"Je suis Charlie"

Freedom of press is a common factor between Europe and North America.
I cannot ignore this recent event in spite of being overwhelmed and tunnel-visioned by a ton of work.

Since living in France, I've made it a point to make sure I read as many of the various newspapers and magazines that this country has to offer. It's an impressive collection. Journalism on a national level such as what we find in Charlie Hebdo and Le Canard Enchaîné does not exist in America. We are a country that claims to be proud of our freedom of speech and press, and yet, I don't think that a lot of Americans would find the humor nor tolerate this level of journalistic satire. That's what I love about France. It's a country that loves its newspapers, in contrast to the US where almost all newspapers have gone digital reducing their prose comparable to short blogs and Twitter phrases. I love how Air France provides a large selection of free newspapers (French ones and American ones) that you can pick up as you board the plane. Au contraire, this is what I found in an American airport while waiting for one of my flights last summer:

 
This attack is very symbolic. In the US, terrorists attack the symbol of finance. In France, terrorists attack the symbol of the plume. The importance of political satire in France is unlike anything in the US. You have to understand French humor and learn to appreciate it. Freedom of press and speech is so important to the French that the reaction to the attack is parallel to 9/11. For example, I saw this caricature somewhere on facebook and found it here: https://twitter.com/RLOppenheimer/status/552848047089405952/photo/1

One thing many of us ex-pats have in common is that we often agree that we feel like we are somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. I grew up bilingual, but I did not grow up with Charlie Hebdo. I've been listening to what my Frenchie has been saying and his reaction along with observing the events at Place de la République in Paris. Wish I could have gone to Paris to do some killer photojournalism, my true photographic passion. While I sympathize and my heart reaches out to the victims of the families and friends, I feel a bit like an outsider on this one, stuck in the middle of the Atlantic. I was, however, very moved by Patrick Pelloux's account of the event, emergency doctor and Charlie Hebdo contributor, a first witness on the scene. My Frenchie's sister posted this link - haven't found anything interesting in English:
http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2015/01/08/patrick-pelloux-video-france-inter-itele-rescape-charlie-hebdo-attaque-attentat_n_6434528.html?ncid=fcbklnkfrhpmg00000001

And of course, Jon Stewart, one of our own fabulous political satirists (on TV, of course - we Americans can't seem to read newspapers anymore) couldn't put it any better, in my humble opinion:

The massacre at Charlie Hebdo is, of course, something political satirists in the United States want to address. Last night, Jon Stewart stopped joking around and delivered some serious remarks about the murders, noting that "our goal tonight is not to make sense of this because there is no sense to be made" but reflecting that the monstrous crimes emphasize what the overwhelming majority of us have in common. People on both sides of conventional political divides and arguments are still all on "team civilization." - www.vox.com/2015/1/7/7507849/charlie-hebdo-attack-terrorists-paris-shooting

A New Year....

Sooo, it's a new year. Well, I'm on a school year calendar, and this year still ain't over for me.

It's been almost a year since I've posted anything. I started this blog originally with the intention to burst everyone's bubble romanticizing France, yet still keep a positive tune. However, things haven't been very positive over here. My conversations with several friends during my last trip home revealed that no one knows how catastrophic the situation is for a lot of people here in Europe. Not much has changed and while I'm trying to keep a positive outlook, it's been very hard these days, so there's the main reason why I haven't been very present. Anywhere. Except at work.

While frantically trying to earn some money, I've been trying to A) take care of baby B) Study for the GRE (torturous to the tune of "Cutthroat Kitchen") and C) trying to work. Oh, and then I find out that due to an administrative error, I'm not getting paid for one of my teaching jobs until the end of January rather than the end of December as I had been informed and now I'm totally screwed financially this month. And when I say screwed, I mean truly screwed. I have no savings, no retirement, nothing. D) The GRE is starting to drive me crazy, and E) while trying to continue to do some research and after getting bawled out by one of my professors, I'm feeling pretty discouraged today - yet I keep reminding myself that I do have cheerleaders in my corner.

French universities are very confusing and are not forthcoming with information. Back home, American universities welcome you with open arms, campus activities and plenty of parties to get you into trouble if you're not careful... Football games, basketball games and sports galore to keep up that spirit and artistic endeavors to open the mind run rampant on American campuses.

I remember my first experience at a French university when I was an assistant for the IUFM and I was sent over to the university in Poitiers to work with the students over there. To get there, I had to take a bus 15 minutes out of the city center to a virtually empty campus with a few large, ominous, gray, concrete, scary buildings with long halls that echo and no campus map, no campus activities, no band music in the distance and certainly no smiling faces welcoming you to the university. But my second year as a lecturer at the University of Poitiers also gave way to long-lasting friendships that formed when four Anglophones shared an office with furniture that had seen more than its fair share of wear & tear, and an outdated PC. It became our little hideaway, a place where we created, conversed, giggled and helped each other up when we were feeling down or frustrated by bureaucracy. I miss that daily support that helped me get through each day.

What's happening now is too sad and too hard for me to report. I'm preparing to go back to the States for a while because I need a break from France, from Europe and from too much bureaucracy.

What to do with this blog? Let me know in the comments below or on fb what you want to hear about life as an ex-pat in the land of the Gauls. I thought perhaps I could share stories of the good years before it became too hard and I stopped writing and taking photos and being, well, me. What do you think?

And, as I wanted this to be a photoblog, here are a couple photos of what happens to the stroller when I do errands. Baby ends up in baby carrier. Baguettes in baby seat ;) Enjoy :)