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...
Friday, April 18, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wien & Le Sleaze Parisien
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! :)
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! :)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Bulgaria & Beyond
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!!! :)
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!!! :)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Presque La Fin
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!!! :)
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!!! :)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Chris Visit, Part Two: Prague
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:
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!!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Chris Visit, Part One: Paris
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.
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. 
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. 
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
No, I Have Not Gone AWOL
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 :)
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 :)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Amsterdamming
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.
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.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Brief Update
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!
More later, hopefully with pictures. Happy St. Patrick's day, everyone!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tootsie Pops
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.
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.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Raindrops & Teardrops
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.
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.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Il Neige!
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
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
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Chicken Soup
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.
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.
Friday, February 29, 2008
L'assistante Americaine Sera Bientot L'assistante du Diable!
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?
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?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Travels
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
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!
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!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Comment Dit-On LAMECORE En Francais?
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?
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?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunshine!
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 :)
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 :)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Ah, La Vie...
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!!!"
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!!!"
Friday, February 22, 2008
Porto
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!!!
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...
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
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!
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!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Barcelona, Part 1
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.
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!
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.
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!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Spain & Portugal
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!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Here I Sit...
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
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
Thursday, February 7, 2008
France & Beyond
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Quite Étrange Indeed...
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Smells Like... Snow?
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...
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...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Officially the Weekend...
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
-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
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Chillaxin' Sunday
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 :)
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 :)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Let's Not Get Too Excited Here...
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!!!
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!!!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Camions and Raw Emotions
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...
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...
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Pensees Randonnees...
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!
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!
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