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Pathetically Excited About … Small Appliances and Cell Service

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The 1st and the 11th of November are holidays in France. It means that I’ve been able to get out of one day of work and one of class. In addition, last week was the internship fair at school – and since I’ve been working at an internship I really enjoy since October…there was no need to go. So I’ve had a lot of down time to catch up on work, to run errands and (in theory at least) do some household chores.

Sadly – or maybe unsurprisingly for those who know me really well – the highlight of the past two long weekends has not been wild parties or grand adventures. The weather has been cold and very wet. And I’ve been feeling a bit poorly – leading me to be even more of a homebody.

But I did do a little shopping and spend a little money…on two small appliances. I bought a mini-four (basically a toaster oven with just oven capabilities) and a printer. Even I can admit its pathetic how truly excited I am about these purchases. In fact I would consider their purchase some of my November highlights. Like I said pathetic. Now I just need to go buy some baking dishes and cookie sheets.

In addition, one of my major errands was to France’s biggest mobile service providers, Orange, basically the French equivalent of AT&T (mobile, internet and TV). When I first was looking at cell service providers I decided to go with Free – it was about 10 euro a month cheaper and included unlimited talking, texting and internet. Supposedly, I should have been able to use my phone to call directly to the United States and I was also to have 3G connectivity for my smart phone. Neither of those things worked and there were massive delays in my service. The most memorable incident was receiving a text message about 12 hours after it was sent.

So last weekend I trekked downtown to the Orange store. And waited and waited and waited. (Two guesses as to what I’ve decided the theme of life in France is.) But I signed a contract for phone service and was able to save my number (so those of you have it can still call/text me no problems). After …you guessed it: three more days of waiting my service finally switched over. While my internet connection still doesn’t seem to be quite up to 3G standards – or maybe I’m just spoiled in the US –  I am now actually able to use my phone to access my email, Facebook and other important functions. And my texting/calling capabilities are now up to par! To be honest it feels like I have reentered the land of the living. So those with iPhones can send me iMessages from the US and we can chat or you can download WhatsApp to text with me over the interwebs!

Le Weekend

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You know it’s been a great weekend when you arrive home late on Sunday night wearing your favorite scarf as a skirt….Ok that sounds more extreme then it actually was. But this weekend was a ton of fun.

I’ll be the first to admit I have long joined the ranks of the working who are so excited for lazy Friday nights. And this Friday night was no different. After a busy week of school, work and administrative adventures I was so happy to relax. I ordered a pizza and a salad, opened a bottle of good wine and watched the Sharks game from a few days prior. It was glorious. And more importantly it allowed me to rest up for an amazing weekend.

Saturday morning was a bit of a scramble as we spontaneously decided to head to Fronsac, one of the many Bordeaux wine appellations, for the portes ouvertes. Many of the small wineries in France are not open on weekends, nor do they provide in depth tours to the public. Except on specially designated weekends or portes ouvertes, which literally means open doors. On these days you can visit the wineries, have a tour and do a little tasting for free.

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The OFII Adventure

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Despite having an accounting class – or maybe because of it – today I braved the OFII, the Office Francais de l’Immigration et de l’Integration, basically passport control. Despite joking about accounting classes – I was required to present myself for a medical appointment and a rendez-vous today.

The OFII is responsible for managing all visas and residence permits in France. There are local offices spread across the company. And today it was my turn to brave this lovely French bureaucracy. Two hours. That’s right two hours. It took two hours to complete everything.

My visit began with a chest x-ray – yes that’s right – apparently the French government is concerned I might have TB. And not only was it an x-ray but I got to walk around topless. Yay! Or not. And not only that but they had to take two x-rays as the first was cut off. Then back to the waiting room.

And then my favorite part of the afternoon – a visit with the cranky nurse. Who seemed upset that I was struggling with some of the French medical terminology and was determined not to like me. There was an eye exam. I got to stand on the scale and get yelled at for being fat. And then was molested with a needle for a blood sugar test. I asked if I could use my left hand for the test as I am right handed. But no. Not only did I have to use my right hand but I had to use my index finger. After getting stabbed I was wrapped with some tape and sent back to the waiting room. Seriously though I have a bruise.

After Nurse Ratched and another waiting room visit I finally got in to see the doctor. Who ordered me to strip again. Yay! Did I mention the office was cold? At least this was just a quick listen to my lungs and heart and a quick skin check. And yes I am aware that I have a couple of moles I should be watching.

Then… you guessed it… back to the waiting room. I was finally called into the office where I got my lovely carte de sejour stamp. Really just another visa sticker. I now get to leave the country and come back! And the really great news…I get to start this whole debacle all over again in July when I want to extend my visa. Yay! I’m really looking forward to that little adventure. Or not.