What??? Okaaaay ....

Just thought this was funny ... Lil Jon's coming to Paris, baby!!

French Open - Roland Garros!

But the highlight of the three days was definitely going to the French Open! On Monday we got to Roland Garros around 11am, waited almost two hours in line, but it was well worth it because we got to see Fernando Gonzalez (a young Chilean tennis star) play and win. And he was good! And good looking. And pretty entertaining on the court. So needless to say, I’m a new fan. He’s in the 3rd round this week, so hopefully he’ll keep winning. I really had no idea what to expect with Roland Garros … and don’t know much about tennis anyway … but I had a really good time. How it works: you can buy tickets for 21 euro (apparently almost always available day-of the event) for access to all of the “Annex Courts” … about 16 different courts, excluding the 3 big stadiums where the big names play (those are more expensive and usually sold out). So it would be pretty difficult to see Federer, Nadal, Williams, etc, unless you bought tickets in advance or wanted to spend a lot of $$$. Unfortunately it started raining after Fernando’s match so we didn’t stick around to see anymore … but it was really interesting and I’m glad we went; it’s just like a huge park with about 20 different courts/seating/food stands/souvenir shops, etc. We wanted to check out a few other matches, but it started raining … and rain with my little shoe is pretty annoying.

*Update: Fernando made it to the 4th round but then lost to Federer … boooooo!

Last Sejour a Paris ...

After Tiff and Grube left, Andrea and I changed lodging locations for the last 3 days in Paris before going to Portugal. Our friends, the architect students, were returning on Sunday afternoon and had tons of work to do before turning in a big project at the end of the week … so we didn’t want to disturb them. So we ended up in another somewhat random housing situation. Long story short … we stayed with the family (mom, brother, and sister) of one of our friends from Rennes; he’s actually the boyfriend of Andrea’s Chilean assistant/friend from Rennes and we got to know him pretty well during the year. He said it wouldn’t be a problem to stay with his family in Paris, and it worked out really well. They’re Algerian/French and have an apartment in the Clichy area of Paris … cool because I’ve never really checked out that neighborhood before. His brother was our age and took us out one night … what was just a chill evening at a bar in the Clichy area turned into random encounters with an incohernt Polish student and an old Scottish guy.

Out in Clichy with our friend's brother, Aresski :

Our last day in Paris we did laundry so that we could start out fresh in Portugal, and then tried to do a bit of gift/souvenir shopping. Once again, was a bit difficult with the rain. We headed over to the Latin Quarter for cheesy souvenirs but ending up going into Gilbert Jeune, a great Parisian bookstore with tons of used & new books ... found a few gifts in there so that was good! Then we went to dinner at Chez Papa ... same place that Tina & I discovered via our new friend from Greece in February. This time Andrea & I split the escargots and salad - a lot better than trying to each eat one of those monstrous salads again. After dinner we went over to an area behind the Place d'Italie to meet up with our friends Helene and Maria ... seriously cool girls that I'm really lucky to have met this year (this is the group of friends that we usually stay with when in Paris). We had a final drink with them, followed by somewhat prolonged goodbyes-but-see-you-again type of thing. Next rendez-vous will be Chile, Brazil, or the US - we'll see!!

Saying bye to Helene & Marie in Paris:

Nuit Inter-Celtique de Rennes

Awesome night of live music, dancing, and general celebration of Celtic (Breton, Gaelic, Scottish, Irish, etc) tradition and history. Last night was the annual “Nuit Inter-Celtique de Rennes” held outside at the football stadium, and I went with my two roommates, along with about 20,000 other spectators. Tickets were only 15 euro and it was a lot more lively & entertaining than I was expecting! There were over 400 singers, musicians, and dancers from Brittany, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and northern Spain. I tried to take pictures but that didn’t work so well, so hopefully I can upload some videos because I took plenty, trying to capture the awesome music. Apparently this year’s theme was “Youth & the Future” (while obviously celebrating very ancient traditions), and they pulled together an interesting mix of music … a crazy combo of traditional bagpipes, harp, violin, air guitar, drums, flutes … the result was awesome! First there was a general procession of traditionally dressed Breton dancers (long dresses & lace “coifs” on the heads for the women, and dark suits/vests/straw hats for the men … a combo of Scottish/Amish looking, to me) and bagpipe/drum bands around the stadium. The first group to perform was a crazy-entertaining young band from Scotland called the Red Hot Chili Pipers; I’ve always loved the sound of bagpipes and have always had a corresponding image of old men playing in the middle of rolling hillsides of Scotland. This group threw that image out of the water – about 8 young guys seriously rocking out with bagpipes, air guitars, and drums – I don’t know how you can literally jump around on stage while playing a bagpipe, but they did it. They finished with a bagpipe rendition of “We Will Rock You,” and the crowd loved them! Other acts included the most famous bagpipe troupe from Brittany – Bagad de Lann-Bihoue (I actually just got a CD of theirs last week and then got to see them live!), a solo harpist, Scottish Highlands bagpipers & choir, traditional Irish dancers, a Welsh male voice choir, a solo Scottish bagpiper, a solo Breton singer, the Spanish performer Carlos Nunez, and of course plenty of Breton dancers. I’ve actually attended a Breton dance session before, but can’t quite pull it off. I can’t really describe it well, but it always involves circles of people holding hands, jumping around & kicking their feet, then occasionally breaking out into couples to dance in lines. Then the night ended with a performance of “Amazing Grace” by the Scottish bagpipers and Welsh choir. Chills, baby, chills.

I kinda wish I was Breton now ... but I guess Molly McGuffin's got to have some Celtic flavor back there somewhere in her roots, right?? :)

Below: The Red Hot Chilli Pipers "We Will Rock You"

Vous N'Avez Pas de Mutuelle?!?

.... followed by incredulous gasp from someone French working in healthcare administration at a variety of locations in Rennes. This is the common response when I've been asked, probably 15 times in the past 10 days, if I have complementary health insurance in France. My answer is obviously no, and then they gasp and look at me like I'm completely lost. But then I whip out my French social security card and that takes away a bit of the shock! All French citizens, including me as a foreigner working officially in France, qualify for public social security/medical benefits, but most of them also have complementary health insurance to cover the difference. But I didn't opt to buy any additional coverage through a French company, and I don't know any other assistants that did, either; it just really doesn't make sense based on our salaries and the length of our contract.

So it's obviously unfortunate that I had to have surgery, go to the hospital, etc ... but I've been really pleased with the quality & efficiency (yesss, that's right!) of the French healthcare system. Well, I haven't received the hospital bill yet (and you'll be sure to hear from me after that one), but supposedly I will pay 30% of the total and the rest will be covered by my social security benefits. Anyway, I left the hospital with a packet of prescriptions including antibiotics, painkillers, anti blood-clot shots for 10 days, and all of the materials to re-do the bandage every two days for two weeks ... and I paid about 45 euro for that out of my pocket; once again my social coverage was 70%. Yesterday I finally bought the orthopedic shoe for my foot and paid 22 euro after my coverage. At least from a financial perspective, I feel like the system is very fair ... particularly for a foreigner who was here for a short contract period of 7 months (working 12 hours a week) ... I feel rather fortunate to be able to take advantage of their social benefits. Obviously I don't enjoy paying these completely unanticipated costs, but it could definitely be a lot worse. I keep thinking of how my situation could be reversed if I was a foreigner under a similar situation in the U.S., and based on the execution of our super-cher med system, I don't think I'd be as lucky. I'm simultaneously knocking as wood as I'm writing this, since nothing's over until my departure on June 10th :)

Finances aside, I've also been pleased with the medical care I've received. Sure I spent forever waiting around at the hospital for news & was a bit frustrated at times ... but that's normal for hospitals everywhere. My anesthesia, surgery, and follow-up visits have all been great - of course they weren't enjoyable, but from what I can tell, the quality was good. I was particularly impressed to have received a call two days after my surgery to set up a follow-up visit with an orthopedic doctor. So I went to that appointment this morning, where they informed me that it was very clean & healing well but that we need to wait another few days to take out the stitches. Unfortunately I'd jumped the gun and bought train tickets to go South this weekend, but I can reschedule those without a problem. So the nurse at my school who's been treating me will take out the stitches on Monday and then I should be able to continue with my little shoe, minus the bandages, for the next 5 weeks. Ugh but 5 weeks will be interesting with this shoe ... I've (almost) gotten over the asthetic/fashion aspect, but I'm already thinking of how painful it's going to be to lug my 100+ pounds of baggage back to the US on June 10th. I keep picturing myself falling out of the train while trying to get my bags out with one good foot. I know we've all probably cussed at those huge golf cart-like cars that whizz through the airports with high-speed priority ... but I'm honestly not opposed to the option ... we'll see how I feel :) Anyway the doctor today scheduled another follow-up appointment in three weeks ... it's technically on June 9th, the day before I leave. But if my foot feels fine at that point, then I'm just going to continue to wear the shoe, cancel the appointment, and wait to go to a doctor in the U.S. two days later. Ohhh and I got some more specifics on the injury - I cut (broke? I don't know what term works here) the tendon that makes my big toe bend! Based on how dead this toe has felt the past two weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if the little guy never works the same again ... we'll see, yiikes! But it feels pretty darn good to ditch the crutches and walk with my special shoe, woowoo!

Et, voila, I'll leave you with a picture of my shoe and I:

Best Breton Bar Ever!

After 7 months I think I've finally found one of the best, authentic Breton bars in Rennes! Well as far as authenticity goes, I'm obviously no expert, but I loved the atmosphere in this place. On Monday night Andrea and I went downtown to see a small group play live Irish music. We know someone who plays in the group, and they usually give small, informal, free performances on Sunday nights at the local Irish pub. But this time it was at a different bar, and it was great. We, of course, scoped out the accessibility of the place since I was still on crutches, and it passed my test. Well, I've given up on the possibility of actually being able to use the bathrooms in bars (lots of them happen to be at the bottom of intimidatingly tight/twisty stairs ... not kosher with my crutch/funky shoe combo) but other than that, I've been able to get around pretty well. We had a couple of pints of Coreff Breton beer and enjoyed the live music for a few hours. And the weather here has been gorgeous lately - upper 60s/low 70s and light out until almost 10pm, so that made for a very enjoyable evening. Bien sure, quelques photos :


Check out the dried sausage hanging from
wall for sale, far right :

Per keeping with the Breton/Celtic lore, a

wizard's cape hangs above the bar :

Hobbling home after a good night:

French Haircut, Round Two

On Friday I finally got around to getting another haircut, and I thought that would be my most “interesting” French interaction of the day … but, oh no, it gets better. Anyway, I had a rather uneventful (but loooong) haircut. For some crazy reason this place doesn’t take appointments but is always full of walk-ins … not the most efficient process, so I was there for almost 4 hours (well, this includes a slight misunderstanding when I unintentionally lost my place in line by going to the bathroom in the salon while waiting). But I got home and realized I kinda got bangs!!! Yiiikes, see below for proof! But they’re only “drastic bangs” when intentionally styled that way, so this will probably be the only picture you’ll see like this.

Makings of a Galette ... yuum :)

I spent another Saturday morning/early afternoon at the Marche des Lices in Rennes with a few of my roommates. But our goal this time was to get there early enough to buy fresh sausage galettes to eat. Galettes are THE dish in Bretagne, and if any of you know of my affinity for pancakes ... well, it's a no-brainer that I chose the right French region to come to. A sauteed, dark wheat crepe with cheese, eggs, ham, sausage, etc ... for lunch, dinner, or snack ... no problem! So here's a little picture summary of the galette process (at least at this particular vendor's stand at the market):

Obvi we start with the batter:

Pile on the butter:

Time for the egg:

Fromage et jambon:

The ever-so-critical step of flipping the galette:

The delicate art of folding the galette into its perfect little shape:
Et .... on mange!!

Yes, you can call me a loser for this post ... don't worry, I'm leaving tomorrow to travel so I'll have some legit material soon! Bisous :)

Great French Dinner

Saturday night my professor from the medical center where I teach invited me over for dinner with herself, her husband, and another couple. It ended up being a very enjoyable evening – am amazing spread of great food and interesting conversation and people. The professor and her husband themselves are very fascinating, well-traveled, and intelligent. And the other invited couple were actually both Americans who have lived in Iceland for the past 30 years but have also owned a house in Bretagne for 15 years; the man is a philosophy professor at the University of Iceland. So this mix of people obviously provided for a variety of interesting conversation topics. And, of course, I’ve never been disappointed by dinner in a French home! We started with fresh oysters served with bread, butter, and a crisp white wine. Next we had fresh oysters served warm, on their shells, in a thick butter and shallot sauce. Then the third appetizer was a small bowl of mussels in a tasty butter and vegetable broth … yum! For the main course we had lightly seasoned pork and a variety of fresh steamed vegetables … carrots, green beans, sautéed mushrooms, lentils, roasted garlic bulbs. Spinach salad and an assortment of fresh French cheese followed the main course. With dinner we had a couple of bottles of red wine (think they were from Burgundy but I can’t remember); the first was good, and the second was really remarkable … I of course tried to remember the name but all I can recall is that it was a 1990. We ended with a light strawberry & cream tart … mmmm.

Perfect Cafe Afternoon in Rennes

As a follow-up to our morning market exploration, we continued to enjoy the beautiful weather by sitting outside at a great little creperie! Here are a couple of pictures of our typical, Breton fare ... Lancelot beer and cheese/egg/ham galettes.

A Few Words on my French Gym

I think I could probably write a blog entry about this every time I come back from the gym. The interesting dress code never ceases to amaze me. The other day the guy on the treadmill next to me was wearing velour pants and Ked’s-style slip-on shoes; don’t ask me how you’re supposed to run effectively in that! Last night I was waiting for a girl wearing huge gold hoop earrings to finish on the treadmill … that was a little annoying. There are also a lot of white (why?!?) pants, short t-shirts, board shorts, and Puma street shoes. I think that I’ve actually seen a couple of guys in collared shirts, come to think of it … ?? And sports bras for the ladies? Totally optional … and often not bothered with. So whenever I show up to work out in my running shorts, t-shirt or tank, and running shoes … I think I look a little too “sporty.”
Lately I’ve been timing my workouts to coincide with the various group aerobic classes that are offered. Since it’s a small gym with no TVs or anything, the treadmill gets pretty monotonous sometimes. But not if there’s a French aerobics class to watch in front of me!! The owner of the gym is a big, burly guy (Alec, you’ll be happy to know, he was wearing a Gold’s Gym sweatshirt the other day!), and he leads a lot of the classes. Something about him yelling the instructions, punctuated with short motivational lines, in French, is really entertaining. Maybe I will work up the nerve to join a class someday, but for now I just enjoy being a spectator.

I Joined a French Gym ...

… and it’s called Flex Time. I got a good deal for a 6 month membership, and it’s only a 15 minute walk from where I live. It’s pretty simple, just a large room with cardo & weight machines all around the perimeter. In the middle is a big open floor where they have the aerobic classes. It’s pretty funny to hear the aerobic instructions/motivations in French, so I prefer to run on the treadmill while classes are going on. As a gym, it is pretty simple but has what I need. However, I do have one small complaint, and that is the smell!! I realize that it’s a gym and that people sweat a lot, but even in gyms in the US it is unheard of to smell that bad while working out! I have never really criticized French people for their stereotype of smelling bad … until now. I seriously plan my workout times around the low-peak hours, so that the body-odor factor will be less evident.

Le Break-up en Francais

So I normally don’t talk about actually semi-personal things in the blog updates, but I figured this one was worth mentioning … and might be therapeutic to write?? Haha, we’ll see. So I met a French guy my age, in grad school here, through one of the other American assistants. I actually met him the first night I went out here … yes, good timing, I know, since there was a lot of joking, pre-departure speculation that I was coming to France to find a boyfriend/husband. To put that speculation to rest, that definitely wasn’t my priority in coming … but we all know that I wouldn’t stray from any potential opportunities to meet some quality French garcons, haha. Anyway, we hung out pretty consistently for the first month I was here, and it was great because I got to know a lot of his French friends whom I wouldn’t have otherwise met. However, this short-lived liaison reminded me, as I learned the first time I spent time in France, that the concept of dating simply doesn’t exist here. You are either together from, essentially, day 1 of meeting/expressing interest in each other … or you’re not together. I tried to explain to him that in the US it is normal to date for an extended period of time, see if there is enough mutual interest to pursue a legit relationship, etc … and that it would be pretty absurd to declare someone your boyfriend/girlfriend before at least a month or two of seeing each other. Well, he was pretty offended by the idea, and I guess that is why the French think it is normal to have a new bf/gf after knowing someone for just a couple of days. In one sense, this is a good thing because it does demonstrate a very loyal, dedicated (and romantic?) side to the culture …but on the other hand, it probably leads to a lot of unnecessary beginning & endings to relationships, in my opinion. Once both of us realized that the “relationship” (which would have been recognized, in good ‘ole US culture, as the initial dating period that just fizzles out & requires no formal break-up awkwardness) wasn’t going to work, we met up one afternoon to basically go through the break-up convo. It’s true, I actually consulted my French-English dictionary before going because I’m not exactly eloquent in English in such a situation, let alone in French. So if nothing else, at least I have learned some new French vocab in the romance/relationship domain, haha. And, yes, I have left out some details in the above synopsis, but I just wanted to voice my slight frustration with the Franco-American cultural differences in relationship styles/meaning. And I have started reading Eat, Pray, Love again, a significant feat because I rarely re-read anything … I think this will become my post-breakup book for life :) Thanks for listening …

The Efficiency of French "Bureaucrazy" ughhg

Ok, I’ll try to keep this just a minor rant about all of the paperwork that I have been going through, but it has gotten slightly frustrating! First I need to get a residence permit that will validate my visa for a year; in order to get the residence permit, I need several letters from my school attesting to the fact that I work here, live here, have opened a French bank account, have an official French translation of my birth certificate, etc etc. So once I gathered all of this info, I went to the government office an hour before it opened to join the line of people already there … and it still took about an hour and a half to get it all done. However, this was just the first step in the process … next I have to send a letter requesting a medical visit; I will supposedly receive a date for this, and then will take my medical letter back to get one step further in the process. I think it will probably take about a month or so to get it all done. I also had to apply for a French social security number, in order to actually get paid for teaching; however, this is just a temporary number until I actually receive the residence permit. Basically, it is frustrating because to get one thing, you need several documents, which may or may not be available until you have finished applying for something else. And I just found out that to get my cell phone & plan, I have to have my permanent residence card, which based on all of the above info, probably won’t be ready for another month. But I will find a loophole for the cell phone and get it taken care of!