The fishtank arriveed today at my office. I unpacked it and set it up on my desk, and realized that I'd need a voltage converter in order to run the filter and lamp. I asked Christina (Eugene's assistant, and a godsend to me -- she's incredibly helpful and pleasant -- really fun to talk to) where to go to get a transformer, and she suggested Castorama, which is what you'd expect if IKEA owned Home Depot.
Later that day I trekked off to the nearest Castorama to find what I needed. "S'il vous plait, je voudrais un transformateur." (Please, I would like a transformer.) The answer to that request was something I didn't understand, so I smiled pathetically and shrugged a little, which was my way of saying "I have *zero* idea what you just said."
So, the guy takes out his pen and a pad and writes: 220 > 110 USA
Outstanding! I said "Oui!" So he took me to the right spot in the store. And they were out of them. He pointed to the place where they should be. And then, he shocked me with his amazingly helpful next act. He wrote the address of a nearby store that would have them! I don't know if I've ever met a guy in an American hardware store that would be so proactively helpful.
When I went to the other store, the transformer was 125€, which is about 5x what I was expecting it to cost. So I thanked him and left. Today I went to radio shack and bought three voltage converters and other assorted accessories for $75.
--Aimee
Later that day I trekked off to the nearest Castorama to find what I needed. "S'il vous plait, je voudrais un transformateur." (Please, I would like a transformer.) The answer to that request was something I didn't understand, so I smiled pathetically and shrugged a little, which was my way of saying "I have *zero* idea what you just said."
So, the guy takes out his pen and a pad and writes: 220 > 110 USA
Outstanding! I said "Oui!" So he took me to the right spot in the store. And they were out of them. He pointed to the place where they should be. And then, he shocked me with his amazingly helpful next act. He wrote the address of a nearby store that would have them! I don't know if I've ever met a guy in an American hardware store that would be so proactively helpful.
When I went to the other store, the transformer was 125€, which is about 5x what I was expecting it to cost. So I thanked him and left. Today I went to radio shack and bought three voltage converters and other assorted accessories for $75.
--Aimee
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- I'm off2paris
- From Paris, France
- off2paris at wonky point org
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