Mini blog: Weekend "de garde"

In the category of useful French vocabulary is the phrase "de garde" which means "on call." So the pharmacie de garde is the one that's open 24 hours. The maison medicale de garde is the after-hours clinic. And this weekend I am the assistant director de garde. I am free to flâner (that's "roam around without a plan") in Paris but I am checking messages and responding to student emergencies. Here's what I've been up to this weekend other than work:

On Friday morning I came back over to Les Halles to pick up tickets for the Louvre for that night.

The crowded-Metro struggle is real.

At the Les Halles observation deck where you can see the construction project.

I checked out the Louvre courtyard to see where we'd need to enter with our prepaid tickets, because Vicki and Robert and the kids were coming and I didn't want to make them wait and wander around aimlessly. From the courtyard I walked down through the Tuileries with, apparently, every tourist in Paris:

Someone told me once that when it's hot in Paris, you go to a park and put your feet in a basin. I didn't see anyone with their feet actually in the water, but many did have their shoes off.

Looking back toward the Louvre

The green chairs in parks are one of the things I get nostalgic for when I'm not here.

Sometimes it really does seem like translation is unnecessary. 

"Gee, Mildred, what do you think salade de fruits could possibly be?" 

"I dunno, Harold, we'd better skip it. It could be snails or something!"

At the Louvre with Daniel and Vicki's clan I decided not to take pictures but just walk around and look. I did take one pic of the newly restored Winged Victory:

I love the placement of this statue at the top of the staircase so you can see it from far away. It's an arresting focal point. A+ curatorial work, Musée du Louvre.

Daniel took a pic of us in front of the Mona Lisa, but if you want to see it, you'll have to read his blog.

Oh, wait . . . 

The major weekend highlight was seeing the Alvin Ailey dance company at Théatre du Châtelet. They were incredible and the French audience LOVED them. Also, the theatre is gorgeous:

I had this hilarious folding seat on the end of a row. It was pretty comfortable but every time I stood up/sat down I had to do origami.

I am not Alice Jane Knight, obviously. She is my colleague who sold me her ticket.

Anna Pavlova appeared for the first time in Paris at Théatre du Châtelet in 1909. Diaghilev's Ballets Russes also premiered there.

This morning (late) we went to the OTHER Breakfast in America (original/Left Bank version) for brunch and ended up next to a French couple with whom we (Daniel) struck up a conversation. I had to laugh because he grew up in Madagascar and she is Polish and yet like everyone in Paris they grumbled about the problems caused by immigration. In any case it was fun to meet some new people and have a traditional French arm-waving exchange about social issues. Americans are routinely taught not to discuss politics, religion, etc. with foreigners but we (Daniel) have jumped right in on many occasions and never been badly received. Honestly, it's pleasant when compared to the placid "Where are you from? What do you do for a living? Nice weather we're having" of American-style small talk!

This afternoon, the final stage of the Tour de France rides into Paris, so I am going with Vicki's fam and possibly some students. Our heat wave from a few weeks ago has been replaced by fall-like weather: chilly and persistent drizzle. It should be an interesting afternoon--gotta admit it is nice to be wearing long sleeves and socks at the end of July.

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, August 1: Giverny & Val d'Oise

To round out the program we took the whole group to Giverny (Claude Monet's home and garden) this morning and to Auvers-sur-Oise (village where Vincent Van Gogh is buried) in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day; Giverny was miraculously not-horribly-crowded; Auvers is lovely and seemed like a real change from the city despite being part of the Île de France region (i.e. part of "greater Paris," sort of). As we drove into town I was entertaining myself by choosing the houses I'd like to live in. Unfortunately the one I liked best had an asking price over 500,000€ ! So I am not moving to Auvers-sur-Oise any time soon.

We did have an unexpected adventure when it was time to come home but even that turned out all right as I got to come back on train "H," which I think is one of the suburban lines that Annabel mentioned a while back. It was a really snazzy train! Now I am taking a break from packing. I decided to start tonight so I could have more of tomorrow free. So far, so good. I've stopped worrying that my suitcase will weigh 100kg and there are no longer clothes all over my bed. Tomorrow will be strange as I will feel like the clock is ticking--because it will be! So let's hold that at bay a while longer and look at some pictures instead. Fair warning: if you don't like flowers, you should NOT click through . . .

Saturday, July 26: 11 hours in Strasbourg

(written on the train back to Paris this morning)

Yesterday, events required that one of the assistant directors go to Strasbourg, and I was given the honor (or drew the short straw, depending on your point of view). By the time arrangements were arranged, it was evening and I took the TGV at 6:55 to arrive there at 9:17. It was a beautiful ride through the countryside. The TGV trains are fantastic and the barman only teased me a little for not knowing what a café viennois was (coffee with whipped cream, FYI). 

I was not on a sightseeing mission but tried to at least look around as I did what needed doing. It seems like a beautiful and very friendly city. There are medieval-style half-timbered buildings and narrow shopping arcades and of course the famous cathedral (which honestly looked creepy in the dark). Being there on short notice and with no preparation meant that I kept throwing myself on the mercy of hotel clerks, bus drivers, and in one case a pharmacist to help me get around. Everyone was very cheerful and helpful. I am sorry I was not there long enough to enjoy the city but it is definitely on my list for next year. 

When my work was done (finally), I checked into the Ibis next to the Gare Central and got a short but high-quality night's sleep. The beds at Ibis are peculiar but magically comfortable, the place was quiet as a tomb, and the combination of air conditioning (probably superfluous, come to think of it) and a duvet knocked me out in seconds. 

It was hard to wake up and shower so I could get the train back to Paris but here I am riding in first class--not because I am fancy but because it was cheaper, oddly enough! 

Still hoping to go down to the Étoile this afternoon to see the Tour de France come in. 

Wednesday, July 23: . . .

Don't worry; Wednesday was perfectly fine. But, all things considered, let's just move on, shall we?

Monday, July 21: Woodshedding

Mondays are typically the busiest day of the week for the program but also the least exciting to blog about. Here's how my day went yesterday:

8:30-10:30 a.m.: Taught my class (World Lit. I) about the Qur'an, which was new for me and extremely interesting.
10:30-11:30 a.m.: Meeting with Dr. Guglielmi and Dr. Kirk to debrief the Chantilly trip and plan for next year.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Ate a sandwich while reading/writing email and working on a new documentation form.
12:30-1:00 p.m.: Faculty meeting.
1:00-3:00 p.m.: Worked (or, some of the time, "worked") in the office--graded assignments, answered more email, helped students print train tickets for the coming weekend.
3:00-5:00 p.m.: Finished up two meeting agendas, some program evaluation questions, and a leftover cookie from lunch. Also ran to the post office.
5:00-6:00 p.m.: Weekly program meeting with entire student body, followed by Q&A, locking up the building, and heading out.
6:30 p.m.: Dinner and some conversation with Prof. Pukis about photography.
8:00-10:30 p.m.: Personal email, call Mom & Dad, tidy up, a bit more work email, Facebook, and BED.

Gotta get up for another adventure tomorrow!

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?

Friday, July 11: "So actually you are not French?"

Stayed up late to have time to talk to my beloved Daniel on Skype so I did not get an early start today at all! My first step was to scout my field trip for Tuesday. We are going to the Musée du Quai Branly, an easy RER journey (actually 2 RERs) that will put us right next to the Eiffel Tower. I am excited to see this museum and I think it will be a nice change for the students, who have probably seen many paintings and sculptures by DWEMs (Dead White European Males) by now.

From the Quai Branly I made my way to the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves St. Laurent to see its "Femmes Berbères du Maroc" exhibition. After seeing the documentary L'Amour Fou a while back I've been a little fascinated by Bergé & YSL's relationship and I wanted to see their museum. My only regret is that I did not book a guided visit and thus did not get to see YSL's private studio and some other behind-the-scenes stuff at the Fondation. But the exhibition was fascinating--textiles, jewelry, and some household goods like baskets and cosmetic pots made by or belonging to Berber women, mostly from the first half of the 20th century when Morocco was a French protectorate. There were also large video screens showing high-resolution images of complete traditional outfits from the different tribes. To be honest I'm glad I did not have to try to wear an elaborate headdress and heavy jewelry while, e.g., milking a goat. But it suggests a certain kind of strength that these women must have had. The variety of styles was also a good reminder that the different tribes were distinct cultures and not to be "Orientalized" with a broad brush.

Leaving the Fondation I noticed a cameraman and reporter on the street corner obviously doing the "interview random passers-by" trick. I passed close to them never expecting to be acknowledged (in my mind I have a giant flashing "I'm American; ignore me" sign over my head), but sure enough the reporter said "Excuse me, Madame, would you like to answer a question for Télé Monde?" Dear Readers, I must admit that I've been on TV a couple of brief times and actually liked it, so I answered "I can't possibly say no!" while praying she wouldn't ask me something obscure about French politics. The question was both obscure and political, but not in the ways I expected. "Have you noticed that François Hollande has new glasses?" she asked. I was reeling a bit at this unanticipated topic and fumbled through answering that I had not seen him, not even on television. "Ah," the reporter said, comprehension dawning, "So actually you are not French?" While I was disappointed not to get to appear on TV, I was gratified to be meeting my goal of passing as French until I open my mouth. (Must be the new pants.)

After the exhibit and my brief encounter with the French media I went in search of lunch (is it possible that culture makes me hungry?) and had another quiche-drink-pastry formule, this time at Pomme de Pain. Maybe I should think twice about having dessert with lunch but who can pass up viennoiserie and patisserie when they are offered? Hopefully I walked it off--I did walk a lot today because I had one destination at St. Placide and one at St. Sulpice and got them mixed up. So I got off the metro at St. Sulpice and got to walk a few blocks to where I meant to be, at H&M across from St. Placide. (Or it may have been the other way around. *cough*) I know at least one reader of this blog who is cringing right now at my affinity for cheap clothes, but I love H&M. It never does me wrong and I always find good things there. Today I got 2 t-shirts, a sleeveless top, a genuinely really nice skirt, and a package of socks (my socks have been an unexpected casualty--one lost, one got a hole and we're barely 2 weeks in) for just under 30€. Yes, it may all fall to pieces in 6 months but right now I am just not bothered.

With the shopping done I had to put on my Assistant Director hat and go back to work. In the process, I had a cultural experience that I'm grateful for, and we got some good material for our next program meeting.

In the middle of writing this entry I stopped to talk to Daniel on Skype; now I've finished it and it is definitely bedtime. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, July 9: Equilibrium restored

We had a rough night last night and a rough day today doing follow-up, debriefing, etc. from the night's events. I can't go into detail so I'll just say that (1) everyone is fine and (2) I work with a great team who are tireless in sacrificing their own needs to make sure that students are safe, taken care of, and getting their needs met. By this afternoon, things were settled down and I was free to do laundry and eat dinner while watching Toute une histoire (daytime talk show in the Dr. Phil vein) on my computer. (I will watch anything in the interest of listening comprehension.)

It is pouring rain again and it is 15C/59F outside. Terrible weather for photography but I did snap an interesting view of the decoration on my building:

It is "Southeast Asia House" and you can see it is decorated accordingly.

I'm eagerly awaiting improved weather so I can get out and take more photos. The forecast for Bastille Day is good and I do know where to stand to get a good view of the flyover. But for now I'm going to crawl into bed. It's good sleeping weather for sure. Tomorrow I go with 2 professors on their field trip to the Musée d'Orsay. I was a little "museumed out" when I went last year so I'll be happy to see it again while fresh. First museum visit this year!