A emporter ou sur place?

September 27, 2010

14h30. Waiting for my train to Orleans at Gare Austerlitz.

I’ve got an hour to kill, so why not write a little. The past two days in Paris were quite amazing. Cat and I, despite being jetlagged and fatigued, made our way to some of the best parts of Paris. We first crashed and took a much needed four hour nap at the apartment where we stayed for two nights, located near Nation in the 20^th arrondissement. Upon waking up, hungry and energized to explore the city, we decided to go the Opera district, just north of the Seine and the Louvre. We wanted to eat at a Japanese soup place, whose noodles are known to be deliciex, according to Cat, but when we arrived, there was a huge the line too long for our stomachs to wait in. Watching the hot noodles boil and people eating would be torture anyway. I definitely will try to go back the next time I’m in Paris. So we settled for another Asian place a few blocks away.

The food was pretty good, but my feeling about Asian food in Europe is that it always seems bland. Not enough of spice and kick. (I ended up putting loads of chili sauce in my noodle soup, which still wasn’t sufficient for my Asian tongue.) Maybe they don’t put enough MSG? Who knows… I already miss Canton Cooks and their House choumen. In any case, we then took a nice stroll through the neighborhood, stopped by a café at a square for espresso, and walked some more along the Seine and through l’Ile de la Cite. Walking is such a joy in Paris. Everywhere you look, you find buildings which probably date back hundreds of years and you see people all over even at 10 o’clock at night. I felt alive and part of a civilized society, not alienated from reality like I often feel as I drive around in the suburbs of Atlanta.

Of all the Europeans cities I’ve visited, I do feel most at home in Paris, maybe because I’ve been here two times before, but I think it’s mostly because I’ve learned the French language in college and learned to appreciate the Parisian way of life. I guess it’s based on a simple idea that life isn’t all about work, ambition and material success (though I know some would disagree) and that one should enjoy the little things in life – drinking espresso with friends while talking about n’importe quoi, going to the park to people watch, eating good food, watching old films at the local cinema, buying fresh fruits and veggies at the open market… the list goes on. This aspect of French living is something, I think, America could benefit from. Oh another thing I’ve noticed in Paris is diversity. I see people of all races and ethnicities: Whites, Blacks, Arabs, Asian, etc. Being a minority myself, that makes me feel included, not excluded.

Alright, time to ‘composter’ my train ticket and off I go to Orleans!

By the way, this is what it was like trying to carry all my luggage through Paris. It just didn't look right, quite laughable nonetheless.

The Day After Tomorrow

"To be faithful is to act as though time didn't exist." Jean-Luc Godard

In less than two days (and visa permitting), I will be making my way to France. So excited! Last night I went out with most of my close friends for a night of strong margaritas and karaoke. It was indeed the ideal last hurrah I had in mind. I am going to miss all my friends here but I know I will see them in the near future. It's hard to surround yourself with good people and in the course of the last year and a half, I was lucky to have befriended so many awesome people. But like I said, I will see them again. And to think of it, eight months isn't too long and time seems pass increasingly faster as I get older. So I am not as saddened as I thought I would be.

In any case, as I take a break from packing, which has been a formidable task thus far, I thought it'd be fun to list some things I would miss and not miss in France. (family and friends not included, as those go without saying)

I will miss:

- Chick-Fil-A

- Sweetwater Beer (or beer in general)

- Willy's Burrito

- CVS

- Waffle House

- Georgia fall

- Hot wings

- Speaking English

- Football (Falcons!)

- Being able to wear gym shorts and t-shirt freely in public

- Drive-in banking

I will not miss:

- Georgia heat

- The lack of public transportation and having to drive everywhere

- American politics

-... Can't think of anymore.

Back to packing...

Last shift at the Mill, Visa (enfin!), and some français

For almost six years I've been a public servant at the Terrell Mill Tennis Center. Tonight will be my last shift, at least for a while. It's definitely sad to leave the Mill but I always knew it had to happen sooner or later. It was pretty much the best job I could've possibly asked for as a college student --being able to write most of my college essays on the clock, watching beautiful sunsets every night, and having easy going, wise colleagues (one of whom is my best buddy) are just a few reasons, among many, that make this job so relaxing and peaceful. Not to mention I've met people who've become really close friends in the course of my time here. Who knows... maybe I'll find myself sitting behind this desk again.

I finally received word that l'arrêté (the copy of which I got through email) was sent to the consulate and that I could make an appointment to apply for my visa, which I did. Yes! Finally! So that was last Friday, exactly two weeks before my depature date. According to the consulate's website, it usually takes a minimum of two weeks to get a visa processed. So it's going to be close but I think I'll be okay since most assistants have gotten theirs in a week or so. And I gave the consulate lady my itinerary and tried to smile my way into getting it expedited. But her answer was: stop by the 23rd to pick it, I'll try to get it done by then. You'll try? That's not good enough! Uncertainty, sadly, still remains for when I'll be leaving this country. Oh well. On verra. All I can do is wait... once more.

Cela fait long temps que j'écris le français. Etant donné que je vais partir dans une semaine, j'ai cru que ce serait une bonne chose de practiquer un peu. Mais le problème, c'est que chaque fois que j'écris en français, je n'ai plus rien à écrire. Et après, j'abandonne. Malgré ça, je vais essayer quand même, en espérant que ma grammaire sera correct au moins. En tous cas, je deviens de plus en plus nerveux de mon voyage en France. Je n'ai pas commencé à préparer et j'attends toujours mon visa. Il me reste encore beaucoup de choses à faire, telles que m'acheter un caban et des gants pour l'hiver, préparation d'enseignement, faire mes valises, etc. Mais surtout c'est la préparation de la pensée. Penser que je serai en France d'ici une semaine, c'est absolument incroyable. De toute façons... A part ça, car je n'ai rien dans la tête en ce moment, je m'arrête. Plus de propos intéressant viendront un de ces jours ! Je vous le promet.

Teaching program, l'arrêté de nomination, and limbo

So I'm at work and can't seem to find anything to do. Working at public park - as peaceful and relaxing as it may sound - is nothing but stimulating and it's very uneventful most of the time. But the sunset is nice to contemplate and the heat is no more. At least it's peaceful.

I've decided to make a blog. For a long time I've avoided any sort of activity that would involve writing. More specifically, writing that would be read by people other than myself. I don't really know how to express this fear, but I think it's mostly due to the lack of confidence I've had in my writing abilities. My style, I admit, is not very fluid, but rather rigid and often dry. But at this point, I don't really care about how bad of a writer I am. I've given up trying to write like Orwell.

It was just two years ago that I made my way down the Loire Valley for the first time. In the city of Tours I tried soaking up what I considered authetic French culture and learning the beautiful - yet efficient - French language in the process. I was in a study abroad program sponsored by the university. The experience I had there was nothing short of inspiring, surreal in a certain way. It was the first time in years that I lived outside the US for a period longer than a month - I had left Japan, where I live for 5 years, almost 7 years prior. I was so happy to have gone and have wanted to return ever since.

Anyway in less than three weeks I depart for France once again. But this time around, I'm going for reason of employment. Once I get my paperwork taken care of, a subject to which I shall return, I will be off to Orléans, France for 7 to 9 months to be an assistant de langue at the primaire level - roughly equivalent to elementary school. I find this a bit daunting because I've never taught before. But for 780 euros a month and 5 weeks of paid vacation, I'll live with it. I just graduated with degrees in Film and French, which don't really make me the most marketable person to hire. I've had a few internships and freelance opportunities here and there, but nothing that I seriously considered committing to. And I think even if I did find a job, I would still be afraid about not being able to escape from the powerful gravitity that is the pressure to remain in the work force. As such, the temporary nature of this teaching job doesn't seem too bad and I'll have the option of renewing my contract for a second year. Ce n'est pas mal, ça.

Before leaveing, I need to take care of two things. One: to obtain what the French call arrêté de nomination. This is essentially my work contract that will serve as proof of employment in France. I am still waiting for this to arrive in the mail. I absolutely need this document because without it I cannot apply for my long stay visa (my second thing), for which I need to apply very, very soon (it takes 2 weeks to process a visa) and without which I cannot leave the country. It seems every assistant assigned to my region have received theirs except me. There's still no news as to the whereabouts of my arrêté. There's nothing I can do but kill time and wait for the mail to come. I feel my life is in limbo.

To make myself feel better, I have decided to put the blame on President Sarkozy for my troubles. It's not working so far.