Just missed!

Last night around 12:30a I received a text message from an English teacher telling me that she was having a test in her class and that I didn't need to come in. Since on Thursday I only have that class at 10:30 and another one at 2, I was very happy to sleep in. However, it's not fun knowing that I then have to commute for 3 1/2 hours just to work for one. But I'll take it.

When D and I first got to Paris, we had that whole runaround when we missed our Chicago-Paris flight by minutes. I think that was an omen as I continuously seem to miss my transportation by a matter of minutes.

Today, on my afternoon of one hour of work, was no exception. At the end of my one class, the girls stayed around just to finish up our conversation, and being the nice person you all know me to be, I complied. Then, knowing the bus came at 3:04 to take me to the train station and it was 3:01, I tried to power walk my way through the crowded halls. Not an easy task in any high school, but made even the more difficult while trying to dodge the bisous and the 'bahhh oui's'from every direction. I made it to the street with the bus stop at 3:05, just in time to see the bus pulling out from the stop. So, so much for that. I'll walk.

I reached the train station at 3:20, and saw my train on the middle platform, due for a 3:21 departure. I ran down the stairs, under the platform, and made my way about halfway up the other stairs when I heard the door alarm sound and the train departing. So, so much for that.

I went back inside the station as there were no screens on the platform displaying subsequent train times. To see the right screens, I had to leave through the little turnstile. Once out, I saw that the next RER to Paris was "supprimé"d. So, in actuality, the next train to Paris was a good 27 minutes wait. And, I had to wait in the station another 10 minutes as my transport pass had been "déjà validé" and I couldn't get back through the doors of death.

Sidenote: On the train to Paris, we stopped on the tracks at a station for 11 minutes due to an unspecified "incident technique."

Once I got to my metro stop in Paris, I discovered that I had just missed the 13 and now had to wait 8 minutes for the next. While this is a rather long waiting period for rush hour on an already overcrowded metro line, of course when the train actually arrived we were stuffed in there like cattle.

Then, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things and my total came to 12,33. If you've ever used the euro currency, you probably try as much as I do to lessen the amount of coins you carry by paying with exact change. Guess how much I had. Just guess.

20,32.

This one hour of work ended up costing me 4 1/2 hours of nerve wracking train commuting and a heavy pocket full of euro change. Those four girls in my one class better have learned something from me!