The very french France - Episode1

Last week I went to France for a training conducted at the HQ... It was at a small town known as Gemenos, located in Southern France nearby Marseille, the second large city of France... Before my departure, my colleagues had warn me to prepare to be very bored over there since I would not be driving...

And it proved that they were quite right.. There's basically nothing much other than factories around the hotel.. except for 2 other hotels and 2 restaurant..The first 2 days there I already felt very bored.. Luckily there was another colleague from another department who arrived there one week earlier than me.. and as he would be staying for a month, the company had rented him and apartment... So I joined him for dinner at his place... It's really very difficult in France if you do not speak their language.. especially in a small town like this.. If you are not driving.. you may still take the public bus to go the a supermarket nearby .. provided that you knwo how to speak French.. On my first day there, my colleague brought me to the hypermarket abt 20 mins away from the office by bus.. and unlike the buses here in Singapore or Malaysia, the bus did not have a bell.. so you need to tell the bus driver where you want to stop.. of course, in French.. Do not expect a bus driver in such suburban town would understand English... And it happened that my colleaugue knows how to speak French.. So one month here in this "ulu"place is not a problem for him.. If it was me.. Hehe.. I think I would have a big big big problem surviving there...

I was so tired on my first day there.. but this is not due to the different time zone.. they are only 6 hours slower than us.. so if was not really a big problem.. It was the long haul plan that caused the tiredness.. I was taking Air France, I think it is very ridiculous that they actually serve you meal after 12am midnight on the 11pm fight, which I had planned to go into sleep immediately after boarding the plane.. and after taking the meal.. it's nearly 2.. and finally when u really feel teh sleepiness, it's abt 3am already.. and my goodness.. I was not able to get the asle seat.. So I ended up being sandwich between two French guys.. the seat was so cramp that I suffered inside whole night.. the guy who sit by the asle was a very big sized man and he slept through the whole night.. and as if thing had not been bad enough.. he snored!!! Faint...

As a result I was cramped inside the seat enduring the snores and not able to get into sleep.. But it was still not the end.. You know I was supposed to take a connecting flight from Paris to Marseille.. and then I can get back to the hotel with a short break and then go to the office for the training at the afternoon session... there was three hours between the flight and I felt a bit hungry already.. but taking a look at the food sold at the airport.. alamak.. all are in French.. and priced very expensively.. so I thought I would just bear with it and ask for some snacks on the flight.. and sueh sueh.. the flight is delayed by one hr.. so after I reached the hotel ro check in and put down my luggage, I rushed to the hotel immediately.. and I spent some time to find my way to the office.. and of course I am late.. and in the eveningl.. I was already so sleepy and hungry that I did not know what the trainer was talking about...

*Yawn.. I am so tired now.. did not get to sleep well last night.. going to bed soon.. continue again next time.. Bon Nuit...