Monday, October 06, 2008

Today I had my mandatory medical visit so that France could affirm that I’m healthy enough to live here. But since it’s France I couldn’t go to just any doctor’s office for this visit; I had to go to Marc-en-Baroeul, just outside of Lille…which is an hour and a half away by train. It wasn’t such a bad train ride though, and I met another American once I got there since our appointments were conveniently at the same time. She actually lives sort of near me in a town even smaller and uneventful than Maubeuge, but her boyfriend lives in Lille so she was already there from the weekend.

The medical visit was kind of silly. One person weighed and measured me, then asked if I was pregnant. Then another person asked me if I was pregnant and then X-rayed my chest (apparently they’re really paranoid about TB here?), which was slightly awkward because I had to take half of my clothes off and they didn’t even give me a smock. Then a doctor asked me if I took any medications, etc., took my blood pressure, listened to my heart and breathing, and then signed some papers that I have to turn in for my titre de séjour. It just seemed a little silly that I had to go all the way to Lille for such a simple procedure when I literally live across the street from a doctor.

This did, however, give me some time to explore Lille a little bit. I went there last week for our orientation, but that was a day full of rain and boring information, so that didn’t really count. Since the train station is right in the centre ville, I was really in a perfect spot for wandering. Since the other American more or less knows her way around, I didn’t have to worry too much about getting lost. We returned to the train station a little before noon so she could catch the metro to meet her boyfriend for lunch (you know my sense of direction; I was worried that if I didn’t at least go back to the train station with her first, I’d never find it again), and I wandered a bit more on my own.

Lille is cool. I definitely wasn’t there long enough to have a definitive opinion about it, and I can’t really see bothering to go back there unless I have a specific reason (a concert or some other opportunity), but I liked it. I went to Monoprix, the store that I used to shop at all the time in Montpellier but that we of course don’t have here, and I ate a panini that I bought from one of those little shops that looks like a stand because it’s open to the street—something else that I definitely associate with France but that you don’t find much of here.

I hate to be so negative about Maubeuge all the time, but I have to admit that it was really just nice to be in a real city. And I really shouldn’t complain so much; they tell you from the beginning that there’s a good chance that you’ll be in a smaller city or rural setting. It’s just frustrating that Valenciennes is so close, yet basically inaccessible at the times when I’d really want to be in a bigger city (mainly, any time after five o’ clock), and that I’m so solitary over here.

Tomorrow I’m going on a field trip with one of the classes from the school here. I don’t really know where we’re going, other than that it’s somewhere out in the country. The teacher just told me to pack a lunch and plan on walking a lot. Either way, I’m looking forward to it. These days I look forward to just about anything that means less time in my apartment. How sad is that?