Un Autre Sud-Ouest

Un Autre Sud Ouest devient Latitudes Nomades... clic a bientôt !

L'heure est grave aux Etats-Unis. Meme en Californie. Il n'est pas une journee sans qu'on apprenne le lay-off d'une de nos connaissances. A commencer par nous : apres cinq jours de travail effectif dans sa nouvelle boite, Serge se voit annoncer que les 25 derniers arrives doivent prendre la porte (le jour meme, dans l'heure qui suit, ca va sans dire, on est en Amerique). Les deux gros clients viennent de geler les projets, alors voila...

Samedi on etait a une soiree et on a realise que peu n'etaient pas touches par "la Grande Crise", comme on l'appelle ici. La grande et jolie blonde, accoudee la ? Cherche desesperement un job, elle a pratiquement ecoule toutes ses economies. Le couple bien sympa, avec la petite ? Doivent quitter leur maison la semaine prochaine, saisie par la banque. Mais il vont aller ou ?! Ils ne savent pas. Et aussi, il a perdu son job. Et la petite, la, bien sympa ? Perdu son job aussi... Super soiree malgre tout, personne n'est maussade et on ne parle de rien, les Californiens ont la politesse du sourire et l'optimisme comme seconde nature.

Une autre soiree, la semaine derniere. Ou l'on apprend par nos amis Americains, que comme tous leurs concitoyens, ils ont perdu entre 40% et 100% de leur capital retraite.   

Chacun calcule combien de temps il peut tenir sans rentree d'argent. Quand on perd son travail, on perd aussi son assurance sante (pas de Secu ni CMU). Quand on perd sa Secu, on a la possibilite de souscrire a Cobra, une assurance sante pour les sans emploi. La bagatelle de 1100 dollars par mois pour une famille de quatre. Si on entend un Francais se plaindre de l'augmentation de 1 Euro par consultation ou quelque chose du genre, on en fait de la puree de grenouille.

On a donc decide de rentrer en France et notre coeur est leger : notre visa est valide pendant encore un mois, ce qui nous laisse le temps de regler nos affaires, de faire un passeport a Remi Nelson qui n'est qu'Americain pas encore Francais, et la boite nous paie le rapatriement... Champagne !

(In Atlanta airport, 2006)

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

On sait tres bien ce qui nous attend, c'est bien ca le probleme. On a vu quelques maisons avec un agent qui nous a ensuite pose un lapin. Juste le temps de se rendre compte que oui, c'est bien bien ce qu'on pensait : Orange County, c'est une banlieue Americaine dans toute sa splendeur : des "communities", gated or not, sans ame qui vive, et des Malls.

On demenage. Encore. Bye bye San Diego et la maison ou on se sent si bien, les voisins, l'ecole francaise a trois minutes, les copines, les liens tisses au fil de ces deux annees... c'est toujours comme ca : c'est sur la fin que les meilleures choses arrivent et il faut deja repartir. Mais cette fois ci on ne s'en va pas loin : 70 miles vers le nord, qui sait ce qui nous attend...

(Rome, mai 2004)

Les souvenirs de moments passes ensemble a Rome, a Vieste, nous habitent depuis l'annonce de son depart brutal, le 31 decembre. Difficile, quand on est trop loin pour venir partager le deuil, de realiser qu'on se se reverra plus jamais... Gabriella, amica nostra, non ti dimenticheremo mai.

- Travailler {un job agreable, gagner des sous, partir de la maison et revenir, avoir un emploi du temps charge, rencontrer plein de monde, etc}
- Decouvrir qu'on est enceinte {sauter de joie, avoir tout le temps envie de dormir, de vomir, s'arrondir, imaginer Sacha avec son petit frere, nous tous ensemble, etc}
- Mieux decouvrir notre ville d'adoption {la petite plage qui va bien (end of La Jolla Shores, close to the cliff), le resto bon et sympa (le Japonais de Convoy St, le Bresilien Downtown, le C Level), les nouvelles ballades {Coronado, le sentier qui part de la falaise en haut de La Jolla, le phare de Point Loma...}
- Les rencontres, les liens qui se nouent avec des personnes de tous horizons

- Des visites de France, partager notre quotidien avec des proches venus en vacances
- Passer un mois en France, se ressourcer
- Laisser tomber les couches, puis la sucette, avoir un Sacha plus "grand"
- Assister de l'interieur a l'ascension fulgurante d'Obama, puis a son election

- retrouver un bon job, sans avoir a bouger dans une region hostile
- Donner naissance a un magnifique bebe, calme et tranquille

- Devoir quitter son job, puis ne plus pouvoir travailler pour des questions de changement de visa
- Subir un mauvais diagnostic d'un mauvais medecin et se voir annoncer qu'il y a un probleme, alors qu'en fait, non
- Subir un lay off, le deuxieme en un an
- Tarder a retrouver un job parce que LA crise s'en mele
- Avoir les contraintes des lois d'immigration comme epee de Damocles : pas de job, plus de visa, plus de visa, bye bye. Et l'incertitude qui va avec.
- Se demander comment tout cela va bien finir. Tout en attendant un enfant.

De retour a la maison (le 6 decembre, lendemain du 5, c'est bien comme ca que ca se passe ici). Avec Sacha, en pleurs apres avoir fait tomber (volontairement) le Canon Reflex :

- Que se passe t'il Sacha, pourquoi as-tu fait une si grosse betise ?

Entre les sanglots :

- Je ne veux plus le petit frere... Je veux qu'il retourne dans ton ventre...

- Mais ce n'est pas possible, il est trop gros

- Je veux retourner dans ton ventre... je ne veux pas de petit frere

- Mais vous etes la maintenant, c'est comme ca. Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire ?

- On va le mettre a la poubelle

Glups.

6 decembre, a la Maternite

Aujourd'hui, un nouveau boulot vient d'etre decroche, avec le visa qui va bien. En attendant la Carte Verte qui peut-etre arrivera un jour, histoire de nous oter comme une epee de Damocles.

On inspire et on expire profondement. Ah non, ca c'est pour la naissance.

Le job : ca, c'est fait. Ineluctablement, l'autre attente va cesser, quelque soit la conjoncture cette fois-ci. Dans "quelques" respirations...

Pour ceux qui ne suivent pas du tout : La boite de Serge a ferme son site de San Diego. Nous avons appris la nouvelle en Mai, Serge a cesse de se rendre au bureau fin Septembre, notre visa Americain expire le 15 Janvier (en meme temps que le dernier salaire, l'assurance sante pour toute la famille et le droit de rester legalement sur le territoire Americain).

On a eu la possibilite d'etre transferes a Dallas, Texas avant l'ete, mais on a choisi de rester a SD, sans trop s'en faire pour la suite. Normalement c'est assez fastoche de trouver un boulot en Californie dans les IT. Alors on a pris un mois de vacances en France. C'etait compter sans la Crise...

Le mois de novembre s'ecoule dans l'attente. Bien qu'il donne des signes d'impatience et que tout soit pret, bebe n'est pas encore decide a naitre. Notre Thanksgiving a ete un festin chaleureux, sans dinde farcie ni tarte a la citrouille, mais aux subtiles saveurs de cuisine Libanaise. Les bougainvilliers sont toujours en fleurs et nous guettons l'eclosion du jasmin. La grand-mere de Sacha fait des gaufres et du gratin de fenouil, des tuiles et du veloute de champignons, joue au Memory et au football Americain, raconte des histoires et repond patiemment a tous les pourquoi. Bealeine marche en canard, dort peu la nuit, est fatiguee le jour et ne trouve pas l'energie de repondre a tous les gentils messages qu'elle recoit. Serge s'est remis a l'escalade, remporte des succes et nous attendons un denouement bientot. Ca va comme en Novembre 2008. Et pour vous ?

         C'etait la et les enfants se sont vraiment eclates !