First day on the job

Up at 6:10, dressed (not showering before the hatchery!), grabbed some chocolate chip toast with peanut butter and a banana with some coffee, and headed out the door. Dressed and working before 7:30 - bio-security is more strict than the other hatchery - we wash hands, don a hairnet and a bodysuit, then put booties on one-at-a-time as we put our feet over the bench.

The morning went pretty well! Things came together and we ended up rocking through half of our two thousand birds. Six hours after we started, we broke for lunch: McD's again. France must have fast food besides McD's, non?

Back for the second thousand at 2:30; 7:30 pm back home. And, we have a car now instead of the van.

Spent an hour just doing the debrief after the ten-hour day - and after grocery shopping (no peanut butter to be found) and a very welcome shower! Hoping to not have to eat frozen pizza for dinner tonight but I give it fifty-fifty.

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Okay, dinner is over as well as the viewing of some Sons of Anarchy that AJ, I think, brought. No, I don't think I'll make catching up on that a priority. Thought I'd go enjoy the evening by taking a walk but it's so dark here when the sun goes down! It doesn't make me miss the States but it does make me wish I'd bought and brought a small, good-quality flashlight. (Oh, dinner was pasta with not-enough Barilla sauce supplemented with some sauteed tomato and garlic - not bad at all. Oh, and the second half of a Leffe Blond and some merlot.)

So, not much interesting today since it was a very full day of work. If you'll allow me to, I'd like to steal something from an email to the office:

Samantha asked, "How do they do with English? Have you guys been able to communicate with them fairly easily?" To which, I responded,

Fairly easily, yes. Philippe speaks very well; Jonathon not quite as well but he's very friendly and makes a real effort to understand us and to make himself understood; Pascal doesn't seem to speak a word but still tries to be helpful and is interested in what we're up to (he led at least one tour of folks around the MPSP) – and very eager to jump in and help load birds or whatever. Jonathon also seems amused that I carry a phrasebook in my back pocket – it seemed to take him a while to realize that I’m not always trying to communicate something to him but to find out how to say what I want to say en francais; btw, duckling is caneton, pronounced like canard but with a to at the end. :)

Outside of G, sometimes I'm surprised at how well people do with English and sometimes it's the opposite! Still, today Bob was even able to resolve an issue at McD's of a café grand he didn't receive with people that seemingly spoke no English. I haven't noticed anybody being frustrated or offended with our lack of French language skills and they seem to be gracious in their complete ignorance of English or modest about the skills they do have.

Speaking of McD’s, is there any other fast food near Roussay? Maybe even something halfway decent?

P.S. There is no place on earth dustier than a duck hatchery. No place at all. I challenge you to correct me. ;)

Early-evening view from my bedroom window.