Nice is nice.

Yes, I said it- I enjoyed my day in Nice. Several weeks ago I decided whole heartedly that I hated Nice and everything about it. I avoided going to Nice for any reason aside from work-related appointments. It seemed that every time I was summoned to Nice I wound up on the world's slowest/smelliest bus, getting lost in a remote and sketchy part of town (because it's the most logical place to have a government/immigration office), being hungry, tired and cranky. I also managed to always have to do these things on my days off, which really sucks and ruined the rest of my week.

However, my last two visits have been pretty fun and both were spent shopping. During the first week of Les Soldes, January 8th, Leigh and I took the bus to Nice so I could buy pants. I literally had no pants that didn't either have massive holes in them or weren't way too big. We hit up H&M and I left with two pairs of pants (neither of them jeans), a cute 9 euro dress and a few tops and accessories for only about 50 euros. You can't beat that with a stick! We also bought a few little things for Leigh, but at this point in her trip it was kind of pointless because she was going home soon. We also window shopped, walked up and down Jean Medecin, and wandered through an oddly long-standing Christmas market with a ferries wheel. That was a fun day.

Today was equally fun. I went to Nice by myself. Since I hate the ligne 200 bus so much I had pre-planned a way to enjoy this ride along the sea rather than sitting there gritting my teeth and counting the stops for an hour. The bus ride was tolerable and I enjoyed some recently purchased music on my Ipod. I got off at the right stop and walked down Rue Messina, a street I had not yet explored, to find on of my favorite stores in the world: LUSH (it's Canadian, which makes it even cooler). At LUSH I bought a new scent of solid shampoo and my favorite scent of soap (total 15 euros), all handmade and all natural of course!

I then went to Minelli to scope out a pair of boots I had seen at the Antibes Minelli store. I started having second thoughts about my obsession at this point because 1) they're sooooo expensive (98 euros after discount), 2) I doubt I can frequently wear leather boots in Alaska without ruining them, and 3) I should probably wait until I go to Ventimiglia, Italy for a day during the February break to see about the options there. Ventimiglia is a very small border city with an amazing amount of shoe stores, so that might be my best bet.

After coming back to reality at Minelli I popped into a series of store to check out their soldes prices. By the end of the day I had purchased a pair of black leggings from Pimkie (8 euros; a must have item in France- they serve as pants, loungewear, under dress/skirt hosiery, and active wear all in one clothing item!), a cute top for me (6 euros) and a really awesome t-shirt for Leigh (5 euros) at Zara, and a new 2 piece bathing suit, black with a sunflower (10 euros!) from a little store in vieille Nice. I came home feeling a bit guilty but also having had a lot of fun. Then I reminded myself that this month is shaping up to be financially less stressful than I had originally thought AND I have completely talked myself out of buying those crazy expensive boots, so it's all good. Plus, if my lust for shoes gets the best of me I can always make up for it by consuming only baguettes and water for two weeks, right?

The only thing I didn't get to do today was eat icecream. I just didn't see anyplace selling ice cream or gelato today. So now in my "Reasons to visit Ventimiglia Soon" list I have 1) cheaper shoes and 2) eat gelato.

Another Week, Another Few Euros

This was my first full week at work without Leigh here to take care of me. In the simplest terms things went pretty well- I ate every day, I didn't injure myself with a kitchen knife or set fire to anything, I made it to work every day and kept all of my appointments. I even ran a few errands that needed taking care of and....drum roll please.... I got paid! Woohoo! It's amazing what waking up to a direct deposit will do for one's mood.

Speaking of moods, this has been a tough week. Every day that I didn't have to work I had to struggle to get out of bed and do something. The days I did have to work I was curt with my students and sometimes a bit overly assertive with my colleagues and superiors. Every little thing pissed me off and I had no trouble telling people about it. I think I'm having a serious mood issue right now and I don't know what the cause may be or, subsequently, how to address it. It would be too easy to say I'm just adjusting to not having Leigh around anymore, but we have spent extended periods of time apart in the past. Our relationship has weathered this storm before and we are fairly accustomed to it, so I don't actually think that is the problem. At this point I just keep hoping the funky mood will pass.

On Wednesday afternoon I managed to get myself dressed and showered and then got a haircut. The haircut is not good, really not good, but it is shorter so I no longer resemble my 14 year old male students quite so strongly (the floppy short haircuts are really hip here in Cote d'Azur, so I try to avoid letting my hair grow to the "floppy" stage). I'm pretty annoyed that I spent 20 euros to let a middle aged woman hack away at my hair with her clippers. Please note that she only brought out the actual scissors to trim 5 little hairs around me ears. The rest of the haircut, including the finer points that make a haircut look decent, was done entirely with clippers and an old comb to guard my head. I haven't been this disappointed with a haircut since I was 7 and the hair dresser chopped my hair off completely without asking me what I wanted.

Hair aside, I also had my first private tutoring session with a student at the lycee. For a first pupil I couldn't be more fortunate. She is both smart and hardworking and her problems are mostly strategic and lack of self-confidence in her writing. I already have so many plans to help her prepare for her next exams. I hope her grades improve greatly in the next few weeks so 1) she can feel better about her grade and 2) I can keep my tutoring gig. I might even be picking up a second pupil, a young lady who wants to attend my lycee next year but needs help preparing for the English section placement exam. I hope that works out too because I have met her already and she is very motivated and has great potential.

In other work news, I have tossed my hat in the ring to be considered to teach during the winter holiday for a few days. Not sure if that will turn into anything, but it would be great to have the extra work to keep me busy since I'm not traveling as much. If I don't get that position, or if it doesn't require me to work every day, I might plan a trip to Arles for an overnight. Who knows?

You may notice another entry in the "Coming Soon" sidebar- I bought my ticket to see the Cranberries play a live show in Marseille on March 14. It was literally the first thing I did once I noticed I had been paid and I started feeling a little bit better right away. I don't know if I'm addicted to spending money or if I'm addicted to having something awesome to look forward to, but either way it did the trick. At this point I have no more than two weeks to wait between events and activities. This may seem excessive, but I'm currently battling some serious homesickness and require a lot of sensory stimulation/distraction to continue enjoying my time here. If I just hung around my apartment all the time I would feel like I was wasting these months. I could hang around my apartment in the US earning a shitty wage much easier than doing so in France, so I might as well capitalize on being in France, right?

Right.

What makes the concert even better is that my dad is on Facebook now and he saw that I was attending the concert soon after my birthday, so he said he'd cover the cost of the ticket! This was completely unexpected and a big deal because the ticket equals what I would normally spend on groceries in two weeks. I had budgeted for the ticket and the train fare and even found someone to host me for free overnight. By covering the [rather pricey] concert ticket my dad has freed up a good deal of spending money for me this month, so his generosity has bought me not only a concert ticket but also some peace of mind and relaxation as well. Thanks Dad!

In all I can't say it's been a terrible week, but it's been a long and tiring one. I'm glad it's over now because I am determined to enjoy my weekend and drag myself out of this bad mood even if my emo self is kicking and screaming along the way. Tomorrow I think I will venture to Nice to run some fun errands (i.e. buying yummy smelling things at LUSH and oggling at "les soldes"). Sunday, when everything is closed, I will probably switch bedrooms with my Canadian Counterpart (long story) and prep for my work week so that Monday I can do something fun, though I haven't decided what yet.

Yummy

I am currently eating something quite delicious and I made it myself *gasp*!!!

I don't cook. That's what I have a wife for..... just kidding! I married her before she could make much more than hot breakfast and hamburger helper, but she has really blossomed in her cooking abilities over the past 3 or 4 years. In that same period of time I have gone from someone who could make about 7 different real dishes to someone who can barely cook chicken without it drying out and someone who thinks successfully making spaghetti is a big deal. So me cooking something that tastes good is pretty spectacular.

My wife has gone back to America, the old country (I just wanted to say that) so I'm left to fend for myself until May. The past few days I have eaten a lot of different foods with Nutella on it for flavor and protein purposes. I have also made curry, which is pretty much just heating up canned curry and adding meat, and spaghetti, which was yummy. Then tonight I decided to branch out- chicken, veggies, and chevre chaud.

The chicken is salty and spicey and perfectly cooked (still juicy!), the veggies have a 4 seasoning blend on them that I dashed on piecemeal myself, the chevre chaud is perfectly gooey with a small soft baguette to spread it on. There's even leftover olive oil with infused spices left for the rest of the bread.

I'm so proud of myself and so happy because I was really hungry today! Yay for self-sufficiency and yay for good food!

Bon Appetite.

Oh, money.

I blog about money a lot. Well, I don't write entire posts about money, but I mention it pretty frequently because it rules my life to some extent. I pride myself on being a person who doesn't care about money, per se, meaning that I don't need a lot of it and I never judge a person's worth based on income. In fact, I think it's super cool (and pretty sexy, too) when someone just makes a comfortable living doing what they love or at least doing something really worthwhile. We have enough overpaid hot shots in the world, so I don't feel the need to be one myself or to seek them out as companions. Nevertheless, my current life status requires that I consider money in my every decision. This creates quite the paradox. I have to rank order everything I need and want, then make certain concessions for everything, hence the mention of money every time I blog about a trip, a purchase, a personal goal, etc.

Right now I earn enough to live in France in general, but I earn the same salary as assistants de langue living in places as expensive as Paris and an inexpensive as, say, Normandy. We all make the exact same wage and yet my cost of living is comparable to if I lived in Paris, except the only assistants de langue I have met living around Paris have FREE housing. The Academie de Nice where I work offers no such option, so three of us are sharing a nice apartment and our rent shares are still about half of our monthly salaries. Thank God for the CAF program, which operates based on the life principal that a person's rent should not exceed 25% of their monthly income, assuming of course that they are not trying to live in a palace while earning minimum wage.

Here's the good news- I have started receiving CAF payments. Thank goodness, because the next few months were looking a little scary (especially with one roommate leaving a month early so I have to pay an extra 180 euros in rent to cover it). However, the bad news is that a few expenses cropped up late last week and then I assumed I would get paid yesterday or today via direct deposit, so it would be OK. Additionally, my bank is a little slow to post things. So tonight at midnight I checked my bank account to see if, perchance, I was paid. Not only was I not paid, but a bunch of charges went through about 5 or 6 days after I actually bought the stuff. Now I am the proud owner of about 7.35 euros until I get paid [hopefully] later this week.

Luckily I've paid my bills, bought groceries, etc so I can survive, but this really sucks. I don't like cutting it this close with my finances and I really don't like that the Academie de Nice cannot be bothered to post the dates they plan to release our paychecks each month. If the CAF office, which serves several hundred thousand people throughout this Departement, can post its release dates six months in advance then why can't the Academie?

France perplexes me so often with things like this. The truth is this is not a big deal because I didn't overdraw and nobody is breathing down my neck to pay a bill. However, it amazes me that people in this country can live with such uncertainty and such reliance on bureaucratic requirements all the time. The paperwork, traveling to government offices, filings and secondary filings, never knowing how long something will take to process and never having a means of tracking the administrative process is frustrating at best and often maddening. Let's just say I've had a few migraines since I moved here.

France has been good to me. I'm healthier and more relaxed than I have ever been in my life. I even love the fact that it's impossible to find a cheap greasy meal because it's made me healthier, plus I'm more active and more comfortable with myself here. Don't even get me started on how great it is to live in a socialized society. Plus this is a culture where individuals are left to do as they please without being scorned by others or judged on sight while in public, and I'm living in a rather conservative area. It's been wonderful!

But, if I'm being honest, the bureaucracy is probably the primary reason I could never move here permanently. As a North American I believe things should operate simply and efficiently so as to require as little explanation as possible. This issue isn't just with administrative agencies either. It trickles down throughout the whole society into every workplace and even social situations. I think it's fair to say this has been the greatest source of culture shock for me since arriving in this country and is often what tempts me to pack my stuff and head for the airport.

Anyway, hopefully I'll get paid before some other "surprise" charge is posted to my account, though I'm pretty sure everything is accounted for at this point. Also, I have a job interview for the 2010-2011 term next Thursday at 00:30 French time (half past midnight, or 14:30 Alaskan time). Like I said in my last post, I'll continue to approach each interview with enthusiasm and hope that this is the one that will help me break into my career, but I refuse to become overly optimistic. It's just too hard on my ego when it doesn't work out. Anyway, that's really exciting and helping me to feel better about the situation overall.

Wish me luck!

I would like to take a moment to whine about my [fabulous] life...

Before I begin with my semi-annual bitch-fest, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge all that I have and how lucky I am. I am 24 years old, in good health, with a small but loving and supportive family, a wonderful partner and the best kitty cat a girl could ask for. I travel extensively and see and do so many amazing things. What's more, nobody in my life tries to make me feel guilty for any of these things. I am so lucky to have friends, family and acquaintances who celebrate my accomplishments and my good fortune with me.

Now I am 24 years old and I have finished undergrad, law school and passed the Bar Exam in Alaska. What's more, I get to live as an ex-pat in Europe for almost a year while I learn a language, meet new people, eat weird foods and see Western Europe. The best part of all is that, aside from some help and emotional support from my family, I am completely self-made. Every application and step required for my accomplishments and experiences with school, jobs, internships, travels, etc have been done by me and me alone. I have written every letter of motivation, every paper, made every phone call and raised the money/taken out the loans myself. So not only did I get to experience all of this, but I get to call it my own also. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now comes the bitching part: Why is it so difficult for young people who WANT to work to find work? I feel like the US has become a place that doles out money to the lazy and "disabled" (sorry, but I'm not buying most of it) but treats hardworking and willing Americans as though we should be grateful to get job offers. Jobs are not gifts, they're something you work for. Even if you have no education and you just fill out an application, get dressed up and go to the interview, you're working for that job already and there should be a position available for you that will allow you to support yourself.

Bringing this back around to my own situation, I do have a job right now. In fact, I haven't been unemployed since I was 15 years old except for my first year of law school and, let's face it, that's understandable. However, starting in May 2010 I will not have a job, not a career type job anyway. I have plans to work for my grandparents for the summer to fund my permanent move to Alaska, but that's just during the harvest season on their farm. Also, as much fun as it is, I didn't go to school for 7 years and incur $125,000 in debt to sell organic fruit. So at this point it's looking like I won't have a long-term job to look forward to after this teaching contract is up in May. I have applied for a series of positions that I am well-qualified for and have been interviewed, and then subsequently rejected, for two of them. My resume is great and I interview pretty well, I think, so what gives? What exactly do I have to do to earn the privilege of working hard for someone else 40+ hours per week just so I can meet my most basic needs and maybe fulfill my life long dream of paying my bills with earned money rather than borrowed money?

This little hissy fit I had in my head today lead me to mentally list all of the things I have done to earn the privilege of working, preferably in the legal field considering I gave 3 years of my life, a lot of money and very nearly lost my marriage during the whole experience. Plus, in my humble opinion, the shear cost and time required for my education entitles me to earn more than someone with just a bachelor's degree. So here's an abridged list of things I have done/continue to do in order to be deemed worthy to earn my own living:

• Started university at age 16 and finished my high school credits by age 17
• Maintained a high undergrad GPA, graduating with a 3.89
• Swam for my university for 2 years, including 6am practices, road trips, etc and received no scholarship money for it
• Earned 2 bachelor's degrees simultaneously
• Earned my JD by age 24, with a concentration in international finance and international trade
• Interned in Virginia, DC, Alaska, Buffalo, and NYC
• Always held one, if not two or three, part time jobs during the school year and in summers
• TA'ed an English at a community college when I was 17. My students where returning education students in their 30's and 40's and I only earned $75/week for hours of grading papers and helping with lessons.
• TA'ed an advanced research methods class when I was 20. My students were 20-22 years old. I gave lessons, administered examinations, provided hours of free tutoring to undergrads and graduate students and I did it all for class credit.
• Worked as an intern for FREE until I was 23 years old, then I made a whopping $1,500 per month for working 40-50 hours per week.
• Maintained solid grades in law school even when my marriage was falling apart, when I was sick as a dog, when I had no car and had to beg rides off classmates, when I was working 25 hours per week on top of 16 hours of classes.
• Had an article published in a professional law journal during my 2nd year. I wrote it entirely on my own with some editing from an attorney I knew, but it wasn't a "team effort" or a "co-authorship," it was mine.
• Met with dozens of attorneys in the DC area, begging for their time just so I could ask questions because, you see, I had never even met a lawyer until I went to law school.
• Moved to NYC my final semester to work with the best lawyers in the business. I hated it, but I worked my ass off and learned as much as I could AND I got a job on the side so I could afford to live there.
• I decided to move to Alaska because, presumably, the opportunities are better there than in New York and I don't have any real connections to any other places.
• Studied for the Bar Exam in Alaska, without knowing a soul in Anchorage.
• Worked for BarBri while studying for the Bar Exam, which only paid me about $800 total for all my work and I had to spend hours every week on the phone with the most unpleasant supervisor anyone has ever had. That woman has no soul and loves to crush everyone. I was actually afraid of failing the exam because I knew she would call to scream at me because I had ashamed the BarBri company.
• Passed the Alaska Bar Exam the first time. Take that, BarBri!
• Spent a total of $125k on my education, about another $3,000 on test prep tuition and costs, and $800 to sit for the Bar Exam not to mention what I spent supporting myself in very expensive cities while I worked for free as an intern.

After all of this I feel like I've paid my dues. Further, every time I am interviewed by someone they read my resume and remark at how active I have been, all of my accomplishments and my maturity for my age. They say how impressive it is that I took the bar exam right away in AK so I could pass it BEFORE taking my gap year so now I should be all set when I come back to the US. They say that I am articulate and interesting and funny and very pleasant. Then they write me an email a week later saying they cannot offer me a position.

Aside from my inability to guess or comprehend my lack of job offers, I am pissed at the state of our country. How is it possible that so many young people like myself, who have worked hard and stayed out of trouble, can have so much difficulty finding work? So, first of all, why is it so difficult to find a job and, secondly, why do would-be employers act like they are doing you a favor if they offer you an interview or a position? A job is not a gift, it is not something given to you out of kindness or charity. It is what we all need to live and be productive members of society. It is an opportunity to be useful to one's community and to earn one's way in the world. Everyone has to work, everyone! What's more, I want to a job that allows me to serve my community (state and local government, non-profit orgs, etc) and pays a live-able wage- just LIVE-ABLE! I'm not expecting or even trying for $125,000 per year like a lot of people I went to school with, just enough to not live in a shithole, to pay my student loans and maybe get a dog, start saving for a house and a baby. Am I being too greedy?

As I said before, I love my life and I am so lucky to have come this far and experienced so much, but there is one fundamental thing missing from my life that no willing and able person should have to go without. I need to start my career, but to do that I need somebody to give me a chance in the way of a first job. I need to break into the legal field and show my stuff. I need the opportunity to make a name and a reputation for myself so that when I am established I can give another eager and hardworking young person the chance to learn and grow and make a name for themselves.

Here concludes my semi-annual bitch-fest. For the next few months I will continue to take any interview I can get, put my best foot forward and hope for an offer. I will also start sending out more resumes, making more calls and testing the waters for other opportunities. This summer, if nothing has come of all of this, I will start to a) look for temp work, b) look for non-legal work c) panic or d) some combination of the above.

To end this [very long] post on a positive note: I wish the very best for everyone who comes across this blog to find a job that not only supports them but also fulfills them. I hope that all of you who are looking for work in our great nation can find it and can lead happy, productive lives knowing that you can care for yourself and are doing some good in the world. Most of all, I hope that all of our hard work in our youths has not been in vain and that we can use our [very expensive] educations to rebuild our country to its former greatness.

Starting Over, Sort Of

When I first arrived in France it was a total whirlwind experience. First was the jetlag, then the sudden immersion into the language via my job training courses being entirely in French (which was weird seeing as there were over 100 English Assistants in the same room with a few profs to train us, it seems that majority does not always rule). Then I had to deal with a gauntlet of stressful situations like finding a place to live, figuring out things like getting groceries, the bus, etc. By the time I had caught my breath from that Leigh arrived and it felt like I had done all of that preparation for her to be here.

We had an amazing time together. I couldn't be happier that she came to stay with me for so long. In addition to sharing some amazing travel experiences together, it was so great to have her as part of my daily life. She was here for 3 months without a job to go to everyday and only had seemingly mundane tasks to occupy herself and yet we only had one actual argument. The argument was actually the product of us both being stressed out about my French bank account going haywire and me having to open a new one, so it wasn't even a relationship issue just life sucking for a few days.

Anyway, my point is that we did really well here even though she wasn't working and I was only working about 20 hours per week so we spent all our time together, we had to watch every centime to support ourselves, and we were in a whole new world dealing with "lost in translation" moments on a daily basis. We enjoyed each other's company and had a great time. I grew in several ways by having to be even more of the dominant personality (ordering in restaurants, asking directions, etc) and Leigh grew in that she started doing things by herself eventually in spite of not speaking any French. In the States she would let me do the talking because she's shy but here if the person spoke some English she would jump in and speak with them because it is a rare opportunity here. So I guess all I'm saying is that this was a really great experience for us both.

Now that it's just me here I'm having to switch gears completely. Aside from cooking for myself and doing my own laundry, both of which are going fine thank you very much, I also have to start thinking like a single person again. This may sound strange to people back home, but when you have to take a bus and a wheely suitcase to the grocery store, then a bus back and walk a half mile uphill and climb the stairs to your apartment, you have to change the way you think about buying groceries. In France things like this are just easier with another person. I went to Carrefour yesterday by myself for the first time since early October and it was a tough experience all around but I successfully bought everything I needed for at least the next two weeks, so yay me!

I think the most important way I have to change my thinking is in the use of m free time. Last night I got home and I was pretty tired from my day, but after I watched Grey's Anatomy on my computer and chatted online with my grandmother for a while it was still only 11:00 and that was my day. Now that it's just me I'm going to have to make more efforts to be social, go out at night and live my life while I'm here. When it's "Leigh and Emily" it's OK to stay home most of the time and just keep each other company, but when it's just "Emily" I don't want to turn into a lame, bah humbug type person who just works and runs errands when she's not exploring new cities and visiting museums while "on holiday."

Alas, thus begins My Life in France Version 2.0. Today I will do laundry, get some exercise, study French I to brush up on basic grammar, and maybe go down to the English bookstore later to find something a bit lighthearted to accompany my quest to read Bleak House (ugh).

toute seule

This morning Leigh and I woke up around 6am so we could get to the airport in time for her 10:00 flight. We dressed quietly and ate breakfast together for the last time for the next three months. While I was putting brioche in the toaster I started crying a little, then I stopped, then I started up again when I was putting on my shoes. It was kind of pitiful.

I did my best to not cry too much because I knew it made Leigh feel guilty for going home, which is silly because she has now stayed the extent of her tourist visa and she needs to be back in the US so she can work again. We both need her to work. She needs to work for her own peace of mind after a long time of being laid off and I need her to work so we can combine our earnings when I get back stateside and we can move out west.

So it makes perfect sense for her to go home and for me to stay here and finish my contract, but that doesn't change the fact that I am going to miss her. I will miss her especially everyday when I come home from work and she isn't here to ask about my day and every time I sit down for a meal by myself. I will also miss her when I am traveling solo and see something amazing or meet someone interesting because I would want to share that memory with her rather than keep it for only myself. I think it's important for people in a couple to maintain their autonomy, but certain major life experiences are just better when shared.

In most scenarios traveling is one of those experiences that is best when shared, though I have often enjoyed a trip on my own. I hope I can enjoy my upcoming travels even though I will be going solo most of the time. It's difficult for me to not feel guilty about all that I have coming up for myself, but as Leigh told me yesterday, "Emily, you're the traveler. I just go along for the ride sometimes. Visiting these places isn't important to me like it is to you." I'm glad she told me that so I can indulge in my greatest addiction. What's more, I hope I can absorb my experiences enough to relate my stories to others well enough to do justice to the place visited and the people encountered. I especially want to be able to share these things with Leigh because I know that many of my upcoming destinations are places she would like to see herself one day.

Then one day, in the future when we are real grownups with real grownup budgets, we can come back to Europe and see the places we didn't have time to see together the first time around. I know Leigh wants to see London and Berlin, I want to see Prague and we both want to visit Auschwitz one day. We also both want to visit Greece and I have certain endeavors on my Life List like hiking Mont Blanc or maybe completing other European Long-distance footpaths or Grande Rondanee hikes. Outside of Europe I would love to see Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, and India. Plus South America has such a plethora of great sights and cultures to discover that it is definitely in our future.

Speaking of future travels, as part of our move to the US west coast this summer we will be driving from Virginia to Washington State, then later traveling to Alaska to stay (final destination, unknown). Because we are driving we can stop off and see a few things and do some camping, so I think I might do some preliminary planning. It seems too soon and very silly, I know, but seeing as I am pretty homesick these days I think it might prove to be therapeutic.

The more time I spend discovering Europe and not working as a lawyer the more I think my true calling is to be a budget/alternative travel planner, tour guide operator, or running a hostel. I really love learning about new places and putting together trips for myself and for others and I'm pretty good at it too. Leigh and I have talked about opening a hostel somewhere with a cheap cost of living and a desirable lifestyle. But for now my goals are to pursue my legal career in public interest, which I'm very excited about and I'm sure will be very fulfilling, maybe branch off into a related business and who knows what else. Maybe something will come of this obsession someday so it is more than a mere hobby or maybe it will just be something that my family experiences when I drag them all over the world on holidays over the course of my lifetime.

So many maybes.... I can't help but be excited about each one of them : )

Journeys planned, tickets purchased, website updated

Ah, what a productive day. Late this morning, from the comfort of my bed I managed to spend a small fortune on airfare and train tickets to finalize my April holiday. Here are my plans:

After a week-long visit from my friend Jescy, who hails from the great state of Montana, here in Cote d'Azur we will fly to London on April 2 (a late flight so I can work my normal Friday schedule). I'll hang out with her in London until she leaves for the US on April 6, when I will take the train to Edinburgh to do some solo traveling for about 3 days. On the morning of April 9 I will fly to Berlin to visit a high school friend, Kate, for about 4 days. On the morning of April 14 I will fly to Barcelona to solo travel around Catalan.

Cool, huh? I have purchased all necessary travel for this trip except for my train ticket from Barcelona back to Nice because those tickets are not available for purchase this far in advance. Now all I have to do is book my hostels in Edinburgh and Barcelona, as I will be staying with friends for in London and Berlin.

It feels great to have finished my planning and purchased the necessary tickets so now I can focus on what I might like to do in each city, finding great hostels, and saving money for food, drink, sights and souvenirs. In preparation for this trip I have overhauled a few pages on my website. I completely remade my Europe page and my Italy map page plus I added a United Kingdom page to accommodate my visit to London and Edinburgh.

A few observations:

While Skyscanner is a great resource to find direct airfare between major cities, it is not always correct in its charting of airfares. For example, my flight from Nice to London was reported on Skyscanner to cost 22 euros but actually cost 32 euros. I chose to pay 34 euros for my flight because the times worked best with my schedule, but nevertheless the site is not perfect, but I would still recommend it to anyone trying to compare airfare prices.

RyanAir's advertised prices on their homepage only vaguely correspond to their actual prices after applying some very strange fees. For one thing, they charge you five pounds sterling for "web checkin," which is required when you buy tickets online anyway. EasyJet only charges you if you check in at the airport but not online. Also, you have to purchase your baggage allowance at the time of purchase, while EasyJet allows you to add your baggage fees online for the same discounted rate as long as you don't do it at the airport (then it's double the cost). My chief complaint is that RyanAir, which I believe is an Irish company, will price your flight in Euros if you choose "Ireland" as your country but will only sell tickets online in pounds sterling. I found this annoying because I earn money in euros, and so I wound up using my American money to pay for the ticket, thus causing me to pay a 3% currency exchange fee on my card. Boo.

Also, great train ticket prices can be found throughout the UK if purchased well in advance. I started by finding my ticket for 16.50 pounds sterling on East Coast Trains, the company that handles passenger trains on the east coast of the UK from London to Scotland. I was very pleased with the price and options to state my preference for a window seat, facing forward and with a table at my seat. However, upon trying to purchase my tickets I was unable to do so because the website wouldn't recognize my US or French postal code corresponding to my US and French bank cards, respectively. I emailed the company and they replied that I should "enter a full stop " in the postal code field for international addresses. I don't know what a "full stop" is or how to enter one, so I asked my Canadian counterpart to ask her English boyfriend if I had other options. He directed me to The Train Line, a website that sells tickets for all UK passenger rail carriers. I successfully purchased my ticket for the same date, times and preferences as before but for a few pounds more after fees, etc. In the end I was just happy to have my transportation figured out for this crazy trip I'm taking.

So I did finish my travel plans through mid-April, but I didn't leave the apartment and I waited until nearly 4pm to get dressed. Productive? I have no idea, but I'm starting to get really excited about the next three months!

I can't go to Prague....*she whined*

Today I was doing some general brainstorming about how to spend my remaining three months in Europe, solely in terms of travel.

February: I am already committed to spending a week in Taize communing with God and the monks for one week during February, however I have a second week of holiday that is unused at the moment.

Perhaps some side trips throughout France? Perhaps I stay home and relax? ... Nah, when has THAT ever happened?

At work today I looked up the costs to travel around various cities mentioned previously. It is quite expensive to take the train to the Dordogne region and the Loire Valley from here (we're talking 100 euros round trip. I don't even spend that much on flights let alone trains). So that leaves Provence, namely Nimes, Avignon and Arles. With my Carte 12-25 I can take the train for about 40 euros roundtrip and I might be able to find a free place to sleep via couchsurfers or other assistants in the area, who knows? In all I couldn't be more pleased with this option for a long weekend away. This area is where Van Gogh chilled out for a few years before his death and its quintessentially provencale. It's exactly what I would want for a weekend trip in France.

However, Arles is also where Van Gogh painted his sunflower panels, which tells me maybe I should save this trip for a long weekend in early or mid-March. I just don't know. Either way it leaves me with almost an entire week without plans or anywhere to be during February, which is not a great time to be in Antibes as there's very little to do here in the winter. While I'm very pleased with my plan to go to the Nimes-Avignon-Arles vicinity at some point in the next two months I am still uncertain as to what to do with myself during the second week of my holiday. Clearly I will be spending the 15th and 16th in Nice enjoying Carnivale with my Canadian counterpart, but I am still brainstorming about the rest. Maybe somewhere nearby and mountainous like Sospel? Maybe a Friday in Ventimiglia to see the market day? I just don't know, so I am opening the floor to new ideas.... Anybody???

March: I have to work for all of March but I always have three day weekends, so there are some possibilities. I think the most likely are 1) the above-mentioned trip to the land of Impressionism and/or 2) a weekend in Corsica. I looked at ferry crossings today between classes and I could theoretically take the ferry from Nice to Corsica roundtrip for about 85 euros. Not too terrible, but I have no clue how much the rest of the weekend would cost. I would most likely camp, as hostels appear to be non-existent. The only problem with this idea (aside from the cost, it's just a bit high for a weekend) is that there is a fabulous hike in Corsica I want to do but it takes several days and, as such, is simply not an option. This means I would likely spend my entire time at the beach or just poking around the larger cities, which is probably an awful lot of fun too. Also, my good friend Jescy is coming to visit for the last 10 days of March, so we are planning to go camping in Italy and just enjoy the Nice-Antibes-Cannes area and relax before she flies to London to hang out before her flight back to the US.

April: I have a two week spring break in April, my last month in Europe. Originally I had planned to fly to Prague (stay 4 days), take the train to Berlin to visit a high school friend (stay 4 days) then fly to Barcelona (stay 4 days) before flying back to Nice for my last two weeks of work. However, today I checked airfare from Nice to Prague and it had increased from about 50 euros one way to closer to 88 euros one way. This means I would spend most of my Prague budget just on the flight to get there. I just don't have that kind of money during the time when I have to buy my tickets for the trip. So I gave it some thought and decided to scratch Prague altogether.

Now I am thinking I will fly to London with Jescy on April 2 or 3 and hang out with her there until she flies back Stateside on April 6. It will be too soon to intrude on my high school friend in Berlin at that time, so perhaps I will put the UK rail system to good use for 2 or 3 days. I priced roundtrip rail fare from London to Edinburgh for 33 pounds sterling (if purchased in advance online) and found a hostel in Edinburgh for 10 euros per night on weeknights (which is perfect). So perhaps I'll be in London April 2/3 until the 6th, then go to Edinburgh for 2 nights. I'll take the train back to London in time to catch a flight to Berlin, stay 4 or 5 days with my friend, then fly to Barcelona for 4 days on my own. Just to round out this crazy adventure, I've discovered that I can take the train from Barcelona to Antibes for the same price as flying and I will get 10 hours of amazing Mediterranean views along the way.

Oh, did I mention that two weeks later I'll finish my job, pack up my apartment and take the TGV to Paris for a 2 day stopover before flying home? I'm starting to wonder what I ever did in my life to be so fortunate as to have 1) the opportunity to do these sorts of this and 2) the slight mental instability that allows me to be comfortable doing them.

Wednesday

Today is my mid-week day off. Basically I have three day weekends (Sat-Mon), I work Tuesdays then have Wednesdays off again. Tuesday usually feels like a fake day at work when I'm happy to be there and willing to do more than the bare minimum required of me. I think this feeling is because, at that point in the week, I haven't worked in three days and I know I get to sleep in the next morning. Kind of like when you're a teenager and you get your first job. It's still a novelty so you work really hard and are happy to be there all the time and keep thinking to yourself, "I get to hang out with new people, stay out late and I get PAID for it?" Little do you know that within a month or two you'll be pissed off that you have to give up your Saturday mornings/nights to serve rude customers for minimum wage and you'll always smell like french fries, ice cream, cleaning solutions, or whatever else you frequently come into contact with at your job.

Anyway, Tuesdays are usually pretty good days for me and I'm usually in a pretty good mood. Yesterday was no exception, even to the point where I started telling my supervising teachers to keep me in mind for private tutoring. With Leigh back in the US next week I figure why not make some extra money? I won't have "my favorite person to do stuff with" anymore to distract/entertain me and during March I don't have any travel plans aside from a weekend in Italy when my friend Jescy is visiting. Plus my students are on holiday the same time I am and their families will likely have plans for them to travel, so I don't have to worry about conflicts with my own plans for February or April.

Tomorrow is Thursday, which I usually hate. I work from 10-6, which is no big deal, but I have this weird 4 hour gap between lessons from 12-4. It's too much time to just chill out in the teacher's room and not enough time to come back to Antibes for lunch or a nap. Plus there's NOTHING to do in Sophia Antipolis unless I want to get a 5 euro beer at the cafe or hang out at the bus station (no thanks to both). Last week was particularly awful because it was our first full week back from Christmas and nobody (teachers, students, me) wanted to be working again. Plus the weather was shitty, so our moods corresponded. I think I already blogged about the details of last Thursday so I won't get into it again, but anyway, I hate Thursdays. They're long and dull and I feel pretty useless for 4 hours of my 8 hour workday. Tomorrow should be better though because my Canadian counterpart has lessons on the same campus so we can be useless for 4 hours together AND we have a really annoying extra task to work on together during that time, so at least we'll accomplish something.

Fridays are usually OK. The good news is that I get to sleep in, as my first lesson is at 1pm, the bad news is that I have another annoyingly long gap between lessons with nothing to do. However, all things considered my job is pretty sweet. I get paid a liveable salary (though it could be more "liveable," hence the desire to pick up private tutoring students), tons of time off and a very part-time schedule. I can't wait for spring when my days off can be spent outside more rather than indoors wondering when the rain will stop. I also can't wait to find a book I want to read. I've been pretending to read "Bleak House" for over a month now and am only on page 140-something. I just can't do it. Call it lack of intelligence or lack of depth, but I need a classically written, interesting book that moves at a good pace and captures my interest right away. I like books that I can dive into and don't want to put down, not books that feel like eating my vegetables.

I digress....today was my mid-week day off and Leigh and I went hiking on Cap d'Antibes. We hiked most of the Tour du Cap and only turned back when we realized we needed to catch our bus home before our return tickets expired. It was supposed to rain today but luckily it was not only not raining but also a bit sunny. The post-rain views were spectacular. The water was deep blue and turbulent crashing against the rocky shores and cliff faces. We barely saw another soul while we hiked. It wasn't too strenuous, but it was nice to get a little exercise and appreciate the rare fair weather this time of year. We also sat for a bit and watched an old man fishing from land. He caught a large sardine right in front of us.

Another, unrelated note:

Leigh and I treated ourselves to a movie last night. We saw "2012" in English (with French subtitles) at the little movie theater we have here in Antibes. After about 20 local commercials the movie finally started. I have to say it was one of the more ridiculous movies I've ever seen. You could tell the creators were trying to make an "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact" type movie that brings a tear to the eye and makes you think. Instead it was typical, predictable story line about the end of the world. The end result was a nearly campy movie with sub-par to bad acting but decent special effects. Neither Leigh nor I had seen a movie in a theater in months, so it was still quite a treat. If we were in the US and paid money to see the movie we would have left feeling cheated out of our ticket money. Instead we bought candy, laughed at inappropriate moments (because the movie was so bad we sometimes cracked up while a character died a horrible death), and left feeling completely spoiled by the whole experience. It's funny, but I think we were missing the move-going experience more than the movies themselves.

Les Verreries de Biot

Today, Monday, is the end of my weekly three day weekend. Leigh is leaving France soon, so we are trying to do fun things on all of my days off and some evenings when I have been working that day too. Today we decided to go to Biot, a small village near Antibes and near the metropole where I work, Sophia Antipolis. Biot is home to legendary provencale glass blowers, ceramics makers, and the Fernand Leger museum. We left late this morning intending to partake in each of these sights but, of course, only succeeded in part.

Our first stop, the old village of Biot, is downright adorable. Most of the shops were closed for lunch when we arrived, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves to snap pictures and wander around. It was lovely and ideally provencale. The map told us that the Leger museum was down the hill in the newer part of Biot so we walked that direction. At the bottom of the hill were the various verreries. We found a great one and did a significant amount of shopping for beautiful glasswares that will forever be treasured in our home. We did not, however, find the museum. The woman who sold us the glass items said it was back up the hill in the village! At this point, we shrugged our shoulders and headed back to Antibes after having enjoyed a nice sunny afternoon in a quiet village and going a tiny bit overboard with our shopping.

Leigh flies back to the US next Thursday morning, January 21, and I won't see her again until the evening of May 3. It's going to be a long time without my best friend and my "favorite person to do stuff with" (it's an official title). Once she leaves I have some preliminary plans to keep myself busy and make the following months pass at a nice clip as we all be productive. My goals and plans are as follows:

1) Get really serious about strengthening my French skills. I have found some excellent online tutorials and my Canadian roommate has an exercise book she said I can use to practice my written French. Additionally, I want to practice my conversational French too, though I have yet to find a constructive resource for this. Maybe I will find something on www.meetup.com in the coming weeks.

2)Exercise more regularly to keep myself busy and focused and to prepare for the hot weather that is coming up soon. Plus I am planning to visit the Czech Republic in April and there is a 12km hike I want to do while I'm there, so I need to be in shape.

3) Take great trips during my holidays. During February I am going to Taize for one week and during April I am traveling for 2 weeks to Prague, Berlin and Barcelona.

4) Work more. Right now I am paid for 12 hours per week, though I spend over 20 hours per week at the school where I teach. I am going to look into getting some tutoring clients or maybe pick up more hours at my school during the February holiday (when I'm in town). I might also look into working in non-teaching positions like with the yachting community, etc.

5) Be more creative/partake in leisure activities. Yes, I know, I lead a very leisurely lifestyle already, however I could do more with this time. For one thing, this is a very beautiful place and I have yet to paint anything since arriving. I would like to buy some painting supplies and spend a few sunny days dabbling in water colors or oils and experimenting with brighter pallets than previously used. I would also like to be more focused about catching up on my reading. I bought a used copy of Bleak House two months ago and have only read about 200 pages of it. There are so many amazing books that I haven't been able to read because of being in law school and I should really take the time to indulge more.

That's about it for me today- just trying to strategize my way through the next three months in France so I don't get too sad after Leigh goes back home and so I can still make the most of my time here. Don't get me wrong, I really like it here, but in many ways I am already ready to go home and start my life as an adult. Mostly, I will just miss the companionship I have so greatly enjoyed these past three months and will have to shift gears back into being a self-reliant young woman with goals to work towards.

Alas, it is nearly my dinner time and I am quite peckish after an afternoon of exploring Biot and enjoying the sunshine after a long spell of rain.

The Day From Hell

Ok, not quite. Perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic, but today pretty much sucked.

I really should have expected something to go wrong this week. The stars just seem to be aligned for English assistants to have a shitty couple of days.

Let me backtrack and start at the beginning, telling at least the parts I understand and know about:

On Monday my Canadian counterpart returned to her regular teaching schedule after the holidays. I have Mondays off, so I first knew something was up when she came home in a funk and later found she had been crying. Fast-forward three days and many tears later, turns out that one of the three schools she teaches at has really been giving her a hard time. It seems there are communication gaps, teacher attitudes and generally stressful situations coming up on a regular basis. My roommate/co-worker is a gentle soul and it just got to be too much for her. She thought about throwing in the towel but luckily came to her senses when she calmed down a bit and seems to be doing better now. I hope things get better for her and, if not, I hope she'll pitch a royal fit to our superiors to get her schedule changed because, seriously, we don't get paid enough to deal with this shit.

So now back to my day. I started back at work on Tuesday and things were fine. Thursday rolls around and it's not so fine. I felt pretty crummy this morning because I haven't been sleeping well, so I'm in a mood anyway. A supervising teacher/friend of mine asked me to substitute for one of her classes today and I agreed gladly because she's so easy to work with and has been very good to me this year. However, another teacher who is NOT my friend (or friendly even) leaves me a voicemail saying "I have to miss class today for a funeral, since you called in sick before Christmas could you cover my class for two hours today? You can cover for me, for once!"

Nice. Real classy.

THEN a group of teachers cornered me about a stupid requirement the Canadian and I have to do complete as part of our contract. We were both ready and willing to do this project before Christmas but were told there was plenty of time and not to worry. Then today, not even a week into the new term, everyone is acting like the world will end if we don't do the project RIGHT THIS MINUTE.

I would like to take a moment to make a brief announcement to the people of France: If you prepare for your assignments and even complete them ahead of time you won't have to panic to finish them at the last minute. Just a thought.

All of this doesn't seem so bad, but for me it was just a day of little annoyances and feeling taken advantage of. My day ended better than it was looking, however, and it's all thanks to nice kids. I taught the 2 hour class by myself and kept the kids in line the whole time by starting out being really mean, threatening them with failing marks for the day but ending with encouragement and a smile. Fear will do amazing things to teenagers. Then the class I substituted for my friend went well because they're the nicest, most responsible 17 year olds on the planet (or at least in southern France).

Now I'm home, in my PJs and happy that tomorrow is Friday, though I'm sure I will be annoyed most of tomorrow too. Oh well, at least I have Saturday to look forward to. Leigh and I are planning to visit St Paul de Vence and see the Matisse Museum and hopefully find the motivation to go for a rigorous hike so we don't get fat AFTER the holidays (our eating v. exercise ratio has changed for the worse this week!).

In other news, I have booked my train fare to Taize for early February. I'm so excited. This is a pilgrimage I have been hoping to do since I was about 17 years old. It's actually on my Life List (yes, I have a Life List, mock me if you must). Aside from the obvious draw to attend this retreat, Taize is located in the Burgundy region of France which is supposed to be beautiful and covered in vineyards. I expect my week at Taize will be relaxing, enlightening and very memorable. Perhaps I will even take the regional bus to visit Beaune or the Abbey in Cluny during my stay.

My trip to Taize will only take up about half of my February holiday, so I'm brainstorming some other places to visit and things to do. I return from Taize on Valentine's Day and will spend the 15th and 16th attending Carnivale in Nice (basically all of the Cote d'Azur will be celebrating my birthday with me on the 16ht!). After that maybe I'll take short trips around France.

Using Rick Steves as a guideline, I've compiled a list of potential short trips around France:

Dordogne (Sarlat and Oradour-sur-Glane/Villages des Martyrs)

Loire Valley (Amboise and Loire chateaux)

Languedoc area- Carcassone

A bit farther north in Provence like Arles, Avignon, Nimes and Pont du Garde

All of these ideas will be sorted out at a later date. For now I am happy to know I have made my plans for Taize and will have a wonderful and simple experience. The rest is secondary.

Baby it's cold outside

Cross-posted to my website blog.

So, it's not exactly horribly cold here at 45 degrees F, but wasn't I promised a sunny and mild winter here in Cote d'Azur?

Yeah, I thought so.

This weird global freeze we're all experiencing the past few weeks has even made it's way to one of the most beautiful and coveted destinations on the planet. My dad and step-mom have had to cancel a road trip from Virginia to West Virginia due to well below freezing temps (dangerous to drive on mountain roads). In Florida my brother's family is sleeping in their living room huddled around their gas fireplace to stay warm (their heat pump broke, go figure).

It's not so bad here. I don't ever have to deal with snow or icy sidewalks. Sometimes there's a bit of frost on the ground. The wind picks up to a real gust sometimes and some days the sun never comes out, which is all a vast improvement over three years in cloudy crappy Buffalo.

Nevertheless, where's my endless summer?!

I expect consistently chilly and somewhat rainy weather the rest of this month and most likely well into February. I think mid-March is a safe estimate of when the temperatures will rise again and that crazy blue color will return to the water.

So I'm looking forward to spring rolling around again when I can experience this Cote d'Azur thing I was briefly introduced to back in October. I'm ready for spending my days off at the beach, wearing sunglasses just to run errands, and working on a tan that will make all my relatives jealous upon my return to the US in May.

website update

Just an FYI to anyone who cares, I have updated my travel website with pictures and stories from my Christmas holiday.

http://www.notaimless.com/index/Europe.html

Click on Geneva or Gryon to read about our time in Switzerland.

Click on Benelux to see Amsterdam and Haarlem.

Click on Paris to read about our week in the Ile de France area.

Welcome to 2010!

A friend of mine always does year end blogs and I think I'll follow in his footsteps this year. 2009 was one hell of a year for me (and also for Leigh, I think) so it's worth a recap.

Career:

Well, 2009 started out the same as 2008 working at PSS in Buffalo. Then I moved to NYC and worked as a personal assistant to a very, very upper east side child psychologist for about 2 months. While studying for the Bar Exam with BarBri I worked as the BarBri Course Administrator. As Leigh says, I got paid to babysit my classmates and press "Play" on the DVD player. I also had to run really annoying errands and work via telephone for a royal bitch of a woman who was based out of Seattle. I also worked for my grandparents' organic farm in Washington State and sold their products at farmer's markets in Seattle, which was awesome. Now I'm working as an English assistant at a lycee in the south of France, which is also awesome and allows me to postpone growing up completely for another few months.

In more substantial career-related news, I finished law school in May (woohoo!) then ran off to Anchorage to study for the Bar Exam, which I passed (double woohoo!) in July. Now my application is pending my being sworn in once I return to the US. In 2010 I'll return to Alaska (with Leigh in tow) to [hopefully] find meaningful work as an attorney and start my life as an adult.

Health:

Overall I was in good health this year, though I caught more colds and coughs that turned into laryngitis than one person should in a given year. While I lived in NYC I spent between 3 and 6 weeks suffering from various airborne illnesses ranging from the sniffles to a flu to laryngitis that paralyzed my vocal chords. I lost my voice completely again for 3 days last week while Leigh and I were traveling between Switzerland and the Netherlands. Luckily this hasn't done any long term damage yet, but I think I might see a specialist when I get health insurance.

Since moving to France I've dropped some weight, mostly from eating less and exercising more. Plus what I am eating is more substantial and richer, so I get fuller and that satisfied feeling sooner than with American foods (wine, chocolate and stinky cheese, anyone?). It's been a great way to get healthy because the foods I'm eating don't taste like health food, but when they're a regular part of my diet they cause me to slowly lose weight without noticing any big changes.

Housing:

During 2009 I lived in my own small apartment in Buffalo for a few months, then rented a room in Spanish Harlem in NYC, then lived with Leigh in her apartment in Buffalo for a few months, all of which were perfectly acceptable. I learned to live with only the items and clothes I really need for a given period of time because I was moving a lot and often could only pack whatever fit in a suitcase. Then I moved to Anchorage for a few months and rented a room from a retired couple. It was not the best situation for many reasons, mostly that I was lonely and stressed out, but it served its purpose and I was able to accomplish my goal of passing the bar exam! In October I moved to Antibes, France. First I lived in a pool house at a villa, which really sucked, then I moved in with two colleagues to a beautiful apartment very close to the town center and have been there ever since.

Friends:

During 2009 I made a lot of new friends, mostly "little while friends" when I was living in various cities, and said goodbye to school friends when I graduated from law school. I also was very lucky to quickly make friends in Anchorage, which will make moving there much easier if I end up finding work in that area. 2009 was a good year for me to branch out socially though, mostly because I was not in a couple for the first part of the year (see below) so I had the time and motivation to get to know my classmates and workmates more. It was nice to meet people on my own as an adult, since the last time I had been single I was in high school. Happily, even now that I'm in a couple again, I'm still making the time and effort to make friends on my own and cultivate those relationships because I know how important they are.

Family:

Family stuff stayed pretty much the same this year, if not got better due to more frequent visits. I stayed close with my dad and step-mom, which is great, and became closer to my cousins and uncle on my dad's side of the family while I lived in NYC. I also spent a lot of time with my maternal grandparents in Washington over the summer while I was working with them.

Relationships:

This is the tricky part. During the latter months of 2008 Leigh and I broke up after more than 6 years together and we stayed broken up for about 7 or 8 months. During this time we both branched out socially and made new friends individually, which was good for both of us, and we both contemplated/attempted dating other people, which I think we both agree really sucks no matter how you cut it. When you've been with one person so long and you know them really well and really care about them it's a near impossible task to imagine going on a crappy date with someone you're not that into just for the sake of dating.

While we were broken up we still saw each other sometimes and we talked on the phone a lot. In the end we worked out all the problems we had been ignoring for a few years, dealt with some issues, and realized that we are truly best friends and want to together after all. That happened around the time I graduated from law school in May. Things have been really good ever since. We even figured out a way for Leigh to stay with me in France for 3 months so we could travel together and share these important experiences, which has been really good for us.

Travel:

I have traveled A LOT this year. I traveled in the US quite a bit- all over New York (Buffalo, NYC, Long Island, Putnam County), to Boston, to Virginia to visit my family, Leigh and I drove through the southern states to see the sights and wound up in Florida to visit my brother. I flew to Anchorage and stayed for about 2 months for the bar exam, then was in Seattle for just over one month to work with my family. Of course, while in Buffalo, I went to Ontario a few times (Niagara Falls and Toronto) on day trips. Since coming to Europe I have visited several communities around Antibes. Leigh and I have been to Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and we were just in Paris over Christmas.

Misc:

2009 was a big year for me and for Leigh. Our lives have changed so much and we have had so many experiences. It seems like every month or so we were looking ahead toward yet another big change and something to be excited about and plan for. 2009 has also been a transitional sort of year for me (and both of us). I closed a very big chapter of my life (school) and chose to take a gap year before opening the next big chapter (career). I don't know what I'm going to do long term for work, but hopefully with enough diligence and faith something meaningful will come along. In the coming years we are planning to make provisions for a decent home, a savings account, a dog and maybe a baby pretty soon!

Well, that's all for 2009. I hope 2010 is similarly exciting but also more stable, as I'd like to have a single address for a while and a job that lasts more than a few months. A few of my New Year's resolutions include finding a second job here in France, visiting a few more countries, getting serious about finding a job in the US when I get home, and being more diligent about getting exercise aside from walking to and from the bus. I suppose I should also get serious about learning to speak French!

Home Sweet Home

First of all: Happy New Year!

Last night Leigh and I were in Paris ringing in the New Year with a couple thousand other people at Champs Elysees. We had been promised fireworks and light shows. We took a bottle of cider and a bottle of champagne with us to Paris. First we went to the Marais neighborhood to get falafel from L'As du Fallafel (Lenny Kravitz says it's the best in the world), which was very yummy. Then we took the FREE metro to Concorde and drank our cider. We walked up and down the Champs Elysees for a couple of hours to stay warm and then drank our bottle of champagne around midnight. By 15 minutes after midnight we were headed back to the apartment with about 1/4 of Paris to catch the last trains to the Ile de France area. In the end the fireworks were very underwhelming, as were the light shows, but the mood was festive and it was better than sitting at the apartment in the suburbs waiting for our early morning flight.

Last night and this morning were like the never ending day. At 2am Leigh and I were hauling our luggage from the apartment to the train station to catch the night bus toward Charles de Gaulle Airport. We took a night bus to Gare de Lyon (sketchy), then the RER D train to Gare du Nord (extra sketchy including drunks and a guy peeing on a staircase as we walked up it) then RER B to CDG (super, duper sketchy complete with a girl screaming bloody murder at one stop and the train having technical problems and sitting in the middle of nowhere at another stop). We FINALLY made it to CDG and onto our plane, which landed in Nice 20 minutes early, then took the bus to Antibes, which also went very quickly. Then we walked up the hill to the apartment with our luggage and collapsed into bed. Neither of us budged for about 7 hours! In all it was a great trip and I plan to write more on my website in the coming days.