I am starting this entry on the train because it is 7 in the morning, and even after a sleepless night, I am not sleepy, and after over a month without too much time to reflect, I have a lot on my mind.

I am truly sad about leaving Nancy. Whenever I mention this to anyone, they remind me that I am going to live at the beach and that I will be with my boyfriend, and of course I am ecstatic about all of this, but it doesn't mean that I am not upset about leaving a city that finally feels like home and the wonderful friends I have here (or there? I am pulling away from the city as we speak).

My intention for my last month in Nancy was to do everything cool in the city I hadn't done yet, like go to the aquarium and to do everything I really loved and knew one last time like the art museum and the Musé de l'Ecole de Nancy. To spend as much time at all of the cool outdoor cafes as possible. To picnic in the Parc de la Pepinière, to wander around Place Stan and the Vieille Ville. As it was, I was working over full time and did not have time to do all of these things.

After work, my primary stress came from getting my healthcare stuff taken care of. Last year I didn't fool with healthcare much, since I didn't really understand how it worked, but health care stuff accumulates, and this year I was determined to take advantage of the health care system which I have read is ranked the first in the world. I needed physical therapy for my ankle, new glasses/contacts, a trip to the dentist, etc. So I got a mutuelle and tried make sure I was signed up for government
healthcare that (in theory!) every worker in France has. So between work and all the doctor visits, I spent my time harassing the CPAM—the general healthcare office to make sure that I was signed up for healthcare. After the first two months they lost my dossier, then I talked to someone who seemed like he knew what he was talking about, and then after another month with no result, I went back last week only to discover that it wasn't the CPAM that was supposed to take care of my dossier, but in fact, the MGEN—healthcare for people who work in public education. So I spent months and months going back to this office, while no one informed me that I wasn't even in the right place. When they told me that, I had the bizarrest sense of both anger and relief. Anger that no one had told me, and relief maybe another office would be more efficient, would finally help me get this taken care of. So I ventured out to the city where the office was located, and the woman was helpful, and I think that I am finally going to get this worked out, although it still may take a while.

Anyway, all that is not to say that I haven't had any time for fun...after forcing my friends to celebrate my birthday for a month in January/February, it was only fair to give Kat a month of celebrations—so this included many picnics and some fun nights on the town. And as a grand finale Annika, Kat, and I went to Paris, where we stayed with Sarah. It was only 24 hours in the City of Lights, but we made the most of it—went out on the town (karaoke...I don't think those Parisians will forget our rendition of several Whitney Houston songs any time soon), shopped along the Champs Elysee, and saw the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Grand Palais, which was awesome.

Leaving France has been strange, rather anticlimactic—especially compared to last year when I had to say goodbye to all of my friends at once and leave Carlos there in Metz. I mean, I wasn't expecting fireworks, or the entire nation to go into a state of mourning, but I didn't have the opportunity to say a real goodbye to a lot of my friends and coworkers, and the goodbyes I did goodbyes were staggered. My internet and phone were cut off a little earlier than expected (this might have been a blessing—would I have accomplished everything those last days if I had had the internet to distract me?), but it also left me without contact with anyone (with the exception of Kat who was still in town and dropped by a few times) so my last days were just me alone in my apartment scrubbing and packing. So my departure was quiet (with the exception of the sound of me dragging my enormous suitcase down three flights of stairs at six this morning—sorry neighbors!)

In a few hours I will arrive in Mainz for a couple days with Zee and Nik, where I have to figure out how to reduce some of this weight in my suitcase before I get on my flight to Almeria on Wednesday. I can't wait to get to Spain so I can finally relax!

Je suis où???

I don't think I will have time for a real update before I go to Spain in July.  

The other day I found out that people with long-stay visas in France next year (like me this year and last year) will no longer have to apply for their a carte de séjour.  This law is being passed just as I am leaving, of course.  

And then on top of that, I got my French police background check for my Spanish visa, and it was a cinch.  Emailed the form to the guy, and a few days later it was in my mailbox.  All that's to say is that my last days in France have been rather un-French.  

Hasta pronto!

Loose ends

The thing about my friends is that whenever we make plans, they fall through, but whenever we plan last minute, it works out beautifully. Tonight we had plans to go to the neighborhood board game cafe, but as we had planned it out, everyone cancelled. This is opposed to yesterday where we ran into each other in town and had a lovely evening, which included a fantastic Lebanese feast (although I was glad to find out that MY tabouli is better). Anyway, since we made plans for tonight, I have ended up at home with time to finish a blog entry.

I have about a zillion things to do before I leave. Seriously... banking stuff, work stuff, changing my address at every office, and figuring out what to do with all of the stuff I have accumulated over the past year. It is so hard to jump around so much every year because I have to start from scratch each year. I am trying to think of ways to save my curtains and blankets because while it might not be the most economically efficient thing to do, I have a strong desire for (at least an illusion of) stability, even if it is just the simple thing of waking up under the same blanket and seeing the same curtains for two consecutive years.

My biggest loose end has to do with public health care, mostly because I missed a demarche. I can't find a good translation of this word because we don't have so many of them in angolophone countries. A demarche is an administrative process/formality--something that involves sending in forms and copies of important documents, a lot of waiting, and a lot of dealing with ill-humored bureaucrats. So I missed one (there was no way to know that I was supposed to do it), and now my whole health care thing is screwed up. Last year, my arch nemesis was the Prefecture, but this year it is definitely the CPAM office. It is to the point that I walk into the building, and the bureaucrats shoot each other, "Oh, it's her again" looks. It seems that I can only get the situation halfway dealt with (if the CPAM doesn't lose my dossier again!), but even then I will be dealing with this stuff from wherever I go. It's funny, I thought that by leaving France I would leave this stuff behind, but it seems that it is going to follow me wherever I go.

On top of this stuff, classes finally started back at the university on Tuesday, and it was really surreal. Picking up where we left off over two months ago was really bizarre, surreal. I didn't have many students in class...ironically enough the day that classes restarted the French trains went on strike so some students were not able to come. I felt sort of like a jilted lover in class--my students broke it off for a couple of months, but then suddenly called it back on and now are acting like nothing has changed. We will not be able to recover all of the missed classes, and it seems like the strike has worsened the apathy that the students had before the blocage. Luckily I only have 4 exams left, and my paper grading burden shouldn't be too terribly bad.

Last weekend I headed to Luxembourg because I heard there was going to be a New Orleans festival there. Kat and I went and stayed with Liz, my friend who lived in Metz last year and now works there. It was really great to see her after a year. There is something very stabalizing about seeing old friends when my life is so--well scattered. The festival was just a stage with a food tent and a few beer tents, but there was some decent music and creole cuisine. Liz took us out on the town and we experienced some Luxembourgish nightlife, which was surprisingly festive. I was informed that 50% of the population is from other countries, so the atmosphere is very international. The people I met were raving about the quality of life, the cleanliness of the city, and having well-paid jobs. So maybe I'll add Luxembourg to my list of cities that I could possibly consider living--although I get the impression that it is not too appealing to those who are not interested in the banking sector.

On Sunday after a delicious lunch of jambalaya I met up with another friend from last year Helen who also works in Luxembourg, and she showed me and Kat around the city some more, and we caught up. It is really shameful how seldom I see my friends who live not so far from here!

I am getting rather emotional about my last month in France. It is such a strange thing to be in a place you are settled when you know you will be leaving. And I am so bad at goodbyes/endings; I always just draw it out and make it as sad as possible. I remember the end of college, the "This is the last time we will ever..." thing got out of control. The last time we ever ate macaroni and cheese in the Caf, the last time we ever watched 'Scrubs' together" It was all emotional.

And though in my travel-filled life, I may sound cavalier about moving to another country, but this is not the case. I am definitely nervous about the enormous changes that I have in store. But I am so busy these days, that I don't have a lot of time to dwell on these thoughts.

I spoke too soon.  As I mentioned in my last post, the president of the Fac de lettres came up with a plan to re-start classes and take exams, and the students were to vote on it on Wednesday.  Most of the teachers were just certain that the students would support the proposal.  I only heard one who mentioned the possibility that it might not pass, and all she said was, "The students are being suspiciously quiet about the proposal."

Well the students voted against the proposition, and classes didn't start.

Then the next week the president had a new plan to re-start classes, and there was not an entire public vote, but the voting body of the university assembled and they voted against it.  

This time the president ignored the vote and encouraged teachers to come to the university at 8 in the morning to remove the chains on the doors and to start classes.  They knew that some students wouldn't be happy, and I was even warned that "there might be violence."  I arrived at 9 for my 10 o'clock class, and all the buildings were locked up.  Apparently there had been a scuffle with the police at 8, and the president had given up his attempt to re-open the school.  And well, as a response to the whole situation, he has locked everything up (as in you can't even get on campus.)

I just don't know what to think of all of this.  At this point, the students are angry that the school schedule wasn't good enough--that they wouldn't have enough time to study for exams. But well that is what happens when you go on strike for two months and try to cram 3 months of school into one month.  And well every week that a decision is pushed back, we have less and less time to get what we need done done.   And they are also trying to change all of the exams to "dossiers" or well portfolios of work.  This would supposedly alleviate some of the time strain, but I am starting to get the impression that this proposal is just because students hate exams.   

Sigh.  

For the past few months I have been jealous of my friends who have been able to plan their futures as mine just sort of hung delicately in the balance.  But now with the news that I got the assistant position in Spain (and a little bird told me that there is a really good chance I will end up in Almeria).  So finally I am able to start imagining my future (well as far as next year anyway), and it's a good feeling.

I have my plane tickets!  I was hoping to squeeze in a trip to see my Aunt Zee and Uncle Nik in Mainz before I went to Spain for the summer, and it really worked out since Almeria is a hot spot for German (and British) tourists so I found a cheap direct flight from the Frankfurt airport near them.  So I'll go spend a few days with my relatives and then fly directly to Almeria.  That's right, you heard me.  Directly.  This is the first direct flight I have had in years and years.  No shuffling onto public transportation with all of my luggage, no dragging my suitcases up and down staircases to make train connections--someone will drop me off at the airport; I will take a single flight and someone will pick me up at the other end.  Amazing.

My trip to the United States will not be so simple--on the contrary.  I will have to take a train to Madrid, get a hotel there and then take a bunch of planes.  Why is it so difficult to get to Jackson, Mississippi I wonder?  It is not particularly cosmopolitan, but it is a capital city.  That is something I will be pondering as I jet to one American airline hub after another in wrong directions direction just trying to get back home on August 6th.

So there it is the date I am coming home.  I was trying to come home later in the month since flights in late August are half the price as in early August and because I wanted to go to the huge weeklong party in Almeria called the "feria."  But you know I am getting eager to go home (I can hear my mom and grandmother giving sighs of relief at this) though temporarily.  And well in the end the determining factor for my trip turned out to be--weddings.  I have already missed the weddings of three of my closest friends and I need to make it to the ones that I can.  And anyway when seeing my friends from home is so rare, I can't refuse an opportunity to see them all gathered in one place.  

Now I have more bureaucracy to think about.  The very sound of the word "visa" sends chills up my spine, but it is unavoidable.  

Let's see how getting a Spanish visa compares to getting a French one...

1.) The consulate is in New Orleans, which is a zillion times better than the one in Atlanta, which I had to visit twice last year. (1 Point for Spain)

2.) Bunch of paperwork yada yada yada, same old stuff (a tie)

3.) Criminal background checks from everywhere I have lived in the past 5 years all with an official apostille---WHAT?!!  Spanish visa regulations, why are you ruining my life?   Going through the French police stations in both Nancy and Metz is going to be horrific, and I have the feeling that getting them from the United States when I am not present is going to be quite a hassle.  (-100 points for Spain)

Final Score: Spain -99, France 0

All that work and all the Spanish are going to see on my record is a couple of speeding tickets.

Well at any rate, I can't do anything about it today because it is yet another public holiday (Oh, May, and all of your public holidays!).  Today is the Ascension, and I was thinking that it is pretty funny that 80% of the population probably doesn't even know why it's a holiday, and only a tiny percent of people go to church.  But then I heard singing this afternoon, and I realized that it was coming from a church that is not too terribly far.  That's the funny thing about these small echo-y streets is that well sound really carries so it sounded really close by.   It seemed to me that the people were sort of trying to remind everyone the reason that we are not working today, and it was pleasant.

It is a little hard to believe that it is almost time to leave France.  Sometimes it feels like I just got here, and Nancy is big enough so that I haven't had enough time to get bored yet!  As much as I complain about France, I think that I am really going to miss a lot of things about it, although I am not exactly sure what yet.  When I think about the strikes and the bureaucracy and the strikes, I am glad I am leaving...

Je suis lorraine; je serai espagnole; je suis impresionée

First thing's first-- I got the email today confirming that I got the assistantship in Spain!!  Yay!  What a relief.  Knowing that I have employment next year (especially in Spain where unemployment has hit 18%) in this economy is a big source of relief.  And at this point I will take the position even if I don't get placed in Almeria.  Like with the French assistantship, when they tell you that you have been accepted to the program, they don' tell you the city you are in, just the region.  So I know that I will be in Andalucia, which is good because that is the region that Almeria is in, but it is also the biggest region in Spain so I could end up anywhere.  Now to try and pull some strings to get placed in Carlos' city.  I wrote in my essay and basically every white space of my application, "Please place me in Almeria."

Second news of the day...the blocage at the university is getting resolved.  And the president decided that we will make up the missed classes--this came as a big surprise.  I'd gotten so spoiled that I'd scheduled other lessons and doctors appointments and sundry other things at the times I used to have class and now I have to reschedule all of that stuff.  I am glad that my students will be getting their educations,  but selfishly frustrated that the job I thought was over will continue.  The second round of exams is going to take place in September, and this means that I don't have to stay in France any longer than I thought I would.

Now on to my latest adventure.  Life has been so monotonous lately.  It was about time.  My British friend who is dating a French guy named JB invited me to a "bison-themed party" with a bunch of his friends.  I didn't know any more details...but that is ok since the best adventures always start out like that.  Turned out to be in a tiny town--population 86...does that even constitute a town?, which was having a bison-festival since some farmers in the area raise bison.  They brag about how such a small place can get together and put the festival together to attract (they claim) 10,000 "fools" to come hang out and spend their money there.  The atmosphere was quite festive.  There was a nice flea market and well plenty of bison to eat.  My friend's boyfriend's friends were really fun people, and we had a good day.  At one point, I met someone, who I know believe to be the son of the mayor of said village, who after a five-minute conversation (unbeknownst to me) fell in love with me.  After this, I ventured out with my new friends to see the bison grazing, and upon our return to Tiny Village, I realized the son of the mayor had already told the other 85 residents of the town about me and immediately started introducing me to them as his wife.  The news that I have a boyfriend came as an unpleasant surprise, and I spent the rest of the night ignoring his cries of the one sentence he was able to muster in English, "I love you."

In the meantime, the residents of Tiny Village were astonished to meet an American.  This sort of thing doesn't happen in Nancy, but in rural villages, which barely get any visitors from neighboring towns, seeing foreigners is pretty rare.  Now I have to take a moment to point out that the beverage tent, which was charging visitors for beer was giving free beer to locals, and they were taking full advantage of this privilege.  So the drunken villagers took to all calling my name loudly, then yelling their opinions at me, and then telling me what a surprise and a pleasure it was to meet me (which seemed strange because I was never able to get a word in edgewise with all their ramblings).  At this point I was ready to go home, but we had to stick around for a barbecue at a guy's house.  And I was glad I did because I am pretty sure that he made himself the sausages that we ate, and wow...just amazing stuff.  Drunk villagers also attending the barbecue continued haranguing me.  One man in particular followed me around all night telling me how great it was to meet me. The last thing he said to me was...

"Je suis....

Je suis...

Je suis...

Je suis...

Je suis...

Je suis...

Je suis...

Je suis vraiment impressioné de faire votre connaissance."

It took him five minutes of bumbling "je suis"s before I was actually able to understand what he was saying.  

My day at the Bison Festival was long, not always pleasant, but I really liked JB's friends, and well it was just the sort of spontaneous adventure I needed to pick me up from all of my stressful work lately.  And also it was a chance to explore the rural parts of the region was nice  

since I haven't done too much of that.  I jokingly referred to myself as "une lorraine" the other day, but realized that even though I will be moving to Spain, after two years here in Lorraine, I can call myself "lorraine" at least a little bit.  Not too much though since I still can't stand choucroute (sauerkraut)...

Ideas I've been toying with

I got to thinking the other day about my future--a subject I spend most of my time trying not to think about.  I wonder if I will always be a teacher.  I enjoy it, but two years in the public French school system has been frustrating.  The classes I've been giving lately to adults have somewhat renewed my interest in teaching.  The students are just so interesting and motivated.  It is absolutely a different world.  And even though classes are over at the university (probably, but who knows; the strike is so complicated!) the theme of my teaching this year has remained the same--teaching people English oriented to specific subjects has meant that I have learned a lot about stuff I didn't know about!  From the pneumologists I tutor, I have become conversant in medical concepts, and from the business people and my finance students I teach I have learned a lot about economics and have subsequently developed a keen interest in economic matters.  It's strange sometimes; after studying English lit and French in college, I never imagined that I would be interested in such practical matters!

So back to (thinking about) the future, I do really enjoy teaching; I just would like to have some other things on the side or something else I can delve into.  So I was thinking that translation would be a great field to get into.  I can do it in a lot of different places and it could be really interesting.  But then again, I think of every time someone asks me for a French word in English, and I always hesitate a lot, "Um, well it depends on the context and this and that." And then I give them a word and five minutes later I say, "No, well I don't think that word really has same meaning really expresses your idea." And then I bumble back and forth and usually don't find a good translation that I am satisfied with.  

 Once upon a time before I had ever studied a language, I imagined that translating was easy and that everything was just word for word.  I didn't understand why different people would translate the same text--what was the controversy with the first guy who did it?  Now, I realize how delicate and difficult translation is.  (And that is why you should never EVER trust an online translator.)  I'm not sure if I have the patience for this job.  Still, it's a consideration.

The other alternative I was thinking about was studying international relations.   The other day when I was spending my usual hour on www.cnn.com looking at world news when I realized just how interested I am in all of this!  A lot!  I'm not really sure what kind of job possibilities that could lead to, but it's still something to think about.

And, well, in light of this I started my own little project...which may sound strange--but I am faced with free time for the first time in a very long time.  I am wikipedia-ing every country in the world.  My interest in international relations is one reason.  But also I am sick of meeting people and having no idea where their home country is on a map and knowing nothing about it.  And I'm sick of reading news and not really knowing anything about the countries where the stuff is taking place.  And knowing some history helps put things into context.  My goal is to be able to identify every country on the map.  

The last idea I've been toying with is vegetarian, partially influenced by having seen Supersize Me the other day.  It would be hard to imagine that I would say this if you had witnessed the lengths I would take to avoid eating a vegetable when I was a child.  But then again, there are some delicious meats that Carlos brought me from Spain, and it would be a pity to waste them.  I think I'll just reduce my meat intake and find some new fun things to do with vegetables.   I am open to any suggestions!

The day before Carlos arrived, I decided I'd surprise him in Metz since he was going to arrive there in a bus from Frankfurt and then take the train to Nancy. His bus was late, so I called several times with not-so-subtle "Hey...Are you in Metz yet? I mean, I am still in Nancy and all of course ...but I was just wondering where you are" calls. He was pleasantly surprised to see me at the there when his bus finally fought through all of the Friday-before-Easter vacation traffic. And I'm glad I met him since he had a pretty long wait for the next train to Nancy and I was glad to help with his suitcase since it was full of clothes I'd left in Spain over Christmas and yummy Spanish tuna and lomo for me.

It is really bizarre how quickly 2 weeks can pass, especially when you want them to go slowly. I know it's a cliche, and everyone always says "Time flies..." but it's really true. I did have a lot of private lessons and doc appointments and stuff too which kept me busy so it wasn't a particularly relaxing holiday...but that's ok because laziness can sort of get out of control when you have too much time without anything scheduled.

One day we went to Metz with some of my Nancy friends, and of course it was nice with Carlos because we were able to reminisce last year together, and because it was the first time my friends from Nancy had seen Metz, and they liked it. That meant a lot to me because in the Nancy vs. Metz wars, I think Metz doesn't get enough credit (especially when the night life in Nancy is so much better). But Metz is a really beautiful city, and it was a lovely day to go back and stroll along the Moselle. We also saw our friends who run a sandwich shop there, and Carlos has convinced them to vacation in Almeria.

The fair is in town so we spent a lot of time there. I was surprised at how similar the Foire Lorraine is to the Mississippi State Fair. That is to say that the rides and games and junk foods are the same, the carnies are all kind of scary and have weird rural accents, and there are rednecks everywhere (mullets galore).  We had fun just walking around, watching people ride the rides, figuring why every game was nearly impossible to win and eating fair food.  (Strange fair vocabulary for you-- Cotton Candy is called "barbe à papa" or papa's beard (ew!)  and candy apples are "pommes d'amour" or love apples).

We did a lot of cooking too--homemade pizza, lasagna, teriyaki salmon etc...but that meant that we spent lots of time doing dishes too. I dream of the day that I will once again have a dishwasher.  And I will not even complain about unloading it!  

Easter is strange when you are not with your family...or at least someone's family! We didn't really know how to celebrate...so it was a pretty uneventful day except for the yummy barbecue pizza followed by chocolate crepes we made for lunch.

Carlos left at 6 o'clock yesterday morning, and I've had such busy days, and I've been so tired that I haven't had time for it to really sink in and be sad. Over the two weeks that he was here a lot of things I need to do accumulated so I have plenty to do to keep my distracted.  

And now for your latest news on the student strike.  There will be another vote on Tuesday to determine whether the blocage will continue, and there has been some discussion of pushing back exams, which could mean I'd have to stay in France longer than expected.  Last year however, they had a similar situation, and what they ended up doing was just having exams at the normal time despite only having had a few weeks of class.  Despite the fact that this means the students will have had a lot less class, this is what I am hoping for--there is still a chance they will make me recover all the lost hours of class and then do exams later.