La Greve. [The Strike.]

Today was an adventure.

So you may properly understand the scenario: I live in Le Vesinet, right next to the Le Vesinet-Le Pecq RER train stop. The RER is a suburban metro with the purpose of getting you actually to the metro lines in Paris. A typical day on the RER includes boarding on the :08, and arriving in Paris 20 minutes later. I can get to the major stops to transfer to various metros and consequently be pretty much anywhere in the city worth going to in 40 minutes. Not bad.

Today, the RER was on strike. Now, the French are known for striking, it's true. However, typically the metro lines strike, and they still actually run the lines, but maybe just 1 out of every four trains will run, so it makes you wait longer and makes you stuff into the metro car like sardines. But, still viable. Historically, the RER rarely strikes, and in the case that it does, will generally run one of each 2 or 3 trains. Today: the ran 1 of 2 trains from 7:30-9:30 a.m. and from 4:30-7:30 p.m. AND NONE IN BETWEEN!

I had made plans with a friend, Becca, to meet up and go to the movies. Then I had class to go to at 1:30, so I left the house and saw the RER pulling away from my stop (at 9:30 - assuming it was the 9:28 train); and I'd hop on the :38. NO.

After canceling plans with Becca, watching Glee to calm down, and eating a pain au chocolat, I spent some time in the French transportation website to figure this thing out. Was I even going to get to go to class? I really wanted to considering I quite like class, and had done my homework and everything!

My new route: Take Bus 19 from Le Vesinet - Le Pecq to the end of it's line. At that stop, Houilles de Carriers, there will be a regional SNCF train [services the entire Ile de France state] that I could take to Gare St. Lazare, to transfer to Metro Line 3 to transfer to Metro Line 2 in order to arrive at school at Place de Victor Hugo. O.K., here I go:

I get to my train/bus stop at 12:10, knowing that my bus leaves at 12:19 and another doesn't come through for half an hour. Turns out Bus 19 is the opposite side of the station. So, back down the road, up the stairs, over the bridge to the waiting Bus 19. 22 minutes later, I am at the end of the line where I follow the crowd to where the trains must be. Following signs, I make it to the correct platform. At this point, aside from trying to ignore the map of the aforementioned route in my head and it's huge inefficiencies, all is well. Lo and behold, an RER train pulls up, and everyone on the platform gets on. So do I. My reasoning skills tell me that since just the Poissy and St.Germain-en-Laye branches of the RER A are down, that it makes sense that the Cergy branch (where I now currently am) is running. Sure. Everybody else is doing it...

We pull into the stop, and I am confused. I had thought that because I was on the RER and obviously it was moving and other people were on it, that it would be following the course of the RER line. Thus, I believed that the stop in which everyone disembarked the train was Nanterre-Prefecture [I realize none of these location names mean a whole lot to you], and not my destination point, or really anywhere I knew how to navigate. Damn. [Pardon my French. : )]

My instinctive reaction was to get on the waiting train on the other side of the platform, go back to where I had just come from, and try again. Now, for a standardized test-type reading question: Do you know how I had screwed up? I had gotten on an RER train and not the SNCF regional train. That must be the problem, right?

Back at the Houilles de Carriers stop I had just come from, I had over to the platform where i had stood now 30 minutes before, and waited on the train I SHOULD have taken. Lesson learned: don't deviate from the plan when you have somewhere to be!

The correct train pulls up, but on the wrong tracks, which leads to my sprinting down stairs, around the corner, up the stairs to the [in]correct platform to board. Finally. Whew. "Hey, these are nice trains..."

We pull in to the exact stop I had just come from. Not the Houilles de Carriers one, Gare St. Lazare. Yeah, that one from the beginning of this blog post that was basically my 'home free' mark! I had taken the RER [train #1] to the correct stop, but didn't realize it, so took RER [train #2] back, and got on SNCF [train #3] to where I had already just been.

[Insert anxiety-induced perspiration here.]

Frustrated with my own stupidity, I got to metro line 3, which I took to Line 2, which I took to school, where I learned about ordering theatre tickets after 2 hours [normally a 40-minute trip] of "travel". I could have been in Germany or England by then!

Oh, yeah - and they're striking tomorrow, too.

Gobble, gobble. Jingle, jingle.

Happy Thanksgiving, family and friends!

This year, I have even more reason to be thankful for: YOU. [And layering techniques - brrr!]

What a surreal experience it is to wake up Thanksgiving morning not in my bed in Dallas, not with a planner-full of things to get done for school, and with a regular day's agenda... it was weird to go to class and try to describe American Thanksgiving to international friends, who all deemed our holiday contradictory.

I guess it is in a way. They seem to see the paradox in celebrating what one has by using all [hypothetically] of your resources in order to consume a feast. However, if you look back throughout biblical feasts, weren't they held in celebration of what one already has - potentially making a sacrifice of time, effort, finances - in order to properly honor an occasion? For example: Paul describes how necessary it is for the church to host her Bridegroom in all that she can pour out... and as the song in the Prince of Egypt depicts, "When all you have is nothing, there is a lot to go around!" Thus, I don't truly see any irony.

I was fortunate enough to celebrate twice this year - first at church with 175 Americans, French, varying populations from Africa and Asia, all come together to eat and be merry... until that one woman decided the event was in need of an emcee, and further found a microphone and talked into it for the entire night. I mean, come on! She's one of those that thinks of her answer to her own question when she asks you one; she literally repeatedly chastised the room of 175 adults [and a few children] to stop chatting with friends so that we could properly hear her and the background music... saywhat?!

Yikes.

Sunday was a special Turkey Dinner, too. [Though, admittedly, we celebrated with chicken.] I have made some neat friends [all '09 grads of Pepperdine] who have an apartment in the 7th arrondisement, a neat part of town just across from le Tour Eiffel. So, a fun group of 3 Brits, the Pepperdine gals and their boyfriends, and I, got down on some chicken, stuffing, mac'n'cheese, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, ratatouille, and creamed corn... and my wine and chocolate contribution, too. : )

These next two weeks should be interesting ones; the grandparents are visiting until Dec. 10. What this means: I may have some shifts cut short, and therefore have more free time! And, since Manfred, the grandfather [actually, Opa] is a retired professional chef, this also means I will be eatin' good in the neighborhood... and then, *drumroll* IT'S TIME TO COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!

It's the best of both worlds - the lights and decorations for Christmas have already started to go up here; the markets and festivals are in full swing, and the cafes have spiced blends in for the season! Then, I get to come visit good ole' Texas - where I won't get frostbite on my nose in the morning, and I can have some true southern comfort food, family and friends!