Circumstances and my own reserve about uncertain plans conspired for some very last-minute news: I’ve been accepted for a Masters degree in comparative literature at the Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, starting this October.

Although the process began in April this year, I only received confirmation yesterday evening. For a couple of years now, I’ve wanted to go back to school in order to find a career better suited to my character. While I enjoy translations, as time passed, I realized that what I most looked forward to during the day was the time I spent reading and participating in discussions on meaning, and related cross-cultural and sociological issues that any discussion of “meaning” brings up once you start going into depth. At first, given my background in IT, I thought that librarianship might be a good path — I could use my literary, technological and analytical skills to help people in their own research at a library. I looked into other possibilities as well: certifications via France’s CNED (National Distance Education Centre) and at the University of Nice, in case anything caught my eye. Which is exactly what happened!

At my US university (the U. of Oregon) and the one I attended in Lyon (Univ. Lyon II), I had taken a few comparative literature courses, which I adored for their combination of foreign languages, anthropology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, art, and, of course, literature. So when I saw that the UNice offered a Masters in comp lit that could lead to secondary school teaching certification or to a doctoral program, I read everything I could about it. Increasingly motivated by what I discovered about the UNice’s research groups and courses available, I decided to apply. Preparing my application was a test in itself!

To shorten what would be another long story, the process was complex, being 1. a non-EU-citizen foreigner 2. in France (not a foreign country) who had 3. studied at a French university 4. but never been registered in one (as an exchange student, I’d been registered at my US university while at Lyon), 5. was over the age of 28 (a cutoff age for French students who have been previously registered at a French university), and to top it all off, 6. needed to continue working full-time in order to support myself. The fact that I’d be working full time during the day wasn’t a problem, according to the program director — it’s possible to do the Masters as a “distance” program. As they say in French, je sais plutôt bien me débrouiller (I’m pretty good at sorting out chaotic situations), so I got through the maze and reached the final hurdle: I needed to prepare and submit a thesis proposal and statement of purpose along with my officially-translated transcripts.

At that point, I still didn’t know which comp lit Masters to apply for specifically. See, in France, Masters degrees can be just one year (called Master 1) or two years (Master 1 followed by Master 2). This is quite recent; the Master 1 used to be a maîtrise and the Master 2 used to be a DEA/DESS (roughly equivalent to M.A./M.S.). I thought a Master 1 would be good to start out with, to get back into the swing of university and help clarify whether I wanted to continue with an education-oriented Master 2 or a doctorate-oriented one. I was very interested in doctorate possibilities, but honestly didn’t know whether it would be for me. I decided to be honest about my uncertainty in my motivation letter, specifying nonetheless that I was excited at the possibilities available through the UNice’s research groups for doctoral candidates. I also tailored my thesis proposal for such an eventuality — for the research (doctorate-oriented) Master 2, a thesis proposal needs to have a statement for the Masters thesis, and the potential for directly-related doctoral studies; ideally even a subject area appropriate for a professoral career in comparative literature.

I sent in my letter and proposal at the end of August, knowing the evaluation committee would meet in September. They met last Friday, and I received notice in the mail yesterday: I was accepted into the Master 2 research program! The full French name, for those curious: Master 2 Recherche Lettres mention Littérature comparée. It’s really ideal: I live just a 15-minute bus ride from the campus, and it’s a public university, so will cost me only 271.36 euros for the entire year (there are no TA scholarships for Masters degrees in France, only for doctorates). Readers might be wondering if the decimal point is in the wrong spot or if I made any typos — nope, that’s two-hundred-seventy-one euros and thirty-six cents. I’m very excited to be able to do something I love!

I haven’t written in a little while, but it’s not actually because I’m on strike! Though I did participate in today’s protests in Nice, against proposed retirement changes and, more generally, against Sarkozy’s government, which is increasingly unpopular for several reasons. I wasn’t technically on strike, since I used one of my vacation days (my current employer is quite all right, nothing against them in particular), but did want to lend my voice to those who disagree with so much of what Sarkozy and his government have done. Nice is implicated more than many places, since two of Sarkozy’s right-hand men are Estrosi and Ciotti. Estrosi is France’s Minister of Industry, as well as Nice’s mayor; Ciotti represents the Alpes-Maritimes département in France’s National Assembly, and is president of the Alpes-Maritimes General Council. I took photos while at the protests, and created a photo reportage.

As for this photo in particular, I chose it for this post due to its unique Niçois character. The man’s shirt says: “Work well at Hersant and they’ll repay you with shit” in Niçois. It’s based on a relatively common saying, one that’s usually used to refer to a single person: “Be nice to X and they’ll repay you by shitting [on you]“. I adapted the translation for the company slightly; it’s a play on meanings and is supposed to be interpreted on different levels. Hersant, or GHM, Groupe Hersant Média, owns Nice-Matin newspapers.

After a mild setback with the original color I’d chosen, which turned out to be several shades darker than its sample showed, I bought more expensive paint for my living room. It turned out perfectly! I’d wanted a cloud-like lavender for the main walls, which are coming along nicely. This is only half of the long wall; I still need to wash and paint the other half. It’s taken forever due to our weather this summer — we’ve had 80-90% humidity and temperatures hovering between 86-100°F (30-38°C), even at night. It’s only cooled off since last weekend, which is when I was finally able to get back to working on my place.

I also returned to something else I’d left many years ago — cheese! I’m one of the many people who have a lactose intolerance, but decided to try “cooked” cheeses, which are usually aged and so have much less lactose than soft cheeses. After starting on Comté, which I’ve always enjoyed, and Emmental, both made from organic raw (unpasteurized) milk last week, I was happy to notice that I actually felt better. Probably in large part because I was so happy to be eating cheese again; in any case, I didn’t notice any ill effects. This week I decided to try another of my favorites, tomme de Savoie. I went to a local market seller called Lou Froumaï, which is Niçois for “Cheese”, quite simply. Along with a tasty-looking tomme de Savoie, they also had an aged Comté with beautiful colors that I decided to try. Aged for 24 months rather than the usual 4-18, it has an exquisitely complex taste. A single, small bite is enough for several minutes of strong, fruity, tart joy. (If you like Comté, of course — one thing you quickly learn in France is that everyone has their particular preferences and dislikes with regard to cheese!) I’d bought an organic red Côtes du Rhône Villages to go with it, which was perfect… I may never be able to pass up the experience again.

If all that sounds expensive: the 24-month-old Comté was sold for 24 euros/kg, and I bought 200g, or about 5 euros’ worth, which is enough to last me a week. I only cut centimeter-thick slices — it’s such a deliciously complex cheese that a few bites are enough. The tomme de Savoie was 22 euros/kg, I bought 225g, again, about 5 euros’ worth. That also lasts me a week. The organic red Côtes du Rhône Villages cost 5.75€ for a bottle. Living in France is a real treat, literally and figuratively.