Thursday
I was awoken by a phone call from Mme Bodet around 11. She insisted that we go off to the bank immediately. I asked if I could take 30 minutes to shower and get ready because I’d just woken up, but she said no that it wasn’t possible. I asked if we could go another day and she said no. So- I brushed my teeth and put in my contacts and was off to the bank.
At Banque Populaire, we waited in the lobby for several minutes for someone to come help us. We had to call the hotline to get someone out of their office because they had no receptionist that day. A little man rushed out and brought us back to his office. I told him that I needed help withdrawing 600 euros to pay my landlady and that we needed instructions to close my account. What followed next was the fastest and most intense exchange in French that I’ve heard in quite some time. I understood none of it- yet both parties were staring at me expectantly at the end. I stuttered that I did not understand and Mme Bodet tried to explain again- nothing was sparking. I just nodded so we could get out of there quicker. We withdrew my money and went to the car.
Finally, she explained what was going on in English and I understood. I needed to get the routing numbers and the accounts numbers for my bank in the US. Then she would wait until the day I was paid and wire me the money in my French account. When all of that was complete, she would close the account and turn in my card for destruction. Phew!
At home once more, I was in the worst mood. The sudden swing into French before I even had time to become a person for the day was too much for my little brain. I took my shower, made a big breakfast, and enjoyed my coffee while I watched some Netflix. I took a bit of time to calm myself down and feel like a person again before I called the bank in the US.
When I felt balanced once more, I called my American bank. We got all the details sorted out and I got all the numbers I needed. I also was able to unfreeze my card a bit early for my earlier return. That worked out well! I sent the information to my French banker and awaited a response.
I went over to the Bodet house for dinner that night. Daniel made us some delicious rum cocktails while we watched the news. At dinner we had red wine, chicken, and rice with a mushroom sauce. Lately, Ianja has been getting in trouble because he leaves the dinner table early and refuses to come back down to clear the table. His chore is to set and to clear the table for meals. His parents have not been happy with that, so he got a big lecture.
I spent the rest of the evening watching TV and talking to friends on the phone.
Mary-Est-En-France 