I swear I have never been so grateful for the internet. 46 days after signing up for our internet/phone/cable, we are finally back online and connected to the world! Ironically, we ordered our internet service only 2 days before the vessel carrying all our furniture left Seattle, headed south towards the Panama canal, crossed over to the Atlantic, and sailed back up to France. The modem, on the other hand, was sent from within France. Guess which one got here first?
... Well, it was the modem. But not by much! The ship was due in port on Thursday. It has been delayed until later this week, but really, they were pretty damn close. On the bright side, our superfast fiber optic wireless has been plug-and-play and blazing fast. L just downloaded 237mb wirelessly in less than 2 minutes. Score one for technology!
Between the two of us, we have so much to write about. I am giddy just thinking about it. But right now I am typing this on an ipad, and as impressive as the touchpad is, it just isn't the same as a real keyboard. More updates soon, I promise. For now, bonne nuit, et à bientôt!
-E
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
2012... and still not online
Happy 2012 to you, readers, family and friends! As of this writing, we are still not hooked up to the internet at home; however, according to our internet service provider, our account is currently on step 3 of 5 (step 5 is when our modem is actually shipped). As of two days ago we were still stuck on step 1, so I view this (with cautious optimism) as an improvement! Here’s hoping that within the next week will will be able to communicate with friends and family, as we were not able to do so over the holidays.
We have lots of stories to update, including a road trip to Mont St Michel as well as finding a midwife! I will save these stories for L to tell over the next week. In the meantime here is a quick update on our path towards integration in French society:
- We will apparently have an appointment in the next few weeks to meet with the Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration. This moves us one step closer to receiving our Cartes de Séjour, which is basically a permit giving us the right to live in France legally. Until then, we are legally here on our visas, but we can’t leave the country until we have the Cartes de Séjour. Well, technically, I suppose we could leave – but we wouldn’t be able to get back in!
- Our legal status as a couple in France is questionable, and appears to be dependent on the situation. Officially, France has no same-sex marriage. There is an option to enter into a PACS (similar to a domestic partnership or civil union), but the required documents for foreigners to do this are numerous, complex and require official translation into French. Despite the fact that our marriage is not recognized and we are not PACSé, it appears that for many purposes, we are considered to be a family unit. Like a lot of situations here, there’s the law, and then there’s the interpretation. There is a third category of relationship here called la vie commune (common life), which apparently gives L and the little one the right to be covered for medical expenses by my social security. I say “apparently” because even my HR department at work is not sure about this; however, our mayor’s office happily drew up a document for us attesting to our vie maritale (marital life) for us to submit to the social security administration. I am told that even in the best circumstances, getting a social security number takes months, so I imagine it will be a long time before I post any updates on this.
- We are trying to find French lessons for L and part-time daycare for the little one so that he has the chance to play with some toddlers his own age as well as to speed up his acquisition of the language. French lessons have actually been difficult to find, as the city provides them only for individuals looking for work. For daycare, we submit an official file to the mayor’s office, who will contact us once a spot becomes available in one of the city crèches (here, demand far exceeds supply). This is another situation where our family situation appears to be open to interpretation – in France, a child cannot have two legal moms (or dads), period. There is no second-parent adoption – it is illegal. However, both of our names are on the little one’s birth certificate (thanks, Oregon!) which makes it difficult for local authorities to dispute both of our claims of being his legal parents. Thus, our mayor’s office instructed us to cross out “father” on all of the required forms, and edit as we wish to reflect our status as parents. Childcare here is subsidized by each city government, and residents contribute based on an income-dependent sliding scale. From what we can gather, the assessment of family contribution will be made in the context of us being a 3-person family unit – so on the local level at least, we seem to be considered a family. My guess is that this depends entirely on the local politics and social leanings of the person you happen to get at the mayor’s office – we were fortunate to work with someone who was super progressive. Here’s hoping that our subsequent interactions with city government are equally positive.
L took some super photos on Christmas eve in Paris (including the promised photo of the mini Karl Lagerfelds in the Chanel window display), and as soon as we are hooked up at home she will most definitely post some. It has been incredibly isolating to be out of touch with family and friends for so long, and we are both SO impatient to be connected again! In the meantime, you are not forgotten – we will be in touch as soon as we can.
- E
Friday, December 23, 2011
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
Saturday, December 17, 2011
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
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
Friday, December 16, 2011
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!
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!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
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.
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!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
"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
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
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