Daily Debacles

This is Miriam, one of my roommates from Germany

Well, to the satisfaction of myself (and to the dissatisfaction of all French people I would imagine), I somehow survived my first week in France! Don't get me wrong, there were certainly a few incidents, but nothing I couldn't butcher my way through.  For instance, the Italian professor took the Italian assistant and I to IKEA to buy some basic stuff for our apartment.  The checkout lines were packed, so I simply got in the shortest line I could see and patiently waited until it was my turn.  After the woman was done ringing me up, she asked me a question that I did not understand, so I politely replied, "Non, merci."  She repeated her question, and I repeated my answer.  Then, I realized she was telling me that her register only took credit cards, which would be fine, but American credit/debit cards do not work in France--cash is my only option right now.  This caused quite a stir, and I was the recipient of many scowls and muttered French words as the the woman undid all of my purchases, called over two managers, and moved me over to the other line where the other cashier rang me up again.  Ah, how embarrassing.  Another example is the time I went to the grocery store to buy some fruits and veggies.  The lines were HUGE, and when it was finally my turn the cash register lady yelled French words at me that I did not understand.  Luckily, the girl with me understood, and apparently in France you have to weigh all of your fruits/veggies on a scale which will shoot out a price sticker you attach to your bag.  I had no idea of this, and we had to run back to that aisle while everyone in line murdered us with their eyes.  Basically, things like this happen once or twice a day to me. Nothing fatal, but embarrassing nonetheless. 

This is Laura, my other roommate from Germany

Tartiflette, a Northeastern French specialty

Before I came to France, I kept telling myself that the first couple of weeks (maybe even months) would be really difficult and lonely.  This has not been the case at all so far. This first week has been so busy and I have met so many wonderful people that I haven't really had time to be homesick or lonely yet!  I have gone to several restaurants in Lille and Douai that have served traditional French food.  I never have any idea what I am ordering, so every time my food arrives it is a genuine surprise to me to see what I will be eating (meat? salad? vegetables?).  One night I ordered "tartiflette," which was absolutely delicious! It was kind of similar to scalloped potatoes, except mixed with French cheeses. I have also had a kebab (I love those things!), Subway twice (I know, I know...but it is the only place I know what I am ordering!) and another meal that was very strange.  It was basically a huge serving of gelatin, and within the gelatin were a few different kinds of meats (rabbit, beef, and chicken I believe), along with some vegetables.  It didn't taste as horrible as it sounds, but I'm not sure that I would recommend it to anyone.  Also, I cannot really defend myself right now, but I have yet to eat a crepe or a croissant or really any sort of French pastry.  I think it is because I am a chocoholic, and I recognize this about myself, and therefore I am sort of scared to open the floodgates.

Below is a video of "Le Carvinale Passe."  I know it is a random spot, but I am new to blogs and am having a hard time figuring this out, so deal with it.   I will reference it in a later paragraph. 

My roommates and I have been hunting for gyms in Douai this week.  The gyms in France are SO different than in the US! We took a tour of one gym, and all it was just a small room with lots of weights and overly-buff Frenchmen walking around with their chests stuck out too far.  There were 2 ellipticals and 2 treadmills that were placed in an awkward spot where the only thing you could look at are the weightlifters. (Strategically placed?) So the hunt continues.  Another strange (and therefore dumb) thing about French gyms is that you have to have a doctors note to work out.  WTF? I have a doctors visit scheduled for Friday, but honestly, what good is that going to do?  It's not as if the doctor and I are going to be able to have any sort of conversation with each other because of the language barriers.  What a joke. 

Last night the two German girls, Miriam and Laura, and I went to a concert in Douai.  The pictures above were taken at the concert.  The group was called "Le Carnivale Passe," and they were so much fun! They reminded me a bit of the G-String Orchestra that came to the Golden Saloon in McCarthy, Alaska.  It was a lot of fun!  I didn't understand most of their songs, except for the lyrics of one song in which they kept repeating the phrase "like a sex toy," and the song (the video above) where they sang about kebabs.  The theatre in Douai is really nice and they have shows every week.  On Thursday my roommates and I plan on going to a re-make of Alice in Wonderland. 

My bed and desk in my apartment

This week a couple of assistants and I booked tickets to Stockholm, Sweden during our 2 week vacation in October/November.  We fly out of Brussels, Belgium on October 27th and return on the 31st. We are flying RyanAir (always an adventure!) and we got the tickets for only 30 euros round-trip!  I can't wait! :)  Then, next Friday some of my friends and I are going to an Of Montreal concert in France! Ratatat is also going to be coming to Lille on November 21st (mom's birthday!) and I plan on going to that show as well.  There are a LOT of good shows in the area, but so far I am trying to exercise some self-restraint and limit myself to only a few a month.

My desk where I am writing this blog

By this point in my blog, you are probably wondering, isn't she there to work? Doesn't she have a job?  Well....yes, I do.  However, I received an e-mail from the other English teachers yesterday that informed me I am supposed to attend a meeting on Tuesday, then go to orientation all day on Wednesday, and they will then take me out to lunch in Douai on Thursday.  What a rough work week.  Then, we have one more week of work until we get a two week fall vacation. It is really hard, but I think somehow I will be able to survive the rigorous work load. 

Anyway, I am sick of typing and you are probably sick of reading by this point.  I am sort of realizing now that I should probably update the blog a bit more so I don't have to write novels every time.  I suppose I can find a spare hour or two in my schedule to do this.  Anyway, love and miss you all! :) Don't forget about me!!!

Christy