Elena Karavaeva Biography

About local gastronomic joys, French medicine and how to take root in Russian in a foreign land, she told our Columonist Vita Ramm. Many people think about buying real estate ... In general, about the behavior of Russian tourists in France, they make a movie - and this is not a figure of speech. Because no one behaves like them. No one has been spending money on show for a long time, no one has long been demonstrating the financial possibilities and the amount of bank account.

In France, in general, any demonstration of well -being is considered the height of a bad taste, the French were able to convince even the emirs from the Gulf countries who behave extremely modestly. By the way, these conditional emirs do not throw money to the right and left. And not a single emir or businessman from that region will buy real estate three or even four times more than its real value.

Overpaying in France for wealthy Russian citizens has become a kind of sport, and sometimes amazing to see ads on Russian-speaking sites that offer to buy real estate. The price covers the real market value at least twice. Not to mention the fact that realtors frankly lie about the location, painting a small resort town in the Department of Var as a suburb of Saint-Tropez.

Yes, it is located really fifteen kilometers from the famous village, but they are connected by a narrow route walking along the sea, and in order to get to Saint -Tropez and go back, you need to spend about 10 hours - 5 hours in the same end, five - in the other. So, to those who do not know the language and laws, it is better to hire not an intermediary in Russia, but a local agent who directly works with a notary.

And everything is adjusted with laws and acts in France. Not a single trifle is missed, every detail is painted. French exclusivity? Yes, it meets at every step. This term was introduced at one time by the famous Andre Malro, the magnificent writer of the Gonkur Prize, a participant in resistance, the ally of de Gaulle and the Minister of Culture all the time that the general was in power.

This concept is as follows - "since French, then excellent." But, if you think about it, almost everything that is “made in France” - from cinema to eating, from literature to museums, from architecture to art to live and, however, excellent. I have not met the French who would think differently and would be unhappy with their country and even their lives.

This, in general, is a nation, perhaps, one of the few, who can not so much live as to enjoy this life. In any circumstances, in any situation, no matter what happens. The first steps you came with great television experience and knowledge of English. French suffered on the spot. And learned in a record time. Please share a secret. I had English - almost at the Russian level, I learned a French to it, which today has actually became the main language, I even see dreams on it, only French speech sounds in the house.

With my son, I also speak the language of Rasin and Moliere. My personal pride - in order to obtain French citizenship, you need to pass an exam for language knowledge - at the level of a graduate of the lyceum. I handed over. The maximum assessment of the possible - I also had an interview, which I took place twice to obtain citizenship, the second lasted more than 3 hours, French officials celebrated my language ownership both times.

But, of course, I have an easy accent that my son is very ridiculous today. I could not endure this training system. And just began to watch TV and read newspapers. TV is a great opportunity to comprehend a foreign language, it is always spoken vocabulary, well, and, working in the news service, I could understand, at first approximately, and then completely, which is about.

And also - I always sought to speak. And she always asked my interlocutors to notice and correct my mistakes. In parallel, I learned another European language, so now I actually speak three foreign languages, about the same level, that is, I think, I write, I say, read, watch a movie. As in Russian. But how did you, without knowing the language, fill out all sorts of documents?

Is there a bank, for example, or utility bills? After all, they say about the French that they are arrogant to those who do not speak their language. They say about the French correctly. They are snobs, and I love this snobbery very much. Of course, at first I needed very different help, but since I can’t stand it at all about anything at all, I decided for myself that the faster this period of dependence on other people's knowledge will pass, the better it would be for me.

But, of course, there were always people who reacted quite kindly to my requests, and in my environment at work, and where I lived. As for contacts with all kinds of companies that provide public services, they were ideal in their desire to always meet and listen to my French babble, giving the opportunity to ask again, ask a question and so on.Not to mention civil servants and bureaucracy, because it was necessary to arrange a lot of papers, a residence permit, and so on.

I can say that there is no mechanism suitable for the convenience of life better than the French bureaucracy. Assessment of her work on my part is only one - "impeccable." The rest are taxes on legal entities, export -import, VAT and other vignettes. But the state apparatus, officials, police functionaries, justice, healthcare and education are paid by citizens from their own pockets.

Democracy is when you pay for it, and not when they give it to you! Taxes are returning. But, judging by the stories and publications, in France, the most severe dictatorship of the tax system in the world ... Yes, and it works for the good of anyone - I emphasize - any person. I experienced this myself. When Lukasha was lying under the droppers in our village hospital he had serous meningitis, we were next to him, of course.

Because in the wards of babies there are bunks for parents. Chambers per child. And there was such a moment that in the evening a nanny came in, a young girl, and asked - “Milk with what aroma we have strawberries, chocolate, vanilla and still life your child prefers in the morning? And you, Madame, prefer - cocoa, tea or coffee? Croissants, Briosh, baking with raisins, a bun with chocolate?

And exactly at that moment I realized that I had nothing to worry about at all, they will save my boy. And by the way, they saved the wise luminaries, but the young interns completely, only after the end of the medical faculty, but they did everything so deftly, so quickly, so easily, with jokes and smiles that I was given a diva - it was very different from the tense atmosphere of the medical case in Russia.

And yet - when I went to the window to pay well, I thought that I had to pay, they took money from me in the amount of 9 euros - for dinners in the dining room. Lukash was so treated in the state hospital? This is a state hospital, this is free medicine that citizens contain their taxes, no miracles, just work and there is no theft. Yes, and it is important - in France, medicine is brought out of business, in the sense that it is not a way and not a method of earning money, and the doctor is generally separated from paper turnover at all.

There are no state clinics. There is either a hospital - this is a state medical institution, there is a clinic, and it is already a private medical institution. But even in the case of the clinic - it has subventions and concludes an agreement with the state that its services will not exceed the established bar bar. Not doctors control the clinic, but managers, and not doctors control the state -owned.

For this work, there are state functionaries who specially learned to manage such institutions. This is a complex, but well -lubricated and very effective machine. It is for the reason that I indicated above that medicine is not a way to earn money. If you want money, go anywhere, but not to medicine. There are other priorities, other principles, other completely interests. But everyone must have insurance?

If you have a social insurance card, then you are served for free. This includes serious diseases, pregnancy, starting from a period of 5 months, ailments requiring immediate surgical intervention. Everything related to emergency medicine is from salvation to surgery. Anywhere. On the road, in the mountains, in the sea. If you are an illegal immigrant, then you are treated - according to the poor, the ninestan, legally located in the country, is also served for free, since he receives that if you are a foreigner from the EU, then recalculation occurs automatically, as far as I know, if you are not from the EU, a tourist legally located in the country, for example, then you pay.

My friend fell ill with a husband during a vacation, and I know that a bed in a state hospital with all the procedures cost 1 euro per day. In France, state medical insurance must be legally in the country for more than three months. Including family members. If they are legally, I repeat. By the way, with the advent of the child, my deductions did not increase by a centimum.

In France, the very concept of “departmental” or other “estate” medicine is absent?

Only one single person in France has an official right to special services: this is the president of the republic. Only military doctors in the Val-de-grace hospital always use it. Because he is the Supreme Commander. In exceptional cases, the Prime Minister and members of the office can be treated in Val-de-gran. But, of course, we cannot talk about any wives and relatives in principle.