21 Septembre 2007
So, not having the Internet and a working phone are still bothering me and right now, my hands are tied about it. I meet up today at the salle des professeurs lycée (teachers’ lounge) to see Céline, as she asked me to earlier this week. I went a little early to check my emails and ended up waiting for almost 15 mins to see her. Meanwhile, I was politely greeted by some of the other professeurs and when Céline arrived, she told me to wait around because she was going to buy lunch and she’d be back in 20 mins. When she got back, she asked me if I gave Serge, my neighbor and administrator in charge of my apartment, the paper from the insurance company, proving that I’d purchased the necessary housing insurance. I told her no and she said to make sure to turn it in today, as it was a complete necessity. I told her I would and she told me not to come back to the school until well after 2pm, because he wouldn’t be back until then. This forced me to wander around town, purchase some lunch and wander back to my place. I retrieved the paper and went to Serge’s office. He graciously accepted the paper, but not before asking me how I was doing, feeling, etc. I asked him about our trash situation (recycling is a must in Europe) and he told me briefly about it, saying he could explain more later. I also told him about my need to have Internet in my apartment. He said that he understood how important it was to me, but that he did not understand so well the technology. He said that his daughter, who bien-comprendre (understands it well) was coming home this evening and that they would pay me a call later in the evening. Sure enough, Serge and his daughter, 21 year-old Nathalie, rang my doorbell with a piece of paper full of what looked like scribble and a Mac Notebook. I welcomed them into my place and asked them to join me in my room where my laptop was hooked up. We sat for what seemed like forever, trying to get me access to their wireless Internet access. As we tried to troubleshoot through networking, Nathalie was in constant contact with her friend, Mathieu (who apparently is somewhat of a wiz with technology), both by telephone and by MSN messenger. For a few brief moments, I was actually connected to the Internet, but since then, I’ve been unable to connect. (This means I will have to continue to go to the school everyday to check mail!) L Nathalie then invited me into her room because she thought she might have something else to help me out. Serge came in to check on us and mentioned something about dinner. I said I would leave and he invited me to stay for dinner. I politely refused, saying that I didn’t want to intrude, but he insisted that I stay. I joined the rest of the family in the dinner room and they invited me to sit at the table. They served a “plat”, which is like a dinner appetizer/salad. It is usually made up of crudités, or finely chopped vegetables (with or without meat), and is covered in some kind of vinaigrette or mustard. The entrée follows the plat and they served me overcooked pasta (that was crunchy from too much air exposure) and chicken wings, which Serge was especially proud of. He presented them to me as though I would greatly appreciate them since I was American. I politely took some of the pasta and chicken, even thought I was unsure that I would like it. Honestly, I was just happy to have dinner with someone else. After the entrée, the cheese course (which sits at room temperature) is served. It is passed around the table only once, so you take exactly the amount you want the first time. I asked the rest of the family to go ahead of me, so I would make sure to follow the procedure correctly. Then dessert options are given and everyone chooses the kind they want. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I talked with Serge and his family about wanting to go to Paris, but shared my fears of the metro. They offered me a pocket plan which features the entire metro system, as well as the RER (regional express railway) and bus system. (There are so many ways to get around the city!) I thanked them for a pleasant evening and headed home. I feel really lucky to have such great neighbors.
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