We had two visitors today in our apartment: an electrician and a chimney sweeper. The electrician came early in the morning, and spent quite some time fixing the electric board. After a series of "Hein," "Impossible," and "Arggg," I asked if it was difficult to fix, to which he responded that he had seen worse. He showed me one very important lamp inside the panel, which indicates the malfunction of our gas boiler. He said that if ours is on and our neighbour's is on, that means there is a problem with the air circulation of the entire building. He said, "Vous pouvez mourir, malheureusement," literally meaning you can die unfortunately. Thank you for the info!
Then the chimney sweeper came, a universal symbol of luck. He looked at the exhaust connected from the boiler to the wall briefly, and he went out of the unit to check the chimney. He came back shortly after and a brief explanation of how the exhaust should be connected to a chimney began. We looked out the window and compared the various chimneys that we see on top of the other buildings. There are ancient ones, modern ones. "Well, yours is not connected to any." That is way too interesting. He said that it is obligatoire that the boiler has the vent... Yeah, I think so too.
Our apartment is in the middle of the building, and I wonder what kind of work is necessary for the vent to reach the chimney... Oh là là!?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chez le médecin
Here in France, everyone is entitled to health insurance. It covers up to 70% of the medical cost, and the rest is covered by either your private insurance if you can afford it or a supplementary universal medical cover for those with limited income. Our health insurance is provided by MGEN (Mutuelle Général de l'Education) under the social security system, and we also signed up for a private insurance with AXA which also covers the house, liability, etc for €70 per month. Not bad.
Since 2006 in France, it is required that you choose your "médecin traitant," a family doctor, and you are supposed to see him/her in order to be fully reimbursed. However, changing of a doctor is not restricted, and all you have to do is to send in the form that states who your new family doctor is. Convenient.
When you walk in front of an apartment or any building, you will easily find a plaque of a doctor's office with their specialization, and you see a lot of them. OECD's report from 2009 shows that there are 3.4 doctors per 1000 populations in France, much higher than in Canada (2.2) or in Japan (2.1). For your family doctor, you look for a "médecin generaliste." You can choose anyone from anywhere. According to Yellow Pages there are 152 generalists in Grenoble (pop. 156,000), and thanks to pharmacist's help, we found three within five minutes walk from our apartment.
I called all of them and booked the earliest available appointment which was two days away. I was rather disappointed that we could not see him sooner, but we learned that he offered drop-in hours in the morning. Being an indecisive couple, we were contemplating whether we should go during those hours or wait for our proper appointment. That's when I cut one of my fingers deeply with a horizontal mandoline. Voila, good enough reason to "drop-in" at chez médecin.
Next morning, we were in the doctor's office. No nurse, no nothing, but just a few people in the waiting room. Our turn came, and the doctor himself escorted us to his office where a big treatment table and a big bureau shared the space. He examined both of us, taped up my finger, did all the paperwork, all by himself! I loved how simple it was, almost a perfect balance between modern and traditional medicine, and humanitarian care and business. He is in his late sixties or early seventies, very calm and accommodating. We asked him if he could be our médecin traitant, and our long cherished dream finally came true. I am proud to announce that my very first family doctor is French!
Since 2006 in France, it is required that you choose your "médecin traitant," a family doctor, and you are supposed to see him/her in order to be fully reimbursed. However, changing of a doctor is not restricted, and all you have to do is to send in the form that states who your new family doctor is. Convenient.
When you walk in front of an apartment or any building, you will easily find a plaque of a doctor's office with their specialization, and you see a lot of them. OECD's report from 2009 shows that there are 3.4 doctors per 1000 populations in France, much higher than in Canada (2.2) or in Japan (2.1). For your family doctor, you look for a "médecin generaliste." You can choose anyone from anywhere. According to Yellow Pages there are 152 generalists in Grenoble (pop. 156,000), and thanks to pharmacist's help, we found three within five minutes walk from our apartment.
I called all of them and booked the earliest available appointment which was two days away. I was rather disappointed that we could not see him sooner, but we learned that he offered drop-in hours in the morning. Being an indecisive couple, we were contemplating whether we should go during those hours or wait for our proper appointment. That's when I cut one of my fingers deeply with a horizontal mandoline. Voila, good enough reason to "drop-in" at chez médecin.
Next morning, we were in the doctor's office. No nurse, no nothing, but just a few people in the waiting room. Our turn came, and the doctor himself escorted us to his office where a big treatment table and a big bureau shared the space. He examined both of us, taped up my finger, did all the paperwork, all by himself! I loved how simple it was, almost a perfect balance between modern and traditional medicine, and humanitarian care and business. He is in his late sixties or early seventies, very calm and accommodating. We asked him if he could be our médecin traitant, and our long cherished dream finally came true. I am proud to announce that my very first family doctor is French!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Premonitions
Nathan has sprained his right ankle skiing in Chamrousse this weekend. Now we have learned to take premonitions seriously.
No. 1) Boiler problem
Friday night, as we were getting ready to go skiing on Saturday, we lost our hot water and heat. We have a paper that says our hot water is electric and the heat is gas, but the new formula is "Gas boiler+water=hot water→heat." I have no idea where the element of electricity plays in this simple formula... We called the technician right away, and he came for a quick visit on early Saturday morning. We were thrilled that we did not have to cancel our ski trip.
No.2) Missing the bus
Saturday morning, after meeting a nice boiler technician, we went to get the grocery done. Everything was on schedule, except we left our apartment 3 minutes too late which resulted in missing the shuttle by literally 1 minute. The lady at the ticket booth agreed that the bus had left earlier than scheduled, and she put us on the next bus. We had 1.5 hours to kill at the station, but enjoyed a cup of coffee and tea.
No.3) Full bladder
After 1.5 hours of sitting down and a cup of caffeinated drink, we went to the bathroom before getting on the shuttle. However, as soon as we got on the shuttle, both of us were again summoned by the bathroom fairies. It was so serious that I decided to get off the bus when it stopped to pick up some more passengers. We were at the foot of the mountain. There were no more shuttles for that day to go skiing. I felt so bad, and I even tried to hitchhike but in vain. We were lucky enough that there was a bus to go back to the city centre.
No.4) Pouting fish
On the way home pouting, we saw the poissonerie was still open at the market hall where we bought two fillets of pouting fish, type of a cod. I sautéed it with Za'atar (Israeli herbal blend), and served it with grilled eggplant and flat green beans (haricot cocos) on rice. It was a perfect Sabbath dinner, until I got sick from the fish in the middle of the night. The name of the fish is registered differently in my dictionary.
With all of these premonitions, and two other minor ones like pulling my neck muscle or getting eggplant thorn in my thumb, we still headed out to go skiing on Sunday. We made it to the ski hill, Nathan was doing well considering it was his first time trying down hill skiing. The weather was gorgeous and the view was magnificent. Sitting on the chairlift, Nathan looked like a confident skier, until the moment it was time to get off the lift. I must admit, it was a steep one and I had to jump off. Nathan, I am sorry for not giving you enough explanations about the lift.
So no skiing until Nathan says he is up for it again. Until then, we enjoy the sunshine in our living room.
No. 1) Boiler problem
Friday night, as we were getting ready to go skiing on Saturday, we lost our hot water and heat. We have a paper that says our hot water is electric and the heat is gas, but the new formula is "Gas boiler+water=hot water→heat." I have no idea where the element of electricity plays in this simple formula... We called the technician right away, and he came for a quick visit on early Saturday morning. We were thrilled that we did not have to cancel our ski trip.
No.2) Missing the bus
Saturday morning, after meeting a nice boiler technician, we went to get the grocery done. Everything was on schedule, except we left our apartment 3 minutes too late which resulted in missing the shuttle by literally 1 minute. The lady at the ticket booth agreed that the bus had left earlier than scheduled, and she put us on the next bus. We had 1.5 hours to kill at the station, but enjoyed a cup of coffee and tea.
No.3) Full bladder
After 1.5 hours of sitting down and a cup of caffeinated drink, we went to the bathroom before getting on the shuttle. However, as soon as we got on the shuttle, both of us were again summoned by the bathroom fairies. It was so serious that I decided to get off the bus when it stopped to pick up some more passengers. We were at the foot of the mountain. There were no more shuttles for that day to go skiing. I felt so bad, and I even tried to hitchhike but in vain. We were lucky enough that there was a bus to go back to the city centre.
No.4) Pouting fish
On the way home pouting, we saw the poissonerie was still open at the market hall where we bought two fillets of pouting fish, type of a cod. I sautéed it with Za'atar (Israeli herbal blend), and served it with grilled eggplant and flat green beans (haricot cocos) on rice. It was a perfect Sabbath dinner, until I got sick from the fish in the middle of the night. The name of the fish is registered differently in my dictionary.
With all of these premonitions, and two other minor ones like pulling my neck muscle or getting eggplant thorn in my thumb, we still headed out to go skiing on Sunday. We made it to the ski hill, Nathan was doing well considering it was his first time trying down hill skiing. The weather was gorgeous and the view was magnificent. Sitting on the chairlift, Nathan looked like a confident skier, until the moment it was time to get off the lift. I must admit, it was a steep one and I had to jump off. Nathan, I am sorry for not giving you enough explanations about the lift.
So no skiing until Nathan says he is up for it again. Until then, we enjoy the sunshine in our living room.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
右左右 (Right, left, right)
I grew up in a car loving family and driving is one of my favourite things to do. Navigating through narrow curvy roads in Japan where people communicate using signals (brief high beam=go ahead, a light tap on the horn=thanks, brief hazard lamp=thanks, raising hand=thanks, etc.) is never stressful except for being stuck in the traffic jam. Cruising Hwy 401 in Ontario to visit my family in Cobourg using the cruise control set at 120km/h is actually relaxing except for seeing some crazy drivers who never use their blinkers. Wherever I drive, my motto of driving has been " Try not to use the brakes." This makes you think two steps ahead on the road, makes you drive safer and better. It reduces the traffic jams too according to various researches.
So do I want a car in Grenoble?
It will require a lot of adjusting and modifying my driving techniques. One, get used to honking. If someone honks at you, honk them back. Two, park wherever you want to park. Double parking? Go for it. Are you on the tram track? Go for it. If you hit a person on the wheel chair who was trying to cross the road, run away!?!?!? Wait a minute. That is a crime!! I witnessed it happen today, and people around did not seem to think it was a big deal for some reason. I was the only one who approached him and asked if I should call the police or not. I could not do much other than moving off the road, and I am regretting not remembering the license plate.
So do I want a car in Grenoble?
Maybe a Hummer.
So do I want a car in Grenoble?
It will require a lot of adjusting and modifying my driving techniques. One, get used to honking. If someone honks at you, honk them back. Two, park wherever you want to park. Double parking? Go for it. Are you on the tram track? Go for it. If you hit a person on the wheel chair who was trying to cross the road, run away!?!?!? Wait a minute. That is a crime!! I witnessed it happen today, and people around did not seem to think it was a big deal for some reason. I was the only one who approached him and asked if I should call the police or not. I could not do much other than moving off the road, and I am regretting not remembering the license plate.
So do I want a car in Grenoble?
Maybe a Hummer.
Joyeux 5e Anniversaire, Chana!
Our sleepy head is 5 years old today. She never ceases to entertain us, and we are truly thankful for her awesome personality.
This year, she has to work on "leaving" whatever she finds on the street. She was almost disowned last week for eating something unimaginable. Well, it is 80% France's fault for letting this happen, as you will never find this object in public in Japan, Canada, or in any civilized societies. We are glad that she is still alive.
Since coming here, I have stopped making her food and gave into the convenience of kibbles. The result is clear, and she is always hungry and fat. However, we are no longer DINKs (Double Income No Kids) but SINKs (ha ha... scary), so we can not afford lapins for her dinner. In terms of Chana's quality of life, we must say it was way better in Waterloo where she had agility and obedience trainings, homemade food and treats, and pretty much garbage free neighbourhood.
We miss the big field on Columbia and Fisher-Hallman, in summer time :P.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Galettes des Rois (pluriel)
Épiphanie... I will never understand what it is and what it means, but I love it for the fact we get to eat Galettes des Rois, flaky pie pastry filled with frangipane. It is delicious. So far we have eaten three of them, and we were thrilled to find out from one boulangère that they would sell them until the end of January. Each galette has a trinket inside, and if you get it you are the king of the day. The first two we found were rather cute but the third one happened to be an Avatar character... Why? We must have the fourth one just to feel gratified finding the trinket...
One should never underestimate the power of these trinkets though. Nathan found a Virgin Mary when he shared a pie with his colleague. We do not know the whereabouts of her, and Nathan fell ill for a few days and had to miss work. Or maybe it is a lesson that you should not share a pie with a sick person! I made him many doses of Aguapanela, a drink I learned from my Colombian friend. It is a simple blend of lime juice and cane sugar. It warms you up and some magic kicks in. Highly recommend it for the onset of a cold or flu.
One should never underestimate the power of these trinkets though. Nathan found a Virgin Mary when he shared a pie with his colleague. We do not know the whereabouts of her, and Nathan fell ill for a few days and had to miss work. Or maybe it is a lesson that you should not share a pie with a sick person! I made him many doses of Aguapanela, a drink I learned from my Colombian friend. It is a simple blend of lime juice and cane sugar. It warms you up and some magic kicks in. Highly recommend it for the onset of a cold or flu.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Ékopédia
According to Ékopédia.fr, the seasonal fruits for the month of January in France are lemon, clementine, kiwi, mandarine, orange, nuts, pear, and apples. Yes, they are grown right here in this country!
Here is a photo of French kiwis I took last month, five minutes from our apartment. They are delicious and cheap!! As Nathan and I are try-to-be-locavores, many of the fruits were out of our shopping list when we were in Waterloo. Since we cannot give up our coffee and chocolate, we try our best in other areas. So this holiday season, we are overindulging ourselves absorbing as much vitamin C as we can. No more vitamin pills needed!
My grandparents had mandarin orchards, and every winter we ate
until our finger tips started turning yellow. Not only Nathan got hooked by mandarins and clementines I buy, Chana is in love with them. Many of the behaviour correction equipments use citrus scented sprays, as dogs do not like the smell of it. Chana wakes up from her sleep when Nathan starts peeling one, and she will drool until we give her one.
Lastly, I don't know if you can find the Angelys Pear over there, but if you do, I strongly encourage you try them how much ever they cost. They are good!
Here is a photo of French kiwis I took last month, five minutes from our apartment. They are delicious and cheap!! As Nathan and I are try-to-be-locavores, many of the fruits were out of our shopping list when we were in Waterloo. Since we cannot give up our coffee and chocolate, we try our best in other areas. So this holiday season, we are overindulging ourselves absorbing as much vitamin C as we can. No more vitamin pills needed!My grandparents had mandarin orchards, and every winter we ate
until our finger tips started turning yellow. Not only Nathan got hooked by mandarins and clementines I buy, Chana is in love with them. Many of the behaviour correction equipments use citrus scented sprays, as dogs do not like the smell of it. Chana wakes up from her sleep when Nathan starts peeling one, and she will drool until we give her one.Lastly, I don't know if you can find the Angelys Pear over there, but if you do, I strongly encourage you try them how much ever they cost. They are good!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Bonne Année 2011!
Bonne Année à tous! I wish you will be successful at finding more happiness and joy this year. I believe that what you really want does not come towards you for free unless you actually go look for it. "Take a step every day, that will make three steps forward in three days," so says an old Japanese singer. This reminds me of the Australian motto: Advance Australia. In their emblem, a red kangaroo and emu are depicted as those two animals only move forward (or rarely move backward...). So I encourage you to keep moving forward no matter what the speed is. In this photo, you can see a gray kangaroo, who got used to the food being delivered by Japanese tourists. Poor thing.Over in France, Nathan and I are excited that our (technically Nathan's :P) holiday is almost over! In France, the legal working hours is 35 hours per week, and every month you gain 3.5 days of holidays. Nathan's first contract as a postdoc was for four months from August to December, and he gained 14 days of holidays. On the last day of his contract, which was one week before Christmas, he had 7 days of holidays that were going to disappear. Luckily, someone out there was looking out for us. Nathan was granted to apply his expired holidays for this holiday season. "Mottainai," as Wangari Maathai would say, nothing should be wasted, so this is how we are spending a long vacance...in Grenoble.
1) Cleaning and organizing: At the end of the year, Japanese would do the big cleaning to welcome the new year pure and clean. As we just moved, there is not much to do, yet I still feel the need to clean something. I am sure I will be one of the top students if I went to the "Household Academy." However, the New Year's Day is an exception from cleaning, as you may accidentally sweep the luck out. It is a perfect day to write a blog.
2) Eating: Nathan requested ham and scalloped potatoes for Christmas. I am not a fan of ham, so I consulted Giada as usual and made Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast. Instead of a pork roast we used a filet mignon de porc, and it was super. For dessert, we bought a bouche de Noel from a patisserie. I thought the Japanese had the wrong idea of "Christmas cakes" but now I realize that they are following the French style. When I was young, eating the left over fresh strawberry shortcake for breakfast after Christmas was the best! And this holiday season, I finally perfected my Crème Brulée after five years of practice and modification of online recipes. The thing is though, I no longer need to bake my own as I can find good ones just around the corner... My skill will be useful once I am back in Canada again.
3) Gathering: We were invited by an American couple to spend the Christmas day along with friends from my French classes. From delicious appetizers to three different kinds of homemade cakes, it was a lot of deliciousness. I am not brave enough to invite a big crowd to our place yet, but we had a French couple and their bébé from Nathan's office on New Year's Eve-Eve. Our goal is to start speaking French before that bébé starts speaking!
Basically, we have been eating throughout the holiday. To cleanse our body, we hiked up La Bastille today, and I believe that burned a few calories. Step by step, yeah? Our new year's resolution is to get physically active so that we won't end up like the gray Roo!
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