Sunday 21st September 2008
Got up at 6.30 (crack of dawn) to go to the airport, still worrying about what was going to happen with regards to my luggage given we still weren’t sure what the score was with regards to my allowance. Given the amount of things I had already taken out and left at home, I was trying to think desperately of things I could take out and leave behind if necessary, but luckily I didn’t have to and had to (well Mum did at first and I am going halves) pay £102 for 17kg of excess instead! Rip-off merchants at bmi baby, now I realise how they actually manage to make a profit after offering such cheap flights! Mum almost set me off crying as I left to go through security, but managed to hold it together which is more than can be said for her! Maybe, I shouldn’t keep to-ing and fro-ing from home…?
Flight was on time! My worry after that was my stitches though as I was terrified of them bursting on take-off and landing due to the change in cabin pressure, but luckily everything was ok
Arrived at Bordeaux and waited literally about 2 mins about for my luggage, both cases came through within a second or two of each other…I’ll give Bordeaux airport its due, it is bloody efficient when it comes to getting the luggage off the plane, it was the same when we went for the exchange only that time the luggage was already on the carousel as we were entering the baggage reclaim, so we found ourselves sprinting across the room, haha!
Anyways, back to this time…somehow had to get myself from the airport to Bordeaux St.Jean station and at first I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out that there was a free navette/shuttle bus that went there via the city centre…my joy and happiness was somewhat dashed though when I realised that the time of the next departure meant that I would miss the 1.15 train which I had to get as there wasn’t another for 3 hours and I wasn’t waiting around! Ended up paying 55€ for a taxi instead and then after rushing around trying to find something/someone in the station that wasn’t ‘card only’ I was another 35€ down (Hadn’t even left Bordeaux at this point and was nearly 100€ down already). Got to platform after struggling with my cases down and subsequently up the stairs to the platform just to find out that my train was 20 mins late…which changed to 30 about 5 mins later, so I had been running around like a headless chicken for nothing. Sod’s law.
God, the TGV was confusing, almost got on the wrong part at one point thanks to a guy giving me duff info! Merci beaucoup, not I think! Luckily when I got to the right part there was a Frenchman who put my cases on to the train for me as he could see I was struggling, which I was thankful for! Was only me and 2 young French guys in the carriage where I was and at one point during the journey one of them stood up, looked at me and tapped at his wrist as if to drop a not very subtle hint. I had my i-pod in, so fair enough, I wouldn’t have heard if he’d spoken to me, but even so…the French way I suppose…
A few hours later I arrived in Pau and as Camille had said she was going to come and meet me, so my initial thought was to try and find her, but given that I hadn’t eaten or drank since I was on the plane so bought a drink of cool, refreshing 7up from the shop in the station as I couldn’t see any possible Camilles anywhere. Luckily, just as I was walking back into the main court of the station building, I saw someone who resembled her, and then it was one of those ‘is it or isn’t it?’ moments with me looking at her and her looking at me, luckily it was and then we laughed about the uncertainty of it all. Got on the bus to where we live and she was pointing things out to me as we were going, my brain felt a bit pickled with all the info, but looking back I think I absorbed the majority!.
Got to our house and Mr Hourcaillaou the landlord was there to meet us. Initially I was left to start unpacking and ‘m’installer’ and then I got the official guided tour of the premises and then there was the whole issue of the legalities, contract signing etc. Luckily I didn’t have to do it all there and then, otherwise it would have taken me a while! He said he was coming by on Tuesday so could I leave it out for him (which meant I could ask Camille for help on Monday, it’s great how things work out to my advantage like that! :P), he then wished us a ‘bonne soirée’ and left us to it.
Something then dawned on me as I went back into my room to continue sorting out my things, namely, 1) I didn’t have any pillows/duvet or blanket and 2) there were no curtains in my room. Looked like I’d have to improvise, and improvise I did! Using a folded jumper as a pillow and hung clothes over my window even though half of it wasn’t covered, but half was better than nothing! Tried to have a nap given that I was feeling knackered so lay on my bed for an hour or so and when I couldn’t actually drop off I gave in and carried on with everything. Cea then rang to give me the obligatory ‘Welcome to France, now you have no excuse not to come and visit’ phone call, although as she could tell I was tired it wasn’t the usual hour’s duration, but a somewhat more acceptable 15 minutes.
As I had to go to meet the teachers at Louis Barthou the day after I went to speak to Camille on how would be the best way to go about getting there, so she pointed me in the direction of the STAP website and explained where the nearest stops were which made me feel a lot better! Thoughts then turned to food, as I hadn’t got any with me and the other 2 bought their own, me and Camille agreed on getting a take-away pizza and going halves. We then ventured out with her again pointing things out to me (most of which I retained...again, surprisingly!) Retired back to my room and got ready for bed, started reading my book, ‘Girl with a One Track Mind’ and got about 70 pages in! Was one of those books I didn’t want to put down, but alas I had to as I had a meeting at 11 so had to be up early and called it a night.
Monday 22nd September 2008
Alarm went off on cue at quarter to 10, got all smartly dressed in my jacket, heels etc, wanted to give them a decent first impression (even though my hair wasn’t fab, given that it needed washing and I hadn’t any shampoo at that point) but I looked acceptable/professional shall we say. My nightmare began the minute I left the house…to say that I was unsure about getting the bus was a bit of an understatement. (even after being pointed in the right direction by Camille- seems Mum is right when she says I have no sense of direction!) I got completely confused and saw about 2 buses go past before I realised that I may have been waiting on the wrong side of the road, as it was the opposite side to the way in which we came on my arrival yesterday, but just to confirm my suspicions I asked a ‘mademoiselle’ who was passing who indeed said that the bus went from the opposite side. Realising that because of all this I was going to be late for my first meeting with the teachers/other English assistant, I tried to ring my responsable, but to no avail. I felt like I wanted the world to swallow me up, but even though I arrived 10 mins late and apologised profusely, my responsable was ok and very understanding about it, imagine my relief! She then asked me how I was settling in, where I was living etc and she offered to give me a pillow and blanket, so at least that’s a few euros (well, quite a few!) saved. As some of the staff and Blake, the other assistant had gone off for a coffee to save them waiting in the staff room until I arrived, she proceeded to introduce me to what seemed like everybody and then we went back to the staff room as the others arrived back. We then went off to the college cantine for lunch, which ended up being my first major culture shock…I know that a college cantine and culture barely go together, but when I saw I literally had to do a double-take. The teachers were passing round a bottle of vin rouge to have with their lunch, during the working day, in the college cantine…if someone did that routinely in the UK I dread to think what the consequences would be! Blake had the same line of thinking about the USA, seemed we were both as shocked as each other. As if we weren’t shocked enough, we swiftly went from the cantine to a café across the road from Barthou where I got my first glimpse of Marguerite de Navarre and the teachers got coffee, with a shot of straight vodka! I really have seen it all now!
Once finished at the café we went back over to Barthou as some teachers had lessons, so we used the hour to have a look around the grounds and do the all important and obligatory facebook and e-mail checks on the computers in the staffroom…as you do…
When Brigitte came back from her lesson, she gave us a tour and introduced us to all the necessary people and took us to Monique who is going deal with all the admin side of things and who we have to take documents etc to next week…gives me a week to get my life in order then…again, I was bombarded with a lot of information, this was more important than the things Camille was saying though in a way and I hope I took everything in…guess we will find that out next week when I start properly or go and observe classes...me and Blake left the lycee together as he wanted to go and find a tabac to buy a phonecard and I wanted to go and explore Pau a bit. I waited as he made a few calls in a phone box, but then saw e-mail to be the better option having come off the phone quite confused, so we went our separate ways. I went to have a mooch around the Centre Bosquet, which was opposite where I got off the bus, so I knew where I was. Bought a French mobile whilst I was there (bright pink, with flowers, never thought I’d see the day as I am really not a girly girl!!) and got shampoo and conditioner so at least I could go in with my hair looking half decent next time!
Had a mooch round the main square venturing into Nature et Decouvertes and the Fnac as I went and then saw fit to be making tracks back home, not least as I was quite warm, given that I was wearing a jacket and a top in the sun! The buses were against me again, bus confusion: take 2. Waited at the stop where I’d got off the ligne 4 bus in the morning, then crossed over the road to look at the stop where the ligne 8 stops to see if that made any more sense, but I was still none the wiser. When the number 4 stopped where I was waiting, I asked the driver if it was the right bus and as it wasn’t he pointed me in the right direction…seems the Centre Bosquet has two entrances/exits…wish someone had told me that! Finally got home though and explained to Camille about how I completely cocked up on the bus situation but how I’d otherwise had quite a good day.
After a swift walk to Champion pour faire du shopping (which was the perfect opportunity to see if I had taken everything in that Camille had told me the previous evening) as I needed to get some food in, I proceeded to eat and wash my hair! I don’t think that ever felt so good! Went to talk to Camille about the whole teachers drinking at lunchtime shock and found out that the whole coffee/vodka situation was a new one on her as well! Made a very quick phone call home as it was on the landline, went on my laptop (as per) and read some more of my book (which I was getting more and more into) before bed, knowing that I can have a lie-in tomorrow as I don’t need to be at Barthou until 2 to go to the bank and get an account sorted. First full day in France: Partial Success :)
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