Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année from France!  We are finally settled in our apartment, despite some setbacks with our air mattress (dog claw puncture, patch issues, a pump that won’t pump, a night sleeping on the floor, and a replacement mattress that doesn’t stay inflated).  Note to our North American friends: even if you buy a voltage adapter to transform the 220V electricity to 110V, you can still burn out the motor on your electrical appliances.  Why?  Electricity here is 50 Hz (cycles per second) while in the US and Canada, our electricity is provided at 60 Hz.  This means that motorized devices (such as the pump on an aerobed) turn approximately 17% slower here while working against the same air pressure, and consequently you can fry the motor in minutes.  Unfortunately I learned this at 9pm once the stores were closed – hence, the night spent sleeping on the floor.  Live and learn!

On a much brighter note, L called me at work today to let me know we finally got mail!  The mailman stopped by today with a huge stack he had been saving for us.  (On a sidenote, he also tried to sell her a calendar with kittens on it, explaining to her that in France it is tradition to buy a calendar from your mailman at Christmas.  Not sure if I believe this, but in any case, L promised to have 5€ ready next time he stops by.  Ok – end sidenote).  In the stack, along with routine house stuff, she found CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! Since I have not been home yet to see them, I don’t know who sent them out, but seriously friends and family, thanks.  Getting Christmas cards means a lot, especially this year.  I am sorry to say we have not had time to reciprocate, and since I only have email access at work we won’t even be sending out an e-card.  Next year we will be better!

Our plan this weekend?  Brave the crazy crowds in Paris tomorrow (Christmas eve) to eat dinner at the market on les Champs Elysées, and check out the elaborate Christmas window displays at the Galleries Lafayette and Au Printemps, which are two big gorgeous department stores in Paris.  I haven’t been  yet, but my co-worker tells me that at Au Printemps, the display includes dozens of mini Karl Lagerfeld figurines in various poses.  I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but I will find out soon enough.  Pictures will most certainly follow.  Sunday, we will take advangage of our new appliances (and gas stove!) to cook up a mini Christmas dinner.  My guess is that the little one will skip the roast and vegetables for his new favorite food, yogurt.  He ate four of them for lunch yesterday and has regularly been consuming at least 6 little pots per day.  Doesn’t matter what flavor, or even if it’s technically fromage frais and not yogurt, he is obsessed.  I guess it could be worse – at least he is getting protein and calcium.

Since we still have no internet at home and I am off next week, this will be the last blog post until 2012.  I promise to post Christmas photos as soon as we are back online.  In the meantime, happy holidays to all!

-         -  E

Cambriolage

Well, not really: attempted cambriolage is more accurate.  Which, I am told, is very unusual for our little community of apartments.  Yesterday afternoon, after doing our apartment walk-through and getting our keys, we headed out to run some errands during the afternoon.  When we returned, the little one was asleep so L stayed in the car with him while I headed inside to drop off our Ikea loot in the apartment.  We had a little trouble understanding the key system earlier in the afternoon, so I didn't think it was too wierd when I had trouble getting the key in the door to unlock it.  To make sure, I had L come inside and have a go at it, but neither of us could get the key in the lock - one of the pistons (right word?) had popped up into the empty space and was jammed there, making us and our keys useless.

What do you do when you're in a foreign country, with no phone, no internet access, no knowledge of the immediate neighborhood, it's dark and raining, and you can't get into your apartment?  Oh, and what do you do when it's a Friday night and all of your appliances will be delivered on Saturday morning? 

Our first thought was to drive around some of the major streets in the city and look for a locksmith.  Given that it was dark, rainy, and after business hours, though, we quickly abandoned that plan in favor of stopping at the closest gas station.  I went inside, explained our predicament, and the station attendants were kind enough to dig out the yellow pages and make some calls. 

The first locksmith I called suggested that it would be much cheaper if I could wait until business hours, and that she could not send anyone until Saturday.  If we weren't expecting our appliances early the next morning, that would have been ok, but given the situation we really needed to figure this out ASAP.  And, I figured, how bad could it be?  The second locksmith told us he could send someone within 45 minutes, but when he found out we didn't have a cell phone he refused to send someone out.  At this point I pretty much snapped at him that it was cold, rainy, we had a child in the car, we were locked out of an apartment we just moved into, in a country we just moved to, and how ridiculous he was being.  To my surprise, he agreed, and sent someone out 25 minutes later.

L and I were sure that the locksmith would spend about 30 seconds, determine we were completely incompetent at opening our own door, open it for us and be on his way.  So, L stayed in the car with the (thankfully still sleeping) little one while I headed back into the apartment with the locksmith.  Imagine my surprise when he told me that the reason I couldn't open the door is because the lock had been busted by someone trying to break in to our apartment!

We must have had "sucker" written all over us (new to the country, no phone, no keys, no phone number to the property manager, baby in the car) but given how little options we had, we were stuck with what we could get.  The locksmith had a new keyset (of course, only one option) with him to install, but it just so happened to be a ridiculous (500€) lock that has four individually chipped keys as well as a separate code that's needed to duplicate the key set.  Super secure, and I appreciate that, but really - 500€???  Add that to the 300€ emergency locksmith fee and we were staring at over 800€ to get back into our apartment, only 6 hours after taking possession.

What really pisses me off (other than the locksmith) is that obviously someone knew we were just moving in.  I understand that coincidences happen, but really?  We didn't even have a single item in the apartment yet.  Obviously this amateur didn't case the apartment properly, and then couldn't even bust a simple lock.  Thanks for nothing, loser.

Next steps: try to file a claim with our renters insurance (I'm told it "should" be reimbursed, but not exactly sure yet, because my policy only began that day), and then head to the police department tomorrow to file a report (necessary for said reimbursement).  We now have a super reinforced entry door (double deadbolt) and I told a few of our new neighbors, on the off chance they had noticed anything unusual.  There is some renovation work being done in one of the units in our building, so there are more people than usual coming in and out. 

On a better note, most of the appliances were delivered today.  Our discount floor-model dishwasher turned out to be a dud and needs to be replaced, and the stove/oven will be delivered on Monday (finally - after waiting 7 years I am finally cooking with gas again!).  We'll get our Ikea purchases delivered Wednesday: after realizing that individual boxes weighed in at 55kg, I realized there was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to tie them to the roof of our tiny car, or haul them up the stairs into our place.  Fortunately around here, many people get Ikea stuff delivered so they have a pretty sweet system.

Time for sleep, for all of us.  It's been a long 24 hours!

- E

Apartment!

E here.  I'm still in Chantilly, but about to hit the road to pick up L, the little one, and head to our apartment for a walk through and for the gas to be turned on.  I don't think we will actually sleep there for a few more nights but it will be nice to progressively move suitcases from the hotel to our new digs.  Since we are only 9 days away from Christmas, there will definitely be no decorating or hosting large gatherings this year, which will free us up to explore the city.  In Montreal, one department store (Ogilvy's) puts up an animated Christmas window every year - here, apparently, there is a whole section of amazing Christmas windows that we will hopefully get to explore on Sunday.  I'm not sure if the little one is really old enough to enjoy for more than 2 minutes, but who knows?

Although the cost of living here is higher, I found one very pleasant surprise this week: telecommunication services are MUCH cheaper here.  For 37€ per month, we get super fast fiber-optic internet, cable TV with a free DVR and blu-ray player, and phone with unlimited calls to 104 countries, including the US and Canada.  Sweet!  I am told it will "only" take about 3 weeks for our equipment to be delivered.  Super fast internet, super long set-up time.  Given that this timeframe spans both Christmas and New Years, I am not holding my breath for a faster delivery, but miracles do happen, right?

Before and After pics of the kitchen to come soon.  Happy Friday!

More random observations...

L here -

I feel like I need to bring a pad and paper with me or perhaps a recorder.  Although, I am fairly certain I would be getting some weird looks if I had the recorder.

• Trash bags here have a string that hangs out the bottom.  We have yet to discover why or how to use it to tie the bag.  It is obviously there for a reason...  Today, I was stalking trash bags that were on someone's balcony trying to see what they did with the string.  I couldn't figure it out.
• It is very quiet here.  Apparently, people have cell phones just don't use them??  I can count the number of people I have seen on their cell phones.  The first time was on a train during rush hour from Paris to suburbs.  She was on it for a few minutes and that was it.  This was in a train car that was literally packed with people with no elbow room.  Yet, she was the only one on her phone.  The second time was today as I was walking in to town through the college campus.  I probably passed about 50 or so college aged kids and only one was on her phone...and she wasn't speaking French, perhaps Japanese.  
• I am fairly certain that Little One can consume his weight in yogurt.  
• I had to buy E toothpaste for her business trip.  I had to go to the pharmacy to buy this that was connected to the grocery store but had to make 2 separate purchases.  Second - I found toothbrushes and children's toothpaste but couldn't find adult toothpaste.  Finally, the phamacist asked if he could help me (at least, that is what I think he said).  I couldn't remember what E had told me toothpaste was called in French so finally, he asked me if I spoke English...ah, yes!  Then he had no idea what "toothpaste" was...  I showed him the children's and asked him for the adult kind.  That worked.  Toothpaste is kept behind the counter and their are several different brands...none of which looked remotely familiar to me.  When he asked which one I wanted, I told him whatever he recommended.  He gave me the toothpaste he has been using for 30 years.  Good.  
• There is a French version of A Baby Story...it scared me.  E told me to stop watching it...I haven't watched it since.
• Friends comes on here every evening and is dubbed over in French.  I can't stand to watch it because it is just weird to hear different voices for the characters that I know and love.  Simpsons is also another weird one to watch dubbed in French.
• The weather is given on the Children's station everyday for the whole country...I understand it better than the regular weather.  Haha!

We found out our stuff won't be arriving until February some time...  I don't even know how to feel about that.

"Business Trip"

Two blog posts today... holy smokes!  L posted earlier today about her adventures, and I figured I was overdue for an update as well.  We're actually in separate cities right now, as I'm attending a meeting in Chantilly this week.  The week leading up to this was definitely eventful, so here is a recap:

1. I purchased appliances (woohoo!) that will be delivered on Saturday morning.  We get the keys to our apartment on Friday, though my guess is that we'll stay in the hotel through the weekend.  Once appliances are installed, we can measure out the leftover space for a small countertop and take a trip to the local Ikea (incidentally, there are two Ikea stores within 10 miles of our apartment - they are ubiquitous here).  Our rental car gets returned at the end of the weekend, so we're trying to fit in all of our large errands before we become completely dependent on the trains and busses.

2.  Adventures without GPS: on Tuesday, the GPS unit that came with my rental car stopped charging, and once the battery ran out, that was it.  This area is full of crazy hills, crazy highways, and towns that were built centuries ago, so needless to say there is no grid system.  The rental agency had no more GPS units available so I was left to my own devices to pick the family up at the airport on Thursday morning.  I managed to make it to the airport with only minor detours, but took a wrong turn on the way home and added an extra 30 minutes to the trip.  (Sorry, honey!)

3. Family is here!  As L wrote earlier today, we're finally all in the same country.  The little one is slowly adjusting to the time difference, but as you can imagine, there is no reasoning with a toddler who has a perfectly valid reason for not going to sleep.  The second night, the little one was up from midnight to 6am.  We finally got smart and set him up with the ipad in between us on the bed, so we could at least snooze while he watched yo gabba gabba and played with some toddler apps.  He's going to sleep about an hour earlier each night, so we should be back on schedule by the end of the week.

4. Business trip!  Yesterday afternoon I left town for a series of meetings, which means L is flying solo with the little one and the animals.  She has a WAY harder job than I do, and I am so amazed by her ability to be an incredible mom in a new country, with no support system and little knowledge of the language.  In short, my wife rocks :o)  While she is holding down the fort in Bures, I am in Chantilly, about an hour north, for a series of meetings with our scientific advisory board.  It's lots of brain work, and the hours are long, but the setting is just incredible.  We're staying at a ridiculously nice chateau, eating like royalty, and, after 11 hours of meetings today, enjoying the salt water pool and squash courts (I told you L's job was way harder than mine).  When I return to my room at night, my sheets are turned down and there is a handwritten note on my bed informing me of the weather for the next morning.  Once I use my key card to enter my room, I put my key card in a slot on the wall, which automatically controls all the lights in my room.  The menu over the past 24 hours has included filet mignon, smoked herring, caviar, duck, scallops, escargots, so much cheese, chocolate, amazing bread, and of course, great wine.  From a food standpoint, I seriously don't think there's a better country in the world than France.

On a more serious note, I love my job so far, and these meetings have been an incredible opportunity to connect with some of the scientific leaders in our field.  My brain is being stretched every day, and my french is getting more and more fluent.  Our team is pretty international, with at least 5 countries of origin among 15 of us.  Our advisory board also hails from all over Europe and the USA.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have been given this opportunity and am so thankful that L was on board for this crazy adventure. 

Next up: moving into our apartment, getting our medical visits arranged so we can obtain our Cartes de Séjour (residence permits), finding a midwife, and setting up phone and internet service.  Slowly but surely, we're organizing our new life here.  More updates to follow!

- E

We are all together again!

The little one, the animals, and I made it to France with the help of our dear friend.  We are still adjusting, as you can imagine.  We arrived on a Thursday morning...slept most of the day and really began our time here on Friday.  It is now Tuesday and E left on a business trip yesterday for 4 nights/5 days.  Fun times!  Oh and the wonderful weather we were having prior to her departure has left with her...  It is now rain and strong winds.  Blech! 

On a happier note, we will be getting the keys to our apartment on Friday afternoon when she returns and we will move in on Saturday.  our appliances should also be arriving on Saturday, too so the apartment should be ready for us.  Now - if we only knew when we would be getting our stuff.  I am not even sure if our stuff has left the US, yet or not. 

A few randoms things that I have noticed since being here. 

The yogurt taste much better here and I am not the only one to notice...  Little one has eaten his weight in yogurt.  Seriously!  He is eating on average 4-5 baby yogurts a day.  I think the first day he probably ate 6 or 7....he couldn't get enough!  He also loves the cheese...as do we!  Speaking of cheese, I wanted to get him some of his favorite string cheeses.  There are 3 kinds here - Nature, Emmenthal, and Gouda.  His favorite, hands down, is the Gouda.  He is also a big fan of the bread and the bakeries.  How funny, so am I! 

Dogs are allowed pretty much anywhere.  Unless there is a sign that explicitly says no dogs, you can pretty much take them with you including to dinner!  We were shocked when we saw not one but two dogs at a nice restaurant the other night.  I am not sure if we will ever attempt that but it is nice to have the option.  :) 

If you need to use the toilet and you are not in your apartment, you better have 50 cents with you whether or not you are a customer.  I got to experience a free toilet the other day...it had no seat.  That was a pleasure.  ;) 

So far - I have not experienced the "rude" French people.  All in all, our experiences have been positive.  Well, except for that rude Italian woman at the Eiffel tower but again, she wasn't French.

Things to do in the upcoming weeks - find French lessons, find a midwife, learn French, walk off all of these jambon et fromage sandwiches!

Franglais

In general, English translations here are pretty decent, but sometimes you come across one whose author surely meant well, but failed miserably.  Franglais, part 1: these were some of the instructions on the dryer at the hotel:

 My favorite part of this quote is the conversation that I imagine happening between the translator and a colleague at the time of the translation: "Hey, Alex!  How do you say 'défoulés' in English? ... No idea? ... ok then... ah, screw it.  They'll figure it out."

As for the assertion that wollens are more mellow, I'm not even sure what the intended word was.  But I kind of like it: knit clothes are more mellow, I suppose, than their woven counterparts...

New Place

Lazy Saturday morning in Bures: it's raining, I'm (finally) getting some laundry done in the hotel laundry room (€7 for 1 load means I don't want to do this too often), making a grocery list for this afternoon, and finally have a moment to upload some photos of the new place. We don't move in for two more weeks but I can't resist sharing the "before" photo of the kitchen, which is by far the worst room in the apartment.

Those of you who know us well know how much we like to cook. We will definitely need to perform some kitchen updates to make that possible. For starters, we need a fridge, stove, and oven. Oh, and a countertop. What you see in the photo is what you get: a double sink (sweet!) and some cabinets. On the plus side, this means that we get to customize our kitchen a little bit. There are several large superstores here that sell relatively cheap appliances (goodbye, stainless; hellooooo, cheap white fridge!) with free installation. There is also a French version of craigslist (called "leboncoin"), but given the heft of most major appliances and the lack of vehicle, it just makes more sense to get these items new. Plus, I really don't want to install large appliances on a power grid that I don't understand.

The rest of the apartment is considerably better. Below are the living room and bedrooms:

One peculiarity is that windows in France don't tend to have screens. On the first floor with both two-legged and four-legged children, I don't see that working too well during the warm weather months. Fortunately, we have a good 6 months before we need to worry about that.

The apartment also has a toilet room (typically separate from the bathtub/shower and sink in French apartments) and a bathroom (tub, sink, and washer/dryer hookups). Both of these rooms are tiled floor-to-ceiling in kitschy pink tile. It's the type of thing that you just have to embrace. Decorating ideas are welcome - and, on the bright side, it will be easy to keep clean.

Unlike many apartments that open right up onto the sidewalk, this apartment also has a nice, grassy courtyard, is 2 minutes (walking) to the bakery, 8 minutes to the train, and 15 minutes to the grocery store and library. I have no idea what the schools are like, but we have a year and a half to figure that out (kindergarten starts at age 3 here). In the meantime this will be a convenient home base from which to explore the area, with easy access to Paris (about 20 minutes by train) and to a great outdoor recreation area with bike paths and hiking (about 25 minutes by train).

Because we may want to travel both with animals and bikes, I was curious to see what the rules were for local travel. I have seen several dogs (and bikes) on the train (including a full size labradoodle on someone's lap in downtown Paris at 11pm). It turns out that on the Paris metro system, no dogs are allowed, but on the RER trains (that pass through the heart of Paris), leashed dogs are welcome. You must, however, purchase each dog a "reduced fare ticket", same as a child. Bikes are allowed during off-peak hours. Awesome on both counts!

That's it for the apartment.  We also get a basement storage room and garage (for bikes and strollers) which will be incredibly helpful as we cram into 660 square feet.  Obviously it will be nice to get our furniture, kitchen accessories, and extra clothes, skis, and bikes - but oddly enough I don't really miss anything that's packed away.  As much as we pared down (viciously!) before leaving, I have a feeling that once our container arrives, we'll have the urge to pare down our stuff even more.  Perhaps I will get to be as familiar to the Goodwill collection guys (or the equivalent) here as I was to the Goodwill staff in Portland!

As far as plans for the rest of the weekend, I am feeling the need to just curl up and do absolutely nothing at all.  I'm sure part of it is the weather, and part of it is that I miss my wife and son terribly (listening to Christmas-themed Vinyl Cafe podcasts is probably not helping, either).  Two weeks is a long time to go without seeing your loves, especially when one is pregnant and one is just a wee one: a lot happens in 14 days.  I feel like the little one will have grown two inches, and that L's belly will have grown so much.  Nothing like a little absence to make you remember how much you have to be grateful for.

- E