Life Overseas Just Takes Longer

My to-do list upon arrival in Marseille:

1. Go to prefecture to begin visa renewal process.

2. Go to the post office to mail postcards.

3. Go to the metro office to purchase annual metro pass.

4. Go to the bank to change branches and set up rent withdrawal payment.

5. Go to the grocery store to buy food.

6. Go to the housing stores to buy necessary stuff for house.

7. Call electric company to give them the start number on the meter.

8. Go to bank to pay for internet/phone.

9. Clean house.

10. Set up house.

I thought the first 8 could be done in the first two days. Then, at the end of the second day, I remembered...I live overseas. When will I ever learn?

I did go to the prefecture to get the paperwork to begin my visa renewal process. So I suppose I could check that off. But I need to do the paperwork, and who has time to do that when I have all those other things on my to-do list to do? Surprisingly, the prefecture actually only took 2 hours of my day, did not include waiting at line from 4am (glory), and did include the nicest government worker ever.

At the post office, however...I could only buy four stamps instead of the needed five, because I only had enough coins for four, and I wasn't willing to wait in the long, grumpy people line for one stamp. So I will need to return to the post office another time.

At the metro office, I was handed what will be my pass as soon as I pay for it by loading it into the machine...which I cannot do because I discovered my bank card was missing. So I am metro-card-less for the moment.

At the bank, I had to make a rendez-vous. So I should be able to cross that item off my list tomorrow.

I tried calling the electric company with the number posted (by the electric company) next to the meter...it's a no-longer valid number. So I will need to GO to the electric company whenever I find some time.

I haven't had time to go grocery shopping yet. Thankfully, the camelridingcowgirl and Classy Spice brought me some food to get me started.

Yesterday, though, I decided to run to the store to buy a dustpan, mop, mop bucket, and some toilet bowl cleaner. I went to the grocery near me, remembering that I'd seen mop buckets. When I got there, they had mop bucket, mop sticks (but not the mop bottoms), and toilet bowl cleaner, but no dustpans. Hmmm...better go to another grocery store.

At the bigger grocery store, they had dustpans and mop bottoms, but no sticks or buckets. So I purchase the dustpan, and figured I'd go back and buy the rest at the first store. I didn't buy the mop bottom there because I didn't realize at the time that the first didn't have the bottoms. I remembered the buckets and the sticks and assumed the bottoms would be there too. Upon returning to the first store, and seeing that there were no bottoms, I realized that I would not be mopping the floors for another few days.

In America, you just hop in your car, drive to Wal-Mart, and get what you need to clean your house. In France, you walk all over creation, pulling a shopping cart behind you, and still end up not getting what you need.

Life just takes longer overseas.