November 4, 2020

Wednesday

My first day off! My contract stipulates that I only teach Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I decided to use the day to apartment search and to get banking set up. Truly, easier said than done. Every bank I contacted refused me because I’m an American, or because I don’t have an apartment, or because I won’t be here a full year. Many refused to even set up an appointment with me. When I went to the Banque Postale down the street, I must have met the worst low-talker in France. Not only did she speak at a whisper, but she wore a thick mask and sat behind a face shield. I couldn’t hear her and she couldn’t understand me through my accent haha. She said they would email me about setting up an appointment for an account, but I’m still waiting. I plan to ask a french professor to come with me to open an account. Another big hurdle is that I have limited service on my phone because it is locked until the 21st. I can’t make phone calls after a certain point so I can’t sit on hold for long periods of time. I emailed one of the professors for help, so we’ll see!

I ended up staying up until 4am French time to watch the results with some friends. Obviously, Wednesday they remained unsettled. I felt overwhelmed and nervous. I thought about the consequences surrounding climate change, gay rights, and international relations with dread in my heart. I really felt that a Biden win was slipping away. I did consider if I was ready to start the asylum process in France haha. Other than my brief walk through town I just crocheted, worked on lesson planning, and wrote some drafts of law school essays throughout the day.

Crémieu is famous as a  Medieval village. There are ramparts, old churches, and castles throughout the town. I took a brief walk to explore, but as it began to rain a bit heavier I decided it was time to go home. I love the winding streets, the feeling of security I have here, and the wonderful cobblestone streets.

I had to laugh because Tuesday night I went to the Casino (a small chain convenience store) on the corner for wine and ice cream. As I was checking out, the clerk gave me a strange look. I had to explain that I was self-soothing because of election stress. She laughed and asked if I needed to grab another bottle of wine.