Paris HQ 2015

Daniel and I arrived at CDG (I have learned that the French call it "Roissy") on Sunday morning, June 28, after a turbulent flight from Atlanta and some fun speaking German in the Frankfurt airport (Taschentücher = Kleenex). This year we were the advance team who came over early to set up the office and classrooms and make the last-minute arrangements before the students' arrival on July 1. We hit the ground running but we also hit the ground sweating, arriving in time for France's most severe heat wave in a dozen years. And I had to hit the ground speaking French, as we'd decided to be 100% Francophone once we arrived in Paris. For 3 days I spoke French almost exclusively; by the time the group arrived yesterday I actually felt a little strange speaking English. Not to say that my French is perfect but it's easier when you're surrounded by it. Immersion: it works!

This year is my third on the European Council Paris program and I am amazed by how my reactions to Paris have evolved. Last year I was surprised at how much I remembered from year one. This year, it feels a little like I never left. And people remember me, which is always a surprise. Mme. Gabrielle, who is the concierge at IPT (our classroom building), knew who I was, and even the front desk staff at Maison des Étudiants d'Asie du Sud-Est (where I stayed last year) remembered me. Probably because I went all Loud American in their lobby last year while checking students in. This year I am back in Maison des Provinces de France where I stayed in 2013. Daniel and I have a "Studio" room which has a double bed, a huge desk for the his-and-hers laptops, a kitchenette, and a decent-sized wardrobe. It is an improvement over the hotel room we used for our first 3 nights, which was as small as only a Parisian hotel room can be. On the other hand, the room was impeccably clean and the staff were very nice. In fact, we have dealt with so many friendly people on this trip so far. Perhaps the Parisians' reputation for coldness owes something to Americans being intimidated.

We spent Monday and most of Tuesday preparing for the students' arrival--interspersed with a few breaks on café terraces--and trying to beat jet lag while simultaneously learning to sleep through Paris street noise (I'm getting pretty good at it). On Wednesday, arrival day, we took the RER out to Roissy to meet the first group of students that landed at 10:45 a.m. Everyone stayed until the last group came in around 1:20; then, we loaded the buses and most of the students slept through the ride into Paris.

I almost did not get on the bus myself--a student lost an important item on her ATL-FRA flight and I went to the Lufthansa desk to pursue its retrieval. I was unsuccessful but I learned something: when you think someone might tell you "No," but he also hasn't really committed to saying "No" ("Eh ben, vous savez, c'est difficile parce que . . . Fin, peut-être si c'était . . . Mais ça c'est différent . . . Alors"), the trick is just to keep standing there till he decides to help you. ("Je peux téléphoner à quelqu'un.") I got the definitive "Ce n'est pas possible" just in time to get on the bus, and today we managed to replace the lost item.

Today was also a pretty good day for passing as French, as I had to take a student to the doctor and then to the pharmacy, and we were asked twice for our Social Security cards. The doctor said I spoke French very well (which I always like to hear). Then I wanted to tell the pharmacist that her English was very good but I was afraid it would be patronizing. I guess I think everyone but Americans knows a second language (most likely English).

The week has gone by in a flash so far. We had orientation today (presentations followed by a quiz game with prizes and then a scavenger hunt), tomorrow is the first day of classes, and Saturday is our first field trip day. Once we get into the routine I hope to post more regularly. Meanwhile here is a photo of me with some of the students from MGA. Arrival day was also our first official day as Middle Georgia State University so I wanted a photo to commemorate:

Saturday, August 2: Last Parisian day of the year

The last day before departure is a free day for students (and faculty) to do their last-minute sightseeing, souvenir shopping, and fun-having before we are all subjected to the rigors of departure day. I approached the day with a list of places in mind and I took some pictures along the way. Let's click through, shall we?

Friday, July 18: Cultural experiences are everywhere.

It's been quiet-ish on this blog this week because I have been busy handling some problems that students were having, and for obvious reasons of privacy I can't say much about the specifics. But I have been thinking about it and I feel okay saying that I've accompanied students to the doctor's office two days in a row, so now I know what at least one Parisian doctor's office is like and what at least one Parisian doctor (we'll call him Dr. Garnier because that's his name) is like. When students need to go to the doctor, one of us assistant directors always goes with him/her, mostly for translation purposes. It would likely be possible to find an English-speaking doctor but the program has worked with the same cabinet medical for a few years and they have been great about same-day appointments and generally giving good care, so we do this instead.

However, yesterday we could not get an appointment with the regular doctor till late evening--it is summer and everyone, including doctors, is taking vacations. We wanted to be seen sooner if possible so I did some digging and found a cabinet that takes walk-ins. One of the regular doctors there is at least nominally Anglophone but he was (guess what) on vacation, so we saw Dr. Garnier, the replacement. The office was very bare-bones compared to what we are used to at home: no front desk, no receptionist, no nurses, just a waiting room, a couple of exam rooms, and presumably a couple of other spaces. Everything was perfectly clean and nice but not at all fancy. No TV in the waiting room (thank God, says this blogger), no paintings on the exam room walls.

Since it was all walk-ins, Dr. Garnier would escort the previous patient out and stick his head into the waiting room to ask who was next. When it was our turn we went into the exam room and he took the patient's name and date of birth, then asked about the problem. He asked lots of questions, explained things really well, and probably spent 20-30 minutes with us each time I was there. He did not automatically do the routine things that a nurse or medical assistant does at every single appointment I've ever been to back home like take the patient's weight or blood pressure. I don't know if that's because he was flying solo or if it's always like that. He asked about symptoms and then did only what needed to be done based on what the patient told him.

At the end he printed out a prescription and also gave us a form that we will turn in to our insurance (special coverage that students get as part of the program package, to cover them while abroad) but I think is normally used for something to do with France's national health care system. The office visit was 23€. Twenty-three euro! At the current exchange rate that's $31.11. Not much more than a lot of people's co-pays. I wonder if he still gets paid something by the national system for seeing foreign patients who pay at the time of the visit? Prescriptions were also very inexpensive.

Both students who saw Dr. Garnier said he was very nice, and I agree. He explained the diagnosis and treatment thoroughly and he was conscientious about speaking slowly (and using small words when necessary) so that we could understand him. To be honest I also thought the atmosphere of the office was nice. It was less polished and "professional" than a lot of doctor's offices but it was quiet and not bustling with a million staff members and phones ringing off the wall. Even as walk-ins we waited less than I've often waited for appointments, and there was no fooling around with waiting in the waiting room, then going into an exam room where the nurse takes your blood pressure and then you wait another 15 minutes (especially annoying at the gynecologist, where you wait another 15 minutes while wearing a paper smock).

So, to sum up: A+++, would go to the doctor again except I hope we don't have to. Everybody wash your hands regularly, eat healthy, and get some sleep!

Wednesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 17: Day at the office

I pass over these two days in relative silence as I was mostly
(a) teaching.
(b) tending to issues I can't discuss in detail for confidentiality reasons.
(c) preparing next week's field trip, which I will post about when it happens.

I also made a multiple-choice quiz today; can you tell?

It is hot in Paris today, folks. I got sunburned scouting my field trip and I've drunk a ton of water today.

Relative to (b) I can tell you that I am getting better and less terrified about speaking French on the phone due to repeated, forced exposure and practice. Today I had to take down phone numbers someone was giving me, which is like a pop quiz. French phone numbers look like this:

01 44 37 16 93

You don't say the individual digits like Americans do; instead, you read them like this: zero one, forty-four, thirty-seven, sixteen, ninety-three. Except ninety-three in French is quatre-vingt-treize, "four twenties and thirteen."  An additional problem is that I don't know the number to my "official" phone. It is taped to the back of the phone on a piece of paper (because I am quatre-vingt years old, apparently) but that's no good when I'm making a call on that phone and someone asks for the number. Luckily, in 2014, it seems to be the case that not knowing your own phone number is relatively normal.

Tomorrow may be more of the same as today and yesterday. I'll try to rustle up some good photos or amusing anecdotes to share. Maybe "Jambon" (the cat at our classroom building! He is still around since last year! I was so happy to see him.) will be around tomorrow. Every blog needs kitty pics, right?

Monday, July 7: Conversations (Translated for Your Convenience)

Scene: Franprix grocery store, where I have gone in search (unsuccessfully) of pens and Scotch tape.

Around the corner from me, I hear a crash, followed by "Merde!"
A large but friendly-looking man comes around and addresses a nearby employee: "I dropped a jar of jam."
Employee (not listening at first): "Pardon?"
Man, starting over: "Okay, I did two things. I broke a jar of jam, and I said a bad word."


Scene: Pizzeria where I am placing an order for tomorrow night's dinner. The clerk is young and friendly and knows Dr. Guglielmi, thus he is not put off by the arrival of an American lady wanting 25 pizzas delivered. He also speaks English.

Clerk: "English or French?"
Me: "Umm . . . French, because I have to practice."
Clerk: "You are absolutely correct."
Me, realizing I'm being teased: "Thaaaaanks."
Clerk: *doubles over laughing*


Just another day at the office!

First day of classes. Horses. Groceries. Mobile phones.

When we last left our heroine she was trying not to fall asleep on a bus. You will be pleased to learn that the effort was successful. I made it to 10 p.m. last night for a total of 34 hours without (almost without) sleep. This accomplishment was only made possible by the massive level of activity that yesterday demanded. Being a site director is very rewarding but very busy. We're always working on current situations and keeping an eye out for future opportunities or problems. I am pretty proud of myself, not just for high-powered sleep deprivation but also for taking the lead on checking students into our building and other acts of Francophone interaction. This year we are split between 2 maisons. I am in Maison des Étudiants de l'Asie du Sud-Est. The house is very pretty on the outside and nice inside as well. I have a huge desk, more shelves than I can use, and a big beautiful tree outside my window. We got checked in last night in record time, took the students on a VERY short tour of their immediate surroundings, went to dinner, ran over to the Institut Protestant de Théologie (our classroom building) to show some new faculty members where it is, and by the time I made it back from that trip it was time to call Mom & Dad and then go to bed!

This morning started early: I walked a group of students over to IPT at 7:40 before teaching my class at 8:30. It was a beautiful clear, chilly morning that turned into a very warm afternoon, really a perfect day for running around town. Worked in the program office after class, had a nice outdoor faculty meeting in the back courtyard, and then managed to beg off for a few hours to get some much-needed groceries and stuff for my room. After a little bit of excess walking I got to Carrefour, where I managed to remember to buy lotion and sunscreen and thus save myself about 20€ over buying them in a pharmacie. (I do love pharmacies, though. They are oddly clinical and posh at the same time.) On the way back I stopped in at Bazar de Porte d'Orleans, a totally necessary but very weird store of a kind seen frequently in Paris. It's like a dollar store crossed with a garage sale, where you can buy one spoon, an incense burner, a 3€ bath towel, and a cell phone cover in a store about the size of my dorm room here. While the cashier was ringing me up I noticed a piece of Arabic calligraphy on the wall behind her and we had a little conversation about Ramadan and whether fasting is difficult. She says "If you have the will power to do it, you really don't think about it after a while." That is some serious strength of mind, especially since the days are so long here. She said she can only eat between about 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. I couldn't do it, especially not here where we walk so much.

Finally I had to return to IPT to meet students who wanted to go to the Orange store to get phones/SIM cards. It turned out to be a large group and a small store. After taking the first few students inside and using my best translation skills it became clear that another approach was needed. We encouraged independent research followed by a return to the store in a smaller group. God bless the gentleman that waited on us. Customer service gets a bad rap in France but everyone I've dealt with the past two days has been a gem. The front desk staff in our maison has already seen too much of me and been very kind. The lady at the post office gave me directions and was only a little skeptical when I asked if I could use a card without a chip in the ATM machine. (La Banque Postale is a subsidiary of the French postal service--could be something for the USPS to consider as a solution to their liquidity problem!)

Funny things from today:

• On Boulevard Jourdan near Cité U. I saw four large vans (like tour buses but without windows) whose livery indicated that they carried horses. One specified that it contained the horses belonging to Qatar's national equestrian team. I was glad I saw them because it reminded me that I'd seen an equestrian event advertised. Some Googling got me to Paris Eiffel Jumping, which is this weekend and which unfortunately is sold out. Quel bummer! 
• I was asked for directions twice today. Why does this continue to happen?

In short, everything is happening and nothing is happening. It's a million small things a day. To be honest, when I agreed to be site director I was not sure I was ready for it, but having that challenge to rise to is good for me. Pushing myself to wade in and take care of things is good for my confidence. And having been here before makes a huge difference. I'm surprised at how much I remember from last year without even having to try. 

We are all excited for tomorrow evening when we have a dinner cruise on the Seine. Can't wait to get my camera out! Photos incoming!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to America...

Internet, I have a confession: 

When I got up this morning I was tired of being in Paris and ready to go home.

Actually, it is probably closer to the truth to say that when I got up this morning I was just plain tired. I wore myself out at the flea market yesterday but then did not sleep well last night. So when the alarm went off this morning I was less ready for another day's adventures in the world's most beautiful city than I was for another couple of hours of sleep and a big pot of coffee. There was no help for it, though. Another busy Monday was on the docket so I hurried out of bed, got ready, and hustled over to the Institut Protestant with plenty of time to spare for a coffee-and-croissant run.  Mondays are coffee-and-croissant days because I cannot break the habit of grocery shopping on Sundays but most stores here are closed Sundays. Ergo, no groceries; instead a visit to a local bakery for un croissant et un café crème à emporter, s'il vous plaît. That bakery is going to miss the USG European Council when we're gone, I'm here to tell you.

On the way into the IPT to put my book bag down before heading to the bakery I noticed that the men from J. C. Deceaux were changing out the affiches (posters) in the advertising display on the street corner. These posters are everywhere--standalone displays like the one on the corner, bus shelters, the outside of newspaper kiosks, etc. And all the displays seem to be maintained/managed by this one company, J. C. Deceaux, whose name appears somewhere on the display frame (Compulsive readers notice such things). The men happened to be taking down an affiche for the "La Mechanique de Dessous" exhibit at the Museum of Decorative Arts--the very poster I'd wanted to buy at their bookshop but no such thing was for sale. It has a black background with a beautifully lit photograph of a yellow velvet eighteenth-century corset with silver bows and paniers attached. The museum did not offer the same image even as a postcard, nor did I see the piece in the collection. Now here it was in a compellingly enormous format coming out of the frame right before my eyes--and still in great condition; those frames must be very sturdy.

I went up to the man taking the poster out and said, "Excuse me, sir, but what happens to the posters that you are changing out of the frames?" "They go in the trash," he told me--exactly what I expected/hoped for. "May I have that one?" I asked. "Bien sûr," he said, rolled it up for me nicely, and even put a rubber band around it.

And that, Internet, is when I stopped being tired of Paris. But on the matter of how I will get this huge poster home on the plane, let us remain silent.

Maps Promiscuously Read

Another good day in the classroom today. Yesterday's Bibliothèque Nationale visit dovetailed nicely with today's discussion of Milton's Areopagitica. Of course, no one on a Study Abroad trip can reasonably "praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue" so Milton was a pretty easy sell to this crowd. Afternoon class wrapped up our regular class days with a discussion of an article about the version of France that appears in French cinema. Most students know more about movies than I do, so I'm always happy to learn from them. We came up with some interesting questions about uses of language in movie titles. Why is The Hangover retitled in France as Very Bad Trip? Why was the Edith Piaf biopic La Môme changed to La Vie En Rose for English-speaking audiences? Inquiring minds want to know!

When classes got out, I felt a little tired and out of sorts for some reason, so I went to a café to regroup and decide what to do for the afternoon. The past two days I've been working in my room in the afternoons so today I decided to go out. It was a little late to hit a museum so I thought I'd make my way to Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Hausmann. GL is one of the "grands magasins" that the area is known for--in fact it is probably the best-known and certainly the most posh of the lot. I got there slowly; had a little trouble remembering the exact location and I only had my small Métro map so I had to triangulate a bit. But I was not in a hurry and it was a good geography exercise. I did find that I need to get a Métro map with streets on it. Just as Tour Guide Josh predicted, you start out with the plain Métro map from RATP and pretty soon you graduate to Paris Avec Rues. Dr. Winchester thinks I should buy a Plan de Paris book--it's like a London A to Z (or a Mapsco for you Dallas types). Not sure I would get the most out of it since I still mostly use the Métro.

So at length I arrived at Galeries Lafayette and had my breath taken away at least 3 times. First, it is full of high-end designer brands. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Gucci, and many more. Those really premium names each have their own separate niche within the store and they can control how many people they let into their niche at a time. There were lines outside Chanel and Longchamp but barely anyone at YSL or Dior. I did not go to visit any of them--what if I found the perfect handbag or sweater but it turned out to be €6000? Second surprise, it is full of people. Of course it is a tourist attraction and les soldes are still going on, so what did I expect? I did not expect visitors with their suitcases as if just coming from or going to the airport. Third, it is a beautiful space. 6 floors whose elaborate, gilded balconies overlook the ground floor, with an incredible stained-glass cupola overhead. Very "light and bright and sparkling" as Jane Austen said. I did not buy anything although I did check out a perfume display (Acqua di Parma) and had a nice chat en français with the saleswoman about the different fragrances (Parisian Accomplishment). This is a good way to practice your French--perfume talk is heavy on adjectives. Luckily for my wallet the scent I liked best on the sample card dried down on my skin to smell exactly like Dial deodorant soap. 

Near the end of my visit I was looking around for a snack bar or similar and followed the signs all the way up to the top level. The signs said "8th floor" but it is actually an open, Astroturfed roof deck with seating areas and a mind-boggling view of the city. That alone made the whole trip worthwhile and makes me want to go back. The only thing you can't see is Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre and if my mental navigation is right (HAhahahaha) the view of it is blocked by the store itself.

It was close to dinner time when I got ready to leave, so I wanted to take a more direct route back. From the roof deck I spotted an RER station, made my way down to it, and got back to "my" side of town in good time. Tomorrow I'm taking my afternoon class on a walking tour of Montmartre from the Michelin Green Guide. I had better rest up--Montmartre is steep!

Another Parisian Accomplishment: found myself speaking French on my cell phone while standing on a train platform this morning. You know, like you do.

Jardin de Luxembourg--Shakespeare's sonnets illustrated

My British Lit. class went to the Jardin du Luxembourg today. Their assignment was to choose (in advance) one Shakespeare sonnet about nature (however they chose to interpret that emphasis) and then, in the garden, take 3 photos to "illustrate" their sonnet. I gave them an hour to walk around, look at everything, take their photos, and get in some classic Parisian lounging in a green metal chair if they so desired. (I definitely desired!) Then we all met at the Medici Fountain to read the chosen sonnets and see everyone's photos. It was a good way to get them to do close reading and I think they enjoyed it. I filled in with a little history about the gardens and the French gardening style, which I love disproportionately. Call me a child of the Enlightenment, I guess? I did not do my own assignment today (sometimes I do) but I did take several photos and even managed to get them uploaded and captioned on the same day! Efficiency, that's my motto. (HA.) I have to cut this post short to go and meet colleagues over dinner so please enjoy the pictures: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjGSBXxR Parisian Accomplishments today: told someone where the toilets were; successfully navigated an encounter during which I barely understood a word my interlocutor was saying (non-native French speaker whispering in the library). Context clues FTW!

The Hangover, Part (July) 14

I'm afraid Bastille Day celebrations took a certain toll on the student body last night. Apparently the Métro was so crowded after the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower that it took forever for everyone to get back. But 8:30 classes come around just the same. Fortunately the coffee here is strong and, if you know where to look, cheap. A €1 espresso will set you right for at least 4 hours. My students survived the day; we are headed next to our program meeting at 5 and then to our new cafeteria destination, the FIAP Jean Monnet. FIAP is an international education complex kind of like Cité U. In fact, the EC Paris program has been housed there in the past but Dr. Guglielmi (program director) says Cité U. Is nicer and less expensive. The only drawback this year is that Cité U. has closed its "Resto-U" (restaurant universitaire, i.e., cafeteria) for renovations. So for the next 3 weeks we are eating at FIAP a couple of nights a week and getting pizza, sandwiches, etc. delivered to Cité on the other nights. It's kind of a roundabout solution but it will work. I'll be interested to see the quality of food at FIAP. Cité U. was obviously cleaning out the pantry shelves by the end of last week and we found ourselves eating some slightly peculiar things: large quantities of buttered noodles, wax beans (made from actual wax?), frozen breaded fish fillets, etc. Of course, next year's crew will have none of these worries as the renovations will be done and they'll be able to eat at Cité the entire time. And I trust that the food there will be proportionately better as well.

In other news I am very excited that my "Dangerous Liaisons" class is going along with my harebrained scheme to add another novel to our syllabus. Last week at Shakespeare & Co. I bought Adam Biles's first novel, Grey Cats, and devoured it in 14 seconds. It is another expatriate-in-Paris story but with mysterious post-apocalyptic overtones. I was hoping they'd agree to read it so we could all go to Biles's launch party at S&Co. on the 26th and then discuss the novel at our last class meeting. They said they were interested so we are going for it. I'm also welcoming the chance to read the book again. One of the cover blurbs said you will want to start it again immediately after finishing, and that's totally true!

British Lit. class goes to the Jardin de Luxembourg tomorrow and I have cooked up a little assignment involving the garden, their cameras, and Shakespeare's sonnets. We'll see what results. I haven't yet spent any time there on this trip so I am looking forward to the visit as well as the class activity. 

What else? Ah yes--Parisian Accomplishments of the Day:

-- Found post office, used self-service stamp machine, got stamp, posted letter.

-- Stared down a small van trying to cut me off at a crosswalk. 

-- Got asked for directions. Not sure this is an accomplishment exactly, but it Just. Keeps. Happening.

Time to get ready for program meeting. À bientôt!