Lycee Artaud and red tape.

I didn't know how long it would take me to get to the school this morning. In fact, I didn't even know where it was. I kept meaning to do the journey in advance but I just never quite got round to it. I had to be there at 8am so I left at 7am - it was still dark! I learnt something about Marseille though - there are still rats around at 7am and also, people in flurescent jackets come out in force with huge hosepipes to wash the streets! France has clearly never heard of a hosepipe ban and doesn't concern itself about conserving water. These were not your average hosepipes but more the sort a fireman might use in a country's worst fire for years! Anway, I got the metro at Rue Colbert to the final stop - La Rose. I then followed the signs for the bus. There were students everywhere. I thought I needed bus 3 but I didn't know where to get bus 3 and I also wanted to make sure that bus 3 was the right bus. I didn't want to ask a student so I found a man and asked him. He said I could take either bus number 3 or 5. I got on a number 3, as did the man, and as many of the students that could possibly cram onto it. The phrase 'packed in like sardines' suddenly took on a new meaning. I had to stand, I don't think I've ever sat down on a french bus. As I was standing I realised I didn't have a clue where to get off. It was ok though as most of the students got off at Lycee Artaud and I saw the signpost too. It isn't far from the station, I could easily walk it if ever I didn't feel like becoming a sardine. When I got there I was a little on the early side, I guess that's what you get for not doing a dummy run - I could have had an extra 15 minutes in bed! For saying my school had only emailed me 2 days before I was due to start I was amazed at how organised they were. They had all the paperwork I needed to fill in ready and waiting for me. There was someone to give me a guided tour and introduce me to the other English teachers - of which there are 12! I stayed until about 14h, during that time I sat in on 4 classes. I introduced myself to each class - I wasn't allowed to speak french to the students. I basically said the same thing 4 times - my name, where I was from, that I was a student studying English Language and French and that I would be their English assistant for the year. The students were then allowed to ask me questions. The questions were really similar bewteen all the classes - what are your hobbies, how old are you, can you speak french, how long have you been learning french for, what sort of music do you like, do you have any pets, do you like Marseille, how long have you been here for etc. I asked each class how many of them had been to England, surprisingly not that many. The level of their English varied tremendously. I was really impressed with one terminale group (so they were 17, 18 years old) they were translating from English to French and they were good. A complete contrast was a primaire group that I met who struggled to understand the very basics. I mean, it isn't as if I have a strong accent and I wasn't talking that quickly either! After 2 classes I went with one of the teachers for a french school dinner... there was no choice, it was a set meal. And not eating meat meant that I could only have a plate of peas and a cheese and onion sausage roll (I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't a sausage sausage roll!) There was a choice of fruit - grapes, apple, pear or melon. I went for an apple. Oh yes, and bread and cheese! What a surprise! There is a sandwich shop too, maybe I'll try that tomorrow - can't say as I was overly impressed with the school dinner. Jamie Oliver would be disgusted! I was surprised that, if students forget their text books, they are made to leave the class. In effect, they are thrown out! So, if you particularly hate one subject, just leave your book at home! I stayed at the school until about 14h. Getting out was a bit of a problem. Ok, so I didn't know my way around, but that wasn't the problem. Things are well signposted, I found the gate out onto the road no problem at all. The thing was that it was bolted. Umm... apparently the gates close at the beginning of the day until the end of the day opening for an hour at lunch. When you bear in mind that the school day runs from 8am to 6pm I'd say that is about the equivalent of being in a prison. There is absolutely no way in or out between 8 and 6 except at lunchtime. So, being inquisitive, I wondered what would happen if a student were to be late one morning. Well, it turns out that they have to sit outside the school gates until next lesson! (The lady on reception lets late comers in inbetween lessons if she feels like it) So, if your bus is late and you arrive at 8h01 you have to stay sitting outside (in all weather) until at least 9h. I have never, in my whole life, heard of anything so ridiculous. So, where was I? Oh yes, trying to work out how to get out of the school. As I am a member of staff (although the lady on reception took a bit of convincing - I just look like a student) they will open the gate for you, if you ask, to allow you to escape, sorry, I mean, leave. When I'd escaped, sorry, left, I went to Le Vieux Port to meet Rachel and we went for a coffee and discussed our first days at school. At 16h we went to Castellane to meet Lucy and then to Acceuil Marseille to ask about lessons for learning French as a foreign language. The woman seemed more interested in signing us up to teach English rather than learn French. That didn't bother me in the slightest and it's something I want to do. She did however, take an hour to say something that could have been said in 5 minutes. After Accueil Marseille we went to eat. I then went home and Rachel and Lucy went to an Internet Cafe. When I got home I called my landlord, he came to collect the rent. I then showered, ate and began filling in all the forms for my school. The amount of paperwork is a joke, it's ridiculous. People warned me in advance that there was a lot of paperwork for anything you wanted to do in France but never in a million years did I imagine that a supposedly civilised, developped country could be so addicted to forms. Not only are there forms that are pages and pages long but you have to have photocopies of other documents to go with the forms. Everything I have done has required a photograph of my passport, my birth certificate - both in English and translated into French (even though that isn't supposed to be necessary anymore) I need photocopies of my arrete de nomination to show I'm employed at a school and everything requires a RIB - the french are obsessed with them. When I opened my bank account with La Poste, one of about 15 letters (an no, that is not an exaggeration) that they sent to me included about 10 copies of my RIB - releve indentite bancaire. At the time I didn't have a clue what they were or why on earth I might possibly need so many of the things, now I understand. You cannot step foot outside the front door without someone demanding your RIB! When I'd finally filled in all the forms and made sure I'd got copies of everything I started looking into getting a metro card for the year. Now, in Brighton, to get a year's bus pass I needed a passport sized photograph and the money to pay for the thing. Not here. Something as simple as a metro pass requires not only a passport size photograph but also une piece d'identite - that'll be my passport, again. My RIB in order to pay for the thing (they want you to have a french bank account) and proof of address - apparently you can only get a Marseille metro card if you can prove that you live in Marseille! I finally had everything I needed and would go to Le Vieux Port metro station tomorrow to get it... yeah right, nothing could be that simple, could it?!