Back Stateside Again

This post is coming a bit late, but, after 10½ months in Europe, all things had to come to an end and, a week ago, I left France and came back to the US.

However, I didn't go quietly; since I had to go to Lyon to go to the airport, I decided to make a nice trip out of it. So I spent four days in Lyon combined with a daytrip to Geneva, Switzerland. Lyon is quite pretty and easy to get around; probably as much to see as in Paris, but without the size of the French capital. And a lot of the good things in Lyon are free, so there was no need to hemorrhage money left and right. Definitely a plus.
Geneva was cute and adorable... and very expensive. I went there with the express purpose of spending money and sightseeing (I had a large number of Swiss Francs I wanted to get rid of), and both missions were accomplished, but it's amazing how much prices jump once you enter the tiny little country. Still, though, the added benefit of Switzerland is that the product selection is very different compared to that in France... seems more like a hybrid of what you'd find in Germany and what you'd find in France, all squished into a single package. In any event, I got lotsa good pictures and had a very good time before...

On the 1st of May, however, it was time to return to the US. Leaving on the first, however, was a mistake logistically... because, in France, 1 May is la fête du travail, or Labor Day. For most French public holidays, things, like public transport, still run; I arrived back in France after winter break on 1 January, and that wasn't a problem. However, Labor Day in France is special and, as a result, the Lyon public transport network was completely non-operational that day.

Fortunately, what wasn't offline was the express tram from Lyon to the airport. So, I took a taxi from my hostel to the train station and the tram from the Lyon Part-Dieu station to the Lyon St-Exupéry Airport. And, with it being a holiday (perhaps), the airport was practically deserted. Definitely a plus.

Getting checked in and through security in Lyon was fairly straightforward and painless, and the airport seemed to operate a lot like a US airport in layout. Not much airside, but still a decent amount. The flight from there to Paris was short (1 hour), so it wasn't bad at all.

Connecting in Paris, however, was... fun. I was in one terminal and had to go to another. Fortunately, there was a pedestrian route, so I started following that. First, there was exit control; guy took my passport, turned to a blank page, and stamped it in a matter-of-fact manner. I then thought, cool, the gate shouldn't be far away. That was a misjudgment... it took about 20 minutes to walk to another surprise security control. And after that was the gate.

Airside was, fortunately, a bit less deserted than the first time I went through de Gaulle airport, but still overpriced and with not a good selection. Fortunately, I didn't have too long until I got to board the plane. This plane was the largest I had been on... an Airbus 380. A fully double-decked plane... I was on the lower level, but it was still awesome. The flight was long, the food wasn't too bad, and the seat neighbors weren't too horrible... just like usual.

When we landed at JFK airport, it felt a bit like Heathrow all over again... a bit of a walk to Immigration, and the line I didn't go to was jam-packed with people waiting. Getting through immigration and customs was fast and painless (and, fortunately, not very unfriendly) and the terminal I arrived at and the one I needed to go to weren't separated by much, so it was a short walk. And more waiting once through security. The flight from JFK back into Charlotte arrived... early. By about an hour. So I needed to wait around a bit for my father to arrive and, after he got me, we made the three-hour drive back to Stedman.

It fortunately hasn't been too hard to adjust to being back in the US. I do miss France (a lot), but being nice and relaxed and having time to relax has really been good. Only really strange thing is that, now, I'm running errands on my own (driving!) and that my brother isn't yet here. In a week, though, that'll be changed. I have a few more things coming up soon, like a trip to Wisconsin and one to Colorado; I might fit a Canada trip in somewhere this summer; and... I might be headed back to France this fall. Turns out that my paperwork for the renewal wasn't rejected after all! Unfortunately, the number of posts for assistants was reduced by 20%, but there's still that glimmer of hope that I'll get to return. For that would be awesome.

So, with that, this blog shall probably lie dormant for a while until more fun adventures occur. While I didn't post as regularly as I would've liked to, I thank anyone who read this for... reading this (yeah) and, additionally, all the people in Germany and France for making my stay awesome and wonderful. It's always funny to see how things differed from what I anticipated, and it's almost always been different for the better.

Bis bald / À plus,

Larry

Tying Up the Loose Ends

These past two days have been a bit sad, in a way; they're the last days that I've worked at the lycée.

Originally, when I came to France, I was expecting a rather usual experience: most of the teaching assistants, for example, work with high school students. Instead, I got something very different, mostly with students about my age. At first, it was daunting in a way... but things got easier and, in a way, being with older students allowed me to talk more about things that they would have first-hand experience with (such as politics, cars, travel, work, etc.). So, in a way, it was a bit more rewarding and easier to relate to the students. This doesn't mean that I didn't have a good time with the seconde classes, though; I also found energetic students who were more than happy to learn and practice English, some of whom I would want to see more of if I had the chance to stick around.

I still have one day of work left at the collège before I shove off for Lyon. That, too, was great. It was disheartening to hear that previous assistants didn't like working there, and I found it hard to understand why they hated it so much: the teachers there are friendly and the students, while younger, generally less shy and less loath to speaking English and making mistakes. But maybe that's just an aspect of me being a bit of a positive person; always looking for the plus in a situation and not being discouraged by the fact that some of my students spoke not a word of English.

The hardest part of it all, though, it imagining how quickly this year's gone by. It doesn't seem like too long ago that I was getting ready for graduation from Ripon College, having my rear end handed to me by Chemical Instrumentation, and preparing to go to Germany for my BASF internship. Now, I'm looking at heading back to the US and starting graduate school in the fall. And I really wish I could get the contract renewal and spend more time here in France; with each passing day, receiving the contract renewal seems less and less likely. But the fingers are still crossed.

With regards to the election, though... some of the results were quite shocking. The second round will take place after I've returned to the US, and that also looks to be interesting. Not as interesting as 2002 was, mind you, but still a potential adventure.

Four Countries, Four Very Different Experiences

France is the fourth different country that I've lived in. Living in a place, naturally, gives you a very different view and experience compared to visiting as a tourist, and thinking about how that experience differs from those in your home country or other places you've lived can be, at minimum, somewhat different.

Not to mention that, since I don't have much longer in France, I wanted to review some of the pluses from each country that I lived in on this stay in Europe.

Germany

• Germany's public transport system is peerless in many regards: it runs on time and has very, very good coverage. Not to mention that long-distance express trains are fairly reasonably priced.
• If you don't understand something, many Germans seem more than willing to help you to understand. Or speak in English if possible. Speaking of that...
• Germans, in general, have a fairly decent level of English. It's not like in Denmark or Sweden where everybody speaks it, but finding an English speaker isn't too daunting or impossible of a task.
• Shops are generally open continuously until 8 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. Granted, they are almost all closed on Sundays, but that's workable. In comparison, shops in France normally close at 7 and sometimes close on other days, like Mondays (or Monday mornings).
• German bakeries are excellent. As are German meats. And candies. And food in general, truth be told.
• Food in Germany, generally, is quite a bit cheaper in comparison with France. Especially if you eat out. The fact that both France and Germany use the same currency make this even more visible.
• German bureaucracy, while it can be tiresome at times, generally runs efficiently and, in addition, assures that you will have an answer if you have a question. And that said answer will be correct. And it's easier to navigate than the French.

France

• Contrary to the stereotypes, the French (I've dealt with) are friendly and polite. Not rude. And they're delighted to hear a foreigner speaking French.
• There's a lot more of a regional identity in France: especially in Auvergne, where I currently live, people are proud to be Auvergnat and promote local products and culture to a very great degree.
• Public transit may not be as good between cities or once you get outside the city center, but it's workable and generally cheaper within the cities. (ex. €2.40 for a single ticket in Frankfurt am Main compared to €1.70 for one in Paris and €1.60-ish in Lyon). In any event, it's still much cheaper than Copenhagen.
• France has excellent bakeries and lots of delicious things.
• By and large, the French seem to prefer smaller shops a lot more to the larger ones. It's much easier to find farmers' markets here and, really, they're held with a lot more frequency.
• Where I live, temperatures are quite moderate and rarely ever horribly cold. Granted, it's not very warm right now, but that's minor.
• Local trains are nice and spacious... a bit more pleasant than the ones in Germany.

I mean, though, the experiences I've had are quite different from a social aspect: as my French is much better than my German, I'm able to (and willing to) communicate a lot more without needing to ask "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" (or "Parlez-vous anglais?") all the time. And I hate having to ask others to speak English, so it's a great asset to be able to communicate more easily here.

But, all in all, it's hard to say what I like more. I grew up in Germany, yeah, but I'm living on my own here in France and doing a job that I really love. So is the experience better here in France? In a way, probably. And yet asking me to choose which I like better is like asking if I like cake or pie more. I like them each in their own way, but I can't say I like one more than the other.

Ah, whatever. Anyways, I'm off to do a bit more exploring and wandering; without much time left before the 1st of May, I've quite a bit more I want to do. And that's part of why I want to return next year... really, why I'd prefer to do that rather than immediately heading off to grad school.

Coming soon (maybe): French election stuff! Yes, it's going on right now, and comparing it to the US Election allows for interesting comparisons to be made. It's great to discuss it with my students.

Let the Fun Continue...

The program I'm on in France allows U.S. citizens to participate twice, either in two consecutive years in the same Académie or two nonconsecutive years in either the same or different regions. Of course, for the second consecutive year, one normally gets placed towards the bottom of the queue for receiving an assignment (as the intention is to first give an opportunity to the people who applied for a first year over the people who are applying for a renewal), so it's not guaranteed. Which is why I'm applying to graduate schools (admittedly, though, not very hard... Minnesota and Florida State are the big ones for now) as a back-up plan.

However, I am applying for a second year in France. I know, I'm crazy, but there are several reasons:
1.) I like my job and I like where I'm at here in France. If I like the situation I'm in, why change it?
2.) Giving myself an extra year will allow me a bit more time to earn some cash and also to get some more experience working abroad, plus it'll also give me the chance to get the other test that many graduate schools in Physics want or require. It's a test that's only offered thrice a year, and, to be honest, it was impossible to get it done last year.
3.) Another year in France will give me more of a chance to improve my French, which desperately needs improvement.

But I'm not going to do the Germany-France two-step that I did last year. Simply put, the issue with the visas and residence permits arises again: I'd have to get an entry visa for Germany due to my stay in France, and that's a fun adventure requiring a trip to Paris or Atlanta (depending on where I'd be at the time). As much as I love Germany, it's probably not a good idea. Not to mention my passport is almost full, and I intend to do at least a bit of travelling this summer.

Speaking of this summer, I'm thinking of giving myself a self-birthday present with a trip out of the US. I'm thinking Canada, Mexico, or someplace in the Western Hemisphere this time, but definitely out of the US. But we'll see.

Look and Move Along

Like Germans, Frenchmen have their own quirks regarding clothes, fashion, and the such as well as stores, where things are sold, opening hours, and the such. And it's always fun to make all sorts of observations about their habits.

• I'm sleeping, you're eating: Here in France, dinner/supper time is much, much later than I'm used to, but lunches are, likewise, normally longer. Lunch here in France is often from 12-ish to 1:30 or 2 in the afternoon. Accordingly, many restaurants close by three and don't re-open normally until 7. This is in contrast to most other countries I've visited in recent memory, but a part of it also arises from lunch being a much larger meal here than dinner. In any event, if I want to go out to a non-fast food place to eat, my options are a bit limited unless I wait until late in the evening, the time when I'm normally in using my computer, playing video games, or otherwise. It's not like Spain, though, where dinner usually starts at 9 in the evening... so that's a plus.
• Metal galore: While some Germans, it seemed, had an affinity for piercings galore, the French also do, though it seems like more French men have piercings than German men. The ears and eyebrows seem rather popular. But I don't think I've seen anyone here with particularly wild hairstyles... seems a bit like the French prefer to blend in a bit more.
• Clothing makes the Frenchman: The sense of style here in France (and also in Germany) is quite a bit different from in the US. Trousers/pants, for example, rarely ride low, scarves are very popular accessories, and darker colors seem to be the norm, particularly with jackets. Also, I've very rarely, at least in France, seen any of the rather... daring things many younger women in the US seem to be fond of as of late. While clothing, in general, seems to be a bit slimmer and closer-fitting, it's very rarely revealing.
• Sorry, no smokes here: In Germany, cigarettes were available everywhere- vending machines, convenience stores, grocery stores, and the such. In France, however, that's not the case! You can only purchase cigarettes and tobacco products at a tobacconist (tabac). Tobacconists are very much like newsstands in Germany, as they often sell things such as lottery tickets, post cards, magazines, candies, newspapers, and important things called timbres fiscaux, stamps which are used to pay taxes, fines, fees for French bureaucracy, and the such. But that still doesn't seem to stop people here from smoking (a lot), even though cigarettes are about 50% more expensive than in Germany... (must avoid rant)

So, yeah, that's about it for the "observations of France" part of this post.

In interesting news, I think I may have found a more permanent place to live! It's not open until next week (the 6th), but I'll see if I can sign the rent agreement tomorrow or at some point this week. It's about average price-wise and more expensive (in all) than what I had in Germany, but the fact that it'd be my own place in the city center is all worth it. So, fingers are crossed...

Also, hopefully at the end of the break, I'll be able to get the paperwork for validating my visa going. Due to the schools being closed until the 2nd, I'm unable to check my mail, so I'm hoping that the OFII paperwork's waiting for me. As well as the last paperwork to close out my stay in Germany...

And, with that, have a good weekend.

Bis Bald, Deutschland

Today, I will be bidding Germany farewell yet again as I leave for the environs of France at just shy of 10 in the morning. A longer update will be posted once I'm situated in my new country.

Farewell, Germany; good-bye, BASF. It's been fun. When will I be back? Who knows. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Two Day Service

About a month ago, I went through the process of acquiring a German residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel). It was, in a way, a bit hair-pulling considering I needed that permit to apply for a French visa but also because I really didn't hear any feedback on my application until I got the notice of approval, and it took about three weeks to accomplish. So, naturally, since the visa I'll have to travel to France serves as a residence permit, I was expecting similar processing times. As stated in the previous post, I specifically went to Switzerland because, normally speaking, the visa process takes several weeks.

I was wrong with what I had assumed. For me, it took two days.

Yesterday, I headed up to Frankfurt am Main rather early in the morning and got to the consulate well in advance of my appointment. I had directions, but I really didn't know where I was going. Surprisingly for me, the U-Bahn put me out on Zeppelinallee, the road that the consulate was situated on. And it was a very quick walk up the road to my destination, a rather unassuming building distinguished by the French flag and the emblem of the French Republic.

I headed in, greeted the guard in French and, after a quick bag search, I went back to the visa section, a small office. I was served rather quickly by a lady who spoke some English (which helped out a bit) and, after being fingerprinted and photographed and all the papers I had were sorted through and sorted, I was given a receipt and told to return the next day with my passport. This isn't what I thought would happen...

I otherwise accomplished quite a bit of sightseeing and exploring in Frankfurt, despite the rain, and headed back to Ludwigshafen, still confused. What just happened... did she really say I could return tomorrow? Adding to the fun was that I had only taken a day off work for the visa appointment, expecting a much longer turnaround. So, I formulated a plan.

Today, I headed into work and explained to one of my coworkers that I needed to run to Frankfurt. He, fortunately, understood, so I headed almost immediately to the train station. About an hour later, I was in Frankfurt. I made my way back to the consulate and the person who had served me the day before, upon recognizing me, indicated that she would help me after she was done with the person ahead of me. Once she was finished, I walked up, gave her my passport, and, after printing off the visa sticker and getting it signed by the Consul, I walked out of the visa office with a shiny visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour. Score.

So, yeah. A process that takes a lot of people several weeks took me two days here at Frankfurt. And I have no idea why it got approved so quickly. But, ultimately, you just take it with a smile and walk on.

Falling into Place

Everything's all falling into place with the paperwork and such. Which makes me happy.

For one, I'll hopefully have my Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit) on Thursday. All I have to do is go to the Foreigner's Office, pay them € 50 (~$70), and I'll have a pretty sticker in my passport.

The other thing is that some of the paperwork I'll need for my stay in France is coming! In order to work as a language assistant in France, I need a visa, and this visa requires a work contract. The work contract is on its way to me right now, and I'm aiming to apply for my visa in the middle of August. The visa's free of charge, but I have to personally go to Frankfurt to apply for it (they don't accept applications by mail). Accordingly, I'll just turn my consular visit into a day of sightseeing in Frankfurt, a city that I'm not too familiar with save the airport. But, regardless, I'll be working at both a lycée (high school) in the city of Clermont-Ferrand and at a collège (middle school) in a suburb called Gerzat. I presume I'll find out more later, probably after I contact the people in charge of the schools. Also, this means I should probably start looking for housing and accommodation (but not too hard yet, as one of the schools might have arrangements... and I don't yet have my visa).

Also, I figure a few pictures are in order. Clockwise from the bottom, we have scenes of the Speyer Dom, a very large cathedral in Speyer (30 minutes from Ludwigshafen) and the resting place of several German kings of old; a random church along the Rhein; and the Wasserturm in Mannheim, a rather prominent landmark with pretty gardens. (Yes, I like flowers.)

And... that's pretty much it for now. Have a good remainder of your week.

Paperwork Hell

With about 10 days left before my departure, one of the things I've been working on taking care of, other than the various things that I want to do on this end, is getting some of the paperwork ready for the stay(s) abroad. Unsurprisingly, it seems both the German and French governments love inordinate amounts of paperwork. At least in Germany, though, the paperwork doesn't seem to prevent things from being accomplished with the usual level of German efficiency.

Most of the stuff that needs to be taken care of in Germany has to be done in that first week before I begin work. And it's not a small amount of stuff, either:

1.) Resident registration: That has to be practically the first thing before I can take care of anything else, and that's because most places require a document called a Meldebestätigung, a document certifying that I completed registration formalities. To do this, I have to find an Einwohnermeldeamt, an office where I can complete this registration.

2.) Residence permit: Since I decided that staying in Germany for about 4 months was what I wanted, I have to get a residence permit, or Aufenthaltstitel. Legally, since what I'm doing isn't classified as work, I have to have it within 90 days of entry. Functionally, however, I have to have it before I can even begin work because my internship is longer than 90 days! Hence, that has to be gotten before my first day on the 16th.

3.) Bank Account. This probably requires the former two to be accomplished so I can receive the stipends from all relevant sources.

Oh, and I also need to start preparing for going to France. Whee! But the reward once all of the paperwork has been taken care of will make it all worth it, I'd imagine.

And maybe getting my driver's license is somewhere in there.

And, with that, enjoy the rest of your weekends.

Zdraveyte

And welcome, one and all, to this, a blog about my misadventures in travelling. Especially to Europe, where I will be in less than a month. Whee!

Europe is one of the many places that I've been familiar with, being a child of a soldier in the US Army. I lived in Germany for 6 years as a result of him being stationed there and in a little town called Ansbach. I got to return to Germany, but this time to Leipzig (a much larger city) almost two years ago on a chemistry internship, and that was a blast. I also went to Swansea in the UK for a semester of study, and that, especially the month of travelling over spring break, was a blast.

Right now, I'm finishing up here at my university, Ripon College, and will be graduating tomorrow. It's not fun having to pack everything up and say goodbye to a place that I've grown to know and somewhat like over the past three years. But, of course, there are bigger and better adventures that await, and the first one is to Ludwigshafen, Germany, as an intern for BASF SE. Afterwards, if all goes as planned with the visa, it'll be off to France to teach English for about 7 months. Then grad school, wherever that may be.

More will probably be posted as it gets closer to the departure date, so stay tuned!