Jet lag is really difficult to beat. I napped for hours yesterday, then went to bed at a fairly decent time. 3:30am, I was awake for a while, learning the new sounds of a new place. Despite all of this sleep, I still managed to faire la grasse matinée (sleep in). Just as I was finally up and ready to shower, the doorbell rang. A friendly woman outside introduced herself as Laurence François, my prof de relais, or mentor teacher. (Fulbright requires each participant to designate a teacher to guide our partners throughout the year). Embarrassed to be caught in my French-themed flannel pajamas, we agreed that she'd come back after lunch to take me on a tour of the town. I hope she quickly forgets her first impression of me with my tousled hair and the imprint of wrinkled sheets on my cheek!
As promised, Laurence showed back up at 14h00, and off we went to find the school. I don't know how Damien and I missed it, because it's just down the road from my house. Then she took me by the train station, which also evaded us yesterday. It's up the hill, so with luggage it will be a bit of a hike, but it's definitely do-able. She showed me around the main square, including the doctors' office, the radiography center should I need an x-ray, and which pharmacy she preferred, explaining she'd been in school with the pharmacist. We made an appointment at the Crédit Agricole for later in the week so I can open a bank account. My ATM card works great, and thanks to online banking, paying bills is a breeze. Still, Fulbright requires us to have a French account so the Franco-American Commission in Paris can reimburse us for our travel expenses. In Oklahoma City, Nathalie and I just walked in to MidFirst, met a young man named Tyler, and 30 minutes later she had an account. I guess things work a bit differently here!
Laurence insisted on taking me to the grocery store, so I took advantage of having a car and stocked up on heavier things like water and laundry detergent. I'm sure I'll eventually walk up the hill with these items (maybe one product a day?) but for now, I was glad to have her car.
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