Miracles and Castels

After waiting outside the door of the GTL (Georgia Tech Lorraine) IT man’s door for 2 hours (the French take very long lunch breaks), I had a brief exchange with someone who may or may not be able to help me (*for the full effect of this conversation, please read the IT man’s lines with a heavy French accent)

Cecily: Mon…p-c? est casse? (my computer is broken….I think)
IT man: I have a look at it.

2 hours later….

IT man: It is…how you say…not worse than it is before.

Cecily: Does that mean it’s fixed?

IT man: Possible.

And they all lived happily ever after. (my computer and me)

So, back to those pictures I promised. As it turns out, sales in France (and Europe in general) are highly regulated. I learned during orientation today that the government allows stores to hold sales only two times a year.   And as luck would have it, Saturday was the first day of sales! Needless to say, I will be taking the 15 minute bus ride into the city quite often, at least until the last week in January. I didn’t go into many shops my first time in the city however (every time I entered a store, the sales person would ask me if I needed help, and I couldn’t remember how to say “I’m just looking, thank you” ). Instead, I spent my time eating bread, walking around, and people watching. I like to consider myself an expert observer, but I am an amateur compared to the French. Small cafes line the city sidewalks and everyone likes to sit outside, even in 40 degree weather. As seen in my final picture, people sit facing the street, so they can observe and discuss by-passers. 

So much has happened since my trip into the city that I don't even know where to begin. I suppose the most exciting thing for me is getting over myself and trying to speak French. I looked up "how do you say?..." so that when I go into the bakery every morning, I can stop pointing and nodding, and ask how to pronounce the words correctly. Thankfully, the women in the bakery are incredibly nice,.... and patient. They will repeat a word several times until I get it right. I also met some French graduate students today who are looking to improve their English, and I am hoping to meet with them a few times a week so we can help each other out. I'm definitely going to ask them about shopping etiquette tomorrow so I can shop in town again sometime soon.