About 4 weeks ago I borrowed a book with the engaging title “Living and Working in France”. I really and truly wanted to make an effort to get to know la France. Reading it made me realize two completely contradicting things: Firstly, there is no way you can describe a country and its inhabitants by stating a few common behaviours and turning them into facts. Secondly, you absolutely can... or so it seems. I always felt disappointed when clichés turn out to be accurate...but maybe I totally misinterpreted that! Maybe clichés should merely be perceived as helpful guidelines and not annoying predictions that totally kill any element of surprise. If I was to write a small guide as to how to survive in France it would include the following three statements:
1.) Don’t mess with somebody else’s lunch break.
2.) Don’t buy a pastry without asking what’s in it...you might be in for an unpleasant surprise.
3.) Opening hours are not binding and you shouldn’t rely on other individuals to stick to them.
So how did I gain these valuable insights? Well, there are derived from my own extremely subjective experiences. Meaning, there are as valid as an expired parking ticket. And I think this is exactly the basis of books such as the one I borrowed in my attempt to be open and learn something about a different culture. Just because some people only want marmalade on their croissant cause this is what the French do, does not make them purely French. At the same time just because I seemingly ruin a croissant by putting a salad leaf beneath it and some French cheese does not make me ignorant. It’s not as simple as that...in order to be truly ignorant you at least need to put ketchup on top, too. Ketchup is like the one ingredient that makes you look ignorant almost anywhere in the world. I recommend if you aim to provoke, carry a small bottle with you wherever you go.
However, I must say that as charming as Poitiers is, it is also truly inflexible. If it wasn’t, it would have made more of an effort with me by now and at least borrowed a book with the title “Accepting and appreciating Christin”. I made the effort after all!
Re-reading the paragraph above makes two things clear to me. Firstly, I have way too much time to think in Poitiers. And two, these reflective diary entries that I have to write for uni have some serious side-effects. Arghh!!! But since I am at it already and not much else is happening, I am gonna continue to reflect away...I have one more amazing revelation:
I realized that: The less you have to do, the less you do do.
Since being here I am seriously questioning myself how I ever managed to earn a living whilst studying full-time. I wouldn’t know how to cramp in a job in between going for coffee with friends, playing badminton, going for a run in the park or spending another day in my bath robe. I thought I have all this time to write my dissertation, already start my job hunt and all the rest of it whilst here. But really, I am as busy as always, substituting my normal working hours with colouring in my nails or watching another episode of “Who’s the Boss”. I didn’t even manage to return that one book I borrowed in time...this has never happened to me in London! But no, I don’t actually feel lazy – it’s the last few months of being a student after all and I am determined to spend as much time as I can sleeping in and turning up late for lectures. Okay, that might be a little exaggerated – but the tendency is there ; )
But now a few a little more exciting things that happened over the course of the last 2 weeks.
For instance that eagerly anticipated trip to Bordeaux: We were incredibly lucky with the weather as well as it turned out... the city. Bordeaux is breath-takingly beautiful. I was not at all prepared for that! I didn’t have any expectations and must have annoyed the hell out of my travel companions since I practically started shooting away with my camera once we hit the platform at the train station in Bordeaux. This resulted in the taking of 700 pictures over a two day period and a borderline-obsessive Christin that was so happy that she was determined to capture every single moment. A description that I kept on using was that Bordeaux was as pretty as Paris, but minus the attitude. And I am sticking to it! I loved every minute of it. My highlights included a 3-course meal including mussels and snails in open day-light and for a mere 15 Euros, a colourful carnival procession with lots of awesome costumes and happychappy kids and Ruby’s and mine wine tasting experience. I might have felt sophisticated for a second then munching away on cheese and drinking out of extravagant wine glasses, but I compensated for that later the same evening when I spent the night sleeping in the bath tub. Well, if you are on a student budget you better be ready to share your hotel room...good thing I am so small ; )
The other exciting thing that happened was that when back in Poitiers we found a restaurant that served pizza with fries on top. A truly life-changing experience...I considered whether becoming excessively overweight might not be totally worth the shortened life-span and breathing difficulty if only I could have pizza with fries every day for the rest of my life. The only thing that is holding me back is the fact that I really want to pay back my student loan before I develop self-imposed diabetes.
Quite literally “too cool for school” was our professor for our negotiation work shop this week: An aging Harvard alumnus that seemed to never have kicked his habit of smoking "wheat" ; ). He would turn up 30 minutes late for every lecture with the promise to finish the class early. We didn’t exactly protest since the sun was shining all week. But I think it is safe to say that we took his class a lot more seriously than he did himself. That was until we found out that our exam would be to write a journal about how we felt about negotiating...I think the ideal preparation for the exam would actually be to consume some illegal substances in order to be on the same level playing field as our lovely professor...One less exam I am dreading!
I also tried to make a few friends outside the university walls. I found out that there is a rather active Couchsurfing group in Poitiers. On the way to meet one of them, a guy called Will, I ran into 3 of my course mates which really made me think: I have to meet new people ; ) Anyways, Will turned out to be extremely pleasant and sweet. He drew a map for me that neither he nor me could decipher anymore in the end – but it is a piece of art that is totally worth framing. A few other Couchsurfers with cars are planning to take as Poitiers newbies on a trip in 2 weeks time...so I am excited to see what else the area has to offer. Such pleasant people, the Couchsurfers!
Other than that I am leaving France on Friday to go on a secret mission to Berlin...I am incredibly excited about that...but till I’m back my lips will be sealed : )
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