Another little ah ha moment - cell phones!

I'm still trying to figure out how the prepaid cell phone system works around here. The day after I arrived in France I figured out how to get a SIM card for my iphone. The sales person spoke 0 English, and yet I still managed to get a SIM card, a French phone number, some credit to make calls and texts, and to surf the internet.

Last weekend, I kept getting texts saying that I was running low on credit.  I thought I bought more and re-charged my account with 10 euros worth of credit. But after spending the last hour trying to navigate through my account information on orange.fr's website, I finally realized that I bought the credit (from a very rude Parisian if I may add), but I did not correctly add it to my account. Lesson learned: don't throw out the receipt until you've confirmed the credit.

I also spent far too long trying to figure out where the credit was for my "data plan". I even tried googling it, but I was writing my question in English when the answer was going to be in French.  That makes searches less efficient. I did manage to find my usage information  under the details for "voir le detail de derniere communications". It became crystal clear.

You put credit on your account - which you can buy from Orange stores, supermarkets, and tabacs. Each time you make a text,  you are charged 0.05 euros from your credit.  When I you use the internet you are charged 0.15 euros for 1 unit (not sure what this unit is though). When you run out of credits, you add more. Additionally, when you buy your credits you can buy some that expire in a day, a week, 2 months etc...

From my internet research, I also learned of this plan called Internet Max.  For 9 euros, you can have unlimited data use for a month.  You subscribe by doing to following (info taken from here, but I updated the instructions)

1. Dial #123#
2. You get a startup menu showing the credit on your prepaid account. You need enough credit on your account to buy the data plan.
3. Choose 1=Menu
4. Choose 4=Bons plans
5. Choose 4=internet and e-mails
6. Choose 3=Option Internet Max
7. Now you get a description, choose 1=Suite a few times
8. Then choose 1=Souscrire (Subscribe).
9. Finally, choose 1=Valider (Confirm).

Officially the option may take 48 hours to come into effect, however in reality it can take 3 hours and maybe even less.

You will not be notified before it is activated; to check if it is, use #123# menu too: once the option is activated, 1st menu item is changed to 1=Suivi conso options which would provide you the information that Internet Max is on.

More good info can be found here: http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/France

I needed at least 9 euros in my account. I tried to buy more credit from the Orange.fr website. Unfortunately, it did not like my American credit card.  So to be continued. I'll have to go to a physical store to get more credit.  Slowly slowly.

The next day i decided to go to an Orange boutique that's two blocks from my apartment.  They'll know how to set up my account.   And that was the way to go. there was a bit of a wait, but I just happened to be there when an American was asking for the exact service I wanted (in English to boot). So when she was finished, I walked right up and said "meme chose svp".  My credit card worked and in 2 days (?!), I'll have unlimited data service for a month.  That's the way to go.  And the guys are at the Orange boutique in the 14th on Rue General LeClerc and super helpful too.

That said, another difference between commuting in DC and commuting in Paris is that in DC everyone has their head buried in their smart phone or ipads reading the paper or playing angry birds.  In Paris, surfing the net on your phone is too expensive for that, so instead people are reading books.  The younger kids are accessorizing with their dr. dre beats head phones.  At a couple hundred dollars a pop, apparently every young person in Paris is rich...  

Things to know (Thomas are you listening?):
1) If you are in the 14th and need help getting your prepaid phone set up.  Go to the Orange boutique on  Ave de Gen LeClerc. Super helpful and at least 2 speak pretty good English.
2) You buy credits for your phone 5 euros worth, 10 euros worth, 25, 100 etc... 
3) Credits expire and the amount you buy determines how long those credit lasts. 5 euros of credit expires in a week (I think). I just bought 25 euros of credit and those expire in 2 months. 
4) When you make a call, send a text, use the internet, etc... money is deducted from your credits
5) For 9 euros a month you can subscribe to Internet max  - unlimited data use
6) Your American credit card will not work on orange.fr
7) disable the email app that is part of the smartphone. I think the email application uses the credits. Instead use the safari or whichever web browser which should be part of the unlimited internet use of Internet Max.

Life's little changes

I still need another 50 euros to pay for my metro tickets.

Getting a job in Paris is only part of the task of moving your life here.  It is a big part for sure.  Getting this job certainly helped us get a long term visa.  It facilitated getting a bank account.  They are helping us with the move financially.  It also gives us a starter network. Getting settled over here is much easier because of this job, but adjustment is not 100% easy.

Finding a place to live is much more complicated than in the states.  Recent changes in the law made it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants.  Because if this, landlords are requiring much more upfront documentation like proof of employment, financial records (in some cases), last three pay stubs, and rental insurance.  For those of us who just got here, some of this is quite burdensome.  It is a good thing that we gave ourselves 3 months to find a place. You definitely need some lead time to get things in order.  I just keep telling myself that this is all just making me stronger.  We are in France. Things are done differently here. We must work within their rules to get things done.  Once we get over this hurdle, we will have more knowledge and experience to get through it easier the next time or tackle the next challenge. I know for me, the unknown makes me nervous. But with each step towards the goal, I become more sure footed and feel more comfortable with the task. I just need to keep moving forward.

I also noticed that I've had to make other minor life adjustments.  Dinners were once a regular evening ritual that Thomas and I would share.  I found those times a nice way to transition from work to relaxed evening mode.  Meals are no longer that involved - for one thing i only have two burners, no counter space, only salt, pepper, and garlic, dull knives and no Thomas for the moment.  The meals are simple and quick.  But I still have it with a glass of wine. I am in France after all.

Espresso is now my morning beverage.  My brother, bought us a Keurig single cup coffee brewer for Christmas so I was in the habit of having these coffee pods that you put in the machine to make your coffee.  Unfortunately, they don't have Keurigs here. There also isn't a coffee coop at work where we pay 25 cents for a cup coffee.  Instead, outside my office, no where near a kitchen, we have miniature nesspresso machine. Even on the largest cup setting it makes some pretty strong coffee/espresso. I have two cups which usually lasts me all day.  Maybe that is why it is 12:14pm, and I am no where near tired.

Lastly, I have started hoarding coins. Because European credit cards and credit card readers us chips rather than strips, my current plastic does not work in metro machines. This by far has been the biggest inconvenience.  Every week, I have to delve into my purse and try to scrounge up 12,70 euros in coins so I can buy the carnet (10) metro tickets.  I really should get the Navigo metro pass, but in order to get the monthly pass I have to some how put 66 euros on the card. I am certain that the ticket machine will not have the patience to wait for me to put 66 euros worth of coins into it.  Even if I used the 2 euro coin, that is still 33 pieces I will have to use.  I think I may be allowed to "recharge" the metro pass at an ATM. I am still waiting for my bank card however. Once I have that, I will definitely investigate this option.

Ah, Paris! On the positive side, my research today lead me to a useful blog about things to do in Paris.

Sunday morning in my 'hood

I always thought one way to get a sense of a community was to find the local catholic church and see who is there.  Are they young? Are they old?  Is there diversity? An additional benefit is also trying to improve my language skills in the context of something familiar to me, like a catholic mass.

Turns out the Franciscans order's convent was a two blocks from apartment.  Their chapel was small but it had beautiful stain glass windows that were illuminated by the morning sunlight.  They had chairs instead of pews and no kneelers (that should please you , Thomas).

People were friendly. There were some diversity both in age and background though I would have to say there more people over 60 than under.  There were no children at all (not sure if this had something to do with the church itself, French families in general, or the neighborhood).  There were also quiet a few people with various levels of mental disabilities attending mass.

It was evident that my french church vocabulary is very weak.  I think I understood about 15% of what was said.  Just for my sake I am going to copy one prayer in French so I can at least know where we are in the mass.  It pretty much translates word for word with what I learned as a kid, except we didn't have those last two lines.


The Lord's Prayer
(French - "Notre Père")

Notre Père, qui es aux cieux,
Que ton nom soit sanctifié,
Que ton règne vienne,
Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offences
Comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
mais délivre-nous du mal,
car c'est à toi qu'appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire, aux siècles des siècles.
Amen.


Also regarding the interactive part where we shake hands with those sitting near us and offer them peace, here in France they say "La paix du Christ". I did not know this at the time, so I just shook their hands, smiled and nodded.

After mass, I walked to the corner bakery and had a coffee and chocolate croissant.  This could either be a nice Sunday routine or my downfall since besides walking around town (there are a lot of stairs in Paris!) I have not done a bit of exercise.  I sat in the sunny window of the cafe. I read the Sunday magazine that comes with the local French newspaper. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.

A Morning in Giverny

This morning's adventure was a trip to Giverny which contains the gardens that inspired some of Monet's most famous works.  Last night's preliminary online research told me that it would be an easy metro trip to the Saint Lazare Gare,  a 45 minute train ride to Vernon, and then a 3.5 km bike ride from the Vernon train station to the gardens.

The morning started early (alarm went off at 6:30am) since I wanted to catch the 8:20 train to Vernon.  Despite the early wake up time, I managed to find my way through the metro system and up to the "Grande Lignes" area of the train station on schedule - the schedule I created last night using my research :).  I bought my ticket and found a seat with 5 minutes to spare.  

The train was pretty crowded- 80% were tourists all heading to the same place.  As I sat down next to the window, a young guy asked if he could take the seat next to mine. Seeing how crowded this train was, I didn't see why not.  A few minutes after the train started moving, he fell a sleep - a deep sleep. A head to the shoulder, mouth open kinda sleep. As I was watching the scenery move outside the train window, I noticed that the dude reeked of alcohol... mind you, it was 8:30 in the morning.  Thankful it was only a 45 minutes ride and he would be asleep for most of it.  

Eventually, the train ticket taker came by.  She looked at him sleeping then smiled at me and the women sitting across the aisle. We both smiled back and rolled our eyes at this guy.  The train ticket taker nudged the dude to get his attention. No movement.  She nudged him again.  Nothing.  Shook his arm. He grimaces but is still asleep.  That is when I noticed that this dude also had a black eye and fresh scrapes on his face and knuckles. He had a rough night/early morning.  She finally wakes him. He is cranky. It takes him a while to find his ticket  and the train official gives him a hard time -  it did look like he might have tried get on the train without one.  Ten minutes later, the official is satisfied and the dude is back asleep. Fast asleep again. I couldn't wake him at my stop. I had to climb over him to leave.  Maybe next time, I will buy a first class ticket.

The mass exodus from the train towards Giverny made it easy to find my way. Be a lemming and follow the crowd.  I read last night on TripAdvisor that there is café  directly across from the entrance of the station where you can rent bikes.  And as I emerged from the station, I saw their big signs that advertised their bike rentals.  I give them 9 euros and showed my id. They gave me a bike, a lock, and a photo copied map to Giverny. The post said how easy it was to rent a bike. They were right.  The post also said the map was easy to follow and bike path was easy to find.  They were wrong about that.   

Looking at the map it seems like an easy route. Go straight through town, after the bridge, turn right.  What it doesn't show is that right before the round about end of town, the street turns one way.  Are tourist suppose to ride against traffic?  That goes against all my sensibilities, so I followed the cars as they turned to follow the traffic patterns and then ended up on the same main street that was one way in the wrong direction. I decided to walk my bike on the sidewalk just until the bridge.  After I crossed the bridge I saw a sign that said Route de Giverny.  Logic tells me that this should be the road. But as I peddled my way down the street, it just didn't feel right to me.  The road was narrow, there was no shoulder and large tour buses were driving (very fast) down this road.  That is not the road described on the post, and that is not a road for tourist on bikes.  Even though I saw a bunch of tourist on bikes take this road, I turned back to retrace my steps.  After looking at the map and comparing it with what google maps was showing me (thank goodness for internet!), I eventually found the small tiny road that I was suppose to take. And if you squint hard while looking at the map, you can see that the highlighted road is indeed Voie Andre Touflet and not Route de Giverny.  This route was much better. The voie was a proper bike path- well paved, straight, flat, and idyllic.  That was fine until the bike path stops after biking only for 20 minutes and there wasn't a useful sign anywhere.  I was left with two choices. I could get on the Route de Giverny or take Rue Claude Monet.   Well hopefully France was the kind of place that named a road because someone lived there.  And it was indeed!  Taking Rue Claude Monet was right decision.  The road wasn't in perfect condition, but it did meander through a quaint village-- at least I am going to pretend that.  In reality the quaint houses that lined this street were all the bed and breakfasts for tourist who want to stay in Giverny.  

There are two gardens in Claude Monet's house. Clos Normand, the large garden in front of the house, is an explosion of colors and shapes.  Poppies are strewn through out. Roses climbing walls and trellises. Flowers I'd never seen before in corners around trees.  There are large bold flowers, like peonies, as well as small dainty ones like snow drops. The second garden, Japanese inspired, is more serene. It has far fewer colors, but many shades of green.  The pond in this garden is full of the famous water lilies.  Both gardens are a photographers dream.  I could spend many mornings in different seasons snapping away photos there.  Now since I take better photos than writing creative descriptions about them, I just posted some photos of the gardens below.  Enjoy.

The crowds, not surprisingly, are crazy.  There are very few part of garden where you aren't walking in a single file.  They do keep people at the edges of the garden, so with some creative angles you can take photos without a million tourists posing.  You can also go into the house, but line was easily 50 persons deep and I had lost patience at this point. Seeing the interior of the house is put on my to do list for later.  This is one of the advantages of being a tourist where you live. When you say, you can always come back, you really can.

I decided to bike back and have lunch in Vernon.  Navigating back was much easier than getting there- though biking around round-abouts is still daunting. I don't know how people do that.

I found a brasserie in town where I had mussels and fries - a bit heavy for lunch, but I can't resist them when they are on the menu.  The restaurant wasn't very busy.  An older woman was seated beside me. She was dainty and made cheerful conversation with me and the other woman seated at the table next to hers.  My french was understandable but it definitely could use some improvement.  She talked about the weather, asked where I was from. I tried to explain where the Philippines was located. I'm sure she knew where.  It is unfortunate that "Philippines"  is one of the words I can not pronounce in French, so I think she just didn't understand me.  

They brought my mussels with the recognizable black pot with the smaller one inverted and covering the shell fish.  They were small but good. It had a creamy sauce with fennel.  As the waitress was bringing the bread basket, she dropped a few pieces on the floor (right next to me) proceeded to put the bread pieces that fell back in the basket and then onto my table... well, that is one way for me to stop eating carbs.  

Well, that is it for day.  Not bad for my second Saturday in France.  Will definitely come back to Giverny, but not during peak tourist season.

Lesson learned for today:

1) Always bring your smart phone

2) Be sure you have enough credits on it

Some useful links:
Calendar showing which flowers are blooming when in the garden

Visitor's information for Claude Monet's house and garden

Bike Path to Giverny

Worthless map

Monet's garden- Clos Normand

Poppies

Let's just call this a purple ball flower for now.

More poppies.

Water lilies in the Monet's Japanese garden

Monet's house in the background.

Iris and friend.

Village of Giverny

Village of Giverny

The good and the bad of grocery shopping in Paris

On my way to work the other day, I found the Carrefour, one of the largest chains of super markets in the world,  in my neighborhood.  It has more selection than the Monoprix so I think I will be doing most of my shopping there.

I decided to do my grocery shopping for the week after work today because who would want to spend a weekend in Paris shopping for groceries.  I made my list as I waited for the tram, and off I went to do my first bit of shopping in Paris.

First the good. Only in Paris do you have a cheese section area in a chain grocery store that takes up three aisles. Any type of cheese you could want including some that comes in a tub (?) is there for the taking.  The cheese section at Whole Foods in the States (which is usually the size of a large dining room table) pales in comparison.  And then of course there is the wine.  I  bought a nice Cote de Rhone for less than 4 euros. If I could live on wine and cheese alone, I'd be golden.  And, the total for my bill which included a small steak for dinner tonight, enough food for two additional dinners and two lunches, plus some staples like soy sauce and tupperware, just came to 32 euros (about $40).  I don't think Paris is really as expensive as everyone says (though I still haven't done restaurants yet).


Now the bad, or at least the annoying.  Paris grocery stores after work are just as crowded and congested as the Paris streets during rush hour. I generally enjoy grocery shopping.  Walking leisurely around the aisles thinking about all the good dishes we would be preparing in the coming week I often found pleasant.  This evening, however, was a little on the stressful side. Aisles were crowded. Everyone and their kid was there (from the looks of things, it must have been bring your screaming toddler to the grocery store day today).  Because no one drives to go grocery shopping in Paris, folks were dragging around their little personal shopping caddy (see photo) so that they can wheel their purchases back home.  They also leave their shopping baskets in the middle of the aisle randomly.  Too many things to look out for as you work your way around the store.  And you had to work your way around the store because organization was less than logical.  They had two areas for bread- of course no where near each other.  Orange juice is found in the refrigerated beverage aisle unless it was snack size, then it was found on the other side of the store in the refrigerated snack section.  Soy sauce was in the corner of the wine section (why? I do not know).  I still don't know where they put their ramen noodles or their creamer.  More exploration needed, but will have to save it for another day.

My hood

Been in the neighborhood for almost a week now, and I'm starting to feel like I live here.  I walk around like a resident and not like a tourist.  Things are starting to feel familiar. I know where my grocery stores are located. I know where to get fresh fruits and vegetables. I know where the metro stations are as well as the bus and tram lines.  I don't walk with a map in my hand - although I occasionally have the iphone on google maps to make sure the bus is going in the right direction.

I am slowly settling in. I have a bank account and checks! Now all I need is a bank card so I can withdraw money without a forex fee!  I am getting mail. I have a Parisian phone number. Little by little it is starting to feel like I really did move to Paris.

Some photos from my hood:

This last photo is what happens when you buy a frozen pizza without reading its cooking directions.  There is this great store that only sells frozen foods called Picard. You can buy anything there from appetizers to desserts. I stopped by yesterday and bought a frozen pizza for dinner.  It wasn't until I tried to cook it that I realized you baked it instead of putting it in the microwave.  With no oven, my only choice was to use two frying pans (thankfully they had removable handles) to cook it on the stove top. The pizza fit in the bigger one, and I place the smaller on over it.  Amazingly enough, the crust got crunchy and the cheese melted! I would definitely call this one a success. 

J'habite à Paris.

Six o'clock  yesterday morning, I became Paris' newest inhabitant-  currently residing in the 14th arrondissement.

The small studio I have now is just temporary in order to give us time to figure out where we (Thomas, the beagles, and I) should live when Thomas and the beagles arrive in August .  The 14 district is nice, not as densely populated as the center of town (far fewer tourists), but with lots of things to do.  On the corner there is a small boulangerie (bakery) where I get my baguettes for 1,20 euros (I am convinced that baguettes in Paris are 0 calories).  A bit further up the street near the metro entrance there is  a small shop that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. Next to that there is a poissonarie, butcher, and a cheese shop!  What more does a person need?  Well, wine of course. I can get that at the Monoprix (chain store) or the Sacres Vins wine shop across the street from the flat.  Urban living certainly has its perks.  I'm glad I get to taste a bit of the Parisian city life at least for a few months.  It's nice to be central to things, but I do like space.  Did I mention that my current apartment is only 20 square meters (~215 square feet)?  Basically I am living in 1/2 the space as our place in Arlington, but paying the same price, and with only a college size frig, and no oven.

As such, we are thinking of moving out to the burbs.  We would like to be still on the Paris train system, but far enough where we can afford more space and the beagles will get more green grass on which to roll around.  Something like Shrilington - close enough to get to the city on a car even by bike, with less people, but with it's own charm (ie things to do).

I explored an area today called Garches today. I had intended to visit Marne La Coquette which shares the same train station, but I followed the folks getting off the train and ended up in the town of Garches instead.  This town is only a 20 minute train ride from Paris and has its own vibrant community. I walked from the train station to the center of town where I saw beautiful brick houses and a community park in front of the Marie (city hall).  The town center has its share of Realtors and beauty salons - the last one I thought odd.  I had a snack at a creperie across the street from the library. The proprietor kindly explained to me that crepes are sweet, but what I have always called a "savory crepe" is in fact a gallette.  He was a charming man who not only made me a gallette, but he served me it to me in a shape of a bateau!  Garches ended up being a very pleasant mistake.

All in all a good second day in Paris.

Lessons from today:
1) A shavory crepe is called a gallette
2) The french do not like air conditioning (not on the metro or restaurants or apartments)
3) Don't expect to find English speakers every where you need them (cell phone stores, real estate agents,and pharmacies)