And the French think WE’RE crazy…

Certain aspects of university life are unexpectedly different in this country. For example, the French do not have typical vending machines full of soda. They have those vending machines that we see in truck stops and hospitals that sell hot beverages. These machines are located all over campus, but if you have trouble finding one, just check right near the condom machine. On the sides of several of the main buildings on campus, you could stock up on Durex. Of course it is not a shock to me that university students would be concerned about safe sex. However, French campuses are not like US campuses because hardly anyone here lives on campus. There are dormitories the size of bedroom closets that a student could live in, but my host family explained that parents only put their kids there when they are not doing well in school and need to live in a place without distractions. So… if the students live at home with their parents and not on their own on campus, why do they sell condoms on campus? Who is having sex during the day here and more importantly, why? Je ne get it pas. Well, if the French need to relax after getting hyped up on caffeine, it’s not a problem. The café sells beer. Between classes you could go for a nice beer on tap. Sounds perf. But don’t drink too much, cause then you’ll have to pee. Peeing on campus poses quite a dilemma. In some of the buildings, the bathrooms consist of only a hole in the ground. Like those ones you’d think of when you think of a public toilet in China. I’m not accidentally going into the men’s room, because a lot of the bathrooms on campus are unisex. The bathrooms that have actually toilets are not quite as luxurious as one would imagine. I’m terrified of walking out of them with a case of crabs. Yup, they are pretty nasty. Crabs in France can’t be so bad though because they call pubic lice “papillons d’amour” (love butterflies). Blech. It looks like squatting is the only way to go. C’est pas grave.

Sorry for the overshare.