Some leftovers...

When I was living without the Internet, I wrote a lot of blog posts. 


In an effort to give you a little taste of my life in the first week or so living here, I've decided to post them anyways, despite their untimeliness. 

Saturday October 2

In which I: visit the market, buy my first Pain au Chocolate, contribute to the decline of French food, and make a new French friend.

Today I went to the market in Elbeuf. They closed down part of the road down town and had all sorts of merchants. The fruits and vegetable were all at one end with the butchers and cheese merchants. The other end was all sorts of different merchants, mostly various cheap knick-knacks but also some sewing notions and yarn and a booth where people could buy tights and socks and little French maid costumes. I bought a tablecloth for my new little table for my new apartment.  Also I bought my first pain au chocolate. (For the uninitiated, this is a croissant filled with chocolate--Yum.)

After the market in Elbuef, Alain and Sylviane (the couple who let me stay in the apartment they owned at first and have helped me so much) picked me up and took me to the bigger market outside of town. Well, it would have been bigger, but it was raining, so many people were gone. I bought a vacuum for my new apartment (because it has carpet!!! yay!). 

Sylviane and Alain had their niece, Naomi, and their nephew, Sydney, with them. Naomi is just a bébé and Sydney is three years old. And he wanted to go to MacDo. For frites. 

Yup…my first week in France and I ate at MacDonalds. 

Abbey- In France they actually have the Happy Meal BOXES.

It was interesting because many of the menu items were in English (Chicken McNuggets, McChicken, etc).

After the meal, I got French-napped. 


French-napping: (verb) when you're traveling with French people and you don't really understand where you are going, but you don't know a polite way to say, "Where are you taking me? I would like to go back to my apartment and explore more of Elbeuf."

So instead, they took me to see my three schools despite my explanations that my teacher would be taking me there on Tuesday. 

Then we went to visit Alain's mother. 

After that, we returned to their house where I met Sylviane's brother, Vincent. But we all had fun speaking English and French while discussing everything from the differences in our school systems to politics in both countries and whether or not I am single…

All in all, a good day.  And tomorrow is moving day! 

October 3  Moving Day!

In which I: go to church for the first time, move to a tiny new apartment (in the rain), meet a creeper and fight with my French cell phone.

By the time you read this, moving day will be over and done with. But right now, I'm right in the middle of it.

How is it that even in France, despite the fact that I arrived with only a suitcase, a duffel bag and a backpack, I have amassed WAY too much stuff?

For any of you who know me, you know I'm a pack rat. I come by it naturally; I'm descended from a long time of pack rats. Stuff follows me and finds me and I don't even have a closet to stuff it in here.  Although I do have two armoires…which is part of the problem.

I was looking forward to finding an empty little French studio, searching markets and trash piles and scouring IKEA for furniture and other necessaries and living a life of minimalism for the year.

But I have very, very helpful French friends. (Thanks, Mom!)

So I have a real bed with a bed frame, a futon/couch, and lots of other furniture. This is great and Sylviane and Alain's family all helped me move, which was fabulous but there might be too much stuff in this little room.

We'll see.

And although I'm really excited about this apartment (although I'll be more excited after the electricity is turned on tomorrow), and its view of a church and closeness to the supermarket, I'm a little nervous.

I'd been in my apartment alone for all of ten minutes when a guy stopped and started to talk to me through my open window (I really wish I didn't live on the first floor.  Good thing for the shutters.) He left after a few minutes of my confused face and "I don't understand."  Except I really did understand when he asked if I wanted to get to know him…I just didn't want to.  

(Don't worry Mom. It's cold now, and I'm keeping the windows closed.)

Also I have 4 messages on my French cell phone and no idea how to listen to them...

Update: I figured out how to listen to my messages... and I'm unpacking my clothes... and I have carpet.

A good day.

October 3 Nighttime

I'm alone in my apartment in the dark…eating peanut butter by the spoonful (which is a bad idea-- peanut butter is very hard to buy here, but I have no other food)…hoping my computer won't die.

Don't overestimate how lucky you are to have electricity. 

October 4 

208 Days and 52 minutes...

Today I miss all of you…I can't wait until my Internet is hooked up, even though it won't be the same.

It's different than that.

A very nice French woman from my church, Sylviane, has taken me under her wing and helped me with everything from paperwork to housing.

And she's great.

But I miss all the people who I love.  Hugs to you all.

(Okay, I have a few more to post, but I think that's enough for now...It's a blog, not a novel.)