Day 29 - Genk - Lost in Translation

First day in Genk and it started well after a good night’s sleep.  I got back to my nice posh car and that is where I seem to be getting an issue with Automatics I have not had before when I have had that type of car and I think it must be me getting used to driving it.  Today as I was approaching a red traffic light and about to come to a stop, out of habit I went to put my foot on the clutch which of course doesn’t exist.  However the brake pedal is quite wide and I managed to catch it with my left foot and bring the car to quite an abrupt halt.  Which was OK except for the fact that my colleague carried on moving until either his head hit the windscreen or his ribs hit the dashboard, not sure which but his response was, “Bloody Hell”.

I apologised and carried on but about 15 minutes later I did it again.  Again I am not sure what part of his body he hit first but this time he just sighed.  On the way to the station to collect a colleague I managed to do it again, honest I wasn’t trying to do it but as I said it maybe because I was getting used to the drive.  The third time he didn’t say anything at all which I found quite funny and started to laugh but he just kept looking straight forward out of the windscreen. 

But worse was to come for him, yesterday he was in the reception and managed to tell the receptionist something wrong and then wanted to apologise as he then gave her the right information.  He asked me what was the French for sorry and I honestly thought it was “so sour” and told him and he said to the receptionist “so sour”, “so sour”.  Fast forward twenty four  hours and when we were talking to our new French colleague and I mentioned “so sour” he said what, and it turns out that “so sour” means “tomorrow”, so my English colleague said, “hang on, do you mean I whilst I was trying to apologies to the lady in reception in effect I kept saying to her, tomorrow, tomorrow, no flaming wonder she just stared at me and didn’t answer”.  He seems not to be having a right good week for some reason, whilst I have learned a new French word.

After work I took the chance to have a swim in the hotel pool before having my tea in my room and then going out for a quick walk just up to the bridge over the river and then return to listen to the last bit of football and then a good sleep as I do feel rather tired.

Night All.