Showing posts with label dentist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dentist. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Before I start to ramble on about Skype, the next chapter will be on tomorrow, you remember, the one where we go to Cuba and change our lives. After this, the funniest stories you will read will follow.
(PS went to my Dentist today, it is confirmed, I am going fishing with him, another story has started to take shape today...it seems I am going dancing on Friday with some ambassador's wives..I hate dancing, my wife asked me to go and I have no idea why!!!!!)
(PS went to my Dentist today, it is confirmed, I am going fishing with him, another story has started to take shape today...it seems I am going dancing on Friday with some ambassador's wives..I hate dancing, my wife asked me to go and I have no idea why!!!!!)
Anyhow Skype.
Since moving to France, we have had a different member of my family or my wife's stay with us every weekend. Yes, it's official, we are La Rochelle's only free hotel! No seriously, we don't mind, but we have guests all the time..right now, fully booked 'til Christmas! But one thing I have noticed is that for an expat, you have to talk to everyone a lot more. When we lived in the Uk, a call or 'pop-in' may only last five minutes, now, it has to last half an hour minimum!!
What about Skype?
Skype rings throughout our house all day everyday. It is ringing now..the noise makes me mad. What do they want? The routine is now as follows:-
"Thanks for the weekend" call from the outgoing guests.
"Do you want anything brought out?" call from next weekends guests.
"How were they?" call from relatives about the outgoing visitor.
"Did I leave my..?"call back from outgoing visitor
"Can we come..?"call from another relative or visitor
"What's the weather like?" call from yet another relative
"Want new windows?" call from some random window company that got hold of my Skype out number
This is typical of our lives now, every night another role call of questions from either friends or family. I am trying to get everyone on a Sykpe conference call next time. I may be able to eat before 10pm!!
Has Skype made things too easy to keep in touch? Was life better before free phone calls? I am wondering whether to host Skype conference calls for families abroad!!! Will it work or am I going mad!!!! Let me know and help my sanity, do you find yourself glued to Skype?
Anyhow, my next post will be about Chapter two of the book, but make sure to read over the weekend. I may just find out why I am going dancing with the ambassador of Gabon's wife...I don't even know where Gabon is!
Thursday, November 9, 2006
To give you an idea of where I am going with my story, future posts will include the following and a lot more!!!
The Dentist
"Ahhh yiiiis I speeek a leetall Ingleeesh" my God, I thought, this guy is about to let loose on my sore mouth armed with pigeon English. My French conversational skills at this time were good but due to my fear and nervousness I offered the Dentist a conversation about fishing. Can you imagine what it is like when you have an injection in your mouth and the guy says to me "deed you get anyfing in ze sea feeshing?" Automatically I spoke in French "ahh oui..." biting the syringe and his hand, he then squirts fluid over my face and says "pas de problem..What deed you get"......after 2 hours, I had arranged a sea fishing trip on his boat (I think)
The Doctor
After eating 48 oysters with my Father-in-Law I felt a bit ill. A bit is an understatement. I was ill. I couldn't move without throwing up. Of course the fact that I was in my in-laws flat didn't help. 24 hours of vomiting later, my Mother-in-Law called the Doctor. My Father-in-Law spoke good English, all be it old fashioned English. Phrases such as "we like your Bobbies in London", "my pencil is red" and "Do you know Prince Charles" are all common 'piss takes' I suffer. Anyhow, when the local Doctor arrived, he took one look at me and decided I needed a lot of drugs. In France it is commonplace to get a lot of drugs, when I say a lot I mean you'll need a carrier bag when you go to collect it from the pharmacie. The Doctor needed to take my temperature, my in-laws and wife were all in the room translating (although I am sure the mother-in-law was actually smiling, almost in anticipation). The Doctor then pulled out his slightly larger than normal thermometer, I smiled and opened my mouth, raising my tongue. The Doctor turned to my wife "what is this?" (in French of course) my Wife, smiling turned to me and sayed in her great English "that is going in your arse love". In my arse!!!!! To make things worse, the in-laws seemed to be waiting to watch this "can you get them out" I said "But you must stay, I don't trust this bastard"....
Next weeks posting is the trip to Cuba and how it took three months for my Boss to accept my desire to quit! My new life in England and my first experiences with booking hotels in France. And of course the great BD festival (you'l need to read nexts to find out more!)
The Dentist
"Ahhh yiiiis I speeek a leetall Ingleeesh" my God, I thought, this guy is about to let loose on my sore mouth armed with pigeon English. My French conversational skills at this time were good but due to my fear and nervousness I offered the Dentist a conversation about fishing. Can you imagine what it is like when you have an injection in your mouth and the guy says to me "deed you get anyfing in ze sea feeshing?" Automatically I spoke in French "ahh oui..." biting the syringe and his hand, he then squirts fluid over my face and says "pas de problem..What deed you get"......after 2 hours, I had arranged a sea fishing trip on his boat (I think)
The Doctor
After eating 48 oysters with my Father-in-Law I felt a bit ill. A bit is an understatement. I was ill. I couldn't move without throwing up. Of course the fact that I was in my in-laws flat didn't help. 24 hours of vomiting later, my Mother-in-Law called the Doctor. My Father-in-Law spoke good English, all be it old fashioned English. Phrases such as "we like your Bobbies in London", "my pencil is red" and "Do you know Prince Charles" are all common 'piss takes' I suffer. Anyhow, when the local Doctor arrived, he took one look at me and decided I needed a lot of drugs. In France it is commonplace to get a lot of drugs, when I say a lot I mean you'll need a carrier bag when you go to collect it from the pharmacie. The Doctor needed to take my temperature, my in-laws and wife were all in the room translating (although I am sure the mother-in-law was actually smiling, almost in anticipation). The Doctor then pulled out his slightly larger than normal thermometer, I smiled and opened my mouth, raising my tongue. The Doctor turned to my wife "what is this?" (in French of course) my Wife, smiling turned to me and sayed in her great English "that is going in your arse love". In my arse!!!!! To make things worse, the in-laws seemed to be waiting to watch this "can you get them out" I said "But you must stay, I don't trust this bastard"....
Next weeks posting is the trip to Cuba and how it took three months for my Boss to accept my desire to quit! My new life in England and my first experiences with booking hotels in France. And of course the great BD festival (you'l need to read nexts to find out more!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
