It's Complicated

In order to become a "Living Language Assistant" in France, you must be fluent in English (mother tongue is a preference, though not required), fill out an application, copy it three times, attach photographs for each copy, request recommendation letters, mail it, wait for acceptance, accept acceptance, purchase a ticket to France, schedule an appointment at your nearest French Consulate, make 3 copies of every piece of correspondence from the French Ministry of Education, arrive at said French Consulate, hand over said copies and voila! You have a visa that allows you to stay in France for three months, and also allows you to apply for a "Carte de Sejour," a residency card that is valid for 12 months.

This is standard for any kind of application to a program abroad, and painless...

Then you arrive in France, and every thing's going smoothly, and SPLAT! You've just fallen into a pit of quick sand, better known as French bureaucracy. Dig this: in order to get paid, you have to have a bank account. To have a bank account, you have to have an address and proof that you've applied for your "carte de sejour."

In order to have an address you have to have a bank account to pay for said lodging, or ask for proof that you've been housed somewhere. In order to have proof that you've been housed somewhere you have to go to the "Inspection Academique" and request an "attestation de logement" which must be printed on official stationary, and signed by Mr. Inspector himself.

In order to have proof that you've applied for your "carte de sejour," you have to apply for your "carte de sejour." This requires asking for a "proces verbal" which must have three signatures and copied 4 times. Again, Mr. Inspector signs this. You have to have copies of all the documents which were sent to you in the US, plus copies of your birth certificate and passport, and have had visited a doctor to make sure that you're in good health.

In order to visit a doctor approved by the school district, you have to have mailed a piece of paper to an association that manages the foreign workforce who will then send you a date and time when you have an appointment with said doctor. You have to go to the doctor's appointment and get a piece of paper that says that you are healthy enough to benefit from the health coverage provided by the government.

You have to have applied for a social security number to receive both your salary and medical coverage. You have to have a bank account to apply for a social security number.

You have to have an address to apply for a bank account. (Yes, I'm dizzy too). In order to rent an apartment to have an address (and a place to live), you have to have a bank account.

You have to go through a realtor.

You have to have renter's insurance.

You have to pay one month's rent and agency fees equivalent to one month's rent and renter's taxes for the entire year.

In order to pay these fees you have to have a bank account.

I'm working on getting a bank account, and regaining my balance.

The thing is, nobody seems to be in a hurry, and neither am I. I come from the country of instant gratification and I actually am enjoying the lacking sense of urgency throughout this entire process. These things will be sorted out and in the mean time, I get to focus on teaching, experimenting with food, and my French.

I'm so lucky to have such cool little brother. Gabe wrote my students a letter which I've turned into a worksheet. They will have to recognize words we've learned in class, and guess the meaning of others. Gabe will probably feel like a movie star because their homework will be to respond to his letter.

I've been spending my hours after work in the chemistry lab that is my kitchen. Creativity with food has been what's happening as I acclimate myself to nothing being open on Sundays or Mondays and almost everything closed at 5pm. Living in the Creuse feels a tad more French than when I was in Montpellier or Paris.

Cultivating my penchant for nerdy linguistic activities, I made myself a dictionary of words and colloquial sayings that I learn along this journey. I modeled it after one that belonged to a teacher whose students I teach. I didn't ask, but it looks like she made one for each of her 25 students. It is complete with tabs (hand cut) for each letter of the alphabet.

You know how you remember an adult having told you something in your youth, and you, thinking it was idiotic thing, tossed it aside in disgust only to realize later how relevant it really was? This happens most often with our mothers. Well, to all of my French teachers EVER: Keeping a personal dictionary is an awesome thing. Thanks, and sorry (to me) for not taking the time. You were right. (You too, mom).

I'll remind you all again to look at my brother's blog: THIS IS A BLOG at blogger.com. He posted some beautiful pictures of Minneapolis, including some interesting angles of the Franklin Avenue bridge and great ones of the Midtown Farmer's Market. Fall is in full swing here, and the temperature keeps flip flopping. It is very similar to a Minnesota fall, though I miss seeing the Mighty Mississippi aflame as the trees change.

I walked around Courtille on Sunday, and I think every other person in Gueret thought to do the same. Beautiful sunny afternoon, kids, dogs, picnics, petanques, bicycles, and lovers.

I thank the powers that be for letting me live and work in Gueret. I am one lucky girl.