The Crack Returns

So how is Paris? Well in short, Paris isn’t bad at all.

Week 3

So what did i get up to this week? Started off by watching the Social Network, which I admit I had no real intention of seeing but I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it. Mark’s Z’s brand of humour had me in stitches!!!! How he was so abusive and confrontational to the lawyers or his peers whenever they tried to intimidate him and how he always brought them down a level or 7.

My personal take on the events, if it is an accurate portrayal, then I side with Mark. Yes he did steal the twins idea, but he didn’t do anything illegal, it’s the twins own stupidity for sharing their idea so freely or lack of ability to take it as far as he did. Also with his friend who went down to 0.03%, yes it wasn’t handled in the right way, but he didn’t deserve 30% of some 25 billion for an input of 20,000 or so. Jamais. Although of course if i was that friend, then my opinion would clearly not be the same.  Bien sur.

Anyway, as usual, my daily events escalated into unnecessary drama. My movie experience was ruined slightly as i was panicking about going into minus on my bank account. – As im sure i’ve stated several times, paris is leaving me as broke as shattered glass! So at this point in time i had 3.20 euros in my account. But before leaving for the movie, i checked my account and it stated that there was a planned deficit of 9 euros. Which of course did not make me a happy bunny! I had money coming in 2 days but i was determined not to pay these silly bank expenditures of going overdrawn. So i thought about sending money from my uk account – wouldn’t arrive in time, withdrawing it from barcalys and putting into my account – banks had closed, so i was in a dirty rut. I ended up calling my mate and asking him to transfer 9 euros to my account – yes it did need some heavy explaining lol. So i left for the film thinking it had been sorted, only to receive a text mid way with him saying he had difficulty. So now once again i am screwed, spent half the film texting him and trying to get him to do it but to no avail. Then basically resorted to texting my entire French phonebook but no one could help me for one reason or the other, and oh yeah i promptly ran out of texts. Putaint!

So i rushed home after the movie determined to figure this out, but when i logged on i realized that this 9 euro reduction had ALREADY BEEN DONE. Slight agitation anyone? Why the hell would it tell me that i have a future withdrawal of 9 euros if its already happened, COME ON! Whole night of anxiety, texts and desperation wasted because some goons can’t decide between before and after. Putaint!!

What else was new, oh yeah this week i got a real taste of the French education system and by this i mean, strike FEVER. It seems to be a never ending disease here. Once again, a regular day became unnecessarily dramatic as is the norm in my life for some reason.

Trying to get to work on Tuesday morning and guess what, the bus didn’t feel like coming. No im dead serious, there was no bus strike, or traffic delay -  on this one day, for no good reason the bus i take to the metro didn’t feel like coming. Was waiting at the bus stop on ma 1’s when the bus driver going the other way just told me the bus isn’t coming today. Of course i asked why, and he just shrugged his shoulders. So at that point, i thought should I just go home or should i soldier on and run to the bus stop? I really wish I had done the former L So the eager beaver decides to do a 30minute run to the metro, in a suit, on a hot day........yes i didn’t think  it through did I? Anyway so i get to my school, slightly sweaty and flustered and everyone’s outside????? But of course i can’t ask what’s going because I don’t speak French (i don’t want to blow my cover) and so i kind of just walk around aimlessly until i find an English speaking teacher. Once again i pretend i have no French (she realized later on that i was deceiving her and she thought I was just being spiteful, can you imagine my luck?) and tried to get her to explain it in English. So, bless her for trying but she might as well of being speaking Chinese, her ‘ English’ could easily pass for Arabic!

Anyway, somehow i manage to get inside after pointless wondering for about 30 mins, only to discover that the students are on strike and i shouldn’t have BOTHERED TO COME. Now imagine my slight agitation, im sweaty from running, cold from standing outside, annoyed from ignorance, and now im told i can go home. Oh what you didn’t feel like telling me in advance i shouldn’t come. Why on earth do you all have my number and e-mail address then, is it just for fun to increase your contact lists? !!!! Very irritated.

Same thing happened on Thursday at the other lycée where i work, although here i found out that the students r a tad bit more aggressive; having attacked a security guard, egged their headmaster and resorted to vandalising property. When i asked my responsable if this was normal behaviour, all i got was ‘ Bienvenue a la france’ ! Welcome to France indeed.  I started wondering what would happen if i tried that at my uni in England, get a strike going with a group of people? Errrrrrr, id clearly be arrested, charged for assault, property damage and possibly expelled. But here teachers r just sipping tea like its a regular Thursday afternoon. Can we say culture clash?

The only good thing that came out of work this week was that one of my teachers sat me down and told me all the places she thinks I should visit. At first, i just wanted her to close her milk stained mouth so i could go home and sleep, but she kept rambling for an hour. However, at the end i was rather grateful for the 1 hour rant because it did become clear that i hadn’t really explored Paris yet and I would miss out on a great chance if i dint do it now. So after the dictation (during which she kept glancing at my notes, perhaps to check my spelling????) i went to Fnac and bought a guide book. Yes i haven’t opened it yet, but i will do, scouts honour J It’s mainly because im still unnecessarily broke, and my head links sightseeing/tourism with money and so at the moment pride won’t let me open it. I need to become unbroken first.

Nothing really happened on Friday but I went to Creteil université to see my friend on the weekend, and once again my life took an unwanted turn. I didn’t really know where my friends place was except the general vicinity but was certain that i could just ask for directions once i got there. Sometimes the easiest things in life are really not so easy. In short what should of been a 10 minute walk became a 40 minute mission because French people seemed determined to get me lost! I cannot even remember how many times i went passed the same street, in OPPOSITE directions. People if you don’t know, just SAY, don’t pretend and leave victims like me wandering around paris at 11pm without the faintest idea of where they are going!

Luckily when i got there at last, it was worth it. My mate lives in student accommodation and as it was the weekend his mates were having a lil house party. Now for me as I’m from used to the African scene (his housemates are mainly from Martinique) i was in my element, but my Italian friend was like a fish out of water. You ever see an Italian trying to grind to dutty wine who’s got no idea? Epic amusement!!!! But fair doos he actually tried and got involved so i rate him for that, most would just sit on the side.

I on the other hand, was loving  it and drank far too much, which seems to be the norm for this year. Afterwards me and my m8 mad a futile attempt to have a few games of fifa. Futile because i kept falling asleep midgame, waking up to find out that my m8 had put 2 or 3 goals past me while im asleep. So what’s worse, falling asleep while active, or someone who keeps playing when the competition is clearly tko?

Infact i was so tired that i just passed out on my mates bed and being the LEGEND that he is, woke up the next morning to find out that he had just slept on the floor, coz he didn’t want to wake me up? Can you believe it. If it was me, i would probably have woken me up with a slap or two, but let’s be grateful it wasn’t me coz i slept like a king that nite.

On the weekend, i recovered.....it took a while.