I just have to add another note about the kindness of the French people. Glen and I have decided to lighten our load and send home a couple boxes of clothes. I tried packing up a box we had in the apartment, but the tape was bad and the box was broken and it just wasn’t working out. I knew there was a small post office a couple blocks away so I walked on over. When I came in the woman behind the counter came around the counter and asked me something in French. Duh. I’m in France. I said, “Anglais?” She scrunched up her face and waved her hands about and laughed and said, “No!” and she pointed to the gentleman behind the other counter who also came around to talk with me. I tried a couple words in French and he tried a couple words in English and I got out Google translate and voilà! I had a box and some customs papers to take home.
But wait. It gets better. I packed up the box, filled out the paperwork and went back with a couple questions. As I walked in, the gentleman was in a conversation with another customer, but as soon as he was done, he came back out and started singing “Hotel California”! Then he danced around as he took my box and paperwork and finished the mailing process. As he came back to where I was waiting I showed him my Google translate with “Is everything filled out correctly?” and he said, “Madam, I would not complete this process if it were not correct.” Or at least I think that’s what he said, because he said most of it in French.
And for my final post office transaction for the day, I asked to purchase another box. He said something like…ANOTHER? DEUX? And then he laughed as he went to get me another box all the while singing and dancing this time to another Eagles tune.
As I left, I asked if he would be there in the morning and he replied, “I will be here with my eyes closed because the light is long, but the night is short”. Or was it the other way around?
Who says the French are not nice? Can’t wait to see my buddy with his eyes closed tomorrow!
Can We? Will We? 