Nothing is Easy - The Electronic Saga

So, as we are slowly getting acclimated here we have come to realize that nothing is quite as easy as it is back home.  You can't just drive down to Target or another box store where you can get everything in one place and load up your car.  There are different stores for hair gel and lotion, food, electronics, etc.  It took Sarah two weeks to find fingernail polish remover.  And to boot, we can only carry what we can on our backs in one trip on the bus or train, since we don't have a car.

Throw in the language barrier then you can add minutes, days, or weeks to any transaction.  A case in point:

Some or most US electronics don't work here.  The outlets here are 220 volts, as compared to 110 in the states.  This became glaring clear when I plugged in my electric hair clippers and they jumped out of my hand, devil-possessed, and died in a smoking, melted-plastic heap on the bathroom floor.  In related stories, we have also killed Lucia's white noise machine, a power strip and possibly Sarah's stereo. 

Before you chalk this up to being dumb foreigners, our phones and phone chargers work, the computers, and other electronics are fine, too.  There is no rhyme or reason to it, as far as I am aware.  We have resorted to crossing our fingers, plugging something into the outlet then standing back in case sparks or flames shoot out of the electronic device. 

So, I have been hauling coffee makers, toasters, electricity converters, extension  cords, clippers and every other device home on the bus after work to fulfill our electronic needs. 

Which brings me to the TV.  We needed to buy a new TV because ours won't work here, so I went to a local store and bought one and paid for it to be delivered the following Monday. 

The following Monday comes and goes and no TV.  I go back into the store where I bought the TV and ask after its whereabouts.  The man at the store says we shipped it and don't have it any more.  Here is the number for the shipper.  Give them a call.  They have your TV. 

So, I go back to my office and call.  Here is a transcript of the call:

"Bonjour?"
Me:  "Bonjour.  Parlez-vous Anglais?"
"Non."  The sound of clicking over to another line.
Another person:  "Bonjour?"
Me:  "Bonjour."  Parlez-vous Anglais?"
"Non"  Another transfer click.
Repeat this scenario five times until I come back around to one guy who sounds very much like the first guy I spoke with and he speaks English. 

"What?" He says into the line.
Me:  "I have a TV that was supposed to be delivered yesterday and it wasn't.  Can you help?"
"What your name?"
Me:  "C - U - R  - L.   Curl."
"Where you live?"
Me: "Veyrier.  1255."
"We have no TV for you.  Goodbye."
Me:  "Wait, wait.  I went to the store and they said you had the TV."
"We have no TV for you.  No TeeVee."  He draws out the letters for emphasis.   
Me:  "Can you spell the last name you are using to look this up?"
"Whose last name?"
Me:  "Mine.  My last name." 
"You don't know your last name?"  The voice becoming irritated. 
Me:  "No, I know my last name but I wondered if you spelled it wrong."
"You spell it wrong?  Okay, you give me your name again." 
Me:  "No, I didn't.  Never mind.  Fine.  C - U - R - L.  Curl."
"Hm.  (says something rude in French to one of his co-workers.  A barely stifled laugh)  No TV."  Click. 

So, I haul myself down to the store again, receipt in hand, and tell the man at the counter that the shipping company doesn't have the TV.  He assures me that they do have the TV and it will just be a matter of time.  In fact, he himself has ordered a washing machine and it's been weeks.  Go home and wait it out, he says.  These things take time.  I am not encouraged, to say the least. 

Luckily, another man hears my plight and walks over to me.  He looks at my receipt then at the computer and says to me:  "your TV should have been delivered yesterday."  This, I am aware of. 

So, he picks up the phone and calls the same number I called earlier.  He speaks no less than three sentences to the person on the other end in French, I hear my name and address in there somewhere, then he puts the phone down.  "They have your TV.  What time would you like it delivered?" 

The TV was delivered the next day and it hasn't blown up yet, so that is good.  But nothing comes easy here.