And the saga continues....

So as some of you may not know, 2 1/2 weeks ago I was given the oh so coveted "titre de sejour" to stay in France for the rest of the year. This past weekend, I managed to lose this identity card. Apparently this is not a very common occurrence because neither the Fulbright people, nor my contact at the Office that helps foreign students knew what you do to get a duplicate. After some minor freak outs I've managed to calm myself and dealt with the crisis in stride. After spending all of Saturday searching for the stupid thing I went to the police station and filed a report. Then Monday I went to the prefecture and had the nice lady. I was informed that I had to fill something out saying I lost it and then resubmit a few papers. Everyone thought it would be very difficult to get a new one because normally you have to prove that you lost it which is kind of a Catch-22 but alas, I had a lucky week. Aside from that I've actually been doing some work lately. I have a very time consuming yet strangely satisfying job of transferring mass amounts of meteorological data from a website to excel. I guess it just feels good to be busy.

I'm about to embark on my travels through France. I'm leaving for Lyon (big city south of Dijon) to meet a Fulbright friend, Sasha and then Sunday I'm taking the train up to Paris to meet Lindsey at the airport on Monday!!! So excited that she is coming!!

My life has definitely become more monotonous due to the break in train strikes (although word is that it will recommence soon) and the cancellation of the blockade at the university. However, that does not mean that others are not being affected in more interesting ways. According to an article by Europe Solidaire Sans Frontieres "literally everyone is under attack" and examples given are:

on the pensions issue, workers are supposed to work longer to get less in the end, sick people will have to pay a “franchise” (fixed rate fee) to be allowed access to social security, immigrants are submitted to more restrictive laws, the possibility of DNA testing of immigrants to prove family relationships was voted in Parliament, illegal immigrants’ children are threatened, the right to study is put in jeopardy both by the loss of thousands of teacher jobs and the autonomization of universities, preparing the competition between them...

(http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article8367)

I think one of the most interesting things about being an American in France at this point in time is that I will never understand this attitude. I'm just too American. Every time I discuss this with a French person, no matter anti-strike they are, I still find myself not understanding why they sympathize with the strikers. As one of my colleagues said "it's our national past time". I think that is a pretty good way of putting it. Many French high schools are currently on strike in support of anything anti-Sarkozy. This includes the high school where my friend Sasha works. This morning she had to go to school just in case any of the students made it through the blockade and could enter the classroom; she's always ready to teach even though there is a huge barrier (i.e. stack of chairs and desks) in between her and the students. I think this says words about the French attitude towards their fellow Frenchmen and to why they all seem to understand and sympathize with these incessant strikes. I will never understand it but then again I guess I'm not meant to.

That's my little commentary for the day. I don't know exactly what people are hearing in the US. I know everyone is hearing about the shootings in the Paris suburbs but thought I would give a little point of view from an outsider in the inside.

Until next time,
Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It doesn't actually feel like Thanksgiving here as I have a regular day of work and don't even know if I'll be doing anything particularly Thanksgivingy (yes, that is now an adjective) with my 2 American friends but c'est la vie. I'm missing family a bit just because I know that people are getting together over there in the States and even in Paris but Dijon is seriously lacking in Thanksgiving spirit. Quelle surprise? The weather here is also pretty gross, cool and rainy so that is not really putting anyone in a very good mood. It also makes it harder to run, which is not good because I need an outlet for my sadness about not being at home and with family. On a bright note: I really enjoyed my race on Sunday in Beaune! I ran with this other girl, Angeline, who I met and it was really fun and relaxed (and they really do give you a bottle of wine when you are done!). There were close to 4000 people running and it was full of costumed escargot and caterpillars. It was really cool. I felt like I had a runners' high like Dad always says except that was impossible because I felt it before I started running; I think it was because I was with people, doing something I enjoy and it was just an overall good experience. The whole weekend was really great actually. Saturday night, I spent with people from "le fac" to celebrate my friend Corinne's birthday. Sunday I cleaned up my apartment (since it was being used as a lab last week) and Anna, Bettina and Katie came over to eat and watch sex and the city. It was a really fun way to spend part of Sunday (it made me feel more at home).

In general, most of the strikes are wrapping up with the exception of the train strike which is still a bit of inconvenience. Pretty much everyone was on strike on Tuesday (2 of every 3 schools and many hospital employees just to mention a few groups) so that was interesting. The humanities faculty voted against a continuation of their blockade and classes have recommenced. However, there are still signs everywhere telling the students "good luck with your studies, sell your-self well" (a rough translation) and such so that is really great. As many of you know, the train strikes are still continuing so I hope that they clear up by next week. This weekend I will take a breather and stay in Dijon but the next weekend I am meeting my friend Sasah in Lyon and then going to Paris to meet up with Lindsey. She will visit for almost 2 weeks and just in time for Channukah!!! We will probably spend most of the time here and maybe travel a bit. Then the next weekend I'm heading to Strausbourg because some of my friends are driving there and its supposed to have a really cool Christmas fair thing. Then for Christmas.....I'm going to the Alps for 10 days!!!!! Yeah!!!! I'm so excited. Marion and Kevin will be meeting me there just before New Years' Eve so I won't even be alone the whole time.

So I better return to working. I am teaching a new English course today so I don't have all day to putter around in my office. I will try to enjoy my thanksgiving despite the rain. I hope that everyone else has a great Thanksgiving and eat some good food for me!!!

Ciao,
Sarah

Oh, la vache: Part 2

So I haven't posted in a week or 2 because (shocker) I have actually been busy. Work is hard. This past weekend I returned to my field site at Saone-et-Loire, with two friends from Dijon. My American friend Anna saved my life and drove and our German friend Bettina became quite the bailing machine. They both took a million pictures and had pretty good morale despite the weather. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't really improved since the last time I was there and it was a miserable rainy and cold weekend. Alas, we did succeed in doing some work. I was able to collect many samples despite certain small obstacles and Bettina and Anna enjoyed seeing all of the cows, kind of. No, I don't think that was their favorite part but they did enjoy seeing a different part of Burgundy and being able to cook with a real stove and oven at Carole's. The whole weekend was quite overwhelming but it was good to collect some more samples.


Since I returned I've been filtering samples like its my job, which I guess it literally is. My kitchen is now a filtering lab and my refrigerator is pretty full of samples. I'm getting pretty sick of filtering but I'm almost done so I think tonight I may celebrate. My other reason to celebrate is that I now have my carte de sejour. I can now legally stay in the country for the rest of the year!!! I can also leave and come back with no problems; it's so cool. After all of the trouble it took to get it, it was hard to believe that it was real when they just handed it over yesterday.

It's starting to get cooler here so campus seems to be getting quieter. That is also in part because there is another university strike this week. It is not for the sciences though, just the other "fac", droit et lettres or humanities. According to all of the scientists this happens quite often and it is because the humanities people don't have any real work to do. Although, this doesn't seem to be completely true. Despite the fact that all but 2 doors are blockaded there are students trying to use the library and study. When they vote over whether to sustain the strike on Monday it seems that the majority will not be for it. I have to say, I was a little disappointed when I saw how unexciting the strike actually is; there is no actual demonstration. There are just chairs blocking all of the doors. So, not only are the trains striking again but so are the students. And I guess next week there will be a teacher strike, or something like that. There is a new one everyday. Luckily, I don't have any plans to take a train for 2 weeks.

I am running a race this weekend. It is in Beaune, the wine town and is the same weekend as the Hospices de Beaune which is this huge wine tasting/judging every year. So that should be really interesting to see. I'll be running with some friends so I'm really excited about that and while it will be a bit chilly, I think it's going to be very fun. Well, I must return to work and then go home to filter more samples. Hope everyone is doing well at home and have a good day!!!

Ciao,
Sarah

Recovering...

So Stephanie and Grady, I now have an even greater appreciation for how you handled your billion guests in France. I always knew it was difficult but I've been sleeping like 10 hours a night since my mom and Heidi left. So, for the rest of you out there I just had my mother and Heidi (her good friend and practically my second mom) as guests for 5 days in my tiny little apartment. It worked out pretty well and it was so nice to have them here but it was exhausting, in a good way. It turns out that they chose the perfect week to visit as it was right around La Toussaint or All Saints Day, which happens to be made into a week long holiday for all school children here. (Although, 92% of the total population are practicing Catholics they still get off for every Assumption and holiday of that sort. That is why my birthday was a national fete.) Of course, the university was not completely off but there was not a whole lot going on so we were able to do some wine tasting (they are truly wine wimps but were beginning to improve by the end of the trip), eat lots of good food, see movies and explore some of the museums of Dijon. Not to mention, I was able to accompany them to Paris as their Sherpa because they brought so much with them. We had a little talk about the merits of packing super lightly and I think they took it to heart.



So yah, our visit was really quite lovely and I spent quite a bit of time preparing for it because I was so excited (and needed things like more towels, blankets, etc.) I actually cleaned everything for them as well. My dad commented on how crappy our apartments looked at Pitt and while I can't really imagine what standard he was holding this too as he is not exactly the most clean and tidy of people, I decided to show him how wrong he was. And I think I succeeded. So for anyone who wants to visit I can be a good host but it means that you might have to sleep on an air-mattress (there are only a few people, such as my mom that I'll give my bed up for). I love you mom!!



So they left on Thursday morning and even though I had started to become a little bit overloaded by the visit I was really sad to see them go. However, I returned to Dijon and now that I'm starting to make friends I managed not to get too sad and to continue with my life. I returned to Dijon on Thursday (the actual holiday) and went on a long leisurely bike ride (Sunday's and holidays are best for that as there are less cars out and less chance of me dying). Then I went on a 10K run with some people from the department as everyone is in "training" for a 10K race in Beaune (a wine town) in 2 weeks. Running with them is great because they are very typically French, so even though they run, only one is hardcore and the rest are relaxed and they always plan some cool place to go running and make an afternoon out of it (consequently, they don't run 3,4 or 5 times a week like us Americans who try to just run where we live). They always drive to some cool outdoorsy area outside of Dijon. On Friday we registered for the 10K which costs a lot of money but should be worth it because it is during the wine judging weekend so you get to taste wine and take a bottle home. There 10K's don't sponsor some sort of chartiy to my knowledge but wine. How very French!! You also have to have a special medical certificate from a French doctor saying that you are capable of running. You can't just sign a form and say you are responsible for yourself, I guess because the state is responsible for your health. I managed to get one of these from this cool Doctor who I have conservation lessons with because he wants to improve his English for his Doctor without Boarder's trip. Friday night I went to a "fete foraine" with some people from the department, which turns out to be just like an American carnival except with the added touch of statues of topless women in the center of each ride instead of the more conservatively dressed statues we see in the US. Yesterday, I went on a run and hung out with my American friend, Anna and a German girl, Bettina and then we saw a really great movie. It was a British comedy called "Death at a Funeral" or in French "Joyeuses Funerales" (joyous funerals?).

So yah, that is my life up until now. Sorry if it is a little boring. Next weekend I'm going into the field, return of the bulls, or at the very least the crazy cows. Anna has agreed to go with me so that will be nice and while I'm still missing a hand pump it could be quite an interesting experience. I will keep everyone updated.

Ciao!!!