One of the most common questions I get asked is what I'm doing this year (actually am I bored? is probably the most common question, but I never can understand when someone asks me that question for some reason, so we won't count that question!). And everyone wants to help because I say I'd love to do something but I don't have the right to work and the last thing I want is to be sent home over illegally working! But nothing says I can't help people just because I'm nice. So I, and Erin especially, tell people if they need help to give me a call. So while we were in Rennes with "the parents", Erin's drawing teacher called and said her husband was having computer problems. When we returned to Quiberon, it was "au boulot" (to work!). Now, just so we're all on the same page - I've met the drawing teacher about twice and just told her "yeah I'm good with computers". I never met her husband or told her anything about my previous work. But they are in a panic because the husband needs his computer fixed by the next morning. He's a dentist surgeon.So I get in the car with him and Erin. I don't think any of us say anything during the ride into town. He didn't really know why these Americans were on his presqu'ile, Erin was exhausted and probably half asleep (you know how she gets in the car), and I...well, I don't speak french.
Once we get to his office, he points me to his computer and turns it on and nothing happens. It's "bloqué". Awesome. So I start to work the normal way - just trying to figure out what's going on and what does work etc. Erin's bugging me with questions about what I'm doing and what the problem is. What the problem is? Really, I just got here. What I'm doing? Ok, you wanna know I'm in the BIOS seeing what the boot order is and now I'm checking to see if there are any indicator lights on and now I'm checking to see if there's a boot loader - does that help?!?! But then she explained to me what it looks like for this poor dentist who is at the office at 8pm on a Sunday (an unheard of event in France!) with someone who is, for all he knows, maybe making things worse and best of all, the guy (me) doesn't say anything! So I pull it together and I try to explain some things to him - basically that I have no idea and I'm just checking everything out first.
Well it must have been my lucky day because BAM it started to work. What did I do? Ha, don't ask. All I did was tell the computer to try and boot off of a CD before booting off the hard drive (essentially nothing) - but it worked. So he was extremely excited! So we head back to the house and they tell me their home computer isn't working either. So I sit down and realize they have a bad virus infection - but tell them I'll come back the next day to fix it. So I grab my coat and Erin tells me we're going to have an apéro with them.
So they break out the bubbly and celebrate our new friendship with some delicious little pupus (appetizers) and just talk for a couple of hours.
The next day I come back to fix the computer at 10am - long story short, the virus is awful! So I need the Windows install CD - which they don't have. But they know a guy who might have it. So we head into town and for some reason we sit down at a restaurant......OK, that's not what I was expecting. So they order me this awesome fish dish - yummy yes, but I'm not sure how that will help the computer. The chef comes out and he chats with them and then he comes out with the Windows CD. Ah yes, of course, the chef had the Windows CD! So we head back home, after dessert of course, and I spend the next couple of hours fixing it. Finally it works.
So a simple virus infection that should have taken 2 hours to fix took from 10am until 4pm! But in addition to the working computer, we also have very good friends! So yes, everything takes longer here and we could complain about the inefficiencies, but it's because relationships matter more. We're slowly learning that and enjoying it. So I may not be pulling my own weight with money, but I am making us rich with friendship (did I really just write that?!).
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