The day there was no tram

    This morning started as any other morning. Getting out of bed at 6h40, making some extra strong coffee and catching the bus. To get to my university, I take a 10 minute bus ride (made longer by the fact that is normally 10-25 minutes late) and then the tram from the Pessac Centre terminal. As I walked towards the tram this morning, I noticed an odd presence of police cars.
   Now, I have not mentioned this is past posts mainly because I thought my parents would think that Bordeaux was unsafe, but there is hardly a police presence here. People drink in public, jaywalk, litter everywhere and there are normally any police in sight--even if they are in the area, they won't do anything. Needless to say, I knew something was up as I continued towards the tram.
     I noticed that there was yellow tape around the whole tram station, which had a tram at the platform, and people were looking confused and frustrated. Meanwhile, I was kind of excited, thinking it was a protest or walk out or strike. Yippee! I was experiencing another Frenchy-French thing--striking. However, much to my dismay, that was not the case. As I stared at the complicated bus map at the station, an officer approached me, told me to get to the university I needed to take bus 45 that departed (insert French ambiguous arm wave that does not tell you whatsoever which direction to go) and walked away. I guessed and started walking. Couldn't find the bus stop.
     I returned to the station just in time to see bus 45 pulling up to the stop. I asked the driver if that bus would take me to Unitec to which he said no, and told me I had to take the 36 (I KNOW I didn't confuse the numbers). 10 minutes later, I was on the over crowded bus, hoping I was going to the right place. I was already 15 minutes late to class.
     A guy sat down next to me, asked if it was normal that the floor was wet (I think...) and started a conversation. As it turns out, he is a law student at a branch of Bordeaux 4 named Alexandre and was taking the TOEFL (English as a foreign language test) in Bordeaux because he wants to study in England next year. We talked about Alizée who is ultimately doing the same thing, and about the fact that it was a bomb threat that stopped the tram, not a strike or a suicide. A bomb threat. They apparently found an unattended suitcase and had to shut down that part of Line B. Of course.
     Anyways, Alexandre, Lea, Adrianna and I had lunch together and continued about our Wednesday's. I went to an Ash Wednesday mass in the Cathedral downtown tonight which was a neat experience. Very cool to hear mass in French and the songs were gorgeous.
    Today just goes to show that there is honestly never a dull day in Bordeaux. I now know that it is bus 36 that takes me to my school when there is a bomb threat and you can't take the tram, that you just have to sit on the bus looking confused and you will make French friends, mass in a Cathedral is freezing and that I am completely infatuated with this city. Peace out.