This and That

Apartment news: The new apartment is working out well. I can walk to the school in 15 minutes, and the métro station is only 3 minutes away. The connections are not as good, so it takes a little longer, with more connections, to get places, but I am still working out the best routes. I am now living much further from the center of Paris, which is a drag, but the apartment is comfortable, clean and fairly quiet. No restaurant kitchen below my window anymore.

Switching the phone and internet is proving to be rather daunting, though. It really is an inconvenience. I had been in the habit of watching CNN and checking internet headlines every morning to have current material for my class discussions. Now I don’t know what is going on in the world. 

Travelling news: I went to Brussels two weeks ago for a weekend. Karen was there for a conference so I went to spend some time with her. It was quite nice. The first evening we went to a dinner/reception at the Belgian Parliament. It was a beautiful building and we were able to see where their Senate and representatives meet. And the food was fantastic! The next night we went to the Grande Place, which is a large square surrounded by incredible, old buildings, dating back to the 1600’s. There was a festival going on with a huge stage erected in the square. We were lucky enough to snag a table at an outdoor café and spent the evening listening to the music and having drinks.

Next weekend I am heading off to Macon, a town in Burgundy with lots of vineyards. I am meeting Myron, who is my friend Gina’s Dad. He is here in Europe travelling for a couple of months. I’ve been to Burgundy before, but not to Macon, so it will be a new experience.

And --- I am going home! I am heading back to Denver for a couple of weeks and will be there for my birthday and for Election Day. I am excited to be there when we get a Democratic candidate elected again! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and to eating some Mexican food.

Health news: Good news on the health front. All this walking and going up and down stairs has paid off. I have lost some weight, but more importantly, I just had a blood test and all my numbers are better! My cholesterol levels have improved, the good is higher and the bad is lower. The triglycerides are down, too, which is really good. I still have to take my heart medicine, but overall, I seem to be a bit healthier.

All in all, things are going fairly well. It is very expensive here so I am running through my money faster than anticipated. I will need to start working more once I return from the U.S. I’m using French but have not progressed as much as I thought I would, but I’ll keep working on it. Some days I feel as though I am in a third world country (and wonder what the heck I’m doing here) and other days I am quite pleased to be here. I have a small group of friends (albeit all English or American) and definitely now feel as though I live here, not just passing through. It’s hard to believe I have been here over 9 months already! We’ll have to have a “virtual toast” when I hit the one year mark.

Vacation ... part 2

I left off with my trip to Norway where I went to visit my friend, Anett, who was a roommate in college. She had recently returned to Norway after living in the States for many years. I flew there from Germany on RyanAir, a very cheap airline. The prices are great if you book ahead, but they only allow one small carry-on, not weighing more than 10 kg (about 22 lbs). So, I packed a tiny, 18" carry-on for a week-long visit. Believe me, that was hard! I brought only 2 pairs of shoes.

The weather was somewhat chilly, but after the first rainy day, it was also bright and sunny. Norway is so beautiful, with the forests and the fjords. The apartment house where Anett lives has a tower and, one night while there was an incredible rain, thunder and lightening storm, we went up there with our glasses of wine to watch the night spectacle. Every day we were out walking around Oslo, visiting places like the new Opera House, and the gardens and parks. One night we went to a huge party, an annual artist's gathering, that lasted until 3:00 a.m. Lots of music and performance art going on all night. I met many of Anett's friends and was able to visit a bit with her Mom and her brother, Heiki.

I also was able to reconnect with some friends from Thunderbird, the Grad school I went to in Arizona. I had dinner at Velaug and Pal's house, and my old roommate, Gunnar, joined us, as well as another friend, Siv. It was a great trip down memory lane, especially since I had not seen any of them since 1982!

I returned to Germany after a week and spent a cople more days with Lauren. Then, on August 30, I headed back to Paris. I returned to hot, sunny weather, much welcomed after the cool temps in Oslo.

But, yikes, my return was less than stellar as my landlords wanted me to move out of my apartment by the end of the month - yup . . the next day! Because this area is a very expensive one, they want to rent the apartment for a lot more money. Nevermind that it is a pit!!! Well, I finally was able to stay until September 30, but they wanted more money for the rent. Since this is a sub-let, with no lease, I was not in a strong position. And anyway, I never have liked the place. But having to go through the whole apartment hunting process again was very stressful.

Hurray! I have found a new apartment and I share it with another teacher. It is a 2 bedroom place, small but bright. It is four flights up with no elevator but I have gotten used to climbing many stairs since coming to Paris. The actual moving part is somewhat challenging. I am taking the whole week, carrying things over piecemeal on the BUS!!! It is a little hilarious. I travel to the new apartment on the bus to avoid the Métro changes with all the stairs, then return via the Métro. Thankfully, I have had some friends helping and more than half of my things have been moved. I expect to be done by the weekend. How I managed to accumulate so much stuff is a mystery.

The process of changing my address, turning on electricity, and transferring the internet and phone, is also a challenge. The French have more bureaucracy than I have ever known, so nothing is ever simple. Factor in my limited language skills and it becomes a true exercise in frustration. But, soon, it will all be done. Speaking of language, my French has improved, but not nearly as well as I had hoped. I spend most of my time speaking English! Next Tuesday I will begin with French lessons again at my school, one evening a week.

I continue to explore Paris and the surrounding area. Last Saturday I visited Fontainebleau, a beautiful chateau outside of Paris. Next weekend I am off to Brussels to visit with my sister, Karen. She has taken a position for a year in Prague, heading up an international legal institute. I am looking forward to visiting her in Prague sometime soon.

As for how long I will be here, the lease I signed for the new apartment is 6 months (and is renewable) so I will be here for at least 6 more months. After that, who knows? For the time being, Paris is still home.

Vacation ...part 1

I've been back in Paris for a week now, and, boy, has it ever been eventful! But first, about the vacation. I had the month of August off and took a train to Kaiserslautern, Germany on the evening of July 31. My niece, Lauren, lives there. It is a 2 1/2 hours train ride, so very quick and easy. I spent a few days there and then, on August 5, we rented a car and drove back to France. We headed south through Provence, visiting old Roman ruins. We saw the arena in Orange, the Pope's Palace and famous bridge in Avignon, and the Pont du Gard near Nimes. We continued south through the Camargue, which is a large marshy area, and went all the way to the end of the road, ending up on a beach on the Mediterranean. We saw the famous Camargue horses and thousands of pink flamingos.

From there we headed east along the coastline, travelling through the French Riviera. One night we camped at a beachside campground, really more of a camping resort. We had thrown a pop-up tent and 2 sleeping bags into the trunk just in case we couldn't find a hotel. We were south of St. Tropez, and there were no affordable hotels to be found. We spent the afternoon on the beach and in the water. There were beach bars and restaurants, and even entertainment at the campground. It was a large band who performed big band hits. They were incredible!

As we made our way north to Cannes, we stopped at a small cove and climbed down about 100 steps to a calm, secluded beach. We grabbed the snorkeling stuff and spent a few hours there. When we left, we went into a small grocery store near where we parked the car. I picked out a dusty bottle of red wine (2001) with a very pretty label, which was only 5 euros. We opened the bottle later that evening in our hotel room in Cannes, and it was excellent! Probably the best wine we had on the whole trip.

We spent 2 days in Cannes. Of course, that involved a lot of beach time. We also drove up to Grasse, which is the main location for making perfume. We visited one perfumerie and, of course, came away with purchases. We also had a truly memorable fish dinner in Cannes. From there we headed over to Nice. This was our favorite town. We stayed in the old part of the city, exploring the evening we got there. The next day, you guessed it - the beach again. The beach in Nice is not sandy but rather made up of small, smooth rocks. When going into the water, it is very slippery and hard to walk in. Getting out was ridiculous! I had to sit and scoot up backwards on my butt. Lauren was still in the water and we about died laughing it was so funny! She had water shoes on so she was able to scramble out a little better.

All along our trip we drove through beautiful small towns - Cassis, Antibes, and others. The coastline was fabulous, beautiful blue water, rocky cliffs and magnificent yachts! We left France and drove through Monaco into Italy where we had pizza for a late lunch. We then started our journey back to Germany, driving through the Italian, French and Swiss Alps. We took a slight detour to see Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in France. It was mid-August and still plenty of snow on top. The last leg of our journey was all on the autobahn, speeding back to Kaiserslautern.

After a cople of days there, I took a train to Stuttgart to visit some German friends. I spent a wonderful weekend with Nicole and Joe at their home outside the city. We visited the zoo there and it was really something. The aquarium within the zoo was big enough to be on its own. The zoo is also a botanical park and the flowers and vegetation were incredible. On Sunday afternoon I headed back to Lauren's.

On the following Tuesday I flew to Oslo, Norway, to visit with my friend, Anett. And that will have to be part 2 of the vacation report!

On Vacation

I'm on vacation, headed to Oslo, Norway, today. Since the beginning of August I've been on a road trip through Provence and the French Riviera with my niece, Lauren, and have spent time in Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart, Germany. I'll write more about it when I get back from Norway.
'Til then, enjoy the rest of the summer!

The Most Exciting Thing . . .

Yesterday I got a library card! OK - so maybe that is not so exciting to most people, but everywhere I have ever lived, I have had a library card. I hadn't even considered it until my French teacher mentioned it. I had been buying used paperbacks, trading them back in for more (for a fraction of the cost) when I'd read them. Since I read an average of 3 books a week, it is an expensive habit. Now, too, I can try to read some French books.

Speaking of books, many years ago while in high school, I read a book called "Désirée" about a woman whose first love was Napoléon, and who eventually became the Queen of Sweden. On Sunday I visited a small museum, the Musée Marmottan, which houses some Impressionist paintings, which is why I went. To my delight, in one room was a beautiful portrait of Désirée Clary, the woman in the book. Small wonders, hmm?

Blah, Blah, Blah . . . Summertime Blues

Not the blues, really ... just the last dwindling weeks before vacation. Some of my students have already begun their summer holidays. Of course, as they go, so do the lessons. It seems that every day more lessons are being canceled for one reason or another. I wouldn't mind if they canceled the day before, thereby being a late cancellation, because then I would still be paid. When the lesson is canceled or postponed in a timely manner, I lose the lesson and don't get any pay for it. It then extends the contract with that student.

I have one student who, for the first SEVEN lessons (1 1/2 hours each), managed to meet with me for a total of 1 hour and 25 minutes! Since informing my school of the discrepencies, we have been meeting on a fairly regular schedule. But this is, truly, a problem with this job. So long as a student cancels in time (48 hours), the teacher is not paid but there is not usually any way to fill that gap with another student. A teacher can start with 80 or 90 hours scheduled for the month and then find themselves scraping to hit 70! In July alone I have had 1 cancellation due to a Métro strike (I couldn't get there), 4 early cancellations, 8 lessons gone because of vacation time, 3 lessons gone due to the 14th of juillet holiday and 1 late cancellation. That means 16 classes (or about 24 hours, which is one very full week's work) for which I will not earn any money.

Hence, the summertime blues. Of course, in August, I will be one of those who is on vacation! The bad part is that I don't earn any money, but I knew this before entering this job field. I have plans to travel a bit during August. I will first head to Kaiserslautern, Germany, to stay with Lauren. We plan to take 7 or 8 days and drive around southeastern France. Upon our return, I am planning a visit to my friends, Nicole and Joe, a German couple who live outside of Stuttgart. We met when they toured the US West 2 years ago and stayed a couple of days with me in Colorado. From there I am off to Oslo, Norway, where I will visit with my friend, Anett. I am also looking forward to seeing some friends from Thunderbird (our grad school) who I have not seen since we left there many years ago.

September is shaping up to be a busy month, but I'll concentrate on getting through the summer for now. In the meantime, here are a few pictures, starting with the "killer" shoes I wore to the Embassy party. Then, another delicious pastry, this is called a Réligieuse. There is a large cream puff filled with chocolate cream, with a small cream puff sitting on top - also filled with chocolate cream. And, finally, a pic of my friends May and Jared and me at his going away party a week ago. Jared returned to Texas on Monday. Bonne chance, mon ami!

Bisous!

Cocktails at the American Embassy

Thursday evening I went to a cocktail party at the embassy. It was an event sponsored by American University Clubs of France, and my grad school, Thunderbird, is a member. I didn't know anyone who was going but I didn't think I'd have many opportunities like this, so I went.

Well, getting there proved to be a bit of a challenge. The event was scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. and I had a class at La Défénse (yes, you remember the place ...) and did not return home until 4:45. I quickly changed clothes and got ready, and foolishly put on a pair of new high heels (they look SO nice!). Because of the heels, I didn't want to walk 7 or 8 blocks to the Métro and decided a taxi would be best, particularly since it was now 5:45. Of course, I was unable to hail a taxi. I walked three blocks to the bus stop and hopped on. With traffic it took about 15 minutes to travel two stops. At the Assemblé Nationale, I got off the bus. This is on the right bank, across the bridge from Place de la Concorde, with the embassy being on the far side of that.

When I got off the bus, it was raining lightly; not enough to get soaked, just enough to ruin your hair. Luckily, I had carried an umbrella. Unluckily, it broke when I tried to open it. I dumped it in the next trash bin. I started across the bridge, still attempting to get a cab. By the time I reached the other side of the Concorde (this is a very big area), my feet were beginning to hurt. I reached the Rue de Rivoli and turned the wrong way. Apparently, I was about 1 block from the embassy but went right instead of left! After a couple of blocks of walking, with my feet beginning to throb, I asked someone where the embassy was located. He kindly walked me back the 3 blocks and pointed it out. However, I quickly learned I was at the wrong entrance. Another 10 minutes of walking finally brought me to the proper door. My invitation and ID gained my entrance. By this time, though it was 6:45, and the Ambassador finished speaking as I arrived.

The rooms where the cocktail party was held were beautiful, and, most important to me at this point, were the thick, soft carpets which cushioned my poor aching, albeit very nice-looking, feet. I was handed a glass of champagne and began to wander a bit. The rain had stopped, the sun was once again shining and the gardens were in full bloom and gorgeous.

Not knowing a single person was a bit intimidating, but I took a deep breath and approached a small group of people and said hello. After that initial contact, I spent the rest of the time talking with various people, one of whom happened to be the head of the Democrats Abroad group. Just past 8:00, things were wrapping up and I took my leave.

My transportation woes continued, though. I began the long trek back to the Métro; hobbled is more like it. I was off to meet some friends and considered my transfer options - change métro stations, or get out and jump on the bus after two stops. I opted for the bus. As I came up the stairs, I saw my bus pass. Fifteen minutes later, another arrived. After boarding I looked up at the sign showing the next stop and realized I was headed in the wrong direction. I got off at the next stop to turn myself around and onto the right bus. By the time I arrived at my stop, and walked the two blocks to the café, my feet were on fire.

Going home I opted for the bus again, which dropped me a couple of blocks from my apartment. By this time, though, there was no continuing in these shoes. Off they came and I walked the last two blocks barefooted. Finally, my feet felt good. (The next day I saw that I had blisters on the balls of my feet. No wonder it hurt so badly.)

So, an eventful evening. Rain, sun, métro, buses, the American Embassy, interesting people and sore feet. It was definitely memorable!