It's Christmas day and I wish you all a Merry Merry Christmas. And if you can help homeless people.
Here in Toulouse, I've been out and the streets are basically empty or most of people are homeless. Some teenagers playing or eating, some elderly strolling.
The homeless (sans de foyer) is the easiest group to spot on today. Give yourself a though and a nice hand.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Search for Jobs - Qualifications Required
Sunday has come and gone and no new post, nope. The good part is that I didn't break any promises of updating daily ... hahaha.
Today I want to talk about finding a job in France. The society here is very hierarchical, very different from one in the US or Brazil. The last years of high-school are professional or trade schools, where one learns a job or metier.
If you are young wishing to live abroad for a while, it shouldn't be much difficult to infiltrate yourself in hotels or restaurants, experience at home is always welcomed thou. Otherwise you got yourself trapped in this maze of qualifications.
You can apply for any job you want and it will be politely discarded because you are not of the metier, whether is bank, commerce, hotels or cleaning. Best shot is customer service or real state agent, which are relatively open to people with good communication skills and presentation.
The professionalization is a nice hand to young natives that want to start working and do not wish to proceed with a bachelor degree. For many people from Algeria and other former colonies that are entitled to live here is a drawback.
If they got a college degree they might just have to let aside to open a small shop or business. For foreign teenagers they might to wait in line as the non-professional trying a opening.
As in life, pros and cons, we must be able to do the best of it.
Today I want to talk about finding a job in France. The society here is very hierarchical, very different from one in the US or Brazil. The last years of high-school are professional or trade schools, where one learns a job or metier.
If you are young wishing to live abroad for a while, it shouldn't be much difficult to infiltrate yourself in hotels or restaurants, experience at home is always welcomed thou. Otherwise you got yourself trapped in this maze of qualifications.
You can apply for any job you want and it will be politely discarded because you are not of the metier, whether is bank, commerce, hotels or cleaning. Best shot is customer service or real state agent, which are relatively open to people with good communication skills and presentation.
The professionalization is a nice hand to young natives that want to start working and do not wish to proceed with a bachelor degree. For many people from Algeria and other former colonies that are entitled to live here is a drawback.
If they got a college degree they might just have to let aside to open a small shop or business. For foreign teenagers they might to wait in line as the non-professional trying a opening.
As in life, pros and cons, we must be able to do the best of it.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
myLot online community
Well well well. I haven't been out much today as I stayed home cleaning and organizing my place. And of course myLotting.
Do you know myLot? It's an extraordinary online community full of people sharing their views and thoughts. The best part is that you get paid to do that, posting views on the net. Not much thou, a cent for posting in the good days.
Every posting has to meaningful and you increase your gains by logging every day and doing some. You can also earn money by uploading pictures or starting discussions that draws people attentions and postings. Haven't done that so far :(
You can join free here and start immediately. In no time you'll be a fan and wishing for it.
Do you know myLot? It's an extraordinary online community full of people sharing their views and thoughts. The best part is that you get paid to do that, posting views on the net. Not much thou, a cent for posting in the good days.
Every posting has to meaningful and you increase your gains by logging every day and doing some. You can also earn money by uploading pictures or starting discussions that draws people attentions and postings. Haven't done that so far :(
You can join free here and start immediately. In no time you'll be a fan and wishing for it.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Christmas Food and Recipes
While most of the world is thinking about getting the turkey ready, the french people is more concerned with duck meat (magret de canard) and oysters and scallops (coquilles saint jacques).
Holiday season here is definitively different from other places, it is much more refined than the usual family get-together around. There is lots of fun and playful kids. Just that eating here is not a substitute for lack of better thing to do is a pleasure and it's cultivated.
Found some recipes on the net, the coquille are http://www.completerecipes.com/31152.htm and the canard http://www.completerecipes.com/69514.htm.
Hope you try some of those for a change.
Holiday season here is definitively different from other places, it is much more refined than the usual family get-together around. There is lots of fun and playful kids. Just that eating here is not a substitute for lack of better thing to do is a pleasure and it's cultivated.
Found some recipes on the net, the coquille are http://www.completerecipes.com/31152.htm and the canard http://www.completerecipes.com/69514.htm.
Hope you try some of those for a change.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
No More Plastic Bags
If you live in the US you might have heard the question 'paper or plastic?', over here in France there was no such thing, plastic bags are default.
Some years ago they introduced larger bags that I could carry the weekly grocery shop in two. Sized as a glove for me. Auchan made them of fabric which is more resistant and lasts longer. E.Leclerc opted for large plastic bags and now Carrefour followed.
Truth is only small markets keep plastic bags for customers. Your choice is to buy the larger bags or carry your groceries in the trolley to your car. Casino still have the plastic bags and its giving away for free paperbags for frozen products. They have a handle to carry and they are reusable.
Green technology is coming, it is thru this small changes that we see how important the issue is. Sooner or later it will get to your local grocery story.
Some years ago they introduced larger bags that I could carry the weekly grocery shop in two. Sized as a glove for me. Auchan made them of fabric which is more resistant and lasts longer. E.Leclerc opted for large plastic bags and now Carrefour followed.
Truth is only small markets keep plastic bags for customers. Your choice is to buy the larger bags or carry your groceries in the trolley to your car. Casino still have the plastic bags and its giving away for free paperbags for frozen products. They have a handle to carry and they are reusable.
Green technology is coming, it is thru this small changes that we see how important the issue is. Sooner or later it will get to your local grocery story.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Looking for Real Estate
No way!!! you say. Well, it is just a small apartment for me, a studio some might say. That's all I need at the moment.
I spent the day going into Real Estate agencies to find a suitable place for me. I learnt the hard way that you shouldn't trust ads in the newspaper or the internet. Why? Here in France, they most of times don't exist, it is just to attract the customer to your phone or agency.
So much for that perfect spot that you saw. I don't like but that's how's done over her. Okay, some of them are true, more chances for direct to owner or small agencies. Guess they aren't afraid of telling their portfolios :)
And this is valid pretty much all over French society,most of times is just to get your attention to something else, usually more expensive.
My feet hurts, my head is swirling and I just might have found what I've been looking for at the end of the day. Fingers crossed.
I spent the day going into Real Estate agencies to find a suitable place for me. I learnt the hard way that you shouldn't trust ads in the newspaper or the internet. Why? Here in France, they most of times don't exist, it is just to attract the customer to your phone or agency.
So much for that perfect spot that you saw. I don't like but that's how's done over her. Okay, some of them are true, more chances for direct to owner or small agencies. Guess they aren't afraid of telling their portfolios :)
And this is valid pretty much all over French society,most of times is just to get your attention to something else, usually more expensive.
My feet hurts, my head is swirling and I just might have found what I've been looking for at the end of the day. Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Frosty windshield
It is been really cold this winter, temperatures drop below zero every night. Thou no snow yet this season in Toulouse.
In the morning we have that spectacle of seeing the city covered by a white layer of ice. It is the water that freezes when the temperature drops. You must have seem it in The Day After Tomorrow.
Here it is not that fast and it takes some times to cover my windshield. For the first time, I don't have a closed garage to park my car, so it gets all frosty at night.
The morning after, I have to wake up earlier an de-frost my car ... lol ... carefully not to damage the glasses. I am going for the common solution of putting card boxes on top of the front and rear windshield, it helps a lot, thou it doesn't protect the painting.
Maybe one day, I go shopping and get one of those plastic covers that really protects all your car.
And the inside too, because a car covered by ice it's pretty much a fridge ... lol.
In the morning we have that spectacle of seeing the city covered by a white layer of ice. It is the water that freezes when the temperature drops. You must have seem it in The Day After Tomorrow.
Here it is not that fast and it takes some times to cover my windshield. For the first time, I don't have a closed garage to park my car, so it gets all frosty at night.
The morning after, I have to wake up earlier an de-frost my car ... lol ... carefully not to damage the glasses. I am going for the common solution of putting card boxes on top of the front and rear windshield, it helps a lot, thou it doesn't protect the painting.
Maybe one day, I go shopping and get one of those plastic covers that really protects all your car.
And the inside too, because a car covered by ice it's pretty much a fridge ... lol.
Monday, December 17, 2007
A Saint Germain worth seeing
is the district (quartier) of Saint Germain de Pres, in the left bank of the Sena river (Rive Gauche). It starts at the Museum of Orsay with its magnificent impressionist paintings and go all the way to the Luxembourg Garden.
It is known by the very active nightlife, fashion design, coffee houses, bookstores, galleries and flea markets. The intellectual used to live there. Now it is open for tourists as well and fashion people.
The church is by far the most attractive building in the neighborhood. Open buildings are quiet nice too, like the old railway turned into museum, the Orsay. You can get tired of looking at buildings in these towns.
It is known by the very active nightlife, fashion design, coffee houses, bookstores, galleries and flea markets. The intellectual used to live there. Now it is open for tourists as well and fashion people.
The church is by far the most attractive building in the neighborhood. Open buildings are quiet nice too, like the old railway turned into museum, the Orsay. You can get tired of looking at buildings in these towns.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Paris Saint-Germain
Yesterday they did again - one more game without win at home. It is the 10th this season
and only for ties.
Toulouse visit the PSG at the Parc des Princes (Park of Princes) and was
kept in its own field the whole game, except for the few score opportunities that they took. And won 2-1.
PSG scored at the very end of the game like an unwanted prize for their effort. Maybe a sign of better things to come.
What a thing to do, they are in the relegation zone after almost half of the championship gone.
and only for ties.
Toulouse visit the PSG at the Parc des Princes (Park of Princes) and was
kept in its own field the whole game, except for the few score opportunities that they took. And won 2-1.
PSG scored at the very end of the game like an unwanted prize for their effort. Maybe a sign of better things to come.
What a thing to do, they are in the relegation zone after almost half of the championship gone.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
There you go ... my first one
Hello folks out there, I am starting this blog about France
or the French Stuff.
I know most of people wants to go to France in honeymoon, on vacations, school trip ... whatever.
Since I am here, I decided to tell you about it.
Of course it's a terrible cold day outside, about 3 degrees Celsius - 33F I guess
- and cloudy but fortunately no rain, so we can go to the
Boulangerie to buy some croissants, a delicious French pastry
that you should add to your breakfast. So good that one is plenty and enough.
or the French Stuff.
I know most of people wants to go to France in honeymoon, on vacations, school trip ... whatever.
Since I am here, I decided to tell you about it.
Of course it's a terrible cold day outside, about 3 degrees Celsius - 33F I guess
- and cloudy but fortunately no rain, so we can go to the
Boulangerie to buy some croissants, a delicious French pastry
that you should add to your breakfast. So good that one is plenty and enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)