i think the language barrier just killed her few remaining nerves.

[cimorene]

i talked to my mom and found out that dad's off oxygen and out of the intensive care unit, but that meanwhile (a) one of his toes has been broken, and no one knows when, and (b) his electric wheelchair is broken, there's no way to have it repaired by the people who are supposed to repair it in europe, and she could only find one wheelchair repair shop in paris and their phone menu is in french that she can't understand. talking to her for twenty minutes has made me feel like climbing the walls, even though the news vis-a-vis daddy's health is actually good. and here i thought all i needed was an update from her to feel better.

now wax_jism says, "maybe you should have stayed in paris, but we didn't think of that." well, hindsight is 20/20. and also, just the thought of being still there has a faint aroma of 'anxiety attack' about it, i think. and also also, i'm not confident i would be that helpful. (why did i take spanish in high school instead of french, why?)

meanwhile the american embassy have been super-unhelpful, three times, partly because they are asshats apparently, but partly because my mother doesn't know how to communicate with people effectively. "the second time they were really unhelpful," she told me, "i started to just get really mad, so i just said, [putting on a pleasant, tranquil department-store announcer/stewardess voice] 'thank you anyway! i'm sure i'll manage just fine! after all, i've been handling everything without too much trouble this far.'"

yeah... that told them.

Comments

[anatsuno.livejournal.com]

any help i can .. help with? making calls? something?

[cimness.livejournal.com]

maybe! i hesitate because the call would be international for you, though, and also because when i tried to suggest help to my mom on the phone she waffled alarmingly about it. but i definitely need to find some way to overcome this french language problem. she is obviously incapable of asking for help. it turns out one of my best friends from high school is now living in paris - i'm gonna call her and see if she can help.

[anatsuno.livejournal.com]

someone local might be better than me, but i have no problem making a call for you also; i am in France (my mobile phone is a luxembourgish number because I *used* to live in Luxembourg, but i *live in France* omg). Email me anytime if you need me, okay? <3<3

[cimness.livejournal.com]

thank you! i'll give her your phone number too the next time i talk to her, just in case, if that's all right? <3

[guinevere33.livejournal.com]

Yay for calling in the Olde Friends network! (And if anyone can translate English-to-Mom, it's Saramon.) I'm really relieved to hear your dad seems to be out of the woods, although I'm sure he won't be back to 100% yet. :: thinks good thoughts some more ::

BTW, have you tracked down cuddlepint yet?

[cimness.livejournal.com]

she's definitely with mom. on sunday night i heard her in the background trying to correct mom's relation of an anecdote to make it comprehensible to human ears. alas, mom just yelled, "stop criticising my conversation!"

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

As someone who has played the "family member ill in foreign country" game, I advise you to exploit all your friends in Paris *ruthlessly*. It doesn't matter what you took in HS, it takes *real* skill with a foreign language to be able to use it on the phone to ask technical questions. You may, of course, need an English-to-Mom translator function, too.

Don't hesitate to ask if you need people to make phone calls in the US -- to the wheelchair company, to the State Dept., to your father's medical insurer.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

thank you - that's good advice! i'm fortunate that i do have a few friends in france and they have all offered to help. as for the calls in the us, the offer means more than i can say, but my mom has a good net of extended family and church members there who will do anything she doesn't need to do herself.

[southpaw526.livejournal.com]

Oh god, honey!

[cimness.livejournal.com]

♥

[wild-boys.livejournal.com]

Same, any help you need in making calls, going round there, translating, I am here and I can do it anytime.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

♥

[protoplasmica.livejournal.com]

Is everything okay now?

I'm near London and I can easily get to the US Embassy there if it helps...I also understand a bit of French too--so if there is anything let me know.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

thank you for the offer! we do know a few people in france who have offered to help translate. :)