Is the grass greener elsewhere ?

The Monte Cristo complex may be viral! I receive many ideas of ways to take revenge against Cadic (though I'd rather get my money!)
Someone would like to see an old-style hearse, with the plume on the heads of the horses, the silver tears on black velvet, the men in black (no, not these ones, the other kind), the coffin and a wreath that would read: "Pierre Guichard's 55000euros, the grateful Cadic team" parking rue Bernouilli, just in front of the entrance of their offices.
Yes, I would like to see that as well, but, except around the racecourses, I'm not sure horses would be allowed in Paris.

I am a moron. That's what every big shoe thinks of me. Do not be so proud: they think the same of you.
I wanted to create a myspace account. It displays the page in Spanish, whatever the preferences I indicate in my browser. At the bottom of the page I click on "MySpace International" and choose another language. I log in and it displays my account in Spanish. I have to click again on MySpace International and change the language for the second time. This time, I'm proposed to tick the language so that my choice will be kept for ever. Good, I tick. I read some news, watch some videos, and logout. When I come back, guess what. Yes, my account is in Spanish again.
I'm in Chile therefore I want everything in Spanish. I'm a moron, and they just want to help me. They choose for me, so that I have no problem. They are so good. And so humble.

This morning, a client of Cadic with whom Pierre worked last year wrote him that a bailiff was due to come today, to check and testify that Cadic did not fulfill the contract requirements.
These requirements were very precise and asked for a lot of time to be implemented: the overtime that Cadic refused to pay Pierre for. They stopped the specific implementations when they realized how much work and time it took. And now, they themselves will not be paid because the job has not been done.

I heard about the Oedipus complex. I can testify there is a Monte-Cristo complex. So far, none reader has given us an idea to get our money back, but many have given ideas for means of revenge.
I like the liquid-manure cannon, but farmers usually make their protest marches between La Bastille and La République; they seldom demonstrate in Bernouilly street, and still more rarely at La Bourse.
Of course, if you are a demonstrator, with your own liquid-manure cannon, and want to go out of your way to "water" Cadic head office, who am I to prevent you from doing so?

So far, we have not been able to get our money back. The main -and sole- argument that the company Cadic, the debtor, develops is: "Our contract allowed for 10 days a month. We recognize that we gave you work for more than 20 days each month, but you should have refused to do it. You did it for free! There is nothing like an oral agreement, since you cannot prove it."
That's true. Pierre cannot prove anything, even if it is very doubtful that he agreed to work for peanuts.
Anyway, the 55000 euros miss us a lot. Now that the school could start, from an administrative point of view, we can afford neither computers, nor advertisement.
If you have some idea to make them pay, we take it.

The vernissage took place yesterday night. There were many people, and many who liked the works that were exhibited. We also displayed the poster of the Institute.
Among the visitors was a French man who teaches technology at the Universita Catolica. We chatted. He told us he was looking for someone to teach French to his students: they will have to go in France at the end of their degree course for a period of work experience. I applied. Cross your fingers.

All day long, Pierre and Marco have been working in the workshop, to prepare the exhibition that starts on Monday at the Community Art Center. Since we have been living in Antofagasta, it is the first time that the engraving workshop deserves its name.
In the beginning, it did not exist.
Then, it has been used as anything, even as a dance studio, but most often for DIY activities.
At last, it meets its fate.

Since Marco is more or less the official photographer of the Antofagasta ballet, he had to take snapshots of the young dancers. A class of 83.
It is funny, but difficult to take photos of six-year old ballerinas. Pierre helped Marco. (As for myself, I did nothing. I stood there. No more.)
... blah blah blah, you know, the photographer, with 2 French assistants...
The chic of the chic.

Despite all the problems to open the Institute, yesterday, I did what I wanted to do: I taught French.
My first student, a young woman called Andrea, knew how to count from 1 to 8. Not much, but almost the half of the French vowels. There are 5 vowels in Spanish. It is not an easy task to start to learn a language with 15 vowels (purists would say 16, but I teach French as it is spoken today in France, and more specifically in Paris).
She was surprised to be able to learn so much in so little time. But I was not: since I discovered the "cloud approach", I have been using it with success.
But it takes time to spread the word that there is a way far more easier than the traditional one to learn French.
Never mind! I do what I like to do.

Pierre is printing the small posters that read ( in Spanish!) that tomorrow my French course begins at the Community Art Center. It may look like "last minute" advertisement. It is. But since there are already 2 students who have registered, some others may register as well before 6:30pm.
Tomorrow morning, we'll go to tape one outside and the other inside the building. We'll also hang a whiteboard in my future classroom.
All day long, I have been preparing the first clouds of words I am going to use.
Can't wait.

In Chile, you're quickly accustomed to see people getting on buses to sell candies, ice-cream, candies, cakes, candies, sodas and candies.
But yesterday was a premiere (for Pierre and me): a man sold vitamins. Which ones? I doubt he knew enough of the alphabet to answer the question. But the most surprising was that people bought. OK, we are rather trusty persons (alas! if we were not, we would have asked for our money as soon as the debt had added up to 1 euro), but we are cagey when it comes to our health.
We are not ready to buy medicine on a bus. Nor candies.

Yesterday, opera artists from the musical theater of Santiago sang in Antofagasta. The recital was outstanding. Of course, there were some famous arias to make sure to please anyone, but who did not want to listen to Carmen, anyway?
The way some verses were pronounced gave me an idea. In the membership area of howtopronouncefrench.com, I'm going to add a section dedicated to opera artists, to help them to rehearse the pronunciation.
Spread the word, please.

Marco wanted to make his own soft-box, because the items he found at the photographer's shop were too expensive. To line the box, we thought of using a survival blanket. It is cheap and light, and, of course, reflective. We could not find one in Antofagasta and turned to Amazon.
First, I had to change everything in my account, since I live no longer in Versailles. I wasted 10 minutes to get through their doorways, and be able to order a survival blanket. I hit the buy-in-1-click button and read that there were no delivery to Chile. Hey, they could not say it when I typed in my address?
I thought I was going to order one blanket from France. The site sante-voyages, that actually appears as astrium.com in the browser, was eager to sell a 7€ blanket, as long as I accepted to pay 94€ for the delivery!
I wouldn't say yes.
The soft-box is still waiting for its lining. We are waiting for a new idea.

We have got a mail from the company who owes us 55000 euros. They say that they owe nothing because the invoices we sent them are about jobs they had never ordered. At least, they do not dare to say that the tasks had not been done.
If the jobs were not ordered, how did Pierre know the clients and their demands? How was he introduced to them? Magic! Pierre I Potter, the one who was allowed to enter the atomic center of Saclay without being asked anything, without having to get a special pass and all the security stuff.
Of course, there was a secret. The I, in Pierre I Potter, stands for "invisible".

You already know that when we take a shower we fill a big bottle with the first 2 or 3 liters of cold water instead of wasting it. We fill too many bottles to empty all of them in the garden (it is winter here, the plants are not thirsty). I pour what is left in the washing machine, to rinse the linen.
The washing machine is in the back yard, which can be seen from the next building. And so, the neighbors who do not believe that we water the garden with bottled water, because they do not see the garden, believe that we wash our clothes with it.

We have been waiting for 2 months 3000 euros sent by my sister in law. You may remember that, during the first month, her banker had simply frozen the transfer and used our money for himself. At last, he released it. It traveled across the Atlantic ocean, seemingly by its own means.
This morning, we received a letter, posted 8 days ago (July 11th), but hey, the bank stands at the other end of the street! that read: your money (the amount was not specified) is here.
Our card in hand, we go to the first wall with a slot, to know how much of our money has managed to cross the pond. We slip the card in the machine and type in the code.
- "Hello Gabrielle. It is your first operation. You have to change your code."
I type in a new code. Twice. The second time to check the first one.
- "Hello Customer. Enter your code".
I type in the new code.
- "Hello Gabrielle (theses machines are quite familiar), which operation do you choose?"
I press the check-my-account button.
- "Sorry, this code is invalid."
How to strangle a machine? I have to wait until Monday to go and strangle the banker.

Yesterday night, I made apple donuts. It takes time to prepare but it is so yummy that it is not a waste of time.
As usual, to broaden my vocabulary, I asked Marco:
- How do you call "apple donuts" in Chile?
- We don't. There is nothing like that here. It's the first time I eat them.
Yippee! In some months, when it is time to renew my visa, I will be able to say: "Of course I'm useful to the country: I've brought in the apple donuts!"
Marco hastened to add:
- They will do well in the French café.
The opening of a French café is Marco's hobby horse. The idea came to him when he ate the pears in wine I had once prepared. He is sure that in a city like Antofagasta, it would work and we would make a lot of money. He is not alone to think so. A lawyer is ready to fund the café.
Hey, I came in Chile to teach French, not to cook French.

1- We live at the corner of two main streets where the men who have cars (or the cars of their companies) stop to pick up the others.
2- There is a low wall along the railings.
1+2=Every morning, a dozen workers sit down on the wall while they wait for their mates to drive them, and they chat.
Yesterday, we thought that this morning would be quiet, since it is holiday in Chile. Somewhat optimistic! Except for May 1st and the national day, there is no such thing as a holiday in Chile. The waiting workers were as talkative as usual.
Chile seldom stops. Antofagasta hardly slows.

My booklet of recipes of Pastry Making is now published in a new bilingual version: Spanish-Arabic. It is offered at a special price ($11.75 instead of $14.70) until August. Enjoy!

When it comes to recycling, Chile is a beginner. To deposit the glass, there is one spot for every 100.000 inhabitants. And each spot is no more than 2 green containers. As you may guess, they are filled in less than an hour. So, you have to walk a lot, loaded with empty bottles and jars, to reach the nearest recycling container, which will be full. Here, taking care of the environment requires more efforts than speeches.

This afternoon, a house was burning. All the usual sirens were yelling -which did not make a big difference. The difference, in case of fire, is in the owner's attitude. Is his house worth the price of the water?
In France, the firemen are very generous when they handle the fire hose nozzle. What the fire has spared is ruined by the water. In Antofagasta, they prefer to throw sand if the neighborhood is no in danger. It takes longer to extinct the fire, but what has no been burnt remains.