December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody! I've been having lots of fun since Sabrina arrived. So much fun that I haven't had time to post a blog. And I don't have time now either b/c we're about to eat dinner and then go to midnight mass. ;)



Love you all!

December 8, 2008

So I'm fighting the urge to veg out in front of the tv or watch youtube videos because I know many of you are waiting for an update. So here it is. I'll try to keep things in chronological order. Sorry in advance it you find this post super lame.

Near the beginning of November I went to the Fête de la Châtaigne (Chestnut Festival) in Cagnes-sur-Mer with Bev, one of the other English assistants. There was a petting zoo, arts & crafts, vendors, music, and free chestnuts! It was here that I first tried socca and roasted chestnuts. Socca is a Nicoise speciality that I had been wanting to try for quite a long time. It cost me 2 euros for a small portion and basically tasted like greasy half-cooked pancake batter. It wasn't half bad, but I could understand why they only eat a little bit at a time. My stomach can handle almost anything, but I wasn't about to test it that day.


It was that same day that I realized how cheap traveling can be here. For the price of a beer (or 2 glasses of wine) I could travel to a nearby city, take pictures, and taste a few new things. Ever since then, I've barely gone out (unless you count house parties).

As for daytrips, I also visited Eze, a very scenic town located between Nice and Monaco. I went there with an American I randomly met, and we had an awesome time. We visited a parfumerie where they sell perfume and show you how it's made. Apparently Grasse, a town not too far from here, is the region where most French perfume is made. The American and I also visited the old town in Eze and the Exotic Gardens, where you can take breath-taking photos.


For Thanksgiving, I worked (boo!) and made dinner for one. I was slightly sad that nothing crazy happened, but whatever, I got over it quickly. I figured everyone would wonder what I ate, so I took a pic of it (see below). I had a sweet potato with butter and sugar, chicken lunchmeat that had a hint of spicy mustard flavor to it, a mixture of greenbeans and corn cooked with curry, and a baguette and butter. Yum! Also, is it just me or do French sweet potatoes have a totally different color than American ones?


What else? What else? I've gone to a few parties in the past month. There was the Moule Party at Mara's apartment where we ate tons and tons of mussels. Then there was the Ringard (Nerd) Party at Sophie's when we all dressed up like nerds. I put tape on my glasses, went over the top with makeup, and layered clothing like I was colorblind. I'd post a pic, but it wasn't really that awesome. The last party I went to was Sophie's Christmas party. We had hot wine and candy and cookies. And everyone bundled up to celebrate the holidays. Some people tried to be a extra festive, and there was even one guy who wore a tree Sophie and friends had created using paper, paint, etc.

For the Christmas party, I wore my new second-hand coat that I bought at Secours Populaire for 10 euros (oh yeah!) along with a scarf I bought to cover up the hideous collar (or lack thereof). I won't feel bad giving it back to the Secours Populaire when I'm done because the coat really isn't anything to brag about. When I first saw the coat, I thought it was cute minus the ugly fur collar attached to it.


I convinced the lady to sell me the coat for 10 euro if I let her keep the fur part. ;) However someone had apparently cut off the original collar to make room for the fake fur. So after I bought the coat, I took it to the dry cleaner's, sewed the coat here and there to patch it up, and bought a warm fluffy scarf to hide the fact that my coat is collarless. I'd buy a little material to remake the collar, but I think it would be impossible to find the print at an affordable price. It's okay, though. I'm content with being ghetto. ;)

As you can tell, it's gotten a lot colder here in the past month. There's snow on the mountains near Vence, and there was even a day when it snowed some in Antibes, a city on the coast located just west of Nice. For the most part it's been in the 40's and low 50's here. The city is starting to look a little more Christmasy. There are lights decorating most streets, and they set up a Marche de Noel at Place Rossetti near Old Nice. There's a ferris wheel, an ice-skating rink, craft booths, and yummy fair food like "barbe a papa" (cotton candy), "pommes d'amour" (candy apples), and "beignets" (donuts) that totally smell like elephant ears. I here that there's also going to be a living "creche" (manger scene) with animals and a little baby Jesus! :P Sabrina better get ready 'cause I'm definitely dragging her there when she arrives in TEN days!

December 2, 2008 (PM)

So shortly after publishing my last post for all to see, I received an email from the lady who works at the Rectorat. She said we could tell our schools that we can't attend classes that day because the appointment is a big deal. Gee, it would've been so much more helpful (and less stressful) if she had mentioned that in the first letter. I've been running around my apartment saying some very bad words for the past two hours due to her original email. As the French would say, "elle est nulle."

And sadly, due to a hike in blood pressure, I won't be posting the long-awaited blog entry tonight. I've got a huge list of things to cover. It includes topics such as my trip to Cagnes-sur-Mer, my first time eating socca, the Merde books, Thanksgiving, snow, warm winter coats, meeting random Americans, a trip to Eze, American penpals, etc. But you'll have to wait a little longer for it. Depends on how long it takes for me to calm down, but you'll see it by Sunday at the latest. I promise. But enjoy these pics while you wait:



Photo taken at the beach in Cagnes-Sur-Mer. I swear I didn't photoshop it. I just put the flash on so there wouldn't be a shadow on my face (since the sun was behind me).



I went to a Moule Party with my roommates where I ate "moules" (mussels) for the first time ever. It never occured to me that while I was in Santee throwing mussels at my stepbrother Scott people were actually eating those nasty little things. However, you'll be happy to know that they were quity yummy after being cooked in white wine. They tasted much better than those awful raw oysters I tried during a fieldtrip to Marennes two years ago....



View from the exotic garden in the old town section of Eze, a city located between Nice and Monaco. The first major peninsula in the pic is St. Jean Cap-Ferrat and just to the right of that is Mont Boron. Hidden behind Mont Boron is Nice and the airport I flew into. And if you look far into the distance, you can see the outlines of Antibes, Cannes, and Saint-Tropez.

December 2, 2008 (AM)

Before letting you know what's happened in the past three weeks, I need to rant for a second. So, as you might have assumed already, I have yet to receive my receipt for the Carte de Sejour (CdS). If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a quick overview:

When issued my visa before coming to France, it was written in my passport that, upon arrival, I should have an apartment contract and CdS receipt available to show to French officials if some problem were to arise. It would basically be necessary to prove that I legally have the right to stay and work here in France. The CdS is an important document for all non-European Union citizens hoping to spend more than three or more consecutive months in France.

When you go to the Prefecture and apply for the CdS, you receive a receipt that is considered just as important as the CdS itself. With the receipt, you can go ahead and apply for social security, medical insurance, CAF (housing refunds), and so on. If you have neither, you can't really do anything. That's where I'm stuck at the moment. Just waiting for my receipt because somehow the lady at the Rectorat who took it upon herself to handle CdS paperwork for ALL non-EU assistants in the Alpes-Maritimes region (~40 people) has accomplished nothing in the past SEVEN weeks. A couple weeks ago I got mail from the Social Security office asking where my CdS receipt was, and I decided that I should email this lady at the Rectorat. No response. So I called her the following week and got some lame excuse about how there were problems with our CdS at the Prefecture. I don't care. I want my CdS receipt.

So today she finally wrote all of the assistants saying we need to meet at the Prefecture next Thursday at 1:30pm, passport in hand, to pick up our receipts. Problem is, I and a lot of other people have class. In her email she also noted that, should we not come to the appointment, we'd have to wait until January to receive the CdS receipt. That means no social security, no medical insurance, no caf (no money!) for a while. And me, being my mother's child, was pissed. I wrote an email (in French) asking what us working people should do.

And then I became even angrier...and wrote a VERY direct (and slightly rude) email telling her it was a bunch of bullcrap. How we handed our paperwork in less than two weeks after our contract started. How we have done everything asked of us. How it is all out of our hands...and most importantly...how I will be illegally living here if she doesn't get her crap together and figure this out. However, I'm not going to wait around for this woman to screw things up more. Following Emily's advice, I'm going into work tomorrow (on my day off!) to ask my Proviseur (high school principal) if I can skip my classes next Thursday so I can go to the Prefecture and get everything sorted out. This paperwork is the pits, and I wish that I could just punch that lady in the face.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is me blowing steam....