Ever since I passed my trial period here at work, Jean-Marc and I have been looking for places to live. The thing is, in this region it's more about word of mouth than about checking online ads. It was suggested that I visit all the Mairies individually to see if they knew of any houses for rent in their village/city. I made a point of doing this, putting up notices on bulletin boards. We did get a few leads, but it never went further than that. There were a few places advertised online that we checked out, and after looking at some places that were UNINHABITABLE (we're talking mould, leaks, half-torn wallpaper etc. all for the low, low price of 420€/month!) I googled houses for rent in this region in English. Lo and behold, I found something in Vézelay!
It was a conversation on AngloInfo - an expat website with loads of good information - and somebody was looking for a long-term tenant. As I followed the conversation, I saw that the owner had actually decided to sell the house instead of rent it out. I decided that I had nothing to lose, so I emailed her and said that we were looking for a house to rent and that, if her house didn't sell, we would be interested. Luckily for us, this person was still open to the idea of renting the house and when she found out more about us, she seemed convinced that it was what she wanted to do. In her heart, she didn't want to get rid of the house, but she really wanted to find good tenants who would take good care of the property.
There were a number of things to iron out - she's moving back to England and is buying a house there - but we will be signing our rental agreement in the coming week and moving in at the beginning of September.
The best part is that the house is lovely! It's been renovated, has hardwood floors, lots of windows and light, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and an outdoor area with a small garden and terrace. She is leaving behind some extra beds, so our guest rooms will be ready to welcome visitors. Jean-Marc is excited that we also get access to an orchard thrown into the deal. It's a few kilometres away and there are apple, plum and pear trees with loads of fruit. In exchange for caring for the trees and the land, we will get lots of delicious fruit with which to make jams, sauces and chutneys. Can't wait!
Of course, being able to walk to work will be a super bonus for me (especially with the current gas prices!) and it's nice to be in a village that has all the necessities within walking distance: pharmacy, doctor, bakery, bank machines, post office, cafés, wine shops etc. We need to drive to the supermarket (at 15 km) but there is a little outdoor market in the village once a week as well as a little corner shop that is handy for emergencies.
I realize that I never posted pictures of our place in Savennières here due to the lack of camera. Perhaps I'll be able to do that on one of my weekend visits. I'll be sure to take pictures of the new place once we're there!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
videos!
It's been a month since I last wrote something here and much has happened in that month! First off, I have passed my trial period at work, so we have the green light to look for a place to live and I think I may have found the perfect house. More on that as it develops.
As I think I mentioned to you before, one of the conditions of taking this job was agreeing to purchase a mobile phone. I've never been a big cell phone person; I had one in Canada but didn't use it very often and when I arrived in France I didn't feel I needed one. I came to appreciate not having a cell phone: not being available to everyone all the time, having to make firm commitments with people rather than using the phone as excuse to be late and no extra communication expenses!
A couple of weeks ago, all that came to an end. I gave in. I was forced to give in. Of course, since I also didn't have a digital camera or mp3 player, I opted for one that had all that and when I got it home, instead of feeling excited about my new toy, I just felt a black pit of dread in my tummy. I had entered the consumer world of mobile phones, the world of things becoming obsolete thus necessitating upgrades. In fact, I discovered that my phone cannot connect with my computer's current operating system, meaning that I have to upgrade that in order to get my music onto my phone. That's just the start, I'm sure!
On the positive side, I have a video camera and I can share more of my life and surroundings with you. Here's a typical morning scene from my office window:
And here's a typical afternoon scene from my office window (notice the difference!):
As I think I mentioned to you before, one of the conditions of taking this job was agreeing to purchase a mobile phone. I've never been a big cell phone person; I had one in Canada but didn't use it very often and when I arrived in France I didn't feel I needed one. I came to appreciate not having a cell phone: not being available to everyone all the time, having to make firm commitments with people rather than using the phone as excuse to be late and no extra communication expenses!
A couple of weeks ago, all that came to an end. I gave in. I was forced to give in. Of course, since I also didn't have a digital camera or mp3 player, I opted for one that had all that and when I got it home, instead of feeling excited about my new toy, I just felt a black pit of dread in my tummy. I had entered the consumer world of mobile phones, the world of things becoming obsolete thus necessitating upgrades. In fact, I discovered that my phone cannot connect with my computer's current operating system, meaning that I have to upgrade that in order to get my music onto my phone. That's just the start, I'm sure!
On the positive side, I have a video camera and I can share more of my life and surroundings with you. Here's a typical morning scene from my office window:
And here's a typical afternoon scene from my office window (notice the difference!):
Sunday, May 29, 2011
weekend hike
This past week has been lovely; not only has the weather been nice, but Jean-Marc was able to spend the entire week with me in Vézelay (along with Domino our cat!). Of course I had to work, but at lunchtime it was nice to head downstairs to have lunch together. In the evenings we took advantage of the light and nice weather and headed out for walks around the village.
Yesterday was Saturday and we went to the local big outdoor market in Avallon, which is about 15 km away, and stocked up on fruit, veggies, cheese, and bread. After lunch, we went on a 12 km hike through the locals paths, various villages and vineyards. It was really too bad that we didn't have a camera with us because we saw loads of lovely things! (We're working on the camera thing, by the way.) When we got back, we made supper and drank some chilled Chablis that Bertrand, the maintenance worker here, had given to us as a welcome present. We still had some chèvre that Jean-Marc had picked up from a local producer and I have to say that it was an amazing combination with the Chablis (try it!).
We had some fraises des bois that we picked along the paths in Vézelay and this, mixed in with some yogurt, was our dessert. Delish. We even had enough left over for this morning's breakfast! Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Yesterday was Saturday and we went to the local big outdoor market in Avallon, which is about 15 km away, and stocked up on fruit, veggies, cheese, and bread. After lunch, we went on a 12 km hike through the locals paths, various villages and vineyards. It was really too bad that we didn't have a camera with us because we saw loads of lovely things! (We're working on the camera thing, by the way.) When we got back, we made supper and drank some chilled Chablis that Bertrand, the maintenance worker here, had given to us as a welcome present. We still had some chèvre that Jean-Marc had picked up from a local producer and I have to say that it was an amazing combination with the Chablis (try it!).
We had some fraises des bois that we picked along the paths in Vézelay and this, mixed in with some yogurt, was our dessert. Delish. We even had enough left over for this morning's breakfast! Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
my little apartment
I have a temporary new home, as I already explained to you. To reach it from my office, I go up two steps, down two steps, down 50 steps, go outside, down a path, up 4 steps, and I'm there. There is a sort of pathway between the main building and the grange, which is a performance space that can hold up to 100 people. I take this pathway to my front door and it looks something like this (no, not the cave below!).
This is my front door from the other angle: (apologies for the MacBook photos)
The outside looks all old and worn, but the inside apartment is brand-spankin' new. The interior design is fairly neutral with a slight modern institutional feel, but it's comfortable. If you continue down this path a few metres, a huge panoramic view of the valleys and hills below opens up. There is a bench there from which to admire the view. Nice!
This week we are changing gears at work as we welcome the singers for a rehearsal period before two concerts later this week. Julian, my co-worker, and I are expected to attend every rehearsal so that we can really familiarize ourselves with the choir, the conductor's work and the sound. The meals during the rehearsal period are provided by a local caterer, so there will be time to get to know the singers on a one-to-one basis as well.
On Wednesday night we will all head up to Paris by train and on Thursday the choir will perform at the Oratoire du Louvre (I don't think it's IN the Louvre, just close by) and the following day we will head to Le Mans by train for another concert in a close-by Abbey. Since Le Mans is only about a 1.25 hour drive from Angers, I will get to spend the weekend at home with Jean-Marc before we head back to Vézelay for a whole week together.
Is this really my new job? Somebody pinch me!
This week we are changing gears at work as we welcome the singers for a rehearsal period before two concerts later this week. Julian, my co-worker, and I are expected to attend every rehearsal so that we can really familiarize ourselves with the choir, the conductor's work and the sound. The meals during the rehearsal period are provided by a local caterer, so there will be time to get to know the singers on a one-to-one basis as well.
On Wednesday night we will all head up to Paris by train and on Thursday the choir will perform at the Oratoire du Louvre (I don't think it's IN the Louvre, just close by) and the following day we will head to Le Mans by train for another concert in a close-by Abbey. Since Le Mans is only about a 1.25 hour drive from Angers, I will get to spend the weekend at home with Jean-Marc before we head back to Vézelay for a whole week together.
Is this really my new job? Somebody pinch me!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
new digs
Here I am, one week into my new adventure. One thing is for sure: it's beautiful here. Just take a look out my office window. This is what I see when I turn my head to the left.
My MacBook camera really doesn't do the countryside beauty much justice, so you'll just have to wait for me to get a camera in order to see its splendor. There are lots of rolling hills with little villages and mini forests nestled into the valleys and hillsides. This is the France of my dreams and comes pretty close to the France I love near our farmhouse.
So, the job! There were two of us who were hired at the same time and we both started last Monday. Julian is my new coworker and he's a documentary maker and producer, so he's an interesting person to have around. We have both been getting caught up on the history and recordings of the ensemble, the names of all the festivals and theatres where the group has sung (or would like to sing), and we've also been doing some writing assignments and working on the database. The first week flew by and we worked some long days.
I think I mentioned that they are offering me free housing during the first two months. My apartment is in the same building as the offices, but I have a separate entrance from outside. I don't have my own kitchen - just a kitchen sink, microwave, kettle and coffee maker - and so I have to use the office kitchen to store and cook my food. The only problem is that since everything is so new, it's not fully equipped. For example, they have one of those heat induction cooktops, but you need specific pots and pans to cook on them otherwise it doesn't work. They hadn't bought any pots and pans yet, so I bought a couple of cheap pots only to find they weren't the right kind (I didn't know about the special kind at the time!). This means that I've been eating a lot of salads, fruit and cheese & crackers. I've never really used a microwave in my cooking and I know there are possibilities there, but it doesn't seem like real cooking (to me!).
I like to have breakfast in my apartment before heading up to the office, so I pack a cooler with my milk, yogurt and anything else I might want before heading down at night. That way it's waiting and relatively cool for me in the morning. So far it seems to be working out ok.
I haven't had much time to explore, but yesterday I headed into Avallon, the nearest town with supermarkets. I stocked up and also found the nearest laundromat to do a load of laundry. I saw that there is a cinema as well as a number of shops, banks etc. There is a Saturday morning market but I missed it because I slept in a bit. I'll have to check it out next week.
Today I went out for an exploratory walk down and around the many winding trails of Vézelay. The village is on a hill, with the Basilique at the crest. Most tourists just walk up the long hill straight up to the church, but if you go off the beaten path, there is not a tourist in sight and you can walk in silence, with the just the birds and crickets providing the natural soundtrack. I happened upon a 12th century chapel and a sort of monastery today, and I'm looking forward to discovering more!
So, the job! There were two of us who were hired at the same time and we both started last Monday. Julian is my new coworker and he's a documentary maker and producer, so he's an interesting person to have around. We have both been getting caught up on the history and recordings of the ensemble, the names of all the festivals and theatres where the group has sung (or would like to sing), and we've also been doing some writing assignments and working on the database. The first week flew by and we worked some long days.
I think I mentioned that they are offering me free housing during the first two months. My apartment is in the same building as the offices, but I have a separate entrance from outside. I don't have my own kitchen - just a kitchen sink, microwave, kettle and coffee maker - and so I have to use the office kitchen to store and cook my food. The only problem is that since everything is so new, it's not fully equipped. For example, they have one of those heat induction cooktops, but you need specific pots and pans to cook on them otherwise it doesn't work. They hadn't bought any pots and pans yet, so I bought a couple of cheap pots only to find they weren't the right kind (I didn't know about the special kind at the time!). This means that I've been eating a lot of salads, fruit and cheese & crackers. I've never really used a microwave in my cooking and I know there are possibilities there, but it doesn't seem like real cooking (to me!).
I like to have breakfast in my apartment before heading up to the office, so I pack a cooler with my milk, yogurt and anything else I might want before heading down at night. That way it's waiting and relatively cool for me in the morning. So far it seems to be working out ok.
I haven't had much time to explore, but yesterday I headed into Avallon, the nearest town with supermarkets. I stocked up and also found the nearest laundromat to do a load of laundry. I saw that there is a cinema as well as a number of shops, banks etc. There is a Saturday morning market but I missed it because I slept in a bit. I'll have to check it out next week.
Today I went out for an exploratory walk down and around the many winding trails of Vézelay. The village is on a hill, with the Basilique at the crest. Most tourists just walk up the long hill straight up to the church, but if you go off the beaten path, there is not a tourist in sight and you can walk in silence, with the just the birds and crickets providing the natural soundtrack. I happened upon a 12th century chapel and a sort of monastery today, and I'm looking forward to discovering more!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
kinda big news
Remember a few months ago when I was experiencing the blues about not really feeling further ahead than I was when I first arrived? The lack of work was really starting to get to me and I was having a hard time seeing a way out. Well, I used that situation (and the free time) to start looking for work. And, guess what? I found a full-time job!
I regularly scanned the cultural jobs websites, in addition to others, and started applying for anything/everything that was remotely related to my experience. I also took the initiative to sign up for Pôle Emploi, the national unemployment centre, which I found out I could do even if I had part-time work. I didn't qualify for any benefits, but they enrolled me in a skills evaluation course (which I will no longer be able to do).
With a few applications scattered out there, I was receiving some rejection letters, as one would expect, and then there was a phone message. A professional choir in Burgundy was looking for a chargé de diffusion, or a concert-seller, and they were interested in my profile. In all honesty, I had seen their ad back in February and had disregarded it because of the "sales" part of the job (they usually want someone who already has established connections) but when I saw the job posted again a month later, I thought maybe it would be worth checking out more closely. When I read the job description in detail, I thought I actually might be a good fit.
So, the phone message led to a phone call and then an invitation to an interview in person. It was quite a long distance (almost 500 km each way), but I had heard something about Pôle Emploi helping out with the costs of getting to interviews, so I did a little research and found out that they would cover my gas and tolls for the trip! The first interview went quite well and I had a good feeling about getting a second interview. The invitation to come back a second time arrived and then I was seriously scared; the possibility of getting this job meant a whole lot of change, including Jean-Marc having to give up his job and changing regions, moving etc. After many phone calls with friends and conversations with Jean-Marc (and a little pole on facebook!), I decided to give it a shot, although I would have to pay for the trip myself (I maximized my Pôle Emploi help with the first interview).
To be honest, the second interview went well until the end. I left feeling let down and upset (for reasons I won't get into here) and I drove home thinking that I didn't want the job. When I arrived home, Jean-Marc said that they had called to offer me the job that evening. Mixed feelings about the whole thing, the implied changes, the negative feelings at the end of the interview, and a whole lot of issues were spinning around in my head and I needed to talk it out and weigh everything carefully, knowing that saying "yes" would mean opening up the dam to a whole lot of life changes.
And then, I accepted. A full-time job in France for a foreigner does not come easily - and especially one related to choral music - so it felt like something I couldn't turn down.
So I'm going to be the concert booker, calling up presenters, directors of festivals and theatres, and building and maintaining relationships with them in order sell them concerts for their seasons. I will travel throughout France, and eventually abroad, around one week per month, and I will also attend all of the choir's concerts in order to meet and greet the presenters and VIPs. I've never had this direct of a sales job before, but I have friends who do this work so I know what it's about. I think it's a bit of a role-play and I just need to figure out what the parameters are. Of course I also hope to do it in a way that is true to me!
In addition to the selling, I will also help to produce a festival that they host every summer in August and help the group with its regional activities and presence.
It's all very exciting and scary.
The first two months are the trial period, during which they will give me free housing and Jean-Marc will stay in our apartment and keep his job (just in case...). If we do make the move, Pôle Emploi will help pay for our moving costs and Jean-Marc will qualify for benefits because he'd be quitting his job to follow me for my work. The president of the choir said that he had some connections for Jean-Marc to help him get work.
The choir is based in Burgundy, in the medieval village of Vézelay, which also happens to be a pilgrimage stop and a UNESCO world heritage site. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but the countryside is very beautiful. At the very least it will be an inspiring place to work!
So, in two weeks I will head out and jump into the deep end of a job which has been vacant for a few months. It's sure to be a steep learning curve! Before I go I have to wrap up all the bits and pieces of my teaching (I have to leave mid-contract, which is not the best position to be in), and get to the farmhouse to give it the once-over before the rental season starts.
After 3.5 months of relative inactivity (although somehow I felt very busy), life is about to pick up the pace just a little. Or maybe a lot.
I regularly scanned the cultural jobs websites, in addition to others, and started applying for anything/everything that was remotely related to my experience. I also took the initiative to sign up for Pôle Emploi, the national unemployment centre, which I found out I could do even if I had part-time work. I didn't qualify for any benefits, but they enrolled me in a skills evaluation course (which I will no longer be able to do).
With a few applications scattered out there, I was receiving some rejection letters, as one would expect, and then there was a phone message. A professional choir in Burgundy was looking for a chargé de diffusion, or a concert-seller, and they were interested in my profile. In all honesty, I had seen their ad back in February and had disregarded it because of the "sales" part of the job (they usually want someone who already has established connections) but when I saw the job posted again a month later, I thought maybe it would be worth checking out more closely. When I read the job description in detail, I thought I actually might be a good fit.
So, the phone message led to a phone call and then an invitation to an interview in person. It was quite a long distance (almost 500 km each way), but I had heard something about Pôle Emploi helping out with the costs of getting to interviews, so I did a little research and found out that they would cover my gas and tolls for the trip! The first interview went quite well and I had a good feeling about getting a second interview. The invitation to come back a second time arrived and then I was seriously scared; the possibility of getting this job meant a whole lot of change, including Jean-Marc having to give up his job and changing regions, moving etc. After many phone calls with friends and conversations with Jean-Marc (and a little pole on facebook!), I decided to give it a shot, although I would have to pay for the trip myself (I maximized my Pôle Emploi help with the first interview).
To be honest, the second interview went well until the end. I left feeling let down and upset (for reasons I won't get into here) and I drove home thinking that I didn't want the job. When I arrived home, Jean-Marc said that they had called to offer me the job that evening. Mixed feelings about the whole thing, the implied changes, the negative feelings at the end of the interview, and a whole lot of issues were spinning around in my head and I needed to talk it out and weigh everything carefully, knowing that saying "yes" would mean opening up the dam to a whole lot of life changes.
And then, I accepted. A full-time job in France for a foreigner does not come easily - and especially one related to choral music - so it felt like something I couldn't turn down.
So I'm going to be the concert booker, calling up presenters, directors of festivals and theatres, and building and maintaining relationships with them in order sell them concerts for their seasons. I will travel throughout France, and eventually abroad, around one week per month, and I will also attend all of the choir's concerts in order to meet and greet the presenters and VIPs. I've never had this direct of a sales job before, but I have friends who do this work so I know what it's about. I think it's a bit of a role-play and I just need to figure out what the parameters are. Of course I also hope to do it in a way that is true to me!
In addition to the selling, I will also help to produce a festival that they host every summer in August and help the group with its regional activities and presence.
It's all very exciting and scary.
The first two months are the trial period, during which they will give me free housing and Jean-Marc will stay in our apartment and keep his job (just in case...). If we do make the move, Pôle Emploi will help pay for our moving costs and Jean-Marc will qualify for benefits because he'd be quitting his job to follow me for my work. The president of the choir said that he had some connections for Jean-Marc to help him get work.
The choir is based in Burgundy, in the medieval village of Vézelay, which also happens to be a pilgrimage stop and a UNESCO world heritage site. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but the countryside is very beautiful. At the very least it will be an inspiring place to work!
So, in two weeks I will head out and jump into the deep end of a job which has been vacant for a few months. It's sure to be a steep learning curve! Before I go I have to wrap up all the bits and pieces of my teaching (I have to leave mid-contract, which is not the best position to be in), and get to the farmhouse to give it the once-over before the rental season starts.
After 3.5 months of relative inactivity (although somehow I felt very busy), life is about to pick up the pace just a little. Or maybe a lot.
Monday, April 18, 2011
buying local products
So I went to the Mairie today to pick up my carte de séjour - only 7.5 months after applying for it! - and saw this cute little brochure. It's a regional guide to where you can buy food products directly from the producers. It's got everything from fruit & veggies to eggs, meat and dairy, as well as honey, escargots and wine. Each section lists the individual addresses and days/times you can visit and buy on site. In the back they have tucked in a little map showing each town with pictograms of the types of products available. It's so cute! And what a grand effort to get all the information in one place.
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