Noirmoutier

After getting over my sinus infection in about 4 days I spent the first part of my vacation on an island named Noirmoutier off the west coast of France. The family of a friend from Paris have a “country home” there (because everyone has these cute little country homes, its normal), so off we headed from the snows of Paris to the ocean. A 5 + hour drive and we were there. The countryside that we drove through was absolutely breathtaking.

The further we got from Paris, the less snow there was on the ground, until finally there was none. We arrived at about 8pm and waited for the rest to get there to eat dinner. Cute little town with cute little houses and it smells of the ocean but in a different way. Spent four days sleeping until noon, eating nutella on rice cakes, lounging,  buying play mobiles, eating lunch between 2 and 4, napping, reading, watching movies, having guitar hero competitions, going to the beach day and night, eating, eating more and sleeping. Then repeating. Cutest little house. Heated floors. I will most definitely have heated floors when I grow up. Fires in the fireplace all day long. And so much food. The first day we woke up too late and all of the stores were closed (it was Sunday) and somehow ate delicious food all day. Roasted chicken bought at the convenience store and pan roasted potatoes for lunch. Pasta with a tomato sardine sauce. Delicious. Herb pan fried fish, raclette melted by the heat of the fire and a wonderful “Christmas” dinner of oysters, (I am now a oyster shucking master) lamb shoulder and green beans. Lots of POP! Champagne and wine with every meal but never getting drunk.

The beach was beautiful but in a different way than what I’m used to. The sand was different, coarser. The seaweed was amazing. It wasn’t green! It was pinky-red. And all over. A beautiful mix of colors. Covering the beach.

The smell was different. And the coastline. I think I’m finally used to looking out at the ocean and not seeing tree covered islands. We looked out at the ocean and saw the ‘continent’ aka France. And it glittered with lights. And the stars! I don’t think I’ve ever been able to see so many stars in my life. So far away from big cities, less than 1000 people live on this island year round. And the sky is just full! It is really breathtaking. I could picture my momma and poppa living there in the little white/cream colored house with a wall around it, a red tile roof and the doors and shutters painted this certain color of blue. All of the houses are like this. And all of the shutters are just about the same shade of blue. There is a rule as to what color you can paint! And the gardens are beautiful and the streets of the town are windy and narrow. There are boats in the port, and the people of the island raise oysters and take salt from the ocean.

laundry-mat

just at the laundry-mat, enjoying the free wi-fi and doin' my laundry. today is the start of les vaccances. i cant wait.

and a little dunkerque snow magic

why i love the french health care system

My body has finally given into the French germs and I’m sick. I went down to Paris this weekend and drove to Le Mans with to friends to help celebrate Matt’s birthday. However he had been sick all week, I wasn’t feeling very well either, and so it was a pretty laid-back evening. We visited the cathedral of Le Mans and they had it lit up with special lights for Christmas. It was absolutely beautiful.  It was hard to get pictures but here are some. The scene changed every few minutes: stars and the constallations, stained glass, jamming angels, trees, and beautiful blue designs.

But the point of this post is the French medical system. Man do they have it figured out. I’m sure that there are some downsides to it, but so far, so good. Despite my problems (and my bad luck) with the MGEN, which is a special section of the social security for those in the education system, I am very impressed. The MGEN lost my file. Of course. That I sent at the beginning of October. So I redid the whole thing complete with an official translation of my birth certificate (lovingly paid for by one of my schools) and I turned it all in on Wednesday just in time to get sick on Saturday.

I go to the doctor today. Which is completely different from the US. So different. No appointments. I think you can make them if you want, but it doesn’t seem like anyone does. Each doctor has his own office wherever with a little waiting room. No receptionist. No nurse. Mine is just around the corner from my home. Each day there are certain hours that are open for consultation. So I go this morning and wait. There are 4 people ahead of me and we each wait our turn. No false hopes of being seen by a nurse or going into the exam room to wait. It is al upfront and honest. Ten people ahead of you?  You’ve got a wait. Two people? You know exactly how long you have to wait to see the doctor. No lies about 10:15 appointments when really you aren’t seen until noon. It really works well. In my opinion.

It is my turn, and I’ve waited about an hour, not too long in the scheme of doctor waiting times. I tell him that it’s my first time seeing a doctor in France and he tells me that he’s honored. Another thing about doctors in France: they are good looking men. I mean I’m sure that my family doctor back home was once a good looking man, back in the day, but all the doctors I’ve seen in France (this one and the one at my immigration appointment) are all youngish, attractive men. Maybe its because they aren’t over 60? Or even 50 for that matter. And the two French men that I know that are going to school to become doctors are also very good looking. Maybe it’s a requirement here?  That’s silly. But it’s just an observation I’ve made.

In and out of his office in less that 10 minutes. Struggled a little with the medical vocabulary and tried to explain to him my tendency to have ear infections and sinus infections due to my malfunctioning “you know those things that drain your sinuses and your ears” /estuation tubes. He checks everything out, looks in my ears and says it’s his first time in an American ear. I say that I’m honored.  Then he fills out my prescription, and a sheet for the MGEN so I can be reimbursed for my 22 Euro doctor’s visit. 22 ERUOS! Seriously. So cheap. At home I would pay about that much for the co-pay, AND with insurance! He only takes cash or check, so I run down to the ATM to get his money and come back to hand it to him. Simple as that. Then I’m off to the pharmacy. They ask for my “carte vitale”  (which is like your little magic card to health care here. You swipe it; anything you have to pay is taken out of your bank account. Then you are reimbursed. I think.) and I explain to them the problem with the MGEN but that I have a temporary number. The pharmacist makes a comment on how expensive it will be without it, that I will have to pay upfront. I ask if the MGEN reimburses me as well, and she says yes. But still. It will be expensive. Grand total of 31.74 Euros. For three different prescriptions. Antibiotic, nose-spray, cortisone. Oh, by the way I have a sinus infection. But about 10 Euros each. I explain to her that to me, an American, that is very cheap. Even with insurance in the states, I would have paid about that much. And if the MGEN never reimburses me…well that would be terrible. But not a huge loss. Had I been in the same situation in the States I would have been out a couple hundred dollars. And the best thing is that EVERYONE gets this.  Come on America. Take a hint. Really.

Doctors Appointment: 22 Euros

Prescriptions: 31,74 Euros

Not being robbed by your medical system: Priceless.

Since arriving here in France more than two months ago I have:

1.     Seen 29 films-some in French, some in English, some American movies dubbed in French, some with subtitles some without. Sometimes the subtitles don’t line up with the dialogue, like when I watched an old Marilyn Monroe film and she said in French something along the lines of “this is good.” But the subtitle, also in French said, “this is bad.”

2.     Read thirteen books. Well 12.75 books. I’m almost done with the last. Two of these were comic books, but I think that it still counts. Some were in English, some in French. The one I’m reading now is by Sherman Alexie and is translated into French. It’s silly how they translate the names Builds-the-Fire and Warm-Water. Complete direct translations. I read Pygmalion in French then watched My Fair Lady. I finally read Eat, Pray, Love after trying many times and not getting through the first 50 pages. I read one by Virginia Wolf and thought of Alexis. One book was Exercises de Style by Raymond Queneau. He takes the same simple scenario: a man on a bus with a long neck and a silly hat who accuses the man standing next to him of purposefully stepping on his feet. He sits down elsewhere. Later, our narrator sees him again later talking to a friend who is telling him that he should put another button on his overcoat, and then he retells it 99 different times, each time in a different style of writing.

3.     I have forgotten to take pictures. Because now that I feel like I live here, and I’m not just a temporary tourist, I don’t really take my camera with me. And so I feel like maybe I’m forgetting to capture important things. I know that I will remember them, and that they will stay in my memory, but I forget about my family and friends back home. They can’t see into my mind. When I want to tell them about the trees that I can see outside of my window or the ugly storefronts with beautiful buildings towering above them, they won’t be able to picture it. So forgive me, and trust that I will try to take some more pictures to share.

4.     I have made some very good friends.

5.     I have probably listened to every song on my computer. Not that there is a lot. But never before have I done that before. I think I’m ready for some new ones.

6.     I have not been that home sick. I have a teacher that asks me all the time if I am so home sick and if I am so sad to be living by myself and aren’t I soooo lonely and want to be home all the time and I can’t believe that you aren’t going home for Christmas, aren’t you going to be so sad? But in reality I am not. Don’t get me wrong; I am very sad that I will not be able to spend the holidays with my family. And I do get homesick at times. But being here in France, living alone, and teaching is not the WORST thing that could happen to me. It was my choice to do this, and in making this choice, I knew very well what I was getting myself into. She makes it seem like being here is awful. It most definitely is not. Being far away from my family and friends has made me feel more grateful for them. I feel like am more grateful for things in my life. Like easy Internet access. Seedless grapes. Clothes dryers. 24 hour grocery stores-or anything that is open on Sundays. Being able to just call someone up to chat. Especially my Momma. Or take a walk down the street to see a friend. Or gluten-free pastries from Avellino. I do feel very far from home, because, well, I am.  But I know that it will not be forever. And I know that it was my choice to do this. And I know that being here is a wonderful experience that I may not get again.