Why the Hell Did I Come Here?

12-30-10 (Rueil-Malmaison, France)

Where to start? Maybe the good news first. I got first row business class coming over on the plane. I had three glasses of wine and two pretty decent meals. For dinner I had shrimp with bamboo shoots, tomato soup, sweet potatoes, squash, and a beef fillet. For break fast I had eggs, hash browns, fruit, tea, and a roll with jelly. French customs took about 30 seconds to go through and I got both of my checked bags. The cab cost around 50 Euro to get from the airport to my destination.


That was pretty much the only good news of the day. Once I arrived at my apartment complex, the doors were locked and no one was in the front office. I had to wait until people exited the building so I could sneak in with all my luggage. I waited around in a fume-filled lobby for about 30 minutes before one of the owners happened upon me. She didn't speak a word of English and she was incredibly dismayed that I was there. I tried to explain to her that I was supposed to move in two days ago, but that my flights were canceled or delayed due to weather. That wasn't the issue however as it seems as though no one EVER told her who I was or that I was even assigned a place to live. Another employee came down to help, but his English was also extremely limited. They let me camp out in the downstairs cafeteria room while they both were yelling into the phone, frantically trying to find someone at IFP who knew what the hell was going on.

After about an hour I was told to take a taxi or walk down to IFP. It is only a mile or so away so I decided to take a stroll. It was only about a 20-30 minute walk and the weather is nice so I decided to walk. I arrived at IFP to find more non-English speakers who were just as perplexed that I was even there today. Two nice gentlemen took me to another residence building where finally someone was able to speak to me and help me resolve the situation. She said that something was screwed up and that there was no record of my arrival or confirmation. She claims that this was OU's fault. After a few phone calls she told me that the room would be ready tomorrow and that I would need to stay in a hotel tonight. At that point, I couldn't care less so long I as knew that I would have a damn bed and a GD toilet.

I walked back to the original apartment complex where I started but lo and behold, no one was there. I waited patiently for another person to open the doors so I could sneak inside. There, I waited around until the owner showed up again. She tried to explain to me that I would have a room tomorrow at 10am. She didn't really need to speak English, I got the message. Luckily, she was nice enough to walk me down to a hotel about 50 feet away and help me check into a room. The hotel clerk spoke English so he was able to translate what she was saying to me. Now, here I am. Laying in a bed, typing this story to you. I'm not sure who screwed the pooch, but I'm plenty pissed off. I have confirmation emails saying I was ok to move in and that I was assigned a spot, etc. There were at least three damn people at IFP who got the message since not a damn one of them works during the holidays full-time. Maybe it is just the time of year, but this situation doesn't speak kindly toward French work-ethic. Guess what IFP, if new students are going to be arriving for the new semester a few days before it starts, get your shit together and be ready for them. Is that just too much to ask? God forbid someone has to work a few days after Christmas and before New Year's.

Song of the Day: We Hate You Please Die by Crash and the Boys (via Scot Pilgrim vs. the World)