Be realistic

…demand the impossible!

I’ve found a highly motivating article by Laura J. Nigro, “For Better Results, Mind Your Monkey“, which sounds really convincing regarding our approach to our life, projects, dreams, anything. Never say “NO” to yourself. Never hear somebody’s telling you “NO it’s impossible”. Because words create the world.

She writes in particular, “Defining problems in unsolvable terms keeps us stuck in the status quo. And recent brain studies reveal how this can harm our health and our relationships”.

Since the beginning of September, I’ve heard three times my colleagues telling me “NO, you can’t do it”. “We cannot have everything”.

Such a negative determinism and defeatism (a good word!) make me angry, because, in fact, YES, we can.

This was exactly my way of acting last winter and spring: I can do it. I can find resources not only to survive in Paris, but also to suspend this survival and to go away from Paris for two summer months to take a break and to finish my post-doctoral diploma. So I did found a two months‘ job contract, which, together with a few other sources, made it possible to live decently for five months in Paris and at my place.

That’s why be realistic, demand the impossible!

Hot job offer

The Saudi worker at the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Paris, father of one of the Girls, sent me an sms:

–          When shall we see you again?

–          You mean, for the French lessons for your daughter?

–          Yes.

–          OK, any time. Next Thursday? However, I would like to ask you if you could pay a little bit more, 20 euros per hour. Would that be ok for you?

The Saudi man was considering my question for three days. Then I receive another sms from him (his secretary, because he only knows Arabic language):

–          In fact, we also wanted that you make us the price for 1,5 hours.

–          OK, would 25 euros be ok?

–          No, 20 euros for 1,5 hours. We cannot give you more provided we pay 10 euros per lesson.

Here I thought our exchange was finished. What’s the reason to negotiate with the rich Saudi working at the Embassy and living near Madeleine? What’s the reason to work for nothing, knowing that the lessons are often cancelled and that the family forgets to prevent me so that I come at their place in vain?

–          Dear S., your family is adorable and I love your daughter, though I’m afraid am not interested in your offer at the moment.

So I lost my favorite student.

This world is sick

During the last ten days I’ve met four families to talk about and probably to arrange babysitting. I’ve liked most the last one with three autonomous kids of 4, 6, 8 years old. Their mom had to present me to their school director yesterday, she could only wait for 10 minutes for me, but for the first time in my life my highly developed sense of space orientation was hacked, and I couldn’t find the school. Mme AC, instead of explaining how to find her said ”if you don’t come in a few seconds…”, ”i don’t know where you are…” etc., etc. Her voice was nervous and angry. She couldn’t wait, she had a meeting.

And that upset me. Instead of helping (in half an hour I finally found the school when it was too late, 30 minutes earlier I was just in a few steps from it), she was nearly shouting at me. I don’t want such families. I don’t want to have anything with people who are smiling now but the next moment are ready to reduce you to dust. This world is sick.

– Madam, I’m not your husband, I’m not your daughter to talk to me this way. I’m a stranger. When someone takes it out on a stranger, then the stranger automatically becomes your therapist. Just remember, his job costs money.

In a bad mood

Do these simple things to cope with your bad mood:

  1. Breathe. Listen to your breath.
  2. Wake up and do some exercises. Concentrate on what you’re doing.
  3. Feed yourself, don’t be hungry.
  4. Have a walk. Even if you don’t want – go out. You have to tire your body, to burn your energy, otherwise your energy will burn you.
  5. Meet friends. Meet people, talk to them.
  6. Create your everyday rituals and schedule, and follow them strictly.

Soyez vigilants ! Messages frauduleux

Quand vous cherchez d’emploi, méfiez-vous bien de ce type des messages où l’on est “en voyage d’affaires” et quand on est prêt de vous payer 300 euros par semaine (c’est beaucoup) sans même vous avoir vu ! Les auteurs des messages ont souvent de noms des personnages du roman policier, par exemple “Christina Edward” ou autres… Distinguez bien ces signes, ils doivent vous alerter. En plus, on vous demande beaucoup trop d’infos personnelles.

Comment je reconnais le mensonge ? Très souvent, les textes comme celui-ci plus bas n’ont pas de fautes d’orthographe, ils sont à ce niveau impeccables, mais j’ai l’impression comme s’ils sont rédigés par un robot, il n’y a aucune personnalité vivante qui vous propose du vrai travail derrière les mots.

Voici un exemple. Au fur et à mesure, je vais mettre aussi d’autres que je reçois moi-même.

Bon courage à vous toutes et tous. Bossez bien ! 🙂

Bonjour
Merci pour votre message. Mon nom est Christina Edward, divorcée. Ma vie a été centrée sur l’expérience. C’est pourquoi je dois vous embaucher pour soutenir mon travail et mes activités personnelles sur place.
 
 
Vous devez être sérieux et digne de confiance pour effectuer les tâches suivantes: recevoir et envoyer du courrier. J’aimerais vous rencontrer pour en parler avec vous, mais je suis actuellement en voyage d’affaires. Il n’y aura donc pas d’interview avant mon retour en France.
 
 
Votre travail principal recevra des lettres et un paiement pour moi. Le bureau de poste de votre région apportera toujours mes lettres et mon paiement à l’adresse de votre domicile et chaque fois que vous recevrez l’une de mes lettres ou mon paiement, vous avez le droit d’ouvrir, de lire la lettre et dites-moi le contenu de la lettre par mon adresse e-mail ici et je vous dirai quoi faire ensuite
 
Vous n’allez pas dépenser d’argent de votre poche en faisant ce travail pour moi. J’ai payé pour toutes les dépenses et taxes de ce travail, donc tout ce dont j’ai besoin de vous est honnête et sincère envers ce travail, vous allez faire mon travail à votre temps libre Mon travail est un travail à temps partiel que vous pouvez faire pendant votre temps libre
 
Chaque fois que vous recevez une de mes lettres ou mon paiement, veuillez me mettre à jour immédiatement ici et je vous donnerai des instructions sur la marche à suivre. Pour faire ce travail pour moi, votre salaire hebdomadaire sera de 300 €. Merci de me laisser savoir si cela vous convient. offre est bonne pour vous et envoyez-moi vos données complètes, comme indiqué ci-dessous pour que nous puissions procéder
 
Votre nom
Ton nom complet
Adresse de la maison
Ta ville
Votre code postal
Ton âge
Ton numéro de téléphone
 
S’il vous plaît, si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas à me demander avant de continuer
Meilleures salutations
Christina Edward

 

Supper for 1 euro

This evening we’ve come with my ex-coloc to the Refettorio de la Madeleine, but they haven’t let us in. “Are you tourists?” Hahaha… NO. We’re survivers in this wild, wild capitalist West. The entrance is only for the really poor people, for those with no house… You may buy a card, though, they tell us, it’s 5 euros. And there are lunches, you only pay 10 euros for your lunch if you’ve got this card.

Oh, no. Thanks, i’d better eat at home.

Want to work hard

I don’t feel time passing by when at my actual work place. I’m so get used to be exhausted that I’d rather work really hard, please gimme some work, I’m so a little bit bored!

These days trying to save or rather not to spend money at all as long as my closest further is not clear. So I am looking for the charity restaurants and other life hacks not to be hungry. With my ex-coloc we’ll try to have supper at the Foyer de la Madeleine tonight, they say it’s for 1 euro per person. I think that’s a reasonable price. I’ve just discovered the place online, it’s in the Crypt of the Madeleine Church and would like to become a volunteer cook or a waitress there. I’m empathetic to those who are in a precarious situation just like me or even worse.

I’ll share a recipy for those interested in how not to buy chocolate and still eat some sweat. You still have to buy something, but buying this will save you some money:

  • cacao (1,5 euros 200 gr)
  • butter (1,70 euros 250 gr)
  • sugar (don’t remember the price)

Put cacao, 3-4 full tablespoons, into a cup, add 2 teaspoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pour a bit of hot water into the cup and mix the mixture. You’ve got (almost) hot chocolate! Bon appétit !

Paradise lost

Do they work at Paradise? Hm? Who knows?

My paradise is my library. The librarians, my colleagues, don’t let me work (outside its walls)! Monday and Wednesday, my hours there are 9.15 am-12.15 am; the other days it’s 15.00-18.00. Such a schedule blocks any option that could bring me some money, in addition to 250 euros I’ll have by the end of the month or 500 euros by the end of October from the library.

Maaaaaany families have contacted me recently asking if I could be a babysitter for their kids and take them home from their schools every day after 4 pm. NO, said the librarians, we can’t change your time we need you here around 6 pm to put the books on their shelves. One family lives just in 10 minutes walk from my work, and the kids’ school is even closer, in 2 minutes! Hmm… it’s complicated… We need you here, say the librarians. They don’t care.

They don’t care that this month I won’t have 670 euros to pay the rent. Nobody cares that 2 babysitting sessions planned for tomorrow and for the last Wednesday were cancelled by the family ’cause it’s grandma who’s with G. (I could get 100 euros). Who cares that I haven’t buy anything to eat since the beginning of the week. So, I saved around 15 euros, that’s my tiny victory:)

So, my strictly inflexible work schedule at the library does not allow me to work elsewhere, especially as a babysitter, which is much easier to find though than any other job thanks to my status of ‘extreme‘-foreign (non EU) student. I already search through the internet: “where to eat for free in Paris”, and I find. It’s not totally free, but should I try something tomorrow?

Take care and do not hesitate to share your own survival hacks!

Bisous! (Kisses! – fr.)

Life is a story

31 May 2019, my contract as a touristic agent at the château de Versailles came to its end. What happened after? 3 months of research on Hippocrates and of pure happiness of a free, liberated human being.

16 September, one week ago, I started to work again for one library (Gernet-Glotz / GG) dedicated to the sciences of Antiquity. The contract is for two months, just 15 hours per day and only 500 net euros per month, but these days I couldn’t believe I was back to the library. The difference between two jobs – tourstic agent and librarian – is huge, they’re like earth and heaven, so last week I was at heaven. It is not only quiet and you don’t need to communicate with thousands of angry, arrogant, barbarous, asking too many questions people all day long, but also it gives you some time to continue your work on your post-doc thesis.

The librarians have their lunch at the INHA restaurant. Not just them of course, but all the staff of all the research units and institutions in and around. So once upon a time (last Thursday) I came there, looked back and saw one of my ex-colleagues from Versailles! What a surprise! Such a small world! This guy from Columbia was one of the most amiable in our team, he always seemed to me to be the most fragile and most suffering from Versailles. Now he is here. And me, I’m here too.

– S., what are you doing here?

– And you?

– I’m a proud librarian!

– So am I!

I aksed my colleagues sitting at another table to excuse me, I’d rather have a lunch with my old friend S.

So we ate and talked, talked and ate…

I was so excited by this funny coincidence 🙂

Good job!

May 13, 2019. Monday

Three days of giving and taking the audios, of saying same words and phrases thousands times, of gathering and lifting up the guides on our shoulders from here to there, up and down, far and closer, of cleaning and putting the machines into the chargers.

Three days of waking up at 6 a.m. and coming back home after 8 p.m.

Hoarse voice, anger, but also some jokes, and also good jokes. Jokes and laughter save us. The sameness of the routine physical work varies when we laugh.

People are all the same, and we’re so always ready to create stereotypes. People are all so different, and we pay attention to these differences, we like them or we hate them, we play with them and make fun.

The 4th day is my day off. And, strangely, I do not feel as if my flesh and bones were thouroughly chewed and split out by the crowds of people visiting the fabulous château de Versailles.

I have a good feeling of my body, it is sound, ready to escape – finally! – into the fields. Val d’Oise is calling. It’s a perfect day with lucid air.

Acacias are in bloom.

One day of the sun and silence.

The next day we were told we didn’t work hard enough: instead of 50%, we distributed the audios to the 48% of the visitors during Easter and april. That’s why we won’t be paid our salary bonus which is about 200 euros. Bloody capitalism. It’s like bloody communism. Achieve the impossible with as less facilities as possible. Some colleagues think though that other colleagues are to blame: they did not try thaaat hard.