Un rendez-vous chez le médecin

My first full day in France, I was honestly worried about my language skills and the effect they'd have on my daily life in France. Three months later, I am so proud of the things I remember and what I've learned. But when I finally made the doctor's appointment I've been needing to make for over a year and a half, I was nervous all over again. I may be afraid of bananas but I'm not afraid of the doctor... I just always put if off until I NEED to go, making excuses on why I can wait it out. My favorite examples are "I know I fractured my wrist but it was my fault so I'm going to just deal with it" and "I know I have had a 102* temperature for three weeks but it's finals and Christmas and *cough*ouch*cough*, other people are counting on me to show up to work. *Faint*".  Those who know me well know that this is 100% truth and there are actually many more similar excuses I could have substituted...

Anyways, living in another language, there are many things you realize you were never taught in French class... like what to say in a doctor's appointment. I'm not sick but I need to get a new prescription for la pilule contraceptive since I convinced a random doctor to give me une ordonnance over the phone before I left Seattle. I wanted to make sure I could explain what I needed and why I didn't like what I was taking already... all in French. So I left my apartment with my ipod in stow and before the song was over, I was buzzed in to the blackened hallway of the building. Okay, now where do I go? Finally, the médecin came out and turn the hall light on and ushered me into the office. Needless to say, there was a lot of worrying for nothing. He understood me and more importantly, I understood him. I left with a prescription in hand and a very friendly and comfortable conversation with my new doctor behind me.

And then I thought I lost my cell phone. But get this... I paid only 22 euro for the appointment (I'll get reimbursed 21 euro) and for three months of the pill, I paid 17 euro (some percentage of which will also get reimbursed). Cheap! I paid $150 for three months before I left... Even if I weren't to get reimbursed, I'm a happy camper. Going to Estonia tomorrow makes me even happier!

Here are a few pictures from my walk to the doctor and la pharmacie yesterday. 

Église Saint-Vincent

La Marque  

Église Saint-Vincent

Avenue Foch 

Okay, gotta run - things to do and people to see! My next post will be from my grandpa's homeland!
Bisous,
-kelse

Un rendez-vous chez le médecin - an appointment with the doctor 
La pilule contraceptive - the birth control pill
Une ordonnance - a prescription 
Le médecin - the doctor
La pharmacie - the pharmacy

Settling in

I made it to France safely, in case you were wondering! My first few days here were kind of a blur, then I didn't have internet all day yesterday. Anyways - I arrived and I'm loving it so far! My roommates picked me up in Brussels, Belgium and we drove towards home. For dinner, we stopped in Tournai, Belgium for some Japanese Teppan Yaki. This means I ate Chinese food for lunch in Estonia, Japanese for dinner in Belgium, and fell asleep in France. I was exhausted by the time we arrived at our flat. 

I technically live in Marcq en Baroeul, a very nearby suburb to Lille. It's a nice, rich neighborhood full of regular houses and families, so I feel very safe here. The flat itself is cute, comfortable, and will definitely do the trick for nine months! So far, so good. My roommates, Cody and Sébastien are great! Poor Cody is quickly learning that I am pretty modest and very stubborn (not in a bad way, but especially about what I will and won't eat/drink). Sébastien has been very accommodating while I've been settling in, even letting me sleep in his bed the first two nights before taking me to Ikea and helping me set mine up. I'm learning a lot about how meeting and dating works in the gay world... It's very different from what I'm used to. I've spent an afternoon or two in Lille but haven't taken to the city by myself yet. I plan to do this in the next few days and will have pictures to share! Basically, I have a lot to figure out and get used to.... like the metro, tram, and the train and that  businesses close for an hour or two in the afternoons and everything is closed on Sundays (yes, even groceries). 

Coming off of a week in Estonia where I was so used to not being able to understand much of what was being said, it took me a full day to even entertain the idea of speaking French. That and it took a second to realize that, in fact, I could understand. Being over two years out of practice wasn't working in my favor the first 24 hours but it's coming back to me; watching TV has helped and I've started speaking more in French. The problem is, we often revert to English at home because Cody likes Sébastien's accent. Another problem is my hearing... It's not that I don't understand what's being said to me, it's that I can't hear them sometimes! But pretty soon I'm going to tell Sébastien not to respond to me unless I speak in French. C'est une bonne idée, n'est-ce pas? I've met a few of the other assistants and look forward to meeting more. I'm certain there are going to be some pretty cool people in the bunch! 

I'll have pictures to share soon! 

Bisous,

C'est une bonne idée, n'est-ce pas? - It's a good idea, isn't it?