Viva le Difference!

I've been having lazy days this week. This is my last week before i officially start teaching my students. So what have I been doing? Nothing.

I would go into the city and galavant around the arrondissements but that requires money. I do not have money at the moment. I borrowed some from my friend here after my wallet got stolen/lost? or whatever happened.

I have been waiting for over a week now for my new card to arrive. The French are very slow at everything that they do.  I swear they have not upgraded from pony express. They love to stamp papers, shove them into an envelop and ask for the next customer.

I went into the bank yesterday to see if my card arrived. I stood patiently in line (I think i will spend 3/4 of my life in france waiting in a line). I was overjoyed to see that the usual pudgy crank of a woman wasn't at the front desk. I had a sigh of relief because I wasn't going to have to deflect daggers into my heart.

But I spoke too soon.

As soon as it was my turn to come to the counter, she rolled out of a door behind the office like the bratty kid who turned into a blueberry in Willy Wonka to take the place of the substitute. We both looked at each other and she was just as upset to see me. I suddenly thought of a sneak attack and threw a smile grenade at her trying to say "haha, such as life ya know?" But her defensive shields were at maximum and my grenade bounced off her like a marble on a beach ball. Pretty accurate I believe.

"Do you have my card today?"

Stare......

"Non, peut-etre demain."  Her favorite phrase, "No, maybe tomorrow."

So alas, I'm still waiting.


Last night I texted my friends Dalal who lives in room 11. We have become good friends because neither of us have anyone else to hang out with in Poissy. I asked her if she wanted to go get something to eat with me. She said yes. I love hanging out with her because she speaks absolutely no english so it's a great way to force me into not relying on anything else.

We decided on a Kebab cafe since it was the only thing she really wanted. She had fish earlier so sushi was out and she doesn't eat porc because she's a muslim. So she thought a chicken Kebab sounded tasty.
We sat and talked about a variety of things. Her belief, my belief, what she thought about the U.S. and what i thought about the U.S.  We compared stereotypes. She said that her biggest stereotype she had heard about the U.S. is that we have a lot of violence in elevators.

"Hahahaha, quoi?!" I almost spit out my fries. "Violence dans l'ascensor?" I can't imagine where she got this stereotype from? It didn't make sense to me.

We continued you on and then she asked the question out of left field, "Do you think that American woman or French woman are more beautiful?" as she blinked and giggled and even blushed.

Oh gosh, she likes me.

"Um, I don't think one group is more beautiful than the other. It depends on the person."

If she was fishing then she caught a tire for sure.

Poor girl, the scarf that i was sporting would have let any girl in the states know that i was just a potential shopping buddy. But here, like a said, you can't tell who's gay.

We continued talking and kept discovering layer after layer of difference in culture and opinion. She struggled with the power the U.S. plays in the world. The way she phrased her statement was that she didn't know why all these country's ask the permission of the U.S. The U.S. is not the best.

I told her I understood how she felt and that countries are like sports teams and everyone has there favorite. Usually your team is the one that you were born into. She smiled and agreed.

I told her that the U.S. has a lot of problems and before i could finish my thought she piped in "the economy!"
Ouch. It was like she was making fun that my dad got laid off. I felt the salt in the wound because I had seen earlier that week how horrible my dollars became when converted to euro.

"Yesssss" i said slowly, "like the economy.  BUT did you know that a Muslim woman like yourself can't wear your head covering here in France at her job. I'm sure you know this already. But in the U.S. a Muslim woman can. There are a lot of problems in the U.S. but we have great things about us too."

I think this made a big point to her. I was proud of myself :)

I almost wanted to ask her if she wanted to come play for a team where she could wear her uniform :)

But i left it alone.