La Braderie!

What in the world is la braderie???? When you search for the translation, a single word that tells you what it is in English, it does not exist in this case. This is what happens very often in translation (another reason why no one should EVER trust a google/bing/etc translator). It's all about context, context, CONTEXT!

For those who can understand le français ;) here is a dictionary translation of une braderie:

• Foire annuelle au cours de laquelle les habitants vendent à bas prix des vêtements ou autres objets usagés.
• Vente de soldes souvent hors boutique par les commerçants d'une ville.

Whaaat? Okay, basically a braderie is several different things rolled up in one, and can be translated as: 

a garage/yard sale, a clearance/liquidation sale, a discount shop or store

 

In France, most people don't have yards or even a garage for that matter, so one to three times per year, the city allows braderie organizers to shut down an entire neighborhood from traffic. Regular folks and retail folk rent a certain number of meters that have been marked numerically by spray-paint on the curb, and everyone gets up before the crack of dawn and sets up camp to sell their offerings. It's not only a street garage/discount store sale, but a huge social event as well with food stands and camaraderie.

After one of my fabulous Frenchy friends saw my recent facebook status updates with the gofundme campaign, etc, she invited me to join her little stand at the latest braderie in the historic center in Rennes. It was a gorgeous day, and hot. We got hit by the sun for several hours. We were sandwiched between a couple of what I call professional braderers who turned out to be very friendly and helpful by sharing their parasols with us to help protect us from the blazing sun. 

I did my best to snap a few photos, but I often was very busy and we both had to keep an eye on our things like a hawk as a couple of our neighbors did end up having some items stolen.... 

I also encountered real cultural differences when confronted by North Africans who didn't want to pay you for anything... Argh! That was quite an experience. I refused to let things go to those who didn't want to pay a dime - and they could be pushy, let me tell ya! I often held my ground, but there was one person from this culture who got away with one of my items for much less than its value. Grrr. But, I can't complain. The overall camaraderie between fellow braderie neighbors and the different characters we encountered who bought (or tried to buy for nothing) our items was indescribable. In spite of the ultimate thrifty buyers out there, the day overall was very successful. I managed to get rid of stuff and had some cash in my pocket to buy groceries and things we needed for the month.

I could write an entire book on this one single day alone. 

I would just like to take a moment to shout out a huge MERCI BEAUCOUP to Laetita who not only took some gorgeous photos of Ophelia in her beautiful studio, but also helped get me in gear to start dealing with the reality of packing and letting go of stuff. This blog article in particular is dedicated to TOI, Laetitia! Autrement dit, cet article en particulier est dédié à toi, ma chèr' Laetita! Big bisous!

And so, without further ado, the photos!

Our little stand filled with our offerings :)

Me and fabulous fellow photographer, Laetitia, who graciously invited me to share the stand with her. She totally rocks!

Managed to get one shot of the general street atmosphere :)

Lots of camaraderie even between the babes! ;)

"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 :)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

As promised in my last post, lots of news to share: 

Future Dr. Tigerlily!
My subject that continues my work on the future of Francophones in Louisiana has been accepted at the University Rennes 2. I can check that box. Now for the hard part: working with either University of Louisiana-Lafayette or Tulane University in some kind of partnership and getting financing.... In any case, I feel like I am moving onto the next step and that the hope is still there that ESL teaching will eventually become a thing of the past...

New (temporary) job!
Thanks to a colleague from one of the schools I've worked at, I was offered a job at a small company that does voice synthesizing for software, video games, etc... They are now adding English American style to their repertoire and I've been hired to work on that project. I get to use my skills from sociolinguistics as well as the film world in this position and it's also a nice break from teaching.

However, as I'm already bound to a permanent contract with the applied arts school and as the job announcement came up after the school year started, I'm still teaching part-time and doing the new job part-time. It's also a temporary position, so I can't afford to drop the applied arts school as of yet.....

FINALLY SUCCESS!!
My very special announcement accompanies the photos below taken this afternoon in the area called Canal St Martin where the countryside meets the city and also where we walk the puppy princesses (there's a large field off the road called Prairie St Martin - a great area to run the puppies off-leash). I chose this area because I like its industrial/country-like ambiance as well as hitting 2 birds with one stone by getting a good doggie-walk. Fall is now in full force in Rennes which means rain, rain and more rain, so also took advantage of the break between deluges....

Drum roll please and without further ado, after four long years of trying to conceive, 2 of those years involved fertility treatments (all charges covered by the health care system - the French like to help people make babies), filled with blood, sweat and tears (literally), we finally had success on June 29th when I had a second IUI. I have been moving very cautiously and still am in a state of disbelief - so much so, that I think I'm having a hard time making a connection to the future person that is developing in my belly - I guess once you've lived through infertility, it's hard to believe that there's a little bean on the way; it feels like walking on glass because you know that so many things could still go wrong.... November 19th is the next ultrasound - hopefully, we will be able to see if it's a girl or a boy and hopefully, all is well. I feel excited and apprehensive.

And voila! A few photos to share with everyone the good news:

Taken in front of a very cool spot where artsy stuff takes place - it has so much more potential, but unfortunately, is rarely open. You can see my pups in the reflection as well as a good shot of my belly now at 5 months. And, I have a "new" car! Thanks to my parents' help, I finally got rid of the little French car and am driving the same model as my mom, a PT Cruiser! It's like having a little bit of home with me at all times :)

Below : New baby on four wheels and new baby on the way - whoa baby!

A few shots according to my Tigereye of Canal St Martin:

Above & Below : One of the many paths that lead to Prairie St Martin, using a couple different effects.

Puppy Plage

And we're back!

Many profuse apologies for my absence. I've been pretty distracted during these past few moons since my last blog.

So many things have been happening all at once, lots of good things. After hitting rock bottom, things can only go up! But I'm saving the announcements for the next post as I've got a couple new photo ideas I'm working on for that...

I was inspired by my recent trip to the island of Jersey to post photos of the one thing I enjoy the most here in Brittany : being with my Frenchie & my puppy princesses (both are rescues & have their own interesting stories) & the beaches of St Malo....

It's a Catch-22 World Out There....

It has been so hectic since my last post with the end of the school year before me. The end is nigh, finally. Classes and exams are done. All I have to do is calculate the grades. Yeah, that only takes hours and hours and hours for which I am not paid....

This is how I feel by the end of the school year...

If I knew that my destiny were to teach English as the only means of a low-income salary to stay in France, I don't think I would have chosen this path. Would I? If I were to do it all over again, what would I choose? I fell head over heels for my Frenchie and part of my reasoning was made by my heart. Not logical at all, as Spock would advise. Part of it was also because I was so desperate to have health care. I grew up with a sick mother and the ridiculousness of the health care system in the US. But more and more, I don't care anymore. I just want to earn a decent living. I'm not trying to be rich here. I would simply like to earn my own money so that I can be independent like I was when I was in the States and the first four years I lived in France....

If I knew that I would have to go through one failed fertility treatment after another, being here is an advantage as treatments are of no cost to me. Thank goodness because I certainly am horribly exploited in my teaching job. I don't want to focus only on being reproductively challenged (as Charlotte from "Sex and the City" would say) but I have been feeling down recently because of this in addition to everything else, and the exhaustion that goes with the end-of-the-school-year madness does not help at all. But as my lack of fertility has become a big part of my life (especially since it is such a big deal to have children in this country), I've decided that it isn't something I can filter and hold in. I must "viva voce" it from time to time...

I know that teachers are poorly paid and under-appreciated in general. They are even more so here. There are no "Teacher-of-the-year" awards. No fun conferences to go to in another city. I refuse to do the teacher certification here, the CAPES, because it requires one to two years of arduous, ridiculous and unnecessary work and you may not find a teaching post after all of the blood, sweat and tears. My American brain just cannot accept the constraints of maybe or maybe not passing the CAPES and then having them send me to Paris to one of the most dangerous areas of the city to teach to difficult students that I could never understand and thus, cannot teach. 

When you don't have the CAPES, there are other options like teaching at a language center for professionals. You're badly paid, but you can do a lot of hours because you don't have a lot of outside work. The teaching job that I do have should pay me a teacher's salary that includes the fact that I give exams, give homework and correct all of it which exists in this country as a non-CAPES teacher. But the school where I teach expects me to give exams, etc and pays me the salary of a language center teacher. In my opinion, that's crossing the line of job exploitation that I'm not willing to accept and I am currently trying to decide what to do....

I live in a Catch-22 world. If I quit this job then I wouldn't be able to do what is called "vacataire" positions. This is a type of teaching contract that the university system takes advantage of so that they can hire English teachers without having to be socially responsible for them, thus the reason why you need what is called a "primary employer". Now, I want to keep this article as short and sweet as possible, so I won't go into anymore details. Just believe me when I say that due to the situation I find myself in this country, no wonder I have difficulties getting up in the morning.

I do not like my job. I might find a little more joy with my job if I were paid. I am constantly stressed out. I do not wake up in the morning excited to go to work. If this is what life in France had in store for me, I'd like to give it back. Thank you.

"The End is Nigh" image from http://www.e4africa.co.za/?p=1999
"Catch 22" image from http://lucybaik.blogspot.in/2010/11/catch-22.html
 

And now, photos of Paris (don't forget, folks, I don't live in Paris ;) ). These were taken with my first digital camera, Panasonic Lumix with Leica lens, and my Frenchie's obscure old film camera for a friend who ordered a series of Parisian photos for a cousin who loves Paris. My goal was to simply try to transport the observer to the city. I spent about a week in Paris just wandering around and was paid for it. I wish everyday could be like this - doing something I enjoy doing and making a living at it.

Paris is identified by the Eiffel Tower, la Tour Eiffel, of course! Named after its creator, Gustave Eiffel, it was constructed as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. It was supposed to be dismantled in 1909, but had become so popular and financially successful for the city that it was allowed to remain and continues to be the most popular and most-visited paid monument in the world. The inspiration for this Tour Eiffel series comes from the original 1889 artwork and photos.

 

Île de la Cité & la Seine

Sacré Coeur and street scenes of Montmartre.

Musée d'Orsay located in a 19th Century train station that houses all of the great Impressionists and more...

Another iconic figure of France: Napoléon! Pictured below is his final resting place, Les Invalides and views of his Parisian bridge, Pont Napoléon.

 

And finally, I can't not include my street photography-ness. I have always been fascinated by the Metro in Paris. It's easy to use and it's like a city within a city. Each station is different with a different energy and a unique look.

 

Amélie's stop in Montmartre ;)

 Above: The view across the street from Père Lachaise cemetary.

Below: A view of the neighborhood where I stayed one night when returning from an exciting day out and about.