Bouger!

Culture Shock (according to Cole): The feeling you get when things aren’t the way they should be.

As I’ve said before, this experience is like a roller coaster! For those of you that read my last post, you might have guessed that I had hit a low spot on the roller coaster. If you enjoy (for some random reason) reading this blog, (hi mom!) you might have also noticed that I didn’t post anything yesterday. This is because after my low spot on the roller coaster I hit two high spots in a row; today and yesterday!

Yesterday was a hilarious day! After class I went into town with my friends and ended up looking all over the city for a gym. I ended up in a town right south of Caen at a very nice gym that takes over half an hour to reach. Nice idea, but I think I came to France for other reasons than to ride a bus all day! Eventually I ended up about seven blocks from my apartment at a gym called Sun Club. Sounds a bit shady, but it ended up being a very nice establishment. What’s even better, they give a 10% student discount! I was so excited I almost hugged the lady behind the desk! And if I’m not mistaken, I think she was just as excited for me! Yay, happy French lady!

After the fun and exciting gym adventure, I went with Rachel to a party we were both invited to attend. You might want to sit down if you’re not already! We not only take thirty minutes to find the right bus to get us to this place; we show up at this random building full of people who have no teeth of their own. That’s right; we were the cute little American kids at an old people party! Apparently it’s some sort of club that helps to build relations between the French and the Americans in Caen. Just between you and me, I don’t know that these people know that we’re the only Americans here. Anyway, the party was great as they fed us our weight in crêpes, Nutella (The Original Creamy, Chocolaty Hazelnut Spread™), wine, and cider. It was so delicious, but Rachel and I could not stop laughing about the situation! Just as we thought it couldn’t get any funnier, a guy from the local news came in the door with a camera and a microphone. I just about died! He interviewed the lady that was in charge as I continued to laugh (seemingly enjoying myself, but rather snickering at the situation). He then so gracefully approached Rachel and I and handed us the microphone. You guessed it; I was on the news speaking French to thousands of native French people who are now laughing at me!

Today I was tired after staying out all night recanting this amazing story to the others who did not feel inclined to join us; however, this did not stop the fun from coming. As we took the tram up to Campus two so that Linden could talk to our advisor about something, my friend Alex played hide and seek with the tram patrol. Alex has yet to purchase his tram pass, so he’s been riding the tram illegally for the past couple of days. We’ve yet to see anyone ask us for our tickets, so it was assumed that things would be fine. Not today! I heard a nice old man say “bonjour” to a group of people and when I looked up to see who it was; I saw that it was them! I looked at Alex and didn’t even have to say a word. As soon as the tram stopped, he jetted. I went with him so that he wouldn’t have to ride the next tram alone. When we got on the next tram, it took us to another stop where there was yet another patrolman. This time I didn’t even see him, but thank goodness Alex did! Alex walked right passed him and exited the tram while I accidentally stayed on and showed the guy my tram pass. When Alex finally caught up to me we decided that it might be good for him to buy a tram pass pretty soon!

After the tram excursion, Alex and I went for coffee just before I went to workout in my new gym! I was so excited! When I got to the gym, the same lady that helped me before was back to greet me with a smile! When I got to the workout room I was greeted by one of the locals. He could tell that I had an accent and asked me if I was English (they all ask me that!). I told him that I was actually American and that I was having trouble converting the weights from kilograms to pounds so that I could understand what I was lifting. He laughed and continued to tell me some elaborate story with big words while I pretended to understand.

After the gym I went back to the apartment where I waited until 8h30 to have dinner. We usually eat at 7h00, but Yves was late getting home. I just about had words with him! Actually, I did have words out loud to myself in English that made me feel much better about the situation. I just pretended that I was back home in the US and said to Yves (to to his face) what my father would have said to me. For those of you who know my father or know of him, you can only imagine!

Dinner tonigth was nice except for the fact that there was still no meat! I’m guessing that since they are Catholic, they aren’t eating meat because it’s lent. My mother offered to send me some beef jerky, but I think I’ll just go buy some protein powder or start eating massive amounts of meat at lunch! Ridiculous!

At the beginning of this post I gave my definition of the term culture shock. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, you might have already gathered that this is from what I am suffering on occasion. As days pass, I notice that things are becoming more and more normal. Now that I have a place to workout and am starting to get a feel for the town, I think that in a couple of weeks I’ll stop making fun of the way things have been. Until then, be prepared for whatever, whenever!