Fishing boats
9 x 12 pencil crayons on paper
April/01
Lettre de Provence #1 (cont'd)
We have experienced the usual frustrations one has when setting up in a foreign country. Driving was quite an adventure initially as Jim was confusing red with green lights. Combined with a different luminosity and different positioning, his partial colour blindness was a problem. We’ve been testing the medical system as well as Jim got a very bad eye infection and I’ve had a cold and a toothache.
We’ve been pleasantly surprised that the people around here aren’t worrying too much about Paris and its numerous regulations as it became obvious the university didn’t do all the official stuff for Jim’s appointment. It could have been tricky as to get paid he needed a French bank account. To have a French bank account, you need a resident permit which is a big bureaucratic deal. We were expecting a big hassle at the local bank but the south of France reaction seems to be to shrug at such foolishness and ignore the rules. Then, there’s always the European Union and all its new rules and regulations you can blame for being confused (and they usually do!).
We really love our little apartment. We have two bedrooms, a large living/dining room, a large (with washing machine) bathroom, large balcony, and a Lillipution kitchen.. It’s rather like playing house with everything so small. The kitchen is really quite cute and is described as an “American kitchen” which I thought meant it had everything...stove, fridge, dishwasher, blender, juicer, toaster, coffee-maker, microwave, etc. (I’ve learned since that “American kitchen” means it’s an open plan so it isn’t shut away in a separate room.) Our apartment is decorated in a nautical theme - really well done and excellent dishes, glassware, etc. Our front window is rather like a large porthole and you can cosy up to the window and perch on the couch watching the activities of the port and the street. They have very nice illuminations on the street at night and we love being a few steps away from everything. It’s so much fun to shop daily.
I haven’t done much reading except the London Times that a little grocery store ordered in everyday for me. Also, we became members of the local library and are taking out books and magazines on Provence mainly. We’ve got some excellent books on the trees and flowers of the area.
Jim’s Camosun email is working well but my Shaw webmail keeps bouncing me off - no doubt a combination of Shaw and a poor connection and slow computer in Jim’s office. It’s not convenient for me to go to the university anyway and there isn’t an Internet cafe close by so I guess I’ll be writing in the old style - I may even learn calligraphy while I’m at it! I’m collecting ideas for painting but haven’t done anything yet, although I have set up a studio in our bedroom and have adapted a clothes valet for an easel.
Jim’s first teaching day yesterday went very well and he enjoyed the students very much. He begins with a two hour lecture then later has two 1 1/2 hr seminars with this group broken in two. Today, he has a repeat two hour lecture and no seminars. That’s his teaching except for some special lectures so we’ll have Wed-Sun free for exploring the area. It turned out to be a rather stressful day as well as they were testing the fire alarm almost constantly during the entire day. Someone hadn’t returned the key for the video cupboard so seminar plans had to be reorganized, printer cartridges still hadn’t arrived even though he had been asking for them for 2 weeks, canteen was inexplicably closed so lunch was a kit-kat bar and a coke, and various other things.
Amitié a tous,
Jim and Janice
P.S. Jim says him mixing of red and green lights is a “pack of lies”....you be the judge!
