1st day in Angers

So heres the story:

We took a train from Paris to Angers.  Angers is the city we will be living in for the next 6 months. 
I had arranged for us to stay with a couple who I met through couchsurfing.com.
Since we don't have a phone, and we've only had random connection to the internet it was difficult to communicate and let our hosts know our plans.
We pulled into Anger January 1 at 11:30 am. I hadn't confirmed plans with our hosts so I wasn't sure whether we were meeting them at the train station or at their house.
When we arrived at the trainstation I looked for them. After about a half  hour we decided to take a taxi.

Now a note on important things we have learned about France.
On New Years Day in France EVERYTHING is closed. It is their day set aside to sleep off the party. Buses don't run, shops aren't open and people are asleep.

That being said, the taxi drivers were none to friendly and none too willing to help us young americans. I finally got their attention and a driver agreed to help us. He drove us (very quickly) to the appartment of our hosts and was very surprised and suddenly much more friendly after we gave him a few euros tip.

We rang the bell and waited. and waited. and waited. (this seems to be the theme of our trip so far) Since the apartment building is locked and the only way to get in is by having someone from inside ring you in, we waited outside in the cold. I believe it was 2 degrees C.

Finally after an hour and a half I started running people down on the street asking if I could borrow their phone. No one would let me. Finally one man was nice enough to stop and let me make a call. HOPE! However, after all my efforts, I got the answering machine!!

After 2 hours of waiting outside we decided to leave and find a hotel. We left a note in our hosts mailbox and once again started dragging our luggage through the streets.

Several blocks later we decided we had no idea where we were going. I stopped a lady walking her dog and asked where the nearest hotel was. "Oh!" she said, "there arent any hotels near here!"

I think she could see the disappointment in my face and she happened to be very friendly. She told us to follow her. She dropped her dog off at her house and helped us load our baggage into her car. She drove us around past the college and to the outskirts of town where the cheapest hotels were. She was so great! She even walked us in and helped us reserve our room.  She gave us a map and her phone number, and told us to call if we had any other questions or problems.  She told the lady at the hotel that she was performing her good deed for the year. haha.. glad we could help.

After settling into our hotel I decided I better email our hosts and let them know what had become of us.
Halfway through the letter, my computer died. 
I decided that I would put some money on the calling card I had and try to give them a call.
$20 later I placed my call.
The dang phone kept telling me I needed the country code. Luckily I had my nook to find the country code and area code, however, the call still wouldnt work.
I tried calling my bishop. No luck
I begged and I pleaded with my phone to call, and my nook to allow me to send an email, but to no avail.
I became desperate. I suddenly realized that we would be stuck there forever with no food, and no ability to contact the outside world. I gave up and cried.

 Now normally in this situation I would call and whine to my mom.  Since I was sitting at a phone with a calling card in hand I decided I would do just that.  Who cared if I waste money anyway since I was destined to die there.

In tears, I explained our pathetic situation to her and it calmed me down a bit, making me a little more rational. (Kennan is asleep this whole time).

I decide that a nice warm shower might also help to make me a bit more calm at rational so I go for it. I pack up all the things I will need and head for the shower room down the hall. (sorry if this is too much info for some of you.. but I feel its necessary) I start the water and it is scalding hot. No matter what I do I can't get it to cool down. It's too late to get out now though so it turn it on so its just trickling. After getting my hair wet, I realize that I have forgotten my shampoo and conditioner... So much for a relaxing shower.

After finishing my shower I have another bout with the calling card. It still wont work.Almost in tears again I ask the hotel manager if she has a cell phone I can borrow. I think she can see that I've been crying and that I am desperate and lets me use her phone.
Finally, (it is now 8 at night) I am able to get ahold of my bishop who tells me he will find someone to bring us back into town the next day for church. We wont die here after all.

And thus passes our first day in Angers.