One week gone already

I can't believe how fast time has gone by since I've arrived. It's already been a week! I mostly feel like time has gone by so quickly, but I'm getting more comfortable and used to the city so in some ways I feel I've been here longer. Monday morning I visited an apartment just outside of centre ville, but in a good part of town. It was a very cute furnished studio that I fell in love with. The landlords didn't know if they wanted to rent it for only 8-9 months, so I would have to wait until the afternoon to see if I could have it or not. Then, I went to my other school, College Jean-Philippe Rameau. I met the lovely teachers I'll be working with and we had lunch together. I had been in contact with Helene through email and she was so nice- it was great to meet her in person. There is also Sylvie, who graciously invited me to stay at her house if I couldn't find housing in time as well as two other English teachers I may work with. After lunch, I got the phone call saying I could have the apartment- what a relief! My mom and I have been looking for anything to take, so it was great to feel some weight lifted off of our shoulders.

After sleeping in Tuesday, we spent the day in town shopping. We bought some blankets and sheets for my bed and enjoyed the fact that we weren't still searching for housing! For dinner, we met with Christophe- a local in Tours and friend of my high school French teacher. I actually had the chance to meet him at my teacher's house this summer in Rockford while he was visiting the states. We met at his apartment which was very near the chateau of Tours and just across the street from the Loire River. He took us to a restaurant where they bring hot stones to your table, then you cook your choice of raw meat right there. It was really unique, and delicious too!

Yesterday we wanted to take a day to enjoy our surroundings as we are fortunate enough to be in an area famous for all the ancient chateaux. We went to Amboise, a town of about 12,000 about 20 minutes away from Tours. Christophe recommended a tea house and bakery near the chateau where we had breakfast. We then spent at least 2 and a half hours in the chateau itself. It was an absolutely gorgeous mix of some Gothic and some Renaissance architecture. After a lunch break, we went to the Clos Luce, a manor where Leonardo de Vinci spent the last few years of his life at the request of the king in Amboise. The main floor was still furnished and open to visitors while the basement had miniature models of many of his inventions.

Last night I met about a dozen other English assistants in Tours for dinner and drinks. Everyone was so nice and I hope to become friends with many of them. There are assistants from England, Uruguay, New Zealand, and all over the U.S. What a great mix of people from around the world!

Today I signed the lease for my apartment and met the landlords. They are an older couple who live in the country, just outside Tours. They seem so cheery and down to earth, even inviting me to stay with them for a weekend whenever I want! I warned them that if they meant it, I would call them and take them up on their offer.

Tomorrow I go to Orleans for an orientation and my mom leaves to go back home :( I am so happy she came with me. There are many times I may have decided to pack it in and give up if she hadn't been by my side. I only wish we would've had more time to enjoy ourselves and spent less time worrying about where I would be living. We have to get up early to catch our separate trains, so it's off to bed for us!

Arriving in Tours, France

I arrived in Tours with my mother this past Thursday, but it seems like we almost weren't going to make it. We ran in to some obstacles, thought about giving up and going home, but we finally made it here and now have some memories we will be laughing about in the near future.

Firstly, in Chicago I was given a boarding pass that did not have my name on it and didn't realize until I got to security. Luckily the man that checked me in remembered me and printed me a new boarding pass. On the plane, a woman sitting directly behind us became delirious, needed oxygen and medical attention. They paged for doctors and nurses over the speakers. Fortunately we had about 5-6 medical professionals on the plane and they all crowded around our area to help... saying things like ("Don't worry, I'm an EMT"... and..."Well, I'm a cardiologist"). The woman ended up being just fine. Once we land in Paris, we found out the trains from the airport to Tours had been canceled with many other flights and trains due to a strike. Oh, do the French love their strikes. So, we were seemingly stranded at the busy airport with many others. All the car rental companies had rented out the last of their cars. By the time we figure out there was a train from another station in downtown Paris to Tours, we had one hour to get to the other station. We found a taxi to get us there (he told us it would be close to an hour ride but he would do his best to get us there quickly). We arrived to Gare Montparnasse in Paris just 15 minutes before the train to Tours left. We bought our tickets just in time (after by-passing a LONG line in the priority line thanks to a compassionate SNCF employee) and got on the train. Once in Tours we took a taxi to our hotel only to find out my mother accidentally booked the room for the day before, so they had given our room away and were booked solid for the night. We waited in the lobby while they called 6-7 other hotels only to hear they were all full. Somehow they moved another guest to a different hotel and we ended up getting a room, but just only after enough time to panic a bit. That evening we went out to a restaurant near the oldest part of the city, only to get caught in a downpour.. but the food was delicious!

We had so many close calls that could have prevented us from getting here successfully, but now we have been in our comfortable hotel in Tours for a few days. The owners are a cheery Asian family (compete with a 4 month old baby and cute grandmother).

Tours is a beautiful city which reminds me of a miniature Paris: beautiful architecture, a mix of quiet neighborhoods and a busy city-center, cobblestone streets. It's a different feel from Aix-en-Provence, but I equally love it. The Loire Valley is known for it's douceur de vivre (sweet/relaxed/easy way of life). It comes from a combination of the beautiful landscape (the Loire Valley is also called the Garden of France), the Loire river which is dotted with chateaux, the love of cooking and pleasure of eating, savoring the delicious wines made in the region, and finding time daily to enjoy all of these things separately and in combination with one another.

Friday began with meeting my contact, Anne, at Collège Montaigne. She was so cheery and happy to meet me. I also met the principal, assistant principal, secretary, and many other teachers who were excited to have me. Another English teacher, Peggy, was so bubbly and willing to help me with anything. She right away offered to take me to the IKEA when I need things for an apartment and gave me her phone and e-mail. When she found out I was from Chicago, she almost lost it because her brother lives there. The principal showed me an apartment they have on the school campus as a possible housing option, but it was completely empty- didn't have furniture or any appliances for me.

After my meeting at the school, we went to a three apartment agencies, all of which only had 1-2 furnished studios available. The agencies told me I would need a French "garant", a sponsor/reference willing and able to pay my rent if I couldn't. Without knowing anyone in Tours, how am I supposed to have a French citizen willingly give their employment info and offer to pay my rent if I mess up? My other option was to have enough money in a French bank account to pay rent for a year (about 4,000 Euros). The catch, most banks will only open an account if you have a permanent address in the same country. (Not to mention, where would I even get 4000 Euros and how on earth can I do a wire transfer from my US bank without a French bank?) Now if that's not being stuck between a rock and a hard place, I don't know what is. We did end up visiting one apartment that was in our price range (and whose owner was willing to overlook the fact that I did not have garant). The apartment was near the main Rue Nationale, but was smaller than even some dorm rooms. The toilets were shared with others in the building and the shower was right next to the kitchen sink, which was 5 feet away from a bed. I told the man I would call him next week because I'm hoping to find something more comfortable. On the bright side, I got a cell phone.

Friday evening we headed to Place Plumereau for drinks and dinner in an Irish-style pub. Place Plumereau has an amazing atmosphere. With narrow, cobblestone streets, it's the oldest part of the city from the Middle Ages. The buildings exposed timbers with brick facades and the square is crowded with creperies, pubs, and restaurant terraces. I have a feeling it's going to become one of my favorite places to go out! Later that night, my mom and I found ourselves unable to sleep from 3am on. I was up worrying about how I was going to open a bank account without an address and how I was supposed to get an apartment without a French bank account. She was uncomfortable and not sleepy, so we turned on a movie and tossed and turned until 7am.

Saturday morning we went to a few more apartment agencies and only one agency had one furnished studio available. The woman helping me was so nice and is willing to let my mother be my "garant" as long as we provide the necessary documents of her employment/salary info. We go to see the apartment tomorrow and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will work out. Miraculously, I also managed to open a bank account! I had my school secretary write a letter stating my salary and that they would permit me to use the school as my permanent address for all legal documents. I signed so many papers and heard so many bank terms I'm unfamiliar with, I'm hoping I didn't sign my life away. But, one major challenge overcome :)

Today, as it's Sunday, most shops and some restaurants are closed. We slept in and went out to do some touristy things in Tours. We went to the Musée des Beaux-Arts and viewed an impressive painting collection. I loved their late Medieval/early Renaissance collection. I can spend so much time looking at works of are from this period- lots of gold paint, halos around religious figures, adult-like Jesus' that appear to be shrunken to fit in the arms of the Virgin Mary, grayish skin on figures with detailed faces and simplistic, bright clothing so that they almost seemed photoshopped. How can I not pause to admire all of these little quirks you don't find in other styles of art? Right next door was the massive Cathédrale St-Gatien and Cloitre de la Psallette. Huge ceilings, beautifully detailed Gothic architecturel impressive stained glass windows gave me the feeling of being so small in such a grand, magnificent building. Now, we are resting up before we go out for dinner, prepare recommence the hunt for an apartment tomorrow, and get ready go to my other school to meet the teacher's I'll be working with!