Heineken at McDonald's and Involuntary Exercise

After discovering a notice on the wall of the McDonald's about a policy on being drunk, I wondered if this was a typical post-night of drinking hangout....until I saw the Heineken in the fridge behind the counter. McDonald's sells beer here!

After my last blog post, I searched and searched and searched for train tickets to Munich and NONE were available. I even tried covoiturage (rideshare-esque) sites, buses and planes. I searched again today and there is still nothing. Instead, I will spend the weekend in Yvetot, which would normally be fine, but with all of my excitement about heading to Oktoberfest, it is a little disappointing.

On my way back home from McDonald's, the other two language assistants and I got caught in a rain storm, and nature forced us to run as fast as we could or we would risk ruining our electronics (I had my camera, phone, and laptop) and soaking our clothes (which we did anyway). The German language assistant recounted a saying where someone says that Yvetot has nice weather... in between the rain, and boy those clouds move quickly here!

We stayed up late chatting, and then woke up at a reasonable hour to get our internet access on the school premises (it will take a few days), and get set up with the canteen swipe cards (2.30 Euros for lunch). It's a very reasonable meal. I looked at the menu later, and I couldn't figure out what 90% of it meant, but it looked edible and I ate it anyway!

Then we visited one of the several banks in Yvetot to begin opening bank accounts and later did groceries (les courses), and for a town of 15 000 people, they have a Superstore-sized grocery store! Bought our TP, bath mats, garbage pales, slippers (the floors are very cold here), food and alcohol (the section is almost bigger than in an LCBO), and recharged my SIM card here.

Later that night, after making dinner together, we stayed up late having drinks, and my 2 Euro wine was quite delightful and sweet. It goes down so smoothly! I gave them each a maple candy and the Austrian assistant (Benni) gave us Milka chocolate from a town 30 kms away from his parents' home. Lovely!

Today, the Spanish assistant (Lidia) went to visit a friend in Paris, so Benni and I went to explore Le Havre (a 30-min train ride away) and see the Atlantic Ocean. We walked around the port and used the free wifi and bathrooms in the mall, saw the cruise ships, and walked around to the beach (made of pebbles, not sand), and back through the "downtown" to get back to the train station. I tried on a few shirts at Morgan and they were very short, either in the body or the sleeves! I may not get much shopping done here! And since I didn't know if I might find food before we reached the train station (after 6 on a Saturday), I have to admit that I ate at...... Subway. The menu was the same and everything. I am now guilty of eating at McDonald's and Subway within a week of moving here. Shame, shame, shame. If it helps, I also ate a chocolate from a bakery/chocolatier and a chicken thigh thing from a butchery.

Anyway, the city was very nice and although the train was supposed to take longer because there was a problem with the electricity, we made it back to Yvetot on schedule and walked back to the apartment with Lidia, and stopped to see the pizzerias and hot spots around the town (for the record, apparently American pizza has oregano and eggs on it).

Now we find ourselves again at McDonald's using the free wifi (pronounced wee-fee here) until our internet from Orange is installed on October 8th. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Perhaps a trip to Dieppe? Perhaps attempting to conquer the laundry machine? Discovering life in a small town where it is possible that no stores whatsoever will be open? I found an advertisement for a pony farm here in Yvetot, so it has quickly become a must-do! :) We'll see what the day brings.

Bon soir!  

P.S. Loving the heated towel rack!

The apartment! Missing: Lidia's room and the laundry room. <- Hallway<- Kitchen

<- Living/Dining Room

 <- My bedroom

<- La salle de bain

<- La toilette

<- Walk-in closet we all have access to!

 

 

 

Arrival in Yvetot

After a long flight with a very chatty man sitting next to me, I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, and took a bus (on the advice of others, including the info desk) to the Opera stop, only a 5-6 minute walk to the train station. When we arrived an hour later (instead of the 30 min train ride it would have taken me), I had missed my train, and my suitcase with around 60 pounds in it had a broken wheel and I had to drag it like dead weight, along with my other 40-pound suitcase. After the most grueling walk ever, I was nice and sweaty, and I tried buying a new train ticket at a machine.... Only Visa and Mastercard Europeene were accepted, so I had to go inside and wait in line to see a teller. As I was stripping off layers down to my t-shirt and people started staring, I realized that everyone else was wearing long-sleeve shirts at the very minimum. Meanwhile, this crazy canuck was down to a t-shirt and sweating like I'd just run a marathon. First faux-pas. The gentleman was kind enough to exchange my ticket and put me on the next train.

Side note: As I was dragging my bags along, my backpack must have come open, and a man informed me and luckily nothing was stolen, even though my laptop would have been very visible.

Next challenge: Getting up to the train platforms upstairs when the elevator was out of service. I asked a nice-looking young man to help me, which he did, although he certainly looked at me like it was an unusual request.

So I spent the next hour waiting for the train's platform info to appear on the screen, and I was certainly not losing the seat I had hovered over to get. I refused to seek food or a bathroom, and when I asked the people next to me if a phone within sight was a public phone, they said yes, but that I would need a calling card to use it. Sigh. I needed to call and tell the professor picking me up at the train station that I would be later, and texting or sending emails from my phone wouldn't work. Luckily an older gentleman allowed me to use his cell phone. He ended up being on my train, and as we walked to the platform together, he was going faster than me...and he had a cane.

When I got into Yvetot (still trying to control my bladder), two teachers welcomed me with the traditional kisses on both cheeks. I thought I was going in for a hug. My teacher-boss brought me to the most charming French countryside home, and we ate homemade quiche lorraine, wine with cassis liqueur, salad with homemade dressing, and cheese with fruit salad for dessert. Since I'd only eaten a yogurt and an applesauce that day, the food was most welcome. I learned my second lesson when I was taught that the trick is taking more cheese and less bread that I would have thought.

I went to buy a SIM card for my phone, and it turns out that to buy an internet plan, you need ID, proof of residence and a French bank account. I had one of those, so I will add internet later. For now, I have a few Euros on there to text in case of emergency. My phone functions as an expensive clock unless I have wifi, it seems.

Today I woke up at 11:30 after 12 hours of much-needed sleep and showered and relaxed until the teacher came home and we went to move me into the apartment, which was being renovated until today. It is amazing!!! Plenty of space! I'm living with a Spanish language assistant from Spain and a German language assistant in the studio apartment next door. Since he has no kitchen and living room, we will share those. Now we are at McDonald's for the free wifi since the school's wifi signal isn't strong enough to reach our residence, and it does not work during evenings and weekends. They will order it tomorrow since I'm gone to Munich in the early morning. Apparently it takes about a week to have it installed and all :(. Guess I will learn to enjoy Royal burgers!

The assistants and I are all trying to improve our French, so we speak in French, but sometimes use the English word to figure it out.

We also went to the grocery store (more like a Wal-Mart), and it's only open from 8:30-8pm (9 on Friday), and not open on Sundays. Looks like I will have to get my act together and start grocery shopping during normal hours!

Anyway, time to buy my train tickets to Munich and find the directions to the train station from our apartment. A bientot!