General Update

I have been horrible about blogging, je sais. Since my last pathetically short post, a lot has happened, which I'm using as my excuse for not blogging. Here's a quick update on life for Tom and Katie (mostly for Katie because Tom hasn't blogged since January 4), and I will try to elaborate soon.

My sister visited for 2 weeks, and we had an awesome 3 day excursion to Normandy. Unfortunately, she hurt her foot on her second day here, and fortunately it gave me the opportunity to make fun of her, and to use my French at clinics and pharmacies. Oh, believe you me, you'll hear more about this.

Today I finally signed up to take the Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF), a test that will assess my level of French. Test date is June 21, and I'm taking it at the Association d'Assistance Scolaire Linguistique et Culturelle (ASLC), where I will also be taking a prep course starting next week. I haven't had a lot of luck with classes here (German lady with her distracting dog and tangents, classes turning out to be in English, etc), so I'm really hoping this one goes well, yet sadly expect something crazy to happen.

I've also been looking for jobs in Indiana. No news. I'm not panicking. Not yet.

And, oh yeah, tomorrow we're going to Germany for a 5 day trip! Munich, the Ludwig II castles, and the Oberammergau passion play. I'm excited and only wishing I'd work harder on my German.

There's the quick version. More will be posted after Germany. So check back on Tuesday. Give me a nudge if need be.

2 months to go

We have now been in France for 8 months, and unlike many of our student and assistant friends, we didn't go home for Christmas. Eight whole months and only 2 to go.

Dear Time,

Please don't go too fast. Let me savor every moment in France.

Respectfully,

Katie

A road trip through the Hexagone

Enjoy our pics, then scroll down for English.

Un de mes cours préférés à la fac était La France Contemporaine. J’ai appris pleine de choses sur la France et les Français. J’ai appris que les Français appellent la France, des fois, l’Hexagone, et qu’ils sont tellement fiers de leur pays varié. Pour le cours, il fallait situer les chaînes de montagnes, les fleuves, et beaucoup de villes sur une carte. Ça fait 3 ans que j’étais assise dans la salle de classe, m’émerveillant à la belle France avec une carte, un livre, et des photos. (J’avais déjà visité la Normandie et Paris, mais j’avais beaucoup à apprendre). Et maintenant que j’ai vu beaucoup plus de mes propres yeux, je peux vous dire que je serai fière aussi si c’étaient mon pays. Bon, je suis fière d’être résidente. Et je sais que j’ai vraiment la chance d’avoir vu encore de la France la semaine dernière.

Avec nos amis, Thomas B et Maggie, on a loué une voiture pour cette aventure. Notre première étape était Auvergne, une région dans au centre de la France. Les parents de Thomas ont une maison en Auvergne, alors il connaissait déjà la région et il était un excellent guide. Nous avons monté deux volcans (oui, il y a des volcans en France !), et nous avons visité le château de Murol, des grottes, une ferme de chèvres où on a acheté du fromage, et le village d’Usson où la Reine Margot a été bannie. Et nous avons essayé beaucoup de nouveaux fromages : Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal vieux, et trois types de chèvres.

Le quatrième jour, Tom et moi avons dit au revoir à Maggie et Thomas qui sont rentrés à Paris en train. J’ai continué vers le sud avec mon mari, content d’être au volant. Après quelques heures au Puy-en-Velay où nous avons visité le rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (une chapelle bâtie dans le rocher d’un volcan) et un magasin de dentelle fait main, nous sommes allés au Chambon-sur-Lignon. C’est une ville assez inconnue, même parmi les Français, mais avec une histoire incroyable. Pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale, les gens de cette ville, et dans le voisinage, ont accueilli et caché 5000 juifs, pour la plupart des enfants. J’ai écrit mon mémoire pour mon cours de l’Holocauste à ce sujet et c’était un peu irréel d’être là.

Ensuite, nous sommes arrivés en Provence, à travers la route des Gorges de l’Ardèche, pour une journée à Avignon et une journée à Aix-en-Provence. Ahhh. Provence. Vous imaginez le soleil, des bons repas provençaux, et les santons ? C’est ce que j’ai imaginé. Je suis sûre que on peu trouvé toutes ces choses, mais pas nous. Il a plu les deux jours. Beaucoup de restaurants (ceux que notre guide Michelin suggère), magasins, et musées étaient fermés. Samedi était un jour férié, et puis dimanche, c’est dimanche en France. On n’avait pas beaucoup de chance en Provence. Mais, bien sûr, en Avignon nous avons visité le Palais des Papes (oui, les papes habitait en France pendant un moment de l’histoire !) et nous avons dansé sur le Pont d’Avignon, et nous avons même réussi à trouvé un bon restaurant, l’Orangeraie. À Aix, on s’est reposé un peu à l’hôtel pendant la pluie. Je n’ai pas réussi à trouver un magasin ouvert pour acheter mon santon convoité, et on s’est contenté de manger un repas, moyennement bon, à Patacrêpes, une chaîne. Par contre, les serveurs étaient très sympathiques. Mais, avec notre guide Michelin fidèle, nous nous sommes promenés en apprenant un peu sur l’histoire et l’architecture. Je dois avouer que Aix est une ville charmante, même dans la pluie. En route vers Lyon, nous sommes allés à Orange pendant une heure, pour voir les vestiges romains, y inclus un Arc de Triomphe beaucoup plus vieux que celui de Napoléon.

Lyon était notre dernière étape avant de rentrer à Paris. N’ayant qu’une demi-journée, nous avons concentrés sur les deux collines. Sur la colline Fourvière, la colline qui prie, se trouve le Basilique Notre-Dame. Les mosaïques étaient exceptionnelles. À droite, elles racontent l’histoire de France et à gauche l’histoire de l’Église, avec Marie partout. Dommage, photos interdites. Ensuite, nous avons visité la Croix-Rousse, ou la colline qui travaille. Mais nous avons trouvés rien d’intéressant. Peut-être que nous n’étions pas au bon endroit. Ou peut-être que le travail n’est pas très intéressant. Nous n’avions pas le temps de visiter des musées ou d’autres églises, mais les vues du Rhône et de la Saône étaient superbes.

Il y a certainement des avantages de voyager en voiture. Les trains ont leurs avantages, mais en voiture on voit beaucoup plus. On découvre les petits villages et on aperçoit des jolis panoramas inattendus. Malheureusement c’est moins écologique que les trains, et c’est plus cher quand il faut se garer. Il y a aussi les péages si on prend les autoroutes. Si vous pensez à voyer en voiture en France, munissez-vous d’espèces ! Même si les péages sont censés d’accepter les cartes bancaires, la mienne n’a pas marché (il y en avait de l’argent, je promets !) et après 10 minutes, j’ai rendu une dizaine de gens derrières nous vexés, et après une interrogation j’ai reçu la facture avec une menace d’être poursuivie si je n’aurai pas payé sous 8 jours.

~~~~~~~English~~~~~~~

One of my favorite college classes was Contemporary France. I learned a lot about France and the French. I learned that the French call France, sometimes, the Hexagon, due to its shape, and that they are very proud of their diverse country. For the class, we had to be able to place mountain chains, rivers, and lots of cities on a map of France. Three years ago I was sitting in a classroom, marveling at beautiful France with only a map, a book, and some pictures. (I had already visited Normandy and Paris, but I still had a lot to learn). And now that I’ve seen much more with my own eyes, I have to say that I would, too, be proud if this were my country. Well, I guess I can be a proud resident. And now I know that I’m really lucky to have seen even more of France last week.

Together with our friends, Thomas B and Maggie, Tom and I rented a car for our Spring break adventure. Our first stop was Auvergne, a region in the center of France. Thomas’ parents have a house there, so he already knew the region and made for an excellent tour guide. We climbed two volcanoes (yes, there are volcanoes in France!), and we visited the castle in Murol, caves, a goat farm where we bought cheese, and the village of Usson where Queen Margot was imprisoned. We also tried a lot of new cheeses: Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal vieux (“old” Cantal), and three types of goat cheese.

The fourth day, Tom and I said goodbye to Maggie and Thomas who took a train back to Paris. I continued south with my husband, happy to be behind the wheel. After spending a few hours in Puy-en-Velay where we visited the Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (a chapel built in the rock of a volcano) and a handmade lace store, we went to Chambon-sur-Lignon. This town is not very well know, even by French people, but has an amazing story. During WWII, the people of this town, and in the surrounding area, welcomed and hide 5000 Jews, mostly children. I wrote my paper for my Holocaust class about this and it was a little unreal to be there.

Next, we journeyed on to Provence, driving through the Gorges de l’Ardèche, to spend one day in Avignon and one day in Aix-en-Provence. Ahhh. Provence. Are you imagining sun, wonderful regional meals, and cute little stores (particularly those selling santons- figurines for elaborate nativity scenes)? That’s what I imagined. I’m sure you can find those things here, but not us. It rained both days. A lot of restaurants (those that our Michelin guide suggests), stores, and museums were closed. Saturday was a holiday, and Sunday was a Sunday in France. We didn’t have a lot of luck in Provence. But, of course, we visited the Pope’s Palace (yes, Popes lived in France for a time!) and we danced on the Avignon Bridge, and we even succeeded in finding a good restaurant, l’Orangeraie. In Aix, we rested in the hotel while it rained. I was not able to find an open store to buy the coveted santon, and we settled with having a moderately good dinner at a chain restaurant called Patacrêpes. However, the servers were really nice. But, with our trusty Michelin guide, we learned a bit about the history and architecture of Aix while strolling through the city. I have to admit that Aix is a very charming city, even in the rain. On the way to Lyon we stopped in Orange for an hour to see the Roman monuments, including an Arc of Triumph much older than Napoleon’s.

Lyon was our last stop before returning to Paris. Only having a half of a day, we concentrated on the two hills. On the Fourvière hill, “the hill that prays”, is the Notre-Dame Basilica. The mosaics were beautiful. On the right, they tell of France’s history, and on the left the history of the Church, with Mary to be found everywhere. Too bad, no photos allowed. Next, we visited the Croix-Rousse hill, “the hill that works.” But we didn’t find anything interesting. Maybe we weren’t in the right area. Or maybe that work isn’t very interesting. We didn’t have time to visit museums or other churches, but the views from the two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, were superb.

There are certainly advantages to traveling by car. Trains have their advantages, but in a car you can see so much more. You discover little villages along the way and you see amazing and unexpected views. Unfortunately it’s less green than trains, and it’s more expensive when you have to park. There are also tolls if you take the autoroutes. If you are planning a road trip in France, go prepared with extra cash! Even though the tollbooths are supposed to accept bank cards, mine did not work (there was money in it, promise!) and after 10 minutes, I had angered the ten people behind us, and after a questioning from a lady through the speaker, I received a bill that threatened that I would be “pursued” if I didn’t send in the payment within 8 days.

I heart the CAF. Social Security office, not so much.

I heart the CAF

Today I checked my French bank account, hoping I hadn't gone negative yet (I'm not so good with personal finances) and had a happy surprise. A nice big chunk of euros had been deposited into my account. The generous donor was the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales), the agency that determines and distributes social benefits. The benefit that Tom and I, and most other students and language assistants, qualify for is rent assistance. The amount of assistance depends on how much you make, your age, and how much you pay for rent.

We had been paid a nice amount back in March and then I received mail from the CAF requesting more documents, stating that we were entitled to more assistance. I'm no dummy, so I sent it in right away, and here we are.

Since moving into our studio, we no longer qualify for the CAF, since it's a sublet. So the assistance we've received was for the rent we paid at the foyer (residence hall). We lived there for 6 months. I did the math and our CAF payments covered 50% of our rent at the foyer. FIFTY PERCENT. Wow.

I have written several times before about our administration frustrations, and the CAF was one of them. We moved here in September, and did not have all of our necessary documents ready for the CAF until January. Then, it took a good two months for them to go over our file.

It's slow. Very slow. But I'm very very happy with the CAF right now. It makes affording Paris housing...possible. My childlike husband asked what we were going to do with the money. I said, "Pay the rent."

Social Security office, we need to see other people.

Three trips to the office to sign up for social security to get health coverage.

First time, wait. Wait. "You're at the wrong office."

Second time, wait. "Your sex is not indicated on your birth certificate. This won't work." Wonderful dad picks up a new birth certificate and mails it to me.

Third time, wait. Wait. "Looks good. You'll receive something in the mail soon."

Oh I received something in the mail. My entire file was returned with a letter stating that I still didn't have everything. One of the things is my pay slip from March, which I obviously didn't have when I completed the file in MARCH. For the love. Another is the pay slip from October. Since I wasn't paid from October until December, I have one pay slip for three months, which I gave them with a letter explaining that.

Is it worth it? Do I give up? What happens if I don't sign up? I go home in two months!