Brad Nguyen Photography

C’est gagné, we did it!

Having lived out of our suitcases for exactly one month, we finally moved into our apartment on Friday, October 10th. Along the way we had stayed with the Aurelie, Christian, and Anna in Nanterre; Isabelle and Alain in Caen; Sara, Seb, and Maya in the Point du Jour neighborhood of Lyon; Céline and Julien on Presqu’ile; and finally Annie and Pierre in Bron.

It’s been a huge relief to finally have a place to put everything. I think our apartment is really nice, but Nicole thinks it looks like an 80′s hotel room. We have wood floors, a seperate bedroom, a washing machine, an oven, a fridge, and a dishwasher. The rent is about 580€ a month which is pretty fair considering how nice it is.

Nicole and I both started working on October 1st. She teaches elementary school kids, while I work with elementary school teachers who need to work on their English skills. My job has been a bit boring, but it’s probably the easiest one in the entire assistants program.

Hopefully, once I get all settled in, I can find a second source of income. 780€ is great when your expenses are only food and rent, but it’s nothing when you want to travel and have credit card bills to pay. The Toussaint holidays are coming up, and I’m itching to travel, but I don’t want to dig myself further into debt until I get my first paycheck.

My brother’s coming to visit on Wednesday.

Everyone else is also invited.

Annie and Pierre

After spending a couple of nights at Celine and Julien’s, we then moved in with one of my French coworkers, Annie. We spent about a week in her daughter’s room.

We stayed with Annie and Pierre until we could finally move into our apartment on October 10.

Having Vietnamese crepes for dinner

Still Waiting to Unpack

It’s five fifty-two and I’m awake again. Sometimes I think I get my insomia from my mother, whom I can hear often early in the morning, making a racket in the kitchen. But actually, it’s really my tendency to wake up early whenever I sleep somewhere new or strange.

I’m laying here in my fourth French home in about three weeks. We’re CouchSurfing again. The skylight and windows make me feel like I’m actually outside, camping. I’m listening to the soothing fall of the rain and the gentle roar of the wind.

This is my fourth Autumn abroad in three years, and it looks to be another wet one. I remember October to be a particularly wet month in Lyon, particularly unpleasant during morning marches through the city. I prefer to enjoy the rain from the inside of a house, or through my car window, while parked or asleep.

I’m thirsty. The process of digestion tends to dehydrate me. I don’t want to drink too much water yet because I don’t want to wake anyone up by going to the restroom. I’m also aching. My muscles are sore from carrying a fifty-pound suitcase up five flights of stairs yesterday morning, after dragging it on and off of a bus, subway, and in two directions on a pedestrian street.

Today is our Assistants’ orientation, technically our first day of work, however, I only have lunch lined up for tomorrow. I wonder what my job actually consists of. I hope it doesn’t involve disciplining rugrats.

I’m pretty sure that Nicole and I have secured an apartment in the sixth arrondisement of Lyon. Nicole is a little less convinced, as the agency has been giving us the run-around for the past couple of days. We have a couple more appointments to look at apartments this week.

It’s six past six and I heard an alarm go off. I guess it’s not too early after all.

A bientôt.

A week with Saraseb

We spent a week CouchSurfing with Sara, Seb, and Maya in the Point du Jour neighborhood of Lyon. It was Nicole’s first time spending the night with CouchSurfers and my fourth. They were incredibly warm and welcomed us like family. Maya, the one year old baby, was really cute and laughed all the time for no reason.

I made them Vietnamese food and Nicole made them Indian food. We even attended Maya’s one year birthday party. We were sad to leave but felt like a week was already pushing it. We then moved on to another CouchSurfer, Celine and Julien, for another couple of days.

A Week in Normandy

Nicole and I just spent a week with her family in Caen, Lower Normandy. Although we saw touristy things like American Cemetary, the Bayeux Tapestry, and Mount Saint Michel, we spent the majority of our time just hanging out with her family.

Right now we’re spending a week or two Couchsurfing in Lyon while trying to secure an apartment. I hope the first apartment we look at is also the last.

Normandy American Cemetary and Memorial
Colleville-sur-Mer

Abbaye aux Dammes
Caen

Emile

Anna

Anna and Emile

Paris

Musee de l’Orangerie

???

A view of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe

Arriving in France, 2008

It’s hard to continue on the journey of writing after such a long hiatus. I’ve never been really great at keeping a journal, but I know the importance of such an excercise. It takes me out of the moment by examining it from a distance, but at the same time it lets me look at it, think about it, remember it.

Nicole and I have finally arrived in France. It’s hard to imagine that we’re finally beginning our journey of becoming English Assistants. Those who have known me for a while know that I have been talking about this and preparing for this for many years now. I had heard about this program from someone whose e-mail I had found written on the railing of the Eiffel Tower in 2003 on my first trip to Europe.

We are currently staying with Nicole’s cousin in Nanatere, a suburb of Paris not too far past La Defense. Aurelie has a two-year-old daughter who is half Senegalese and full of imaginary friends. After having spoken French for less than a year, her vocabulary is probably already greater than mine.

Tomorrow we are taking the RER into Paris and visiting Nicole’s old neighborhood near the Sorbonnne. Half a year before I was studying French in Lyon, she was doing it in Paris with (I’m sure) more intense classes.

Right now it is 6:30am in Paris and 9:00pm in California, a 9-hour time difference. I will be in France until May, enough time for anyone to scrape together a grand in debt and come visit me in Lyon. I’m looking forward to it.

Anna Painting

Freelance Photographer

I am offering my services as a photographer. My rates start as low as 10€ an hour. My photographic interests include: weddings, portraits, children, parties, events, commercial, design, and artisitc. I have experience in photo-journalism as a staff photographer for the New University Newspaper for the University of California, Irvine. My equipment includes: a Nikon D40 body, a 18mm-55mm kit lens, a 55mm-200mm VR lens, and an SB-400 Speedlight.

I am currently located in Lyon, France. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for an estimate.

Brad Nguyen, Photographer and Educator

My name is Brad Nguyen. The two main projects in my life right now are photography and education.

I am currently an English Assistant working in Lyon, France. I work with elementary teachers who have to do an English training program through the Departement of Rhône.

I am also an avid photographer. I love to take pictures, especially while traveling. While in college, I worked as a staff photographer for my school newspaper. I own a Nikon D40 with a 18-55mm lens and also a 55-200mm VR lens. I am continually learning every day.

I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in International Studies and one in Literary Journalism. I am proficient in French and Spanish. I also have a conversational knowledge of Vietnamese.

I also enjoy board games, gardening, and cooking.

Weddings

Monique and Noah

Grandpa Berger

The Bridal Party

All the Berger Children

Equal Rights

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