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!