Well, what a strange day. The morning was pretty ordinary. I stayed in, sent a few emails, posted on a few walls on facebook - nothing special. After lunch I went back to Le Palais Longchamps to take photographs. It's so beautiful. I still can't quite believe how big the fountain is! You're walking through an ordinary Marseille street and then all of a sudden appears this huge fountain and well, statue like structure with gardens - beautiful. I spent a bit of time walking around the gardens and then I walked back down La Canabiere towards Le Vieux Port stopping at Le Centre de Jeunesse to look at les petits annonces for jobs. I was standing there for quite a while, reading them - there were alot of them and they were in French! I found one that interested me and began writing down the details. A lady approached me 'Bonjour' she said. She asked me whether I was a student and why I was looking for a job. She said she was doing research for a report to promote Le Centre de Jeunesse and find out what kinds of jobs students do. I said 'je ne suis pas francaise' thinking she wouldn't be interested because I wasn't french but she said 'tu viens d'ou?' and when I said 'Angleterre' she said 'mais tu parles tres bien le francais'. Anyway, she asked whether she could film me for her report!! I agreed. So, she filmed me looking at les petits annonces and then she interviewed me asking what kind of job I was looking for, why I wanted a job, whether I'd found anything etc. I answered her questions probably making a million and one grammatical errors but she seemed happy enough. She said that there was a leaflet that Le Centre de Jeunesse published and that if I went in and asked for it they would give it to me. She also said 'en fait, j'ai besoin de toi' - she needed me for her report. But that was ok because she was providing me with information I wouldn't otherwise have got. She filmed me walking into Le Centre de Jeunesse and asking for the leaflet. The lady that worked there explained to me what Le Centre de Jeunesse offers and asked me whether there was anything I would like to know. I asked for a list of language schools in Marseille because I said I was looking for a job teaching English. We were filmed as she took me to the bookshelves and pulled off a ringbinder, she then showed me how to use it. I was then filmed looking through all the language schools and noting down any of interest. They were really helpful, probably more helpful than if I'd have just walked in and asked for information on language schools. I guess I was doing them a favour by appearing in there report and in return I got lots of information I wouldn't otherwise have got. I wouldn't have gone in if the reporter hadn't told me about the booklet. I wouldn't have known that it was a place I could go for such information. The reporter was really nice, she was quite young, probably in her 20's. Her name was Helene. She said she lived in Berlin for a while so she knew what it was like to live in a new town in a different country. She gave me her mobile number and said if there was anything I wanted to know or anything then just to call her! After I'd finished looking through the information I left feeling quite content - I was going to be on french tv!! La Chaine Marseille (LCM) at 19h. How exciting! Me on french tv!! I will so be watching it!
I walked the rest of the way down La Canabiere and bought some postcodes and some stamps. I took a couple of photos and then, confidence up, went to join the library. I hadn't got a clue what to say, I saw a sign saying 'L'inscription' so I said 'je voudrais faire l'inscription s'il vous plait'. I haven't a clue whether this is right or not but the lady understood me and I was soon a fully fledged memeber of La bibliotheque Alcazar. I was really pleased because I understood everything she said and she seemed to understand me too! I went upstairs to the fiction section and borrowed two books - one in English and one in French. The French one is by Ian Rankin. I know I like Ian Rankin so, providing it isn't ridiculously complicated language, I should be ok.
Right now I'm waiting for 19h to see myself on tv! I can't believe I'm going to be on French tv!! Oh my word, I hope my french wasn't too terrible and that I will look ok. I might be recognised! I could be the next celebrity in Marseille... ok, maybe I'm getting a bit carried away... but you never know! hehe.
I walked the rest of the way down La Canabiere and bought some postcodes and some stamps. I took a couple of photos and then, confidence up, went to join the library. I hadn't got a clue what to say, I saw a sign saying 'L'inscription' so I said 'je voudrais faire l'inscription s'il vous plait'. I haven't a clue whether this is right or not but the lady understood me and I was soon a fully fledged memeber of La bibliotheque Alcazar. I was really pleased because I understood everything she said and she seemed to understand me too! I went upstairs to the fiction section and borrowed two books - one in English and one in French. The French one is by Ian Rankin. I know I like Ian Rankin so, providing it isn't ridiculously complicated language, I should be ok.
Right now I'm waiting for 19h to see myself on tv! I can't believe I'm going to be on French tv!! Oh my word, I hope my french wasn't too terrible and that I will look ok. I might be recognised! I could be the next celebrity in Marseille... ok, maybe I'm getting a bit carried away... but you never know! hehe.
