The world’s best place to live.. FRANCE?

Well it's true, at least to The internationaliving.com 2006 Quality of Life Index it is.

The United States, which had been first for every one of the 20 years the Index has been in existence, finished 7th.

Switzerland was second, Australia was third, and rounding out the top five were Denmark and New Zealand. Meanwhile, the UK finished 18th and Germany 21st. And Iraq ... well that is still dead last at #194…

The categories taken into account for the Index are climate, economic stability, heath care, infrastructure, climate, cost of living, safety, and recreational opportunities.

France beat the United States in 7 of 9 categories and was tied in the ‘Risk and Safety’ category. Only on the economic front did the US finished ahead (3rd) of France (5th).

Noting its “good climate, unspoiled countryside, world-competitive infrastructure, plus the best health care in the world”, internationalliving.com also remarked that “the culture is top-notch” and that “Paris is arguably the world’s most beautiful and romantic city on earth. France sees in excess of 70 million overseas visitors each year, making it the world’s favorite destination.”
*above taken from http://superfrenchie.com

From my own personal experience I would have to say this in the categories:

Climate: It is really nice here, its warm in the summer and not painfully cold in the winter. Plus I see palm trees and fruit trees all the time. There is always an ubudance of fresh fruit. Not the pressure grown ones, yuck!

Economic stability: Well so far I haven't found a full-time job, but from what I hear, when you get a permenant job, its hard to get fired, now thats what I call stability.

Heath care: Although I think people go to the doctor here way to much, the cost is great. My brother in law and wife had a baby, and they didn't pay a dime! oh, and they don't work! So I guess health care goes to everyone, not just the lucky few.

Infrastructure: I'm not sure what this means :)

Cost of living: Well I think this varies. Food cost alot here, but there isn't all that oppertunity to spend money on every new thing that comes out, like in the US. So i guess it averages out. House, although going up dramatically isn't as bad as the us. So no one's spending a fortune on that. And some how people tend to be able to take 2 vacations a year.

Safety: I don't know, people drive crazy here. Thats not very safe.

Recreational opportunities: About 1 out of 2 people that I know are into some kinda sport. Thats alot I think. And I don't mean they just go out and jog (like me) they are actually part of a sports club. I don't know to many in the US. I can only think of one, my dad and he plays racket ball in a gym/club.

It's a third cup of coffee kinda day

Well I'm sitting here on my third cup of coffee for the day. It's been snowing out side since this morning. They tell me it doesn't snow here, its too close to the Ocean. But today it proved other wise. It has been one of those Ohio kinda snows, where it just snows a constant flow and slowing they streets get really covered. I had to pic Celine up for lunch, so I thought to my self, " I'm from Ohio, I'll show those Frenchies how to drive in the snow". Well everything went well until the curve came along. Yes, isn't that alwas the way.. that sneaky curve that you just weren't expecting. It was as if it was in slow motion, I saw it all the way, and there was nothing I could do. Here, all the houses have there own little wall surounding there house, and it usually starts out by the road. This wall was covered in over growth of some kinda plant, and I just knew there was a stone wall behind it. Well luckly for me, there wasn't. That was close, I just ran into a big bush. So no harm done. Well by now everything is completely covered. I had to take Celine back to work, and you can bet I was going about 15 mph the whole way. One more trip out and we'll see how that goes. They just aren't prepared for this kind of snow. Now snow trucks any where.

Movies of 2005.. and then some!

Although I do watch alot of TV here, I feel it being more of accomplishing something, than just watching TV. It's almost like homework, but fun. I say this, cause I actually learn alot by watching tv. I learn the culture, the language, and the life style that is commen here. So the question is why don't I go the movie theaters that much. Well the trueth is, when I watch both TV and movies, I don't catch the small details, which is important don't you think. So over the last few months, Celine and I made a list of movies we want to see, that we have been waiting to see.. in English. These are mostly movies that came out while we where here in France:

• Star Wars 3
• Batman Begins
• Madagascar
• War of the Worlds
• Sideways
• Million Dollar Baby
• Mr and Mrs Smith
• Wedding Crashers
• Bridget Jone's 2 (thats a celine pic)
• Transporter 2
• Four Brothers
• The 40 Year Old Virgin
• Duece Bigalow: European Gigolo
• The Man
• Red Eye
• Hide and Seek
• In good company
• Sin City
• King Kong
• House of flying daggers
• The Graduate (w/ dustin hoffman, its an oldy, but I hear its good)

So.. give me some comments you Americans. Have you seen these are they worth a watch. How about any other movies that may have come out in 2005.

French Movies, French Sales and Terrorists!

First of all... does the pictures of Celine and I on this page (top) look blurry/pixelated to anyone. They look fine on my computer, but when I saw it from another computer it looked blury. Maybe it was just a worse computer than mine.. Man, that has to be on bad computer then.

Ok, well this week, we went to see this movie at the movie theater. I have only gone to the movie theater once since I've been here. This is only because of my French, and the fact that I'm not good at it. But I watch only French Tv any ways, so I thought why not. So we went, and it was actually a very good movie. I understood more than I thought, and that makes my kinda proud. Then the following day, my teachers assistant said I was the best communicator in the class... I thought to my self, WOW! This is great. But as I was walking home after class, caring my pride on my shoulder, this car stopped and was asking directions. I didn't know where this place was she was asking, and I thought to myself, even if I did I wouldn't know how to explain it. So there goes my bubble. Easy come easy go. well I guess its one of those never ending learning process huh?
HAPPINGS: Well this week, was the start of the sales in France. Here, stores don't have sales when ever they want. But instead every store has their sales at the same time. So its crazy in town. Celine says there are people every where, and no one's happy. Kinda like the last couple of days before Christmas. So I haven't been in down town for a while, and I don't think I'll plan on it until the sales are over. Oh don't worry about me getting new clothes, Celines taking care of that for me, and for her self I may add. Maybe its a trick so I can't really say anything about her shopping, that is if shes bying me stuff too? hmmmmmmm? makes ya thing.
IN THE NEWS: Well in the news these days if you maybe interested. There was this court case in 2001 (I believe) where alot of people went to jail for s0-called sexually abussing their kids. Well fast forward 5 years later, and its coming out that it was all a set up by these kids. Nothing really happened, it was all a prank, so there are probably going to be alot of judges that will be punished.

Also, I don't know if it came on in the news in the U.S. but not too long ago, there was all these harassments going on in France on the T.G.V. (trains). There where these kids (kids again) and they where pretty much robbing and harrasing people on the trains, and no one did anything about it. So now, there are cops that have to travel on the trains. Its funny, right before this happened, I thought to my self, when are terrorists going to start taking over trains, like they have airplanes... and its not quite Alkaide, but its getting there.

Americans honk their horns... its what we do.

This morning like every morning after cleaning the restaurant, I took the car to go home. Celine had to work, so I was to drive it home by myself. well when I pulled the car out of its space, I realized that there was this other car there. There was no one in it, but like almost every morning this persons car is just sitting there. Its not a parking spot and no one can get out until he moves his car. I know who he is, and I see him in his store doing who knows what, filling out forms, something. So I honk my horn politely, to let him know, "hey theres a car here, hurry up." NOTHING. no head turn, nothing. So i did it a couple more times.. again nothing. So i just wailed on that horn.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKK.. and he turns around with this confused look on his face. OH... WELL, NOW YOU SEE ME. so after about 5 more minutes of waiting I get to go home.
Sometimes I'm amazed with experiencing such different culture chariteristics. People here, sometime it seems, just don't care if they are in someones way. There tends to be this unspoken saying, that "its never my fault its yours". "Its not my fault you're parked in a parking spot and I'm a jerk and want to hold up everyone else". And French people won't honk their horn, well for most part. Not to long ago, there was this department store truck, stopped in the middle of a one way, one lane road. Now I was walking at this time (luckly), and I come across this truck. I see no one is in it, so i guess he's dropping stuff off at a store or something. And I look behind and there where like 5 cars. And I have to ad, it was between 8 and 9 o'clock in the morning, so you know these people waiting were trying to go to work. The wierd thing I remembered was no one was honking. Perhaps because it wouldn't make much difference any ways. The french don't honk, but the americans do. Oh yes, keep up the honking!

Its a small world after all... no really, it is!

Well Angouleme is about 100,000 people including the surrounding area, so not that big. But since I've been here, I've met people from the U.S. and two being from P.A. but nothing has come as close as yesturday. Yesturday Celine met two american girls. Girls from Ohio, and one's uncle who lives in Millersburg. WOW, it truely is a small world.

rolling in the new year!

Well its been a busy one, but I'm finally back online. After having to move out all our stuff and get settled into the parents in laws place, i'm now able to breath... well for the time being. I'm amazed how much stuff someone (or in this case sometwo) can collect over , well over 9 months. I know I didn't buy much stuff.. There must be an answer! I'm not sure what we will do with all this stuff, but I'm sure we'll think of somthing. Well over the last few months, we have been thinking about what we could do in the future. And its not an easy question to ask. But this is the latest on our minds. Just so its not a surprise, we've have been playing with the idea of actually staying in France. Probably not forever, but for a while longer. This only came up with Celine's most recent job. She is actually working towards becoming an assistant manager at the store she's working at. If this happens she would get a CDI contract. What this means is she will pretty much have a job for life. Well.. by that I mean, here in france, the government looks after the employees more than the employers. So once a employee has a CDI contract, it would cost the company alot of money to fire this person. Unlike in the US, where they tell you... "sorry but I'm gonna have to let you go, here's two weeks pay, good luck"... that wasn't fun! But honestly when it comes down to it its this... When we think about going back to the US, we don't know where we would go. We don't have jobs to go back to. Family and friends are spread all over the place, in places most likely we wouldn't move to any was. And what happens when we want kids. Paying $400 a month for insurance plus the premium, I mean its only 30 euros a month here, and most of its givin back anyways. I'm getting ahead of my self. Of course this is only an option if Celine is offered the CDI, and that hasn't happened yet, so we will see.