Yes, I AM here!

Ah, finally. I have time to post a blog. This past week has been crazy, and I really didn't think things would ever be "normal." But they are starting to come together.

So getting over here was a crazy adventure, as you can probably imagine. How can international travel not be crazy?

Last Tuesday, after 3 hours of sleep, I got up to finish packing and law school applications. Yes, I was finishing up my law school applications on Tuesday at 2pm, about 30 minutes before I was to depart for the airport. With respect to packing, my main problem was that each suitcase could hold only 50 pounds, and I was pushing it. After getting everything together, I hugged my brother Dan goodbye. That was the first thing that brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. Then it was off to the house, where my other brother, Dave, proceeded to download music onto my iPod, much to the chagrin of my mom, who wanted to make sure I had enough time to get to the airport. My dad met us at the airport, and I finished my final application there, then gave it to my dad to mail. Could it get any more last minute than that?

My flight was to leave around 7pm, but it was a bit delayed. That worried me a bit, since I was only to have a 50 minute layover in Iceland to begin with. Argh! What if I miss my flight? But somehow, we managed to arrive in Iceland promptly at 7am local time (about 1am CST, I think). My next flight went off without a hitch, and we landed in Paris around noon local time (5am CST). At this point, I was extremely exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep. But I had to find the train. Thankfully, I met a Hawaiian woman (Naomi) on the way off the plane. We helped each other collect our baggage, and a Parisian friend of hers was there at the airport to welcome her, so he directed me toward the shuttle to the train station. Somehow, I still managed to get lost, so I had to go to the information desk. My modus operandi at the airport was to approach an official and ask, "Vous parlez anglais?" It seemed better to make sure that I would understand the instructions. The airport people all spoke English, as I suspected. Then I made my way out to the bus. Up to this point, I had been toting my luggage (2 large suitcases of 50 pounds each and a small one of about 25 pounds!) around on a cart. But once I got outside to the shuttle, I had to take it myself. As the French would say, oh, là là! That was difficult. It was impossible to move it all at once. There is no way humanly possible to move 3 heavy unconncected suitcases at once (unless, perhaps, you're one of those huge guys who pulls semi trucks and stuff, and you can stack them). So I struggled with it for a few minutes, missing the first shuttle and having to wait for the next. I finally just lifted them one by one onto the shuttle. Then I connected them (but because of the weight, that didn't work very well). The shuttle arrived at the train station part of the airport, but I didn't know where to get off, so I got off way too early and ended up having to walk a long way. When I got off, I had no idea where to go, so a kind worker who saw my bewilderment asked me what I was looking for. I was feeling very tired and flustered and didn't trust my French, so I tried my "anglais" trick. No dice. He didn't speak English. To my surprise, I had no problem understanding his directions. He helped me put my luggage on a new cart, and I was on my way. When I got to the train station, I had to go down to the lower level, and carts were not allowed on the elevator. So began the constant unloading and reloading of the cart. Caroline had already reserved me a train ticket, so I paid for it and then sat down to wait. The train was to leave at 3:45pm, so I had to wait for over 2 hours. I didn't have a watch (and, in fact, am still without one), as I relinquished my cell phone at the airport, and that has been my "watch" for the past six years. I sat there for awhile, staring at the schedule. I couldn't figure out why my train number said it was going to Rennes via Massey, when Caroline had told me that I was going to be transferring trains at Le Mans - and then of course my final destination would be Nantes. I sat there trying to figure that out for awhile when it hit me: if you are transferring trains, you won't be going to the same place as the first one! Duh. Anyway, I learned a lot while riding the trains. I learned, for instance, that you get an actual seat number, unlike a bus or tram. So it's necessary to stand in the spot on the platform corresponding to the car number. Unfortunately, they don't seem to line up correctly in actuality, so you may end up having to run several yards to get to the right car. Some chivalrous guys helped me lift my luggage onto the train. Once on the train, there was absolutely NO place to put my luggage in the car itself. Taking Chris' advice, I didn't want to leave it alone, so I sat in the wrong seat so that I could watch my luggage. When the conductor (or whoever that guy is who checks your tickets) came, I timidly explained why I was sitting in the wrong place. He didn't mind at all. Then I settled in for the two hour ride, trying, but failing, to stay awake. Unfortunately, a bunch of weird, fortyish, rowdy men got on the train in pretty short order and proceeded to conversate boisterously for the remainder of the ride. The thing that really bugged me, though; was that I could barely make out what they were saying. At this point, I'm thinking, Man, my French isn't as good as I thought! As it turns out, I must have just been tired, because my comprehension (even of boisterous conversations) has been great (but more on that later)! Eventually, I got off the train at Le Mans. Then I had about 30 or so minutes until my next train. I carted my luggage from the platform down to the station, in search of a bathroom. This is where I learned the next sweet thing. I approached some officials that were standing at the bottom of the ramp and asked, "Est-ce qu'il y a une salle de bain?" She looked at me like I was crazy, looked at the other ladies, and then asked, "Une quoi?" So I repeated myself. She asked me, "Vous cherchez des toilettes? Un WC? Il n'y a pas de salle de bain ici." As it turns out, salle de bain is a term reserved solely for the room in your house where you shower, bathe, etc. And, in fact, in the house where I'm staying, the toilets (WC's) are separate from the sink, bath, and shower. Funny. So they agreed to watch my luggage while I made my way to bathroom, which I had to pay € .40 to use. It was definitely worth it, though. There are no bathrooms on the train, at least not in second class. I made it back up to the platforms in time, and the Nantes-bound train pulled in. From my experience that day, an annoucement would be made five minutes before a train's departure, and then again right before it left. The train pulled up, and I had to run to find my car, since it wasn't lined up properly. As I was still running (and slowly, with all that luggage), I heard, "Le train à Nantes va partir." I was waiting for her to add, "Dans 5 minutes," but she didn't. Uh oh. I jumped onto the nearest car with 2 of my suitcases (thankfully, another gallant guy who happened to be standing in the hall grabbed them for me). Then, as I was loading the other one, the doors almost closed on me! But I made it. I finally arrived in Nantes around 7:30pm. I got off the train not really knowing what to expect or what to do. I had assumed that Caroline would be there to pick me up, but I hadn't verified it with her exactly. I looked all around me and decided that I should try to get to the south side, which was the opposite of where I was standing. I made my way up there, expecting to see someone looking around anxiously for a girl in a purple shirt with purple suitcases. But there was no one there. I wandered around for about 15 minutes and then decided I should make a collect call to my dad, who would be able to check my email for a response from Caroline. Well, that didn't work. I couldn't figure out how to do it! I stood there for awhile longer, trying to decide what to do, when all of a sudden, I heard an announcement in rapid, muffled French. Mixed in I heard, "Mademoiselle Deborah Helm," pronounced the French way, that is, "Day-bo-rah Elm." So I knew someone was looking for me, but I had no idea where to go! So I went up to a police officer who was standing nearby and asked him if he had heard the announcement and where I was supposed to go. Of course I didn't understand his response, but he just kept pointing, so I started off in that direction, but aimlessly, and frequently looking back at him with a confused look on my face. So he relented and brought me over to the information desk, where I found Caroline! Hooray! Apparently she had been looking for me on the other side, since that's actually where I had gotten off the train. The info desk guy was telling her, "You've been here for 20 minutes...you should probably just go home. She probably missed the train from the airport. The next one doesn't get in until 1am...you want to make an annoucement? No, no. She's American? She's not going to hear that." Ha, info desk guy! I did. So there.

Caroline brought me home, and we talked the whole time (some English, some French). I met the kids, who are all SUPER cute - like cuter than their pictures! I think I weirded out Louise, the 11-year old, because, being a true American, I shook her hand. As it turns out, Europeans really DO do that kissing the air on the sides of the cheeks thing, even to people they don't know or are just meeting (although, as I've learned, that depends on the situation).

So that was my voyage here. I have a lot more to say (is that possible, you ask? She's not all talked out by now?), but my class starts in 13 minutes, and I'm not really sure where the room is, so I'm going to go on another fact-finding adventure.

Thanks to all of you who have sent me emails - if I haven't responded yet, I will. I just have had no time, as I will recount to you in my next blog. Oh, and I have some pictures to show you all, but I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to download them yet.

For now, au revoir!