Destination Malta - On the road to Mellieha - Part 2

We are not lost anymore, we found the road !!!


Maltese Olympic Rings


View from my countryside house !!


Mika walking on a piece of a wall stone


One of the many Maltese stone wall.


Searching the way to Mellieha like a Catalan in a haystack.


Stunning view of our walking !!


View from Cro-Magnon Caves


Blair Witch Hood

Destination Malta - Bugibba Part 1

Quietest part of Bugibba


Me & Mika enjoying first sunrays of our vacation.


Maltese Donald loving the beach !!


Typical Maltese fishing boats aka Luzzu.


Rocky beach


St Paul's Island


It's all Greek to me.


Evening by the coast !!!

La Franqui (GabatxyLand)

I'm blue that I cannot come more often at la Franqui !!



Holding the sun upon his shoulders (Mika & Pat )


Sunset : FREE to enjoy it by the mighty people & the poor ones and however one of the best Magic moment on earth, every day !!



Bubbles of another Champagne bottle (celebration again ;)

Celebration

In a nutshell, from wendy to sundy, celebration wiz my best friends, Champagne every day keep the doctor away.



What a great meal, Champagne & Fast Junk Food at Mika's.


Benito at Argeles playa enjoying my news and that fantastic sunny sunday !!!


Julio opening another Champagne bottle at Pepe's flat !!!



Simon & Pepe & Me at Corsaire (a nice rhum bar close to the Cathedral in Perpignan)



Champagne again at Pepe's flat !!

Unbelievable ,great piece of news !!!

Hello guys,
Just to tell you, that I have already dumped the blog I created a few days ago.
Last weekend I visited some old friends I have not met for ages : Olivier / Gilles / Régul / Bénito & Aurélie. It was really good to see them. I was really busy lately with Competition but now they are over, I will try to dedicate more time to my friends and family.

I had a fantastic time, first of all, we drank some pints at Pollestres stadium.
I visited Benito at his house. He showed me the house he is building. He has done a great job so far, by this summer it will be liveable. They told me that Aurélie is pregnant, great piece of news, I will glad for you guys.

On Tuesday, we went to Asia Center wiz Mika. We bought some chinese food,beers and stuff and watched some DvDs.

On Wednesday 4th of 2008, in the morning, I checked my emails as a robot waiting for EPSO answer.
2 years from now on, I was imagining that moment. I received an email from EPSO (European Personnel Selection Office), " you have a message on your EPSO profile"
Here is the Results of the competition:

Dear Mr X,

I am pleased to inform you that the Selection Board for the above-mentioned competition has now completed its work and, on the basis of your results in the practical and oral tests, your name has been placed in merit group 4 on the list of suitable candidates.

The reserve list will be transmitted to the Institutions which are solely responsible for recruitment. Each Institution will select successful candidates from the list according to its needs and with a view to filling posts which have become vacant. As soon as a suitable position arises, you could be invited for an interview with a representative of a department of any of the institutions interested in your application. Depending on the outcome of the interviews you may receive a formal offer of employment. For practical reasons, you may be asked at the same time to undergo the medical examination which is required before any decision can be taken on appointment.

I should point out, however, that it could be several weeks or months before you are contacted.

The reserve list and its expiry date will be published in the Official Journal, as well as on the EPSO website.

Yours sincerely,
For the Chairperson of the Selection Board
Theo DUIVENVOORDE


If you read the sentences above, you should have understood that I passed the COMPETITION and might be lucky enough to be contacted by any DGs (Directorates-General) in the next few months hopefully one day actually, time will say.

I will keep you update of my career path.

So here are the pics of the celebration with my friends !!! Enjoy them guys.

Creation of a new blog in French

Juste a few words to put my new blogsite address:

http://1jour2plus.blogspot.com/

translation: onedaymore in my young life, this is my 10537 day on Earth and I have nothing more exciting to do that writing my owns actions and feelings to complete strangers !!!

In a certain way, at least, I won't help anymore the Wood industry to cut trees to write down my fantastic life !!

Enjoy it for all able to understand French blabla and see you very soon, my amazing pics from my Malta trip to come in a fortnight wiz Michael (you might have already seen him on that photo blog).

Last competition of my life in Paris

I was watching some old posts and I realized that as usual I go to Paris in March.

That time was to attend a competition to work for the French Foreign Ministry, I failed it last year for one examination. My overall feeling this year is that I will not fail for one examination, if I do, it would be that my average grade would not be sufficient enough to go to the Oral in June.

I had the feeling that the examination were easier than the year before. Anyway, time will say.
I'm still waiting for the results of the European Commission competition I attended in January, it is going to happen shortly...


Building close to Lyon's Station


Old couple relaxing under the Old Lady


A young guy happy to be there again


Walk along La Seine


Paris 21 century !!!


Small boat from Britany


Another Porche along the Seine


Old woman watching at the Tower !!


American Church on Trip agency window


New kind of Scooter !! Weird or too modern !!



Champs Elysees Avenue


New Citroen Building (modern style)


The Obelisk & Eiffel Tower
The Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde is from the Luxor temple in Egypt. It was a gift from the Egyptian Viceroy to Charles X. It was moved from Luxor to its new Parisian home in 1833.


The National Assembly is located in the Palais-Bourbon, across the Seine from the Place de la Concorde. The palace was built as a private residence in 1722, was later bought by King Louis XV, and changed hands several more times until the government reacquired it and converted it to legislative use in 1827.
"It is also the place were MEP's sleep more than they speak"

Uni Rugby International Tournament 2008

This time, the last event of the season took place in St-Estève (PO).


It was a windy & cold day, as usual the competition was among Perpignan VS Girona VS Montpellier university teams.


Thanks "Welcome to our faithful fans !!!"
Here are some pictures:


Montpellier Vs Perpi


Mika having good time in the gallery.


Third-half-time wiz Kristen (she is a rugby player from Montpellier)

Winner of the Tramuntana Cup: Montpellier
Perpignan arrived second as last year but played much better and made it tough until the last minute of the game.
Girona arrived Third (but as usual they played wiz a great spirit )

I can't wait for next year !!!

My Belgium Trip

I took the TGV to Paris, then the Thalys to Bruxelles Midi. Louis Picked me up there and we walked to his place (20mn from the Station).



The Place & the people who get my future in theirs hands !!



Parc du Cinquaintenaire


Chilly morning after my Oral, chilling out in the Park close to the European Commission.



Louis, a french musician from Perpignan living in Bruxells I knew from High School who invited me at his place for a couple of days. He introduced me to new places I did not know in that fantastic city.


Centre de la Bande Dessinée (Cartoon Center) . For all the one who loves comics, cartoon,mangas : this is the place to visit. You will find out all your heroes !!!

I met by luck a small bar close to a bar I used to go when I go to Brussells called "la Mort Subite" but the next bar is cheaper and more lively, real people most of them talking flamish.
Have a look at the prices, it is located in the very center of the capital.



Here is the entrance of the famous Delirium Café. The Café I did not find each time I go to Brussels but thanks to Louis, We did it.

In a 18th century basement, in the heart of the "Free town": the "Ilot Sacré", and only a 100 meters away from the "Grande Place" you'll find the "Delirium Café".

A decoration full of old enamelled ad-panels, posters from the past time and colourful light-ads will duck you behind a world of beers and Gins.

De big wooden barrels invite you to taste the different drinks: Belgian and foreign beers, on bottle or of the barrel. Old gins, fruit gins or even with chocolate taste.

The Beer Collection is impressive and composed of more than 2004 beers; Beers around the world, rare and collectors beers. For every taste, from starter to advanced amateur (like me).
It was added to the Guinnes book of Records.

I made a promise to myself, if one day I'm lucky enought to work for the European Commission, after every single day, I will come there and have a different beer, chilling out and enjoying that fantastic place. Whatever might be the day, stressing, rainy, snowy, exhausting, does not matter, I will go there and invite a friend of mine to join (lol).




Magnificent House close to Louis' place


While I was walking around a park , lured by the European Flag lighted in a sunny day, Met that villa. (Catalan & French will get it)


The Little house & the crow (belgium new tale)



Destination Carcassone



What a fantastic day, It was the warmest day of the year !!! Perfect blue sky, clouds reappeared in south of France !! Time to flight back to France. Hope to see you soon Belgium.

Sum up of my Oral Examination

Hi everyone,

I have to say my overall feeling is that I won't be in the reserve list.
Here is the story:

I did not feel stress until the door was shut !!!
I look at the panel, in the eyes, and first mistake, I took the wrong sit and I have not noticed "because I was looking at the President of the Jury (I knew who He was before entering in the room) so I did not want to be in front of me" that there was a piece of paper and a bottle of water just next to the place I chose"

So he just nodded his head to indicate me the right place, as we say in France '
"Cela commence bien !! "= It begins quite well (ironia)

Then He explained me how the Examination will take place, and what surprises me is that he told me i will have to speak in the language the question will be asked.

So I was quite destabilized because I thought the Oral will be in my second language (I mean 80% of it, as many posts in that forum, mentionned it) and I learned a lot during 1 month, and read almost everything, Press, synthesis of my courses, possibles questions, vocabulary in english) and I was asked to present my CV & job experiences related to the Competition in French.

The night before, i learned by heart my presentation in english and i Could not find the rights words sometimes to describe my past!!!

But the "best" was to come, All the questions but 3 that is to say, 20 at least were in French mostly about situational questions.

I did not have any questions about WORD, EXCEL or whatever softwares.. shame

Neither did have questions on multicultural environment??
how will they assess my abilities to work in such an environment?

I did have : do you prefer to work alone in a room or with team?

How to plan a mission for your chief of unit?

How do you deal with a person who wait for your boss but he is on a meeting which takes more time than forecast ?

I was asked about filing?

I was not about my motivation?

In which DG's I would like to work?

what would I do If my boss was misadministrated money, 'instance of a german whose country gave in terms of UE contribuition more that the right amount of money he should give because of the high contribuition of his country in the past:!!!

i was asked what were the main institutions : I started to talk and with the stress i forgot the Court of Auditors, the Court of Justice, and concerning the EP, EC, Council forgot many things because of the stress

I was asked a question about environment (in english) and it was a good time , as for 10mns i was speaking french, i could not find the words, they did not come to my bloody mind, and as they were all stared at me, could not be silent, and I said : The UE was fighting against the environment (instead of Climate Change) and a guy told me really against, lol, sorry for the Environment, ....

Finally, When i was asked if i Had a question,
As i felt my oral was not that good, I asked a question about the fact that the Lisbon Treaty was signed last December and that the last & only country to ratify it will be Ireland and all the pressure will be on the country, and that I wanted to know the panel's opinion about it, do they think it will pass or not (because in the last time they reject it)
it sounded a good question: it sounded, lol, because the 2 guys of the jury told me, verbatim: You know we are European Civil servant, we have a right of reserve !!!

In a nutshell the 40mn went very fast, did not have 4 seconds to rest !!!
Wanted to have a glass of water, but did not have time to open the bottle, did not feel interupting the ORAL.


NB: I was told the results for french will be on April normally.
Overall feeling, could have done much much better, my english was pitiful "I'm normally really good especially when I talk"
I studied too much (wanted to know everything about institutions, policies, people working there) In the end I was asked 3 general questions that i replied badly (could have done better 2 years ago) because of the stress!!

C'est la vie...

Sincerely

First post of the year !!!

This month was very exciting !!!
I met many English girls from Sheffield, Manchester & Liverpool who are studying at my university. I was able to practice my talking english by day & nite. Here are some pictures of those "lively" guys.


Copy of the letter I received from the European Personnel Selection Office (Brussels, 26/11/2007 )

Dear Mr XXX,

Further to my correspondence dated 7/11/2007, informing you that your results in the practical tests qualify you for admission to the oral test, I am pleased to inform you that this test will take place on 07/02/2008 at 11:15 , at the following address:

European Commission
Waiting Room 7th floor
Av. de Cortenbergh , 107
B-1040 Bruxells



The Final Countdown has started !!! For all the ones who might read that post : Wish me good luck !!!!

Last step before being on the Reserve List of the European Commission for AST competition.

I already booked my train to Bruxells and my flight back to Carcassonne.
I am going to sleep at my friend's flat: Louis I knew from the High School who is a musician in Belgium for a few years.

I was really busy in burning the midnight oil to be ready for the D-day (dream day) but then I will be able to write more posts faster.

This afternoon I bought my first tie & 2 white shirts from Florentino after a fortnight of shopping. I bought last week my first Shaving machine.



I will keep you update and put my feedback of that special day.

Time to wish you as well a Fantastic New Year !!! Best Wishes & Greetings from France.