So there's a constant struggle in the public education...sector(?) in France. Currently, there's a huge strike going on with professors, students, etc., such that the school I'm supposed to be attending this semester may not have classes. Our program director, however, encouraged us to attend regardless. Our grammar teacher agreed but said we may not be able to push through the picketing students next week. Worst comes to worst, I won't be able to take a full courseload this semester and probably lose my loans...and then need to make up for lost time when I get back to Bard.
That aside, I've been enjoying myself for the most part. Last night our group went to see "Feu la mere de Madame" about this dysfunctional couple who find out at four in the morning that the wife's mother has passed away. It sounds like it'd be sad, but it was fucking hilarious. It was in this black box theater type place and it was incredibly funny. I understood a lot of what was going on, but luckily a lot of the humor was action- rather than dialogue-based, anyway.
Afterwards we went out for drinks which turned into a 45 minute walk through Paris because we got off at the wrong metro stop and finally we arrived at "La Perle." Once we found a table, we went up to order at the bar and the guy in our group was served just about right away, but it took the bartender about 5 minutes to remark the other two girls standing beside him waiting their turn. I ended up paying 10euro for a white russian, not knowing what to order, and the guy said something to me in English about going up for more. The people at my table and I had no idea what this meant, we figured he must have put so much ice in my glass that he was offering me a free refill, to which I felt I was entitled. In any case, I finished the drink and went up again to ask him...for more, I guess, and he listened to the first couple words I said, noted my empty glass, nodded, and poured about two shots of straight-up-Kaluah (Kaluhah?) over the remaining ice. It's really much easier when they just speak French.
Now I have to go find someplace to recharge my cellphone because I used up all my time trying to call Bank of America internationally. I tried all day yesterday to call so they wouldn't cancel my debit card if I tried to use it here, but didn't have time (in the day or on my phone) to wait on hold for 6 minutes. I finally got through today, but all the calls I made yesterday to numbers that were "no longer in service" meant that my phone ended the call when I was in the middle of talking to the representative and so... I have to go spend more money so that I can call BACK and try AGAIN. Technology is not my friend this week.
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