Getting lost, French bank accounts, spider bites and the like

So I wanted to tell you about the adventure I had at the weekend. In fact I've had quite a few fun/not-so-fun times :P As I said in my last blog, I decided to venture to Calais on Sunday to try out the English speaking church so I started out on my journey. Got to Calais at about 3.15pm (the service didn't start until 5pm). I got an email from the admin person saying that it was in the hospital chapel, so I thought it couldn't be that difficult to find the main hospital in the city, but I had drawn myself out a little map copied from Google maps to help me find my way. I managed to go out of the train station a different way to what the map said.. and instantly found myself very lost! I couldn't find any of the street names that I should've been able to see! Anyway, I wandered around for about 45mins trying to figure it out, I then came across a huge map outside tourist info (which was closed as it was a Sunday) I realised where I’d wrong and got on the right route. After that, I found the hospital pretty easily. Logic told me that the chapel would be outside the hospital somewhere so I started walking round the outside of it looking for signs of a chapel but there were none to be seen! I walked around for what seemed like ages, it was pretty warm in the sun. I decided to have a look inside the hospital, there were signs for every type of ward, toilets, the blood bank and surgery but nothing about a chapel. I was beginning to think I was going completely insane! It was nearing 5 before I plucked up the courage to ask the receptionist in my very best French; “Est-ce qu’il y a une chapelle ici?” to which, I’m not entirely sure what she replied. But it definitely wasn't a, “oui” followed by directions, so I said “merci beaucoup” and left. She was pretty scary. I had one last look around the outside of the hospital before cutting my losses and heading back to the train station for home. I got the train to Boulogne and made it back to my room well before dark, which I suppose was one good thing! But I was feeling pretty rubbish that I’d pretty much wasted my day. I decided to check my emails and see if I missed anything.. I found better directions to the chapel which said it was in the doctors car park.. I walked around there so many times! Anyway, I then got very determined and searched again for protestant churches here.. French speaking ones.. as I hadn't been able to find any. After a bit of time, I stumbled across Église Évangélique Baptiste de Boulogne-sur-Mer, checked the address and it's literally round the corner from me! There was a contact email address, so I emailed in French, just introducing myself and asking them to tell me a bit about the church. I got a reply about half an hour later from a lovely American woman, who runs the church with her husband :) apparently last year they had an Irish girl who was an assistante anglaise in a high school in Boulogne, and she went to the church all year. She said they’d love to have another Irish girl. She then went on to say about the church and how everyone’s really friendly, and they have lunch together most Sundays, and that I should know a lot of the songs as they’re translated from English. On receiving this email, you would've thought someone had just given me a thousand pounds! It was amazing.. just the news I needed after my fail of a trip to Calais. God works in the most ridiculous ways. So now I’m very excited about Sunday :) 

I spent the day in the primary school yesterday, which was so funny! The kids were so cute and just kept saying to me; “But miss, are you really Irish? Do you really speak English?” (in French obv) it was really good fun, although very tiring, speaking French all day to 10 year-olds! I had lovely skype dates last night, which made me happy :) Today, as a result of the teacher strike, loads of the pupils weren’t in school, so I had the day off. I slept a lot, went for a run.. exploring new places by running is the best, although it was like 25° here today, so a little hot! I then decided to clear another obstacle – opening a French bank account. Fun times. I’ve never signed so many different pieces of paper in my whole life, but I managed to do it, completely in French, on my own.. I feel very accomplished. The lady was lovely :) I was then going to have a trip to the pharmacy, as I have this horrific looking, what I think is a spider bite on my leg. It’s all red and has formed a blister. But I decided the bank was enough for one day.. I’ll reassess the bite situation tomorrow. This is exactly when you miss your mum; mums always know what to do in such minor injury situations. Oh I also managed to make spag bol tonight in my kitchen.. it was rather nice.. although I’m still kind of gutted I can’t bake.

Anyway, I’m back into school for 8am tomorrow, joy. Looking forward to it though, and also looking forward to the weekend. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit some friends I have who are also in France soon and make some new ones too.. missing everyone from York and home big time.

À Bientot :)