Awhile ago I posted about the Parisian dream which I suggested was to be a fonctionnaire, send your French children to a grande école (a top university) or to have a country house in Normandie. I was kidding. But not really.
Here's an update. The Parisian dream, what we want but what remains unattainable to all my friends (French and foreign alike) and me, all kidding aside, is this: a CDI or a permanent job.
This is the magical French sentence that means you have succeeded in French life as we know it: je suis passé en CDI.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Los Numeros: Week Recap
Desperately Seeking Stability...
Number of emotional breakdowns about how unstable my job is (hourly wage, no guaranteed number of hours per week or per month, etc.) brought on by only having half the teaching hours I need this week and feeling really financially precarious: 2.
1 of these breakdowns resulted in me bursting into tears in the metro and 2 women who were complete strangers to me were really conforting. I was amazed.
All immigrants want is some kind of stability in a foreign country. It seems like you have to be willing to invest 20 years in your adopted country, though, to achieve this. I, of course, am undecided about how much more time I want to spend in France, and, well, more or less everything at the moment. Undecided. C'est moi.
Money is my greatest source of stress in France and I'm so tired of worrying about it.
But on the bright side, number of possible job interviews this week for a more stable postion: 1. At a good international company.
Number of lengthy discussions (in French, English and very very broken Spanish) about new strategy for said possible job interview: 4.
Number of Spanish/English conversation exchanges: 2 (!) One was at my house and the other was at this big British Colonial Empire type cafe called Le fumoir. Fun to go to a new place!
Number of delicious Indian dinners: 1.
Number of workouts: 3. Ran 5 k twice this week (and I always stretch and do crunches for half an hour after) and did Body Pump (a weight training class that resulted in unbelievable back and arm soreness) and Body Balance (yoga) yesterday.
Fastest running pace: 9:05 minute miles.
Dismal total number of teaching hours this week: 9.5. I need double that per week to have a decent salary. Sigh.
Number of fun evenings with friends: 4. The good social life makes up for the unstable professional life a little, though.
Number of emotional breakdowns about how unstable my job is (hourly wage, no guaranteed number of hours per week or per month, etc.) brought on by only having half the teaching hours I need this week and feeling really financially precarious: 2.
1 of these breakdowns resulted in me bursting into tears in the metro and 2 women who were complete strangers to me were really conforting. I was amazed.
All immigrants want is some kind of stability in a foreign country. It seems like you have to be willing to invest 20 years in your adopted country, though, to achieve this. I, of course, am undecided about how much more time I want to spend in France, and, well, more or less everything at the moment. Undecided. C'est moi.
Money is my greatest source of stress in France and I'm so tired of worrying about it.
But on the bright side, number of possible job interviews this week for a more stable postion: 1. At a good international company.
Number of lengthy discussions (in French, English and very very broken Spanish) about new strategy for said possible job interview: 4.
Number of Spanish/English conversation exchanges: 2 (!) One was at my house and the other was at this big British Colonial Empire type cafe called Le fumoir. Fun to go to a new place!
Number of delicious Indian dinners: 1.
Number of workouts: 3. Ran 5 k twice this week (and I always stretch and do crunches for half an hour after) and did Body Pump (a weight training class that resulted in unbelievable back and arm soreness) and Body Balance (yoga) yesterday.
Fastest running pace: 9:05 minute miles.
Dismal total number of teaching hours this week: 9.5. I need double that per week to have a decent salary. Sigh.
Number of fun evenings with friends: 4. The good social life makes up for the unstable professional life a little, though.
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