the actual day).
What does Troyes have? An ice skating rink newly set up in Place de Ville. Freezing temperatures (but no snow... yet. Fingers crossed!). Today I was walking down the main street and heard loud music-- NOT Christmas music, or maybe it was but because it was in French I couldn't tell. Then I realized there are speakers set up all around centre ville playing music. And new little stands are popping up everywhere: first the roasted chestnuts & churro stand, and the latest addition... a stand with the usual crepes, gauffres and VIN CHAUD! Only 2 euro, and a lot warmer (and yummier) than gloves. I had to have one, and much to my surprised delight the vendor spoke English and seemed more than happy to practice it on me.
I walked down the street, vin chaud warming my hands, music playing overhead, not even noticing the 2 degree weather. Just taking it all in is such a treat. I wish everyone could see this. I cannot wait til Jess is here to share this all with me.

Dream a Lil Dream

2007-12-13T04:46:00.000-08:00

I don't usually remember my dreams, but I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, "Wow, I just had a random dream!" But there was only one aspect of it I remember. I was making smoothies. And even though I'm not the hugest smoothie fan (and in this freezing weather, they could not sound less appealing), it sounded soooo yummy and I wanted one soooo bad. I'm sure, technically, I could go buy a blender, fruit, yogurt, etc, and make myself a smoothie, but the homemade ones are never as good as the concoctions from Jamba Juice (and they always turn out some weird gray-ish color too). Plus I'm not going to spend however many Euro that I really don't have on a blender to satisfy my smoothie fix which I am sure will pass by like, this evening.
But still.... France, you consider yourselves culinary wonders. You've given way to McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and (from what I've heard anyway) Starbucks. Can Jamba Juice please be next on your list of American corporate additions???

Best Future Mom-In-Law EVER!

2007-12-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

When I studied in Le Mans, I lived for the care packages my mom sent me. Granted she only sent one or two, but man did I love them. There could've been rocks inside for all I cared, just that someone took the time & effort to put together a package and send overseas just to brighten my day was awesome. And I always knew when to expect one, as Mom would email me every day asking, "Is it there yet?? Is it there yet??" But that's what moms are for, right?

So imagine my surprise when yesterday, there is a note in my mailbox at the lycee saying I had a package at the loge. Weird, I thought, since I wasn't expecting anything. The secretary went in the back and produced a decent-sized box covered with Christmas-y red & gold print. "Aww, un cadeau de Noel!" she said. My expression of simultaneous shock & delight must have been obvious. I looked all over it trying to figure out who the mystery sender was and found a packing slip. It was from Jess' mom! I fully intended to save it & open it on Christmas, but the packing slip gave away the contents: a shirt, tissues, brownie mix & pumpkin pie mix.

I tore it open the second I got it home. The shirt, a long-sleeved black one with Christmas trees and an ice-skaing penguin, is honestly a bit cheesy but still so cute (I adore penguins, Jacque knows that). A pack of travel-sized tissues with penguins was next, which will come in handy since I think I have been sick ever since I landed in France. Brownie mix, wrapped in a penguin bag, and a big ol' can of pumpkin goo... if I can, I want to make the brownies to bring to the salle de profs next week, and make the pumpkin pie for our little assistants Xmas dinner next week. Of course, this means I have to find an oven to use, since all I have are 2 burners and a microwave.

Seriously, I damn near cried, I was so touched. I immediately went out and bought a Christmas/thank you card to send her. I just love it when people go out of their way to brighten someone's day, and it's all the better when that day is mine :)

Oh, Wine, How I Love Thee

2007-12-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

Had some of the other assistants over for wine & "Apples to Apples" last night, and ended up becoming quite drunk all of a sudden. Maybe because I hadn't eaten much yesterday. Maybe because I was a bit emotional to start with. Who knows. But it got a bit out of control fast.
France is great with its wine-- you can get decent stuff for a decent price. It's wonderful and horrible at the same time. It's cheaper than any other beverage at restaurants. They may well have signs up saying, "DRINK WINE!!!" The wino that I am, though, I love it.
Although emotions and wine do not mix. It makes me homesick. It makes me pick fights. It makes me a bit stupid overall. Maybe I'm just a bit stupid overall to begin with. But if I am going to continue my love affair with the glorified grape juice, I need to get my act under control.

Grammy Nominations

2007-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

I don't usually care about this kind of thing, but I noticed MSN's headline that the Grammy Noms are out.
Kanye, Winehouse Lead Grammy Nominees
Kanye West is leading with 8. Good for him. Can't say I'm overly familiar with his stuff (especially recent) but after that stupid rivalry with 50 Cent (who bothers me in many, many ways), I am glad Kanye got it. Some people have beef with him-- I enjoy his music.
The one I don't get is Amy Winehouse. First of all, "Rehab" is a shit song that is horribly overplayed, obnoxious, and bores little holes into one's brain in which the song manifests itself and repeats until it drives you nuts enough to take up a drug habit and, well, end up in rehab. But seriously... can ANYONE name another song by her? And she has SIX noms? That's it, I'm gonna start wearing my hair in an enormous unbrushed circa-1950's beehive, wear 7 pounds of makeup and take my marital & drug problems public and score myself some Grammy noms.
Other thoughts: I have a strong dislike of Beyonce as well. I remember the first time I heard a Destiny's Child song and thought, "THIS band will be gone tomorrow, thank GOD." Well I was technically right-- the band is gone. Beyonce, however, is here to stay. Again, I don't see the talent.
I'll give Rihanna props. Although "Umbrella" has that same "bores holes and lives in your brain" issue that "Rehab" does, it's OK. At least I could name another Rihanna song.
JT: OK, I love JT, I admit it. But I don't think his latest album is Grammy material. Nonetheless, if JT wins Record of the Year, I will be happy.
I would love to see Vince Gill win the Album of the Year award. I love Vince Gill, and have for years. I bet most people (including/especially anyone reading this) couldn't name a song by him, which is, among other reasons, why he probably won't win.

Overall opinion of the 2007 Grammy Awards? A disappointing pile of stuff I see all over the sidewalks in Troyes every day of my life.

*These statements only reflect the views of Princess and are not stated as verified and true facst (but they f--ing should be!)

Cuisine Americaine

2007-12-06T06:35:00.001-08:00

When I first got to Troyes, one of the profs at my lycee told me about a former student who really enjoys practicing his English. The former assistant would meet with him for coffee occassionally, and he was hoping I would as well. A French student motivated to speak English?! I know how rare those are so of course I said yes.
Thibaut is a very nice guy. We met a few weeks ago for a drink and chatted for a couple of hours. His English is very good! Turns out we like a lot of the same music (Jimi Hendrix, CCR, etc) and we share the same favorite movie (Forrest Gump). Excellent.
So earlier this week Thibaut texted me asking if I'd like to meet for lunch this week. Met up with him this afternoon and he took me to a (Americans, prepare to be semi-jealous)..... Tex-Mex restaurant! Right here in Troyes. And I thought I hit the jackpot finding cheddar cheese at our marche.
Granted, French Tex-Mex is far from the real thing. It certainly is not the type of Mexican food we Californians know & love (mmm, California burritos). My dinky "burrito poulet"definitely required a knife & fork, and was about as spicy as fruit salad. Yes I know my standards for spicy as above & beyond that of a normal person (Thibaut looked shocked when I told him I could probably down a bottle of Tabasco & not be affected), but honestly, France... comment dit-on "habanero" en francais?! I remembered the lack of spice from my time in Le Mans. But still, even the attempt was awesome. And dig this, they served CALIFORNIA wine. I'm sure it was some crap like Gallo but still, just seeing CA wine on a French menu is a first for me. They also had Budweiser on the menu, along with a few Mexican beers. I'll likely return if/when I need a dose of stuff from home.
I find it funny that, reading back the previous paragraph, I said, "dig." We went back to Thibaut's place after lunch for some coffee, he played a bit of Jimi Hendrix on his guitar, and as we were walking back to centre ville he asked me, "What does Jimi mean when he says, 'dig'?" No, Jimi was not digging up holes. He was asking his listeners if they liked it, if they thought it was cool. For instance, "I dig Jimi Hendrix."
And I dig Mexican food, even if it's been Frenchified.

MSN

2007-12-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

In my very first lesson, I had handed out a little "About Me" page, with my name, where I'm from, my family, interests, etc. I included my email address at the bottom, in case the students ever had any questions or needed to reach me.
A couple of girls came up after class yesterday and said they had tried emailing me but it didn't work (I don't know if that means the email did not send, or if it ended up in my Spam folder & I never saw it, or whatever). Then one girl asked if I had MSN. Well yes, I do, I replied. They both lit up and asked for my info. One of them messaged me last night, the other messaged me just now. At first I thought maybe there was a problem or something, but they really do just want to chat!
So for the moment I think it's cute. I hope I don't come to regret it!

There IS Such Thing As Too Much Fun

2007-12-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Mondays are the death of me. While I definitely cannot complain about my job schedule (3 days/12 hours a week), Mondays are brutal because I come from a three-day weekend into 5 straight hours of class. Those 12 hours don't count the time spent making lesson plans, brainstorming ways to the attention of the students (who, for the most part, do NOT want to learn) and maybe, just maybe, teach them some English. In general, the teachers tell me to do whatever I want with them. Some might throw out suggestions: "In class we're currently studying ____," or, "Can you teach them about___ in the United States?" I oftentimes find it convenient to re-use one lesson on a few different classes. This is not because I'm too lazy/unmotivated to think of new lessons for each class; for instance, if I had a plan the students hated, I would make a new one. If a teacher gives me a request, I try to make a lesson plan for his/her class around that instead. Basically, give me some guidance and let me soar. I thought I was doing OK.

I have two groups of 2-3 students each from the same professor. Aside from these classes being my wretched early-morning group (again, really have no room for complaints: 9AM twice a week is NOT THAT BAD but still), their English just... sucks. Either that or they have a chronic case of cat's-got-the-tongue. The Thursday group (2 girls) is far worse than the Tuesday group (2 girls, 1 guy), both in terms of language skills and partcipating in class. Imagine how painfully slow a class goes by when your activity goes to shit because the students just... sit there.

So back to Mondays being wretched enough. Yesterday I had a note in my box from this particular professor-- all in very sloppily written French, so A) I could barely read it and B) I probably wouldn't understand it all even if I could read it. Then I saw another prof, Matthieu (whose BTS class is probably my fave, he flat-out told me to take them to a cafe and chat b/c it's a CONVERSATION class), and he helped decipher it. Basically, the students (specifically, the two girls from Thursday's class) had complained about me to their prof, and she was demanding to know what I was teaching them, that they have to prepare for the Bac & I've been wasting their time. OK fine, I understand that French kids could care less about Thanksgiving- I had tried desperately to make a fun lesson to teach it, including an activity, and the other classes loved it. These two sat there, and I borderline panicked once I realized I had gone through EVERYTHING (having counted on more-- nay, ANY-- participation on their part) with 15 minutes left to spare. Yes, I did some good ol' pulled-this-outta-my-ass chit-chat. Maybe they didn't like my approach of playing a game the day back from Toussaint's instead of just jumping into a more difficult lesson. Never mind the fact that I ask every one of my classes at every single meeting, "If there is anything specific you want to study, need to study, whatever, TELL ME!" Perhaps they would've had a more challenging lesson if their English (all two words I've ever heard them speak) did not suck. So yes, I was frustrated, annoyed and... confused.

Matthieu explained it. "When a lesson is fun-- a song, a video-- some students do not see it as real work." He related a time when he had used songs to teach, and even the parents got on his case about it. Basically, some students really just want to be given an assignment and lectured at. Yet one more major difference between French & American education. When I was in high school, read-and-lecture classes were miserable. The active ones-- playing games, class-led discussions, THOSE were fun. I could not name a single person who would've opted for taking notes over listening to music. Ha, I can now though. Besides, I don't think I'm doing them any favors by giving them a text to read, some review Q's, and just have them regurgitate the answers. I guess I'm coming to the realization that some students (and teachers) could care less about learning English. They care about the Baccalaurete. Once they take the Bac, they'll drop it like a French dog drops shit on the sidewalks. Why learn conversational (AKA useful) language when the Bac asks you for text analysis? It saddens me. I feel like my purpose for even being here has been defeated.

So fine. Matthieu saved my ass by lending me a copy of a Bac prep book with lots of mind-numbingly boring texts with redundant review questions after each one. I copied a few of them and ran one by this morning's class. They seemed OK with it-- had a good enough grasp of the language and Q's, but not to the point where I worried it was below their level. And I asked them about 5 times, "Is this text OK?? Not too difficult? Not too easy? Not too boring?" But again, they weren't the ones protesting against my fun lessons. Now, the silent pains in my ass on Thursday... if "real" work won't get them speaking, I'll likely consider telling their prof I don't want to see them. Nah, I can't do that unfortunately. But I could take Matthieu's suggestion of, "Just throw 5 or 6 texts at them at a time and demand full comparisons of each." That'll learn 'em.

Life's Little Inventions

2007-12-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

There are many inventions I appreciate mucho in life: cars, phones, internet, cheap French wine, etc. But being over here definitely makes me appreciate certain seemingly random inventions even more. For instance:

Mashed potatoes: I don't know what it is about them, but they are borderline heroic. So inexpensive (a kilo of potatoes costs less than a euro at the marche), so simple, yet so very wonderful. Warm, filling, comforting. Carby. American. Makes me think of home. Yum.

Webcam: I've never been a webcammer-- mostly just because I've never had one. But with this spiffy new laptop from Jess, that has changed. And I can talk to him AND see him, for free. Added bonus: when Corbu struts by in the background and meows-- yup, I can see and hear all that too. Sometimes it makes me homesick, wishing I were there, but more often than not it just brings a smile to my face.

Fuzzy socks: I don't know what that material is called. You know the stuff-- unbelievably soft, used for baby toys and bathrobes. Brad and Jana got me a pair during a weekend away so my tootsies wouldn't freeze in France. Boy do I love them-- I wear them damn near every night when I go to bed.

Flickr: Now you can all see my pictures, all the time. Even better, now I can back my pictures up to a website just in case something should happen and my laptop, camera and iPod video all decide to kick the bucket. Whenever I upload new photos, I inevitably go through old ones (either mine or my friends') and reminisce.

Cheddar Cheese: While studying in Le Mans, we found cheddar once. One time, in 6 months. As someone who is very picky about cheese (and cheddar being one of the kinds I actually do like), this was not a good thing. So imagine my utter delight when I walked past a fromagerie inside Les Halles and saw a big neon orange block. "Une tranche, s'il vous plait!" I couldn't say it fast enough. It's almost gone now. Maybe I should've gone for the whole kilo...

Febreeze: Before I left the states I bought a travel-size spray bottle and filled it with some of our Febreeze. "What do you need that for?" the fiance inquired. The question is, what DON'T you need Febreeze for?! Indeed, it has saved me many a time so far. All those nights spent in smoke-filled bars? Febreeze my smelly coat and the evidence is gone (save for my hangover). Expensive loads of laundry? Drastically reduced, just spray on some Febreeze! And who needs deodorant when you've got magic in a bottle (OK, I'm kidding, I still use real deodorant).

Every single day that I am here, I come to appreciate some random object, concept, technology, etc, more than ever. This list is not all-inclusive-- not by a long shot. I'm sure I've left out all sorts of things; for instance, blogs. Yes, blogs are great. Know what else is great? Sleep. Bonne nuit a tous.

Glad To Know It's Not Just Me!

2007-12-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

Came across this article on MSN today:

Top countries that can handle their liquor
Europe is home to all but one of the top 15 hardest-drinking nations
By Robert Malone and Tom Van Riper
Forbes updated 2:37 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2007

Europe: Home of much natural beauty, old traditions and booze. Lots and lots of booze.

Yes, all but one of the World's 15 Heaviest-Drinking Countries are in Europe, a continent where cultural traditions — and tax policies on alcohol — die hard.

Our top 15 listing comes from a 2006 survey by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, which tracks per capita alcohol consumption around the globe. Rankings are based on the number of liters of pure alcohol consumed per person per year, from beer, wine and spirits combined (the three have progressively higher percentages of alcohol content).

Luxembourg, where residents pound down 15.5 liters of alcohol in a year, on average, ranks first. Close behind are France (14.2 liters), Ireland (also 14.2 liters, a lot more of it from beer), Hungary (12 liters) and the Czech Republic (11.8 liters).

A 2006 study by the Weinberg Group, a consulting firm that reported findings of several published health officials on alcohol use in Europe, showed that Europe generally has greater tolerance and acceptance for drinking than the rest of the world does, with alcohol used more in social settings and at family meals.

"A number of social, political and cultural factors have been reported to influence drinking behavior," the report concluded. Among them: traditions that have young and old imbibing around the dinner table and at social events, and varying levels of alcohol taxes in different countries.

Luxembourg taxes beer at just .02 euros per pint, lower than any European country other than Cyprus and Latvia. It has no excise tax on wine. The European Union is generally very friendly to the continent's vintners, supporting minuscule taxes in order to support consumer purchases. According to reports, the E.U. deemed illegal a recent attempt by Sweden to impose a higher tax, asserting levies on wine cannot exceed those on beer, lest they hurt the domestic wine businesses while, in this case, benefiting Sweden's brewers.

But taxes are apparently just a small piece of the picture. When Denmark turned to higher alcohol taxes a decade ago, the result was only a limited drop in demand. The country still ranks seventh in per capita alcohol consumption worldwide, at 11.5 liters per year.

Meanwhile, a survey in the publication Alcohol Research & Health shows that 94 percent of 15-year-olds in the Czech Republic identify themselves as drinkers, with almost half saying they've drank beer at least three times over the past month. Drinking figures are similar elsewhere in Europe — 96 percent in Denmark, 89 percent in Ireland and 91 percent in the U.K.

The Czechs, who after all invented Pilsner, lead the world in annual beer consumption with over 150 liters per person. That's about twice the U.S. rate. A potential reason for the extra drinking on the east side of the Atlantic: No country making the list has a legal drinking age over 18; with some as low as 16 for beer. The minimum legal age in the U.S. is 21.

Not all surveys on drinking frequency over the years necessarily match each other's findings. A 2004 study commissioned by the World Health Organization, for example, had countries like Russia and Switzerland sneaking past some on the OECD list, like Belgium and Australia. But the results were mostly similar.

Worldwide, the W.H.O. asserts that some 2 billion people use alcohol at one time or another, with approximately 76 million deemed to have a problem. Its 2002 World Health Report blamed liquor for 1.8 million deaths, including about 200,000 in the European Union, along with 20% to 30% of all liver disease, auto accidents and epilepsy seizures.

© 2007 Forbes.comURL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22043142/

Xmas Time in Troyes

2007-11-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

I just noticed today that Xmas decorations are going up all over Troyes. Lights hanging over the streets, trees for sale, decorations in the store windows...I've never really been much into the holiday season. I guess American commercialism has jaded me, along with the nonstop Christmas carols starting in November. I realize that yes it IS still November now, but I'm loving it. Maybe it's because I never watch TV and therefore am not innundated with commercials telling me to buy, buy, buy! Maybe it's because I never listen to the radio and the same 10 Christmas songs being repeated over and over and over. Maybe it's because it's actually cold enough to snow here. Wow, could I actually have a white Christmas?! That would be so cool!There's nothing more I could ask for this year. My love is coming to visit me, we're gonna frolick around Europe, and I'll get something I've wanted for years: a kissy photo in front of the Eiffel Tower. Chouette! All things to make me smile in spite of this cold from hell.

La Vingt-Sixieme Annee de Moi

2007-11-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday today. Very weird feeling, to be in France-- rather, to NOT be at home, with friends and family, planning a big fanfare. Don't get me wrong, my crew here is awesome, but it's just not the same. I need to get used to the concept that things not being the same does not necessarily mean they are worse or better. Just different. But having my birthday away from home is almost as surreal as having had to work yesterday, on Thanksgiving.

Still not 100% what tonight's plans are. The other anglophone assistants are gonna join me in celebrating my 26th, options are either a wine bar or a hookah bar. Hell, I'm down for both, but we'll see...

Goddamn France and Their Goddamn Strikes...

2007-11-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

So it's possible that people back home know about the strikes here in France, either from me directly or from articles such as this in the SF Chronicle (if the French strikes make American news, it's a big deal, because they strike all the time and are mostly ignored by international media). Then to make things worse, today I read this French Trains Hit By Sabotage

Not that I have any travel plans until I head to Charles de Gaulle airport to see my honey on Xmas day, but still, this is ri-goddamn-diculous. All because the train workers think they are entitled to their 37-year pension plan while the rest of France has a 40-year plan. Get over it already, people's lives are being seriously fucked up.

There was a teachers' union strike yesterday too (pics to come) but it was only a one-day thing and I don't think people's daily lives were too affected (unless they happened to be driving through downtown Troyes yesterday while the roads were barricaded).

Goddamn France...

Notre Anniversaire

2007-11-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

I'm still not able to wrap my head around that fact that "anniversaire" means both "birthday" and "anniversary." Obviously yes, it resembles the English word "anniversary" but try finding an "anniversaire" card that is not in regards to what we anglophones call "birthdays." C'est impossible. Oh well. Ended up making my own card anyway :P

Today is our one year anniversary. Obviously married couples base this on their wedding date; since we're not married (yet), this is the date of our first kiss. I remember thinking at the time that A) I was destroying a perfectly good friendship, and B) he probably wouldn't call me the next day, which I was surprisingly OK with. The LAST thing on my mind was that within a year I'd agree to marry this guy. The world does indeed work in mysterious ways.

So, cheers to us. Nikki and Jess. We're just fabulous.

The Truth

2007-11-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

Came across this article and died laughing. If anyone wants a quick insight into my life here, this sums it up in a nice lil tongue-in-cheek fashion
The American's Guide to France

London

2007-11-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

So here I sit in London Heathrow airport. Is it already over?? How could 6 days go by so quickly, when I waited for an eternity for Nov 2nd to arrive? If time flies when you're having fun, it seems to never have existed when you're madly in love.

I got in on Nov 2 and after waiting through the most hellacious customs line (got stuck behind half of Moscow, I kid you not), I emerged, tired from hauling luggage, but ecstatic to see Jess. It was almost unreal to see him, I swear no one has ever looked as good to me as he did that first second I saw him. We headed to London and checked into our hotel. His company gets major props, the place was just fabulous.

We spent the weekend walking around London, enjoying the sights and the very un-London weather. We avoided most tourist spots since A) we've both been here before and B) they were PACKED, but we managed to hit up Camden, the Tate, and walk past Big Ben, Parliament, the Millenium bridge and St Paul's. Our evenings we sepent enjoying delicious food and each other.

Monday and Tuesday during the day, I was on my own while Jess worked. I did manage to steal him away for lunch and occassional cigarette breaks though. My only regret was getting a bit too woozy-boozy on Monday night-- so not sexy, but Jess was understanding as always. Then last night my meltdowns started...

It wasn't so hard when I first left for France, so I don't understand why it was so, so painful for me to leave him this time. He'll be in France in Dec for two whole weeks, yet I was just devastated to leave. I bawled, I hyperventilated, I did. Not. Want. To. Leave. Now that I am at Heathrow I feel better, but am definitely welling up thinking about how lonely I will be to sleep alone tonight. But I can take solace in my early b-day/anniversary/X-mas gift from my hubby-to-be: a spiffy new laptop, and it's PINK to boot. Me, spoiled??? Ya think?!?!

Oh well. I suppose the energy would be better put to use thinking of a lesson plan for tomorrow. And a new countdown begins: 48 more days til I see him again...

P.S.- Pics will be posted soon, I am at Jess' mercy since we tended to only use his camera. Stay tuned.

Adventures in French Medicine

2007-10-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

So on Monday morning, much to my delight, I got my "convocation" letter saying my medical appointments had been scheduled. Yay! The last step (I think/hope) to my carte de sjour! Then I realize it's for the next day. Yikes!

So I tell my profs I won't be able to come to class. At 8:30 AM I head into appointment 1: chest X-rays. And Meredith was there, so I instantly felt relieved. Ramiro walked in 2 minutes lately, Michael about 10 minutes after that. Turns out all the Troyes (and quasi-Troyes) non-EU assistants had our appts at the same times and places. Meredith went first, and upon her return to the waiting room confirmed the rumors I had heard: yes, you have to strip from the waist up and no, they don't give you one of those paper vest things that we Americans are so accustomed to. Then my turn rolls around. Just half naked me, the nurse lady and the X-ray machine. Wasn't so bad though. We got our cool lung X-rays and went our separate ways (except me and Mere who hung out together for the day) until the afternoon appointments.

At 2 we had our next appointment at the centre hopitalier. Amazingly, the French have the Americans beat here: we get there, paperwork is already all filled out with our names, addresses, etc. Was a pretty basic exam: took our height, weight, blood pressure, asked our medical history- although man, did I blush when the doctor asked me about my last "reglès" and I said, "Qu'est-ce que c'est? Un rendez-vous avec un medecin," Turns out "reglès" is "menstrual period." J'ai rougi!!!

So I thought I was in the clear til they mention a blood sugar test. Ummm... although it's not an actual needle, my needle-phobic self was not happy. The nurses were so sweet, telling me to think of my family and the sunshine as she pricked my finger. A few tears and whimpers escaped. I must have been white as a ghost because they insisted I stay seated for a few minutes. When I finally met the others in the waiting room, Mere asked what took so long, and I had to admit that yes, I started crying over the damn blood sugar test.

On the upside, we got to keep our nifty X-rays! :)

Why Doesn't This Surprise Me...

2007-10-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

I've been here for about three weeks. I knew this was bound to happen eventually...
Transportation Strike Paralyzes France

Guess it's just as well that I am too broke to go anywhere anyway...

In other French news, President Sarkozy and his wife are getting divorced. This comes as a shock to France (which has never seen a president get divorced while in office), and the fact that it's a shock to them (and that so far, infidelity is not to blame) shocks me. The French are so weird.

Gripes

2007-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

I love France. I feel the need to preface this blog with that, because I am about to sound very, very grouchy and unhappy to be here, which (overall) I am not. That being said...
I have somehow acquired a French plague. It has lodged in my throat, chest and sinuses. I think it breeds on my American blood. It is a little bastard, and naturally, it hit as SOON as the sun was out for more than 5 consecutive minutes. I am sure being in a smoke filled bar last night did not help matters.

My carte de sejour: well, I got my recepisse, which is basically my "in the process of getting the carte de sejour" get out of jail free card. Now I have to wait for the ANAEM to get their act together and schedule the medical appointment that they say I must have. This was a glorious victory, after 3 unsuccessful visits to the Prefecture (1st: closed for lunch. 2nd: they tell me CDS can only be issued in the AM. 3rd: I didn't have my certificat de domicile, saying that I am living somewhere. Yeah, like I came ALL this way to live on the f--ing street with the dog people). Although I think that Prefecture is French for "Satan's nursery," seeing as how there were at least 5 different kids in there and EVERY SINGLE ONE was shrieking hysterically. Not fussy, not running around. Shrieking, tantrum-throwing lil hellians. Then again, if they hadn't issued me my recepisse, I may have been throwing a shrieking tantrum too.

Speaking of living on the street... I am in a paradox. I am staying for free at my school in a room with no kitchen facilities. So, I must eat out; which means I am spending money fast. Spending my money means I will have less for an apartment (which generally requires a 2 months' of rent deposit) should I actually find one. Plus, I am coming to the realization that I will have to suck it up and go through an agency immobilier, which requires a fee of 100+ euro. Joy. Either way, I will probably be asking people back home to Fed-Ex me some ramen, since I will likely be broke in a matter of days.

And speaking of streets... maybe this is my Americanism speaking, but what is with the total lack of sidewalk etiquette, France?!? When you and your two friends are walking side by side by side, and I am walking the other direction towards you, one of you MOVES to let me past. It takes 2 seconds, then you can resume your Wizard of Oz style jaunt down the sidewalk. Does it REALLY make more sense for me to walk in the middle of the street, at the mercy of the insane frog drivers, just so you can be thisclose to your friends? And don't even suggest not moving; they WILL walk right into you (the kids do this to me in the hallway at school all the time. I think I will push one a wall one some day).

And speaking of SPEAKING... I understand that I must look like a native. This is flattering; and evident by the number of people who come up to me asking for God knows what. I never brush them off initially, but sometimes I really don't understand. So I struggle a bit. Now, if the tables were turned and I was back home asking a random person for directions or money or whatever, and they struggled with English, I would say/think, "Oh, you're foreign, don't worry about it, I will ask someone who understands and let you off the hook." Not here, nu-uh. They sit and stare at me like they expect me to rattle off perfect French in a matter of seconds. If I say, "Je ne comprends pas, mon français n'est pas très bien," they will re-state the question. Comment dit-on "Leave me the FUCK alone?" en français?

The texts from the US. Naturally; Orange is happy to take my money and send texts there, but won't accept them back. This is especially obnoxious seeing as how they have reverted technology-wise from the last time I was here (I got texts from the US just fine, and they were cheaper to send). Although apprently-- and I doubt I can say this often-- I don't entirely blame them. Dad told me the other day that the US now considers texts to be a spy threat, and France (and myself) think that is absolutely stupid. Why on earth would the French give a flying fuck what we're doing?! So in "retaliation" the French no longer guarantee texts from the US, which is what the guy at Orange told me 30 seconds before I burst into tears. I still cross the street every time I walk past that Orange store due to my embarrassment.

The humidity. I have completely stopped flat-ironing my hair because no matter how hard I try, I get a white girl fro in a matter of 5 seconds if I step outside. Now I know hy so many lil white Frenchy girls sport the white girl dreds look.

OK. End rant. Overall my time here is great, I am just sick and broke and cranky. But lots of things are going well- I've been making friends with my students and other assistants, I splurged and bought two new pairs of shoe the other day (which I know goes against my whole money rant, but they were 5 euro a pair!!!), Jess will be in Europe in 28 days :D :D :D :D during which time I will hopefully get to see Ally and/or Kayt, other than the apt I have everything in order (I think). I just want a place to live and my health. Is that so much to ask???

Accomplishments, Etc...

2007-10-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

I have gone to... hmm, lost track of how many classes so far, but quite a few. The French teaching style is not too different than ours back home, and the students, though shy (or insecure with their English skills) seem sweet enough. A few older ones have invited me out for drinks, to a dance class, and the soirée étudiante next week. Hopefully they will remain this well behaved when I am on my own next week.

Came up with my first lesson plan: all about me and my lovely city of San Francisco (although I realized just now that on my list of famous SF spots, I left out Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39-- d'oh!!). If possible, I am going to show a clip from "The Rock" that I found on Youtube (the scene with the car chase and exploding cable car).

I got my bank account yesterday (yay!) at BNP which is B of A's sister bank and therefore I can use their ATM without enduring fees from them. Attempted for my carte de sèjour today but in typical French fashion, you can only get them in the mornings, or Friday afternoons. So much for that lil note in my passport saying to start the process within 8 days-- I hope I don't get deported!

Still need an apartment, which will be tough b/c my bank account is rapidly dwindling (f--ing weak-ass dollar) and most places require two months' rent up front. Not to mention most apts are through an agency, which charge fees of 100Euro or more. I found a few listings in the paper but want one of my profs to call for me :) I can't imagine it will be more than a week or two (I hope-- knock on bois!).

And best of all... less than a month til I see my honey in London!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Troyes

2007-09-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

After the stage ended yesterday, a professor from Romilly (where Meredith, one of my roomies at the stage, is stationed) picked us up and took me to my room in Troyes. Other than a huge spider living in the window blinds, the room is decent enough. Bare, but it will do its job of housing me temporarily until I find something permanent. The lycée is beautiful, as is the ville of Troyes. I spent all day wandering the city, stopping by the office of tourism for some maps, a tabac for a new phone card, and finally a kebab. The kebab shop I found is AWESOME, with a very nice owner who told me to come back soon and have coffee with him.

The only problem I have so far is with Orange. They will have to rename themselves Black and Blue by the time I get this sorted. They tell me now that they do not guarantee texts to and from the US, so sorry to everyone who has tried texting me. Last time I had NO problems with this, so I didn't even think to ask when I got my new phone. My bad there, but how do they become LESS advanced in only a year and a half??? The sales guys at Orange were quite sympathetic however, when I broke into tears after being told this. EVen they thought it was ridiculous. So if anyone has any advice, suggestions, or connections to Orange phone...

On Monday I begin my first week of observing the classes, meeting students and profs and getting acquainted. This, combined with having to get an apartment, a bank account, my carte de sejour and make lesson plans, should keep me busy enough. The main thing is the bank account, which I need to have by Oct 10 so I can request an advance on my first paycheck.

SUPER stoked though!!! Turns out I was wrong about the dates for my first vacation, which is during the week that Jess will be in London (first week of Nov). Sooo.... more time in Angleterre with my wonderful boy and a reunion with the lousy Brits!!! As soon as I get my teaching schedule I can book my trip. YAY!!!

That covers the basics for now. So basically, don''t try texting me unless you are not in the US. I will have regular internet access soon enough I hope, but email or calling is the best way to reach me now. I don't even have an address yet so I can't recieve mail. Oh well.

Best of all, it finally stopped raining. Super cool!!!

Ah, la France...

2007-09-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

The boulangeries. The trains. The cigarettes. The goddamn wretched back-asswards keyboards. I must be back in Frog land!!!

After a long flight (which wasn't too bad thanks to the Valium Jess gave), I landed in Paris, waited in the customs line from hell, then embarked on the voyage to Reims. I highly advise against hauling 100 or so pounds worth of stuff around Paris-- this morning (rather, this afternoon) I woke up so sore and bruised it was ridiculous. Not to mention my mini meltdown in the middle of Gare de l'Est when I was worried I took the wrong Metro stop and would have to haul my bags up and down yet more stairs. On the plus side, I caught a brief glimpse of the Eiffel Tower on one of my many train rides.

Long story short, I made it to Reims. I fought jet lag yesterday by wandering around town, getting my cell phone set up, etc. (btw, apparently there is some issue with receiving texts from the US. I got one from Ally in England just fine, and can send them, but have gotten none back from any Americans. Call your carriers and complain people!!!)

Orientation starts tomorrow, and I have already met lots of other assistants. We went to dinner last night and shared a "girafe" which is basically a tall cylinder of beer with a spout, we each got two glasses out of it. Good deal indeed. I have yet to satisfy my kebab fix though, I did stop into one but they didn't have any poulet (chicken) so instead of looking for another one I just grabbed some pizza. Very French, I know.

The cathedral here is incredible but I don't know if it is any more/less impressive than St Julien. Yes, many a French king had their coronation there, and the outside details (gargoyles, etc) are impressive. But there's something so sacrilige about a gift shop in a church...

OK, I've had about enough of this goddamn retarded French keyboard. Is it time for Champagne yet??