Barriers to Entry

My french friends must pay their credit card bills at the end of the month. And they pay and annual fee. Ok this is like an Amex card. But they also pay a monthly fee to actually have an account. My boyfriend pays over 10 Euro a month to "have" his account. hmm

So imagine my surprise when I tried to open a french bank account and after arriving with my life in one file folder (social security card, birth certificate, diplomas, Carte de Longue Séjour -aka visa, registration from my current school, doctor's notes, etc. etc. - really if this file disappeard I would officially cease to exist) and a nice first check that they would to give me an account. This on the grounds that I would need to make an appointment, meet with a banker, decide if it was the right bank (i.e. see how the actual charges were hidden - ATM withdrawls, cards, etc.) and then sign papers.
Really?
This in addition to paying a monthly fee for having an account. REALLY?

Yes, apparently, Really. I visited, with my little file folder and check, 5 banks and was told the same things. So I after crying and stamping my feet, I accept that I will not be able to get an account for another week, and thus have to be paid by check from my company, and take appointments with 4 banks in my neighborhood.
What a treat to visit 4 banks at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning and to tell them each that I think their banking charges are ridiculous and that I will not pay them 8 euro per month for them to hold my money and make interest off of it. Finally I find one bank that will do the trick and I get a student discount so I have to pay only 2,50 per month. I pay charges if I take money out of ATMs that are not my bank if I do it more than 10 times in a month.

And Finally.....
another delight, having my account totally electronic and then being charged for asking them to print me statements so that I can take it to the police to renew my visa. Also not being able to deal with any other office of my bank. I can take money out of the ATM but the people inside cannot do a thing with my account - including see what is in it.

Note: We also asked my boyfriend's bank, also his parents bank, for the price for an account (which should be beneficial to everyone involved). Not only did she wait two weeks to respond she wanted to charge 13 euro per month. SERIOUSLY?!

6..7..8..9..10

Clocks in France are all 24 hours.
This means you may have a "rendez-vous" at 20h30 (pronounced twenty hour thirty). And you know that it is p.m. Unlike when you have a flight at 8 and you forget entirely to verify if it is morning or evening. Only to arrive at the airport at 6p.m., ticket in hand, and the desk clerk tells you that you are 11 hours late.
20h is just practical. Plus, people don't leave the house here before 8h30.
I think the U.S. should have 24 hour clocks.

The land of "I don't know"

I actually believe that when people are frustrated and it's emotional or sentimental and they say exhaustedly "I don't know", what they really mean to say is "I know, but I don't like it and thus refuse to acknowledge". But today I am in emotional turmoil and trying to do what is "best for me" but I've got boyfriend fog covering me. Yesterday I was really clear about what to do and had decided to take a breather. But after talking and sleeping last night at our place. I cannot make a decision. Wading through grayness. What happened to the damn ROAD ?!

Example:
I don't know factual
Question: Who won the world series? (a factual and existing piece of information)
Response: I don't know

I don't know emotional
Question: How do you feel? (changing like the weather, but still possible to clearly identify at any given moment)
Response: I don't know (a lie)

I don't know of today
Question: What do you want to do?
Response: I don't know (Is it possible to do 3 things at once?)

Just 1

Yes, my friends, what you are actually seeing is photo of toilet paper. Take notice of the name, "just 1", and also that small icon in the bottom left corner with a 6. That is the "ply" of my toilet paper here in France. And the name, that is how many squares they expect you to use. I cheat and use 2, which might mean I am SUPER lux, instead of just lux. Really, could you resist trying 6 ply toilet paper if given the chance?

Can we?

"Yes we can" was a great slogan. I really admire it for its tenacity. But I cannot tell you how it irritates me now. People find out I am American and it just comes out of their mouth, like word vomit with a big grin to follow. I can do nothing but smile back and give a thumbs up. I am starting to feel like a celebrity that only did one mentionable movie. Like, Hugh Grant with the Christmas song in About a Boy(it wasn't even his either).
I suppose it is not the worst thing that people could say to me. They could be thanking Americans for single handedly pulling down the world economy.

At least its not something about Bush or Iraq....

Distraction & Overload

I could be a professional at distraction. In fact, I think I am. The only sad part about this is, that I do not get paid for it, and in fact it may be inhibiting my ability to get paid. which all contributes to the overload...
And why is it that thinking in french is more difficult for my brain. I cannot hold the main line of a thought process. This makes it really difficult to participate in long conversations, no less make presentations.

Little Joys

This delight is something called a "Café Gourmand" It is your french mini after coffee surrounded by multiple 2-bite size samples of different desserts. This particular one is the best one I've had. This is the time that I don't argue with France anymore about its way of making everything have 6 extra steps, like the woman at the office I visited the other day who was perfectly willing to send me home to get a paper to bring back (around a 3 hour trip) so that she could then give me another paper which incidently, she already had scanned onto her computer. This is when I shut my mouth and smile pleasantly, and eat my dessert.