Happy St. Patrick's Day

It was more like Christmas for me.

I woke up early and prepared for a long day of being bounced between government offices. I had been summoned for my medical exam with OFII (Office of Foreigners and Immigrants run by Incompetents). This was supposed to be one of the first things I did when I got to France- to ensure I wouldn't be spreading TB or swine flu or anything- but it turned out to be the last thing standing between me and legal resident status. Sure enough, I got there only to find that they needed proof of residence in the form of a gas or electric bill, which I didn't have. I had been unaware this was necessary and was unprepared but managed to convince them to accept a bank statement as proof of residence. The bank statement actually had the wrong address on it (I had opened the account before I found my apartment so it still had my friend Meredith's address on it) but I guess it looked official enough.

So after a surprisingly painless hour and a chest x-ray I walked out of the office a legal foreign resident in France! I continued immediately to the CAF office where I had an application pending for a rent subsidy from the French government. This medical visit was the last piece of the puzzle for me and by lunch time I had been assured I would be receiving a substantial check in three to four days. Mmmmmmm.... socialism......

Incidentaly, it was a spectacularly beautiful day in Nantes so I took advantage of my good mood and spent the afternoon reading in the park and playing basketball in the sun. I figured I could afford a break from the job search after such a productive morning. But my day wasn't over yet.

When I got back to my apartment after playing basketball, I had an email from Overland asking if I had time for a job interview on Skype that evening. After a quick shower I had my first ever job interview via Skype and learned I am one of two candidates being considered to lead a 4 week language program for American high school students in France this summer. It was really nice to get a positive response from one of the many programs I've applied to. While I don't have the job yet and haven't yet decided if I'll take it if it's offered, I have spent a lot of time daydreaming about how much fun it would be.