Swamped.

There is a lot of administration and paperwork to do just about anything in France. It is very easy to become totally swamped and find yourself playing catch-up. Filing paperwork as soon as it arrives and programming dates in to a calendar app is the only way that works for me, and I still find myself struggling. I am, however, reminded of a book calle Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong. The system just seems to work.

Moving on; I discovered the other day that Bipolar disorder can make you afraid of the law and police. This really struck a chord with me. It is, bizarrely, me. At times it haunts me. Odd (as my Bro would say). What's the link with administration? Well, when I receive a letter with the above logo, it is, 9 times out of 10, not good news.Tax, speeding ticket, late payments...the list goes on. The problem I have is wih the wording of these letters. They scare the shit out of me. Legal speak gets me every time. I worry, then I worry some more. I feel physically shabby and can think of nothing else.There is also an inordinate amount of stress come tax time (ie: now). I shake when filling in forms and if I have to phone someone my French goes to pieces. I was never like that before.

Regarding the police, they just freak me out. I have this incredible fear of going to prison. I have nightmares about it. Roadside checkpoints by Gendarmes make me freak out. Very unpleasant.

Enough is enough. I'm going to keep on top of my paperwork and work on my fear of the forces d'ordre. Yet another objective and area of personal growth. Ciao.