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| Not one of my photos....taken from a copy of "L'Independent"...showing Carcassonne's Monoprix on the left. |
The woman was
from Perth, Australia, and told me she had arrived in France 2 days ago. My concern for her was that she did not seem to have any grasp of the fact that French people speak
a different language.
Apparently
she was looking to buy a bowl or bucket, so that she could wash some clothes in
her “apartment”. She said she had been offered the apartment to rent for a
month, but although she had the keys, “ it was up 3 flights of stairs and came
with no information” and she could not work “the plugs”…..and had failed to
find a way to wash any clothes. ( Electric plugs ? plugs in the sink ?.....I wish
I had asked her what she meant )
It was clear
she did not understand that a different language was being spoken around her. I
saw her speak in louder and louder English to people around her, who shrugged
without comprehension. The checkout assistant did not understand or respond to
her question about whether the shop would be open the next day ( it will be 1st
May, International Labour Day, so it will be closed). When her question was
clearly not understood and ignored, the Perth woman merely repeated it…again, more
loudly, looked at me and shrugged.
I told her the
shop would be closed, and told her the
French for it, but there did not seem to be any flicker of understanding
that there was such a thing as another language to English.
The lady from
Perth looked as if she was in her late 70s, possibly older….she was alone, had
rented an apartment for a month in a country on the other side of the world. I
think she is probably wonderful, she is obviously adventurous, courageous and
brave. However, I do not know how she is going to manage. Apparently I was the
first person who had spoken to her since she arrived.
We had just
popped into town to pick up various bits to augment our developing French
wardrobe, and had to get back to the car before our parking ticket ran out….. I
should have stayed with her, I should have found out more about how she was
going to cope…..
As I left her
at the checkout, I said that I hoped she had a wonderful stay in France, and
she said that she was sure she would……but I have still worried about her all
day.
Dear Janice - I see your dilemma - perhaps you may happen upon her again. Try not to worry too much, I am sure some kind soul will find her, and help her out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosemary....it has crossed my mind to go back into town to see if she is wandering around...I just hope she meets up with someone who can help her enjoy her adventure. J.
DeleteI'm laughing here, Janice, as I know EXACTLY how you feel. I will try not to worry as well as really there is nothing you can do - I know you know. I'll check with my cousin, who lives in Perth, maybe someone knows her and whereabouts she is and if she's OK. Perhaps she'll pop back to Monoprix and pick up some new knickers instead of trying to wash hers in bucket. I would.
ReplyDeleteAxxx
PS - She'll cope!
Of course she'll cope,.....she's managed to get on a plane and travel right across the world.....that's what I'm telling myself....but I'm also cross with myself for not spending another 10 minutes with her...just to check what was really going on. Of course, if she is your cousin, then she has adventurous genes, she'll be fine. x
DeleteIt's natural to be concerned. She would be around the age my mother would be if she were alive. All credit to her for pushing the boundaries. I guess she needed some electrical adaptors which are easier to come by in your counrty of origin than they are in France.
ReplyDeleteLike you I hope she'll cope.
Hi Gaynor, I hope I am still doing such adventurous things when her age....and I just hope that by now, she has found her feet a little more and can enjoy her stay. J.
ReplyDeleteAn unsettling encounter, Janice, and all credit to you for caring about her. As the others have said, I'm sure she'll cope, but the thought of someone of that age, with not an inkling of the language, wandering around a very foreign country would worry me too.
ReplyDeleteHello Perpetua.... Mark ( husband) did say that if she talks to everyone around her in English, about 1 in 10 will probably be English, American or Australian....but certainly wandering around the shops in Carcassonne yesterday there was not much evidence of the lesser spotted English speaking tourist. Hopefully, once her jet lag is sorted, she may be ok. J.
DeleteI would be fretting a bit as well, Janice. It is so kind and caring of you to try to help her. It is one thing to be an adventuresome traveler at her advancing age, but quite another to not have a basic grasp on the fact that a different language was being spoken. I just can't help but feel that there is something more to her story than meets the eye. It could be as simple as jet lag, or more complicated with medications. At any rate, I do feel someone will help her out.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right....someone will help her....I just felt so guilty afterwards, that I should have done more....but nothing I can do now, except for go and look for her again ! J.
DeleteFrom your description, it doesn't sound if she was too distressed by the situation. Perhaps she is the same at home.
ReplyDeleteThis thought has made me feel better...yes, she's probably a lovely crazy lady who wanders around chatting to everyone anyway..one of my grandmothers was abit like that...fingers crossed she's coping anyway.
DeleteOh I know Janice and perhaps you will see her again before her month is up to reassure you that all is and will be well.
ReplyDeleteCelia
I do think I will have to check out apartment buildings within 500 yds of the station, which is where she said she was staying....I can just see the blog title....in search of Australians. Jx
DeleteI certainly understand how you feel, Janice. It does seem a little strange but I would think that she will be ok -- frustrated probably -- You are a sweetheart to be worried about her and to be considering looking for her. I rather hope you do as my curiosity is getting the better of me!
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know if I do see her again. I just wish I had got more of the story from her....what sort of apartment doesn't have somewhere to wash clothes ?.....if not a washing machine...a sink ? why was she looking to buy a bowl or a bucket ? and was she even aware that there is a walled medieval city half a mile from where she was staying ? J.
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