20 January 2021 was a very good day...

On one day two unrelated events took place.

Yesterday was an important day in the US.

Many here in France sighed a sigh of deep relief that the USA had uninstalled the orange haired diaper pooping would-be autocrat.  

Earlier, when things looked bad after the audio recording of the conversation with the Georgia Secretary of State came out, and after the Capitol had been stormed by insurgents, French President Macron came on national TV and talked about the importance of defending democracy. 

This morning Segolene Royale shared her thoughts about America (France 2 TeleMatin).  It is clear the Europeans know they need to "get on with it" and can't rely on former US stability on the world stage to help the world become a better place.  Though they'd like to feel they had a good friend to walk the path with.

Here are a few of our favorite quotes from Joe Biden's speech.

"We'll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibility."

"A cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making, moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer."

"We see the first woman in American history elected to the national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don't tell me things can't change." 

"This mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever."

"We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this, if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts."

 

Yesterday was an important day for us, too, and our small lives here in France.

One of our own meager efforts at helping make the world a better place has been to live car-free for nearly 9 years.  We could get many places by TGV, RER, Metro, taxi, and rental car.  But, with the arrival of Covid-19 coupled with the realization that some of the places we would like to see are not easily serviced by public transportation, Judith and I made a decision to buy a car.  We took delivery of it yesterday.

Of the many interesting and wonderful things that happened on our way to taking possession of our first car here in Europe there was one that stands out.

Before we could take delivery of the new (to us) used (in reality - 4 years old) Prius Hybride we needed to purchase automobile insurance.

I thought we had everything we needed to show we had coverage in the US.  Our USAA insurance policy includes cards that, I thought, showed we were clear and "good" anywhere we went.  Alas, no, that was not at all the case.  The French needed to see what they call a quittance.  Our situation was complex enough that separating out the auto portion out of the overall policy was impossible.

This meant in the French system I would be considered a "jeune conducteur" or a young driver.  This after decades of automobile ownership in the US that included Jaguars, Fiats, Chryslers, Fords, and Toyotas.  The price difference between being able to prove three prior years of coverage and not is rather significant (400-Euro-ish versus 2500+Euro).

As we worked through our situation with an agent local to Nice (where we currently are for the winter) I came to the realization that this was going to cost us a bit of money.  Of course this all took place after we had paid for the car.  Had we known, right?

I explained and shared all the documentation we have and learned how the French system works, and what it needs to be properly aligned with all aspects of an automobile purchase.  There seemed no way "out."

Unexpectedly on the day we were resigned to pay whatever we had to pay, the agent called and we talked.  She said that having to pay for insurance as a young driver was unjust.  That word, unjust, is a powerful word here in France.  It has the power to move mountains and to plumb the depths of an ancient legal/social/cultural system.

She said "here's what we can do..." and made a very reasonable proposal to which I gratefully accepted and complied with.

It is one of the things about living here that never ceases to amaze us.  Just when things feel blocked, just when things feel like there's no going further, the French help us find a way.  

Justice. We love it.