It was back to see my buddy Isabelle at the bank to put some money in my account. This is an obnoxious process. Wells Fargo does not allow you to wire money without appearing in person and the only way to get money from your American account while living in France is to withdraw your daily ATM limit every day until you have the right amount of money in your new account. I appreciate the security measures, Wells Fargo, but I need you to appreciate the urgency here. I had my withdrawal limit bumped up, which is great, but every time I use my American ATM card, it costs me an extra $5 in fees. It adds up when you're trying to move $10,000...
Back at the residence, after I had set up an automatic debit for my rent, I figured I should ask about where to get groceries and a cell phone. Groceries are essential for obvious reasons, but the whole reason I wanted the phone was because I needed to receive a text message confirmation code in order to set up the internet in my apartment. My American phone wasn't getting the codes and while the computers in the lab worked just fine, they did not have webcams for my video chatting needs. As per the usual with the women in the office, I understood about 25% of what they were trying to explain to me. Seriously, when I talk to them, it feels like they are just mumbling random sounds at me, ending each sing-songy phrase with "Vous me comprenez?" to which I always reply with a blank stare and a shrug. I swear, when I can understand them, I will have really accomplished something.
The main director scribbled some things on a Post-It
and led me outside, pointing off into the distance and chattering a mile a minute. I felt like I was trying to decipher Lassie's urgent barking: "What's that, girl? You say I should go over there and get on the tram? But shouldn't we help Timmy get out of the well first?"
Luckily, the tram system in Bordeaux is extremely user-friendly and I instantly knew what I needed to do once I looked at the map.
I love maps. The first thing I do in a new place is find a map and get oriented. I credit my fascination with them to my father, who would always let me be the navigator on our long car rides to the south, long before anyone had a GPS. I often wonder if (when?!??) the zombie apocalypse happens, and we lose access to this kind of technology, how many people will be completely S.O.L. because they don't know how to read a real map. But I digress.
Have you ever had a joy attack? It's when you're going about your daily life and all of a sudden something happens to you that fills you with the purest, most genuine joy. This is how I felt when I walked into the Mériadeck shopping center. On the surface, it's just a mall, but inside this mall is Auchan: It was like the Pittsford Wegmans with a liquor store in it. A liquor store with three aisles of amazing Bordeuax wines for 5 euros. And they don't just have one cheese aisle. There are multiple cheese aisles, sectioned off by the type of cheese (chèvre, roquefort, brie, camembert ...) and this is in addition to the cheese counter, where you can get whole wheels of cheese if you want. After a rather isolating first day, I felt like I was back home with my people; people who tag their own produce and enjoy fancy things at reasonable prices.
I was so excited, I bought more than was comfortable to carry, even though only half of the items on my "Get This Stuff TODAY" list had been crossed off. I made a quick stop at the Orange cell phone store and I was intimidated by the beautiful woman trying to explain to me all the things I would need if I wanted a cell phone with a plan. I was somewhat dejected when I realized that I would not be getting a phone that day. I had to go back to my residence to drop off the food and I almost called it a day, resigned to the fact that I had failed my phone mission and therefore would spend another day without seeing any familiar faces from back home. But then I remembered the other half of my list, containing items like a pillow, toilet paper, trashcans, plates and cups. I had to go back to Auchan. Lassie had told me they had everything there so I must have missed something. I skipped the grocery section and found an escalator. On the ride up, I noticed a sign, outlining the different departments. Wait, this place has THREE floors? Not only is this place a Wegmans, but it's a Target and a BestBuy, too. In that instant, as I ascended to my new Mecca of commerce, I knew everything was going to be all right.
Next time: Not everyday can be a great day.
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