The First Day=Longest Day Ever

So I am in bed in France now writing this! It is 12:41 pm in France and 6:41 pm in Toronto. I have no idea at all what time it is. I was so disoriented today, I would see a store or a building and wonder why it was in front of me. I basically have blackout periods. Except I didn't have a fun night with facebook pictures.

Did I mention how retarded I am? I told the English Teacher I would meet her at the train station on Tues, but of course I meant Wed, I was just confused by the time difference, since I left on Tues but arrived on Wed. I'm pretty sure that means I lost a whole day, but since I can barely remembered what happened today I guess it's just as well. Anyways so I happened, luckily, to check my blackberry 2 min before takeoff and I got a frantic e-mail from her asking if I had been kidnapped. I replied saying that I would, in fact, be arriving today at 1pm and if she could meet me at the airport that would be great.

I managed to get on the train to Sable 2.5 hours after leaving the plane, which worked out perfectly since that was exactly when the train was!

But everything was 2Euro in the drink vending machines, and I think is ridiculous to spend 3.25CDN for an iced tea, so I reluctantly allowed myself to become parched.

So no one was there for me at the train station, which I kind of expected since I wasn't sure if she had got my email or if she had a class or anything, and I couldn't check my e-mail since my data plan on my blackberry was canceled, so after waiting half an hour I hauled my ass and my luggage the 10 min. to the school.

Since 1:30 pm today my French has already improved! When I got off the train I totally blanked on how to ask where a street was. The conversation I had with the teenager on the street went something like this:

"Bonjour. Ou est la Rue St. Denis?
Blank Stare
"Eh...Qu'est rue c'est?"
Blank Stare

but now I can have semi-French conversations with my roomies! Yay!

So long story short, everyone is glad I'm not kidnapped and they show me to my room where I am introduced to my roommates. For some reason I assumed I would have female roomates, but its true that she didn't specify the gender of the other assistants.

One "English Chap" is...shocker...from England and it turns out that he also went on exchange Leuven, Belgium, which is the same place I did. Small freakin world, eh. The second guy is a nice Spanish Lad who speaks very little English so we communicate in French. Or I try too.


The flat is big and basic, but it doesn't matter since we are moving in a week to a different flat on campus since there is a mold issue or something.

So the English Teacher proceeds to give me like...10 minuites to get settled and then takes me on a tour of the town-which doesn't take long as another teacher pointed out.

Its really cute! They have bakeries and all the essential stores, no shopping or anything. The town is on a river and they have a gorgeous jogging trail I plan to take advantage of 3-5 times a week. I'll put up pics soon.

The Teacher is suuuuper nice and is French but has an almost perfect British accent which is really disorienting. She is the one who called the English roomie "English Chap" which I think is just adorable, so that is what I am going to call him now.

She's so nice that she brought me linens and took me on a major tour as well as grocery shopping, and even bought me tomatoes and cucumbers from a farmers market, but I was so tired and hungry I just wanted to go home and sleeeeeeep.

So that is what I finally did after eating an awesome Baguette and Brie sandwich I made myself.

Then me and the roomies got a drink in the pub "downtown"(hahaha) and walked around.

It just majorly sucks that I can't even unpack since we are moving soon, I am really craving to be settled! But I have a busy week ahead since I start observing classes tommorow and I have to deal with the French Beaurocracy and banks, now known as Satan

Sorry if this post was long and rambling and boring, but sometimes I am too!

Oh I forget to mention my limp. I had decided, stupidly, to wear my new running/ballet flats, and I really had to break them in. I can't even walk anymore my blisters are so bad. I suffered until the train station in Sable where I dramatically whipped out my flipflops, probably to the derision of the entire Republique.

But now I'm kinda screwed for tomorrow because I really don't think they would approve of teaching in flipflops and I don't feel like suffering again.

I kept Duct Taping my heel like a hobo, it was really bad. And then it kept falling off. Honestly, Duct Tape is not what it used to be.