Bisous aux Carribous
Hello!!!
I am officially in France...ohhh myyyy. The plan ride was fine...long...and I did not have sexy to make the time go by (sorry Jo!). We had to wait 3 hours in Frankfurt...love it there. The airport is really nice and everyone seems really friendly.
Once we got to Marseilles I was able to experience my first Quebec French vs France French. It went something like this...
Ashley: BONJOUR!!! Comment ça va?
Lady at the information table: huh?
Ashley: ça va?
Lady: (not wanting to be rude she just smiled and nodded)
Ashley: Montpellier?
Lady: Ahhhh (and she gave me directions on how to get there)
Apprently saying hi and how are you to ppl at ticket booths and information stands are not customary in France because I get the strangest looks from ppl. They really dont seem to want to talk to me...even when they do understand me!
The administration is horrible here. Once we finally got to Montpellier, they told us that the room that had been reserved for us (in the international rez) was under construction. We therefor had no place to stay for the night. (When I say we, I am referring to myself and my friend Gab.) Luckily for us, we found a friend of ours from home while walking back to a tramway station where Gab had forgotten her bag. We crashed at his rez for the night. This morning we finally got our rez...our room is below poverty level. I thought the bed might break the minute I sat on it. The walls are grey and the paint is shipping. There is a desk with a chair and a small cabinet for our clothes. We dont even have internet which is killing me...honestly it looks like nobody has lived there for 100 years. At first I was very happy to find a sink in our room..however that thrill ended very fast when I stubbed my foot on a door stopper found directly in the middle of the floor. I have managed to stub my toe every time I wish to use this sink...dammit! We share ONE toilet and ONE shower with everyone else on our hallway. The kitchen is basically a sink, one fridge (which you must pay to use) and a hotplate....we do not have any plates or cups and I do not even know if Im supposed to get a meal card... I swear, 7 months is feeling like a very long time right about now...
School is another interesting subject... when I asked how class selection works, they told me that I spend the first 3 weeks shopping around for classes and then I can pick which ones I wish to take. This does seem like a good idea, however the fact that I will be missing three weeks of school is somehow very unsettling...
Besides ALL that...Montepellier is a very cute little city. I am planning to get lost in it later today. The streets are very narrow and filled with boutiques and cafés of all sorts. You must be careful where you walk because there are trams and buses and cars and motorcyles and bikes coming at you from all directions. I, being naive, thought that if I walked on the sidewalk, I would be fine...however I quickly became well aware that this was not the case when a car came up on the sidewalk and started honking at me to move....lovely!
Anywho...it is lunch time...however my eyes are telling me that I should still be sleeping!!!
Love ya lots and missing you more!
-Ash
xoxo
posted by Ash @ 3:25 AM
10 Comments:
Hhhmmm... rude people... lack of organization... internet-free cities... seemingly endless shops and cafes (and probably patisseries!)... sounds like someone has made it to France!!!
All I can say is, try not to worry too too much about the people's rudeness. For now, indulge in a 'pain au chocolat' to make yourself feel better if they get you down, but trust me, soon enough, you'll be answering their snarky comments with some of your own.
Ok, last thing before I go on forever. While you are getting lost in Montpellier, see if their is a 'Lush' among the shops. If there is, you may want to invest in a little thing called "Whoosh". It's a temple balm and it helps with JetLag... tempted?
Alright, that's all from me!
I love you lots!
(By the way - new ER last night. I am downloading it for you... or, rather, my mum is downloading it for you, but if you want a recap, let me know, and I'll e-mail it to you!)
Hi Ash:Yup.. sounds like you are in
France.I agree with Steph-get yourself a croissant and a cafe au
lait and things will look better in the morning. Don't worry, we'll
still find a way to talk or communicate. Love you. I'll send you what you want later today. Bye.
Love Mom
Hi Ash,
So far, your description of France seems to jive with everything I've ever heard about the French (which makes me happy I am a Québec Frenchwoman and not the France kind).
Sounds like you're off to quite the start "crashed in his rez"... Hmmm!
Your dormroom sounds like it will provide excellent fodder for some very interesting stories, so look at it this way - in 10 years you will have everyone (including yourself) laughing theirs a***s off at your school antics.
Hang in there kid, I am convinced you will have the time of your life over the next few months (trust me, I am the Mom of a rather experienced globetrotter!).
Love ya,
Jo
P.S. The ER download is complete!
ASHLEY!!!!!DADDY DOESN'T HAVE A BEARD ANYMORE!!!!AHHHHHHH!!!
Ashley! I miss you! Wow I could just picture that comversation you put up and the lady's face. I can imagine that the buildings and everything are nice...but what a dorm! I can you'll get creative in your cooking using a hot plate... one shower??? Man they would get annoyed of me and my hot, long showers. In any case, it will provide for a good story. As everyone else has been saying, eat some good pasteries and drink up those cafe mocas.Remember that we love you. WHat an experience! Stick with your friend but do continue to explore... Love you a lot. tons of xs and os. alyssa
Hey ash!!!!!
I'm happy to hear that u arrived safe and sound!!!!
But i feel kinda worried that cars drive on sidewalk????so where do you walk???
How's the weather over there??? today it was nice and sunny!! still feels weird....ccuz it should snowing with intense wind....oh well....
and what is the deal with class shopping??? does that mean you pass three weeks going to classses and if you like you take that class?? anyways let me know how that goes!!!!
take care ash!!!
xxx
Ash babes!
I thought my Cuba room was bad, but I guess I will stop complaining now...
I miss you already. This is going to be a long semester without you.
Hey but I am sure you will love it in Montpellier. Don't worry about the rude information desk people! Your usual friendliness will surely come in handy everywhere else. And about the accent thing, when in doubt, use sign language, it works great I swear!
-Pat
Hey Ash,
Time for a new post I think...
Since there has been much talk about language, I thought I would post this highly informative clarification.
We've all heard about people having guts or balls. But do you really
know the difference between them? In an effort to keep you informed, the
definition for each is listed below...
GUTS - Is arriving home late after a night out with the guys, being met by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to ask: "Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?"
BALLS - Is coming home late after a night out with the guys, smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the butt and having the balls to say: "You're next."
I hope this clears up any confusion on the definitions. Medically speaking, there is no difference in the outcome, since both ultimately result in death.
Take care Kiddo,
Jo
Ash!
I can't believe I missed your call! Clearly, I should never leave my house again... just in case you decide to call again. Seriously, though, we should make a Skype date... whenever is good for you, so that we can talk a little bit... about, oh, you know, whatever.
I love you beaucoup beaucoup beaucoup!
I really miss you... Hope that things are looking up.When I told
Auntie Pam that I had some news to
tell her, here was her response...
Nooo.. don't tell me you're pregnant. I almost fell off my chair. This is what an almost 50 year old on her next birthday needs to hear. Ha! Thought this might make you smile. Love ya.
Mom
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