Life in Rural France

It seems like everything, seemingly a simple task, is such a challenge here. Though frustrating at times, after a couple of weeks you kind of get used to this lifestyle…and kind of start liking it. Below are my comments on random experiences I’ve had so far in Fonty. 

Driving                      

Driving in France is no joke. This is the center of round abouts, and my GPS is always a few seconds late in telling me which exit to take. Especially in the Fonty area, there really aren’t any street signs or lights at night. High beams are my best friend. Driving in the thick and dense forests of the area,  I can barely see 10 feet ahead of me. There could be a cliff a couple of feet ahead, and I wouldn’t even know. And on foggy nights, you’ll just have to pray. Next, everything is so small, from the width of the roads to the parking spaces. Everytime  I park at school, I can barely squeeze out of my car. Hopefully I’ll be an expert driver by the time I come back. Some streets are so narrow that there is no point to even try to turn around. Some of the streets, I really wonder how 2 cars will be able to pass each other, but somehow it works. One day my GPS took me down some one way street (as usual) and there  was a blockade at the end of the road – so I had to reverse backwards for 2 blocks on the narrowest road you can imagine..that was fun. It took a good 10 minutes. Then I cursed off my GPS. Oh yeah..if you don’t have a car here, you are pretty much screwed. In a town with hundreds of MBA students that cylce through it yearly, you’d think one of them would start a taxi service that would operate for more than the hours of 10am-5pm and outside of a 5km radius. You call a taxi and ask for a ride to Samoreau (10km from Fonty) and the answer you’ll likely get is, no that’s too far away or it’s too late (at like 6pm).  How do I know this ? My roomate got stuck in Fonty at 1am with no taxi willing to take him home…2 hours later he got here, by walking. 

The Supermarket

On Sunday, nothing is really open ; or if it is open, only until noon. And of course I found this out the hard way. There are  special stores just for frozen food, which I find really strange. But I’ve tried some out and it’s quite good.  My first grocery store experience had surprises left and right. First, I couldn’t figure out how to get a shopping cart – they were all chained up in a parking lot. Finally see a lady put in a euro to get one. I think..do I really need to pay to use a shopping cart ?! The French take their dairy very seriously. There are at 4 aisles for cheese and yogurt. I must have bought at least 5 containers of various yogurt or cheese thinking it was cottage cheese – I have yet to find what I’m looking for. As I go to pay for my groceries at the check out, the cashier yells at me for not weighing my fruit and for holding up the line. I run to weigh it and come back. As I wait for her to ask me for paper or plastic, she yells at me for not bagging my groceries. Who knew you have to bring your own bags and bag your own stuff. I was now well prepared for next time, but found it rather comical. Then I realized you put in a euro in the shopping cart, which is only returned once you put the cart in the specific stall. Great idea – no more stray shopping carts in the parking lot blocking up spaces. 

Anything and Everything is Expensive..except for Wine

I didn’t bring shampoo in my suitcase. I figure L’oreal is a french brand, I’ll just buy my shampoo here. Big mistake. For a small bottle of Garnier (french brand) shampoo and conditioner I paid nearly $10. WTH, I can get two huge bottles of the same thing in the USA for $10. Where am I and why the hell is everything so expensive. Why are French brands such as L’oreal, Moet, and Veuve Cliquot more expensive in France and in the USA. This makes no sense at all. I often wonder how the French people afford anything here – from food to driving or rent. I am told that they don’t eat out a lot or go on vacation that often. Who knows. It costs over $100 to fill my up my car. I can’t wait to go back to the USA and fill my tank of gas and go shopping and buy whatever I want without this crazy sticker shock. But one good to note, you can get amazing bottles of wine for just a few euros – so I’ve been buying any and every French wine to compensate for my other expenses. Apparently France doesn’t export the good stuff.