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Published: June 15th 2012
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After a week I Nantes, I was finally settling in and getting a grasp on the day-to-day routine of the locals...Just kidding. I still have no clue what is going on around me half the time. Everyday is an adventure. Life would be so simple if the locals spoke English and the signs were readable, but that is the beauty of it. I have to figure it all out. It is like trying to understand a new concept, a new way of life. While on my daily adventures I have missed trains, gotten yelled at, gone the wrong direction on trains, and probably said inappropriate things in French to the locals. Best/worst of all, I have definitely walked more this past week, then I have during my whole life.
My grandest of all walks was last night. A group of students from our program were to meet up at the apartment complex in town, then we were going to go out for the evening. The only problem was that the trains in Nante only run until one. I missed that last train, I would have a long, long walk home. I got to the apartment complex and tried to explain
to the night watchman who I was seeing. But he spoke literally no English. Well he knew one phrase, "I call you?" But his thick French accent made it sound like "I kill you?" Thank goodness for the international hand to mouth and ear for phone signal. Why he was going to call me, I still don't know. After about ten minutes of babel, I got through to him and he took me to the apartment I needed to meet everyone at. Phew.
The group then went out for a nice evening. It started out at a nightclub. Apparently college night meant no cover charge of 8 euros. But the girls had to check their bags at coat check which ran them 5 euros, ouch. A (small) beer ran for 9 euros! Are you kidding me. All said and done that is a $11 baby beer. What kind of college students were they getting at? More like "successful doctor night" with those prices. We were out of there before the next techno song could hypnotize us into staying.
We then headed to the much more reasonable cafe night life. Cheap drinks, real college students who weren't fooled by
the ridiculous nightclubs, and comfortable seating outside make cafes the best place to spend the evening. As the saying goes, time fly's when your having fun. I looked down at my watch and it read 1:30. Crap. I missed that last train. What was I going to do. Rumors claimed that a taxi could run you 30 euros. No. One more beer to get my energy up, and I took the plunge. I walked and walked and walked. After an hour and a half I finally made it home. Rocks in my shoes, sore feet, and exhausted I realized that wasn't the brightest of ideas. Foreign country, night time, alone, 7 mile walk, I won't do that again. But I was safe and sound so that is all that mattered.
Through the sweat, frustration, sore feet, and lack of French, I am healthy and happy. For my first weekend trip I had planned on going to Paris, but scrapped that idea once I remembered that the d-day beaches were fairly close by. So I booked a train ticket to Caen in Normandy and am ready to headed into the abyss of more French culture. It will be a weekend
full of history that has impacted the modern world to endless degrees.
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