Coming home

Saturday. 9h15. One suitcase, one back pack and a bag. Rachel helped me to the metro station - down all the stairs. I then took the metro one stop to Saint Charles and then bought my bus ticket. I met Alicia at the bus stop and we took the bus together to the aeroport. Goodbye Marseille. I wasn't sad to leave because in less than two weeks I'll be back. And also, it didn't feel like Christmas in Marseille, I was looking forward to going back to England to see my family. I was flying with Ryan Air. The luggage limit is 15kg and somehow, don't ask me how because I was travelling light, my suitcase weighed 17 odd kilos! The woman at check in told me I had to remove some of the things from inside. I went away to the scales at the side with Alicia and removed my coat, jeans, a couple of tops - I gave them to Alicia. I then went back to the woman, she re-weighed my suitcase and told me I could go though. (They don't take your suitcase off of you at this point, you have to put it yourself onto a conveyor belt thing) so I went behind the wall and put my coat and jeans back in the suitcase! I mean, what did she think I was going to do with the things I took out of my suitcase?! I then put my suitcase on the conveyor belt and went to where they search your hand luggage. I was wearing bracelets which set the metal detector off. This was proving to be a stressful journey! I then learnt that Ryan Air don't give you a seat, it's first come, first served. Which, I soon learnt, leads to a mad rush of people trying to get the best seats! They then kept us waiting in a queue, standing up, with nothing to lean on even for nearly an hour. The flight was 45 minutes late taking off and no one apologised, no one even mentioned the delay or explained why there was a delay! I was late landing and it took the best part of an hour for me to get my bag and renew my railcard and buy a ticket from Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street, a journey which took 45 minutes on the Stansted Express. I then met Alex there and I bought a ticket to Birmingham International. I wanted to get the 17h38 direct train from London to Birmingham International but my ticket was only valid on london mainland trains and all the direct trains were virgin ones. I was quite prepared to get on a virgin train and either a) feign ignorance when someone questioned my ticket or b) pretend to be french. Alex, however, told me to not do that and so I asked at the station and the man told me to run to platform 11 and get the 17h15 train to Northampton and change there for Birmingham International. I got on the train and asked the ticket man who told me there would be no trains from Northampton to Birmingham International. I told him that the man at the station told me there would me. He said he'd check. I had visions of being stranded in Northampton - miles from where I wanted to be! The man came back and said there would be a train from Northampton to Birmingham but that there would be a 30 minute wait. I could cope with that! It was being stranded in Northampton that I couldn't cope with. I eventually got to Birmingham International at 19h55 - a whole hour later than the direct 17h38 train would have got me there for, even though the one I got to Northampton left the best part of half an hour earlier! Madness! I eventually got back to Ludlow a whole 13 hours after leaving my appartment that morning. Exhaustion.



It's really strange being back in England. It's hard to explain and people don't seem to understand. It's like I have super powerful hearing because I can understand everything that everyone is saying whether I want to or not. It's also strange to think that everyone can understand me too. I don't like it. I keep using random french words and saying 'bonjour' and 'merci' to people. I wheeled my suitcase over a lady's foot in London, I said 'pardon' and she looked at me and then I was like, oops, wrong language, 'sorry'. The currency is strange - so heavy and clumbersome. The coins are so big. Even the green man at pedestrian crossings seems big. I keep looking the wrong way when I cross the road and people pass on the left here and I keep going right.

Les Restos du coeur

After Al Dente I came home. Later on, at about 18h I left to take the tram to La Joliette and then the bus. I got on the bus and was waiting for it to leave when I saw the number 35 bus pull into La Joliette. I thought, that's strange, I'm sitting on the number 35, aren't I?! I asked the lady infront of me 'Excusez moi, quel numero est ce bus?' It was the 83, not the 35. Oops, good job I realised or I'd have never made it to L'Estaque and Les Restos du coeur! After a quick change of bus I was on my way. Les Restos du Coeur is a charity which feeds the homeless - les sans abris. It's a bit like a soup kitchen. Every evening there is a bus, called Le Mauraude, which goes around Marseille. One evening it does the north - les quartiers nords, and the next evening it'll do les quartiers suds, and so it alternates like that. It gives a bag of food to the sans abris - those that want it. In the bag is a small small slice of emmantal, a tiny tiny chocolate bar, a yoghurt, a small cake. Then they get a baguette, salad thing and either a tin of salmon, tuna, sardines or pate. Boulangeries donate the bread. We went to a boulangerie who gave us three sacks of warm bread. They were really generous. We also had in our van, water, blankets, shoes, socks and sleeping bags for those who asked for them. There was also hot water to make soup, chocolate and coffee. We started out in the 15e arr along La Rue de Lyon and then drove through the 15e arr to the 3e arr - Bougainville, National, Desiree Clary and then to the 2e arr - La Joliette and Le Panier (where I live) and to Vieux Port. It was really really cold and the other volunteers - Kuidot, Nadine and Florence said it had been a quiet night - at the end of the night we'd seen 48 sans abris! That means I'd made in excess of 48 hot chocolates, soups, coffees (some of them had 2 or 3 drinks). We'd met a man who lives in a van. He apparently used to live in a car but someone gave him the van to live in. I asked Nadine why he lived like this and she said that he does small jobs but can't afford to rent anywhere. We met a Spanish speaking Polish man. The sans abris knew when and where Le Maurade would stop and they were waiting for us. Some of them seemed better dressed that others. I think there were les vrais sans abris - people with literally only what they were standing in, and then people who were maybe poor or mal loges. Marseille has the Samu Sociale. It's an organisation that provides overnight accommodation for les sans abris. You can call 115 from any phone, it's a free call, and they will come and fetch you and put you in a foyer for the evening. One man who was sat at a bus stop wrapped in a blanket agreed to us calling 115 so he could go to a foyer. He didn't have any shoes and was shaking he was so cold. We gave him a warm drink and a bag of food. Only 2 or 3 of the 48 people we saw smelt of alcohol/were drunk. The majority were men (I can only remember 2 women). The majority seemed to be from northern african origin. It was a real eye opener to go around Le Panier. There was a man there who we gave a sleeping bag too as well as a bag of food and a hot drink. When we left he said 'merci madmoiselle, merci beaucoup, en tous cas je vous remercie'. He, like the majority of the sans abris we saw that evening, were so grateful, so pleased to see us. I said 'de rien, je vous en prie'. I mean, what's a polystyrene cup of instant hot chocolate?! It made me realise that when I walk home I walk literally a few metres from where these people sleep. I don't know why they're homeless. They must have had family, homes etc at one point. I wonder what happened for them to become sans abris? Marseille may be a candidate for European Capital of Culture 2013, millions of Euros may be being spent in l'amelioration of Marseille's centre, but the sans abris remain. Leave the centre, go away from Le Vieux Port and La Rue de la Republique and what you see doesn't warrant the title 'European Capital of Culture'. There are sans abris in the centre but there 'well hidden', in areas where the tourists won't go. Before Marseille worries about it's next underground carpark of extending it's metro at La Timone maybe a thought should be given to les sans abris.

Aubagne

Top - Aubagne's Christmas decorations

Second - A street in Aubagne

Third - The Christmas santon market in Aubagne

Fourth - The Christmas market

Bottom - Aubagne

On Saturday I met Louise at La Timone metro at 9h and we got the bus to La Pomme where Aimee was supposed to get on (the bus stops directly outside her house). She said to press the bell when the bus when right at a chinese so that it would definitely stop so she could get on. We didn't notice the chinese so Louise called her and she said get off, get off. Luckily someone had pressed the button for La Pomme and we got off. She was still inside her house. We walked to the next bus stop to pass the time until the next bus. We then went to Aubagne where it was raining, windy, cold. You could really tell that Aubagne wasn't in Marseille just from it's weather! We walked around the Christmas and santon market and then went for a hot chocolate. Aimee had to leave to get back to Marseille for a Russian conversation exchange (she's studying Russian and French at uni and has met some French speaking Russians who want to learn English). Me and Louise stayed a bit longer and had a walk around. We went around some of the streets and around the market again. Aubagne is really small and similar to Aix in it's architechture. We stayed until lunch time and then got the bus back to Marseille. It took about 40 minutes. We got on the metro at La Timone and got off at La Prefecture to get some food. We went in Al Dente and ate. I had ravilois aux trois fromage. We then went our separate ways home.

Students? In a Lycee?! Whatever next...?

Picture the scene: a language assistant sitting in her rather chilly classroom at 8h on a cold, clear Thursday morning. Her expectations are so low that she has come prepared today with a good book. 8h, no students, 8h05, no students. But then, a knock at the door. No, it can't be. Not students, not in a Lycee, not in my classroom. But oh yes, there they were. Not quite bright eyed and bushy tailed but nevertheless, they were there. My BTS class had turned up and what's more, they actually wanted to be taught! Shock, horror. At 9h I went to my anglais renforce class, again, low expectations but no, they were all there. And again I had to teach. I actually got to give my text messaging lesson that I've been trying to give for weeks. I wasn't used to this, students, in a Lycee? Whatever next... 10h, another class, more teaching. I did global warming with my terminales. So, it was now 11h and I had taught 3 classes. That's more than I've done in the last 2 weeks! After that I came home for lunch and then went back for mes secondes at 15h. And yes, they were there! I couldn't believe it, 4 classes out of 4!

L'OM v Liverpool

Top - me and Lucy

Second - Steven Gerrard's penalty

Third - the pitch

Bottom - outside Le Stade Velodrome

After work I met up with Rachel. We went to hers and ate together, then Lucy came round and we walked to La Joliette metro together. Rachel went to meet Louise at Vieux Port. Me and Lucy took the metro to Le Stade Velodrome. It was busy. Everyone was going to the match. We didn't have to queue to get in because they were searching everyone and it was separate for men and women and the women were few and far between so we got through really quickly. There was a clever machine which scanned our ticket to let us through and then we went to our seats. It was really impressive to look down on the pitch and to see all the fans all around the stadium. We were sat with the OM supporters, there didn't seem to be many Liverpool fans there, there was a bit of red opposite us but not as many fans as we'd expected. We were quite far back but we could see the whole pitch and everything that was going on. It was strange, if you missed something there was no replay like there is on sky sports, also, there was no commentary (apart from the man next to us). Liverpool seemed to start off better with more possession and then obviously they got the penalty and scored, and then scored again and OM seemed to adope a defeated attitude. Liverpool enjoyed lots of possession but then it changed. OM began to play and me and Lucy both expected OM to score before half time but they didn't. OM played quite dirtily and the supporters were not impressed that they were losing. Even though OM now had more possession that weren't playing very well. In the second half they had most of the possession but it was Liverpool who kept scoring. Towards the 70 minute mark lots of OM supporters began to leave. They knew they had lost, that they were out of the champions league. We stayed until the end of course and then got the metro (which was packed, we had to queue for an age just to get through the ticket barriers) back to La Joliette. It was good the way they kept the OM and Liverpool supporters separately. OM supporters used one metro station and the Liverpool supporters used another one. This was because Liverpool supporters were on one side of the stadium near to one metro supporters and OM supporters were on the otherside near to the next metro stop. The atmosphere in the stadium was amazing, the fans were singing from one side of the stadium to the other and held up coloured paper to spell out 'droit au but' - OM's caption thing. Sky sports may provide replays and a commentary but you don't get the atmosphere! Yes, so, it was amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Beyond a joke

Just before 8h. I arrive at Lycee and it is again 'bloque'. I went round the back way to get in and went to the staff room to put my lunch (chickpeas with courgette and red pepper) in the fridge. I then went to my room and waited, like I do every week, for my terminale class. Even though the Lycee had been 'bloque' there were students in the school and the protestors at the gate had been moved on. I honestly expected this class to come this week. The didn't come last week because the teacher was away, they didn't come the week before because the teacher forgot to send them (I mean, it's the teacher that specifically wanted me to work with these students and then she forgets to send them?!) Surely they had to come this week, didn't they? No, 8h15, no students. 8h30, still not students. 8h45, no, they weren't coming. Grr. Yet again, I'd got myself there for 8h for nothing. I had to wait until 10h to see if my 2 terminale ES students would arrive. They were there, thank goodness. And so was the teacher, you know, the 'il faut que tu saches' teacher. She apologised to me for only just giving me the next text but she had been 'unable to find my casier' - it's got my name on it for goodness sake! Anyway, I looked at the commentaire that they'd done at home (it turns out they didn't do it in class as a controle last Friday, they have it this Friday instead so the fact I asked them to do it at home was neither here nor there, all it did was serve as a draft attempt - stupid teacher, grr). We then read the new text together, which is very very hard, much harder than the last one and I thought that was hard. After this class I should have had my BTS class but they didn't come. So, another hour of nothingness. Then it was lunch time so I went to the staffroom and ate. I then returned to my classroom for the lesson with my blind student but he wasn't there. I was really really beginning to get fed up by this point. But it was ok, Agnes had told me that she would send me 2 students next lesson. The spanish teacher had reassured her that 5 members of the class were in school. So, I waited and waited and waited and they didn't come! Why they didn't come I have no idea. To be honest, I'm not even sure I care anymore. At 15h I waited for my secondes but of course, they didn't come. I left at 15h30. I plan my lessons, I turn up, I know what I'm doing, the kids could learn a lot with me because I'm damn good at my job when I get the chance to do it. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I will try again on Thursday and if there are no students at 8am and my anglais renforce is cancelled I will leave. I refuse to sit in a classroom for 8 hours for nothing. Needless to say, I am not a happy bunny!

Christmas time in Marseille

My camera, which broke a while back, has miraculously started to work again. I don't know why. I don't know how. I don't really mind. I'm just extremely happy that it's decided to work again! I was convinced it was broken. So, I have taken some photos of the christmas lights in Le Panier and around Vieux Port...

Top - Vieux Port

Middle - La Canabiere

Bottom - Le Panier

Les Restos du Coeur

So, Friday. I was just on my way out down the stairs to leave to go to Rond Point to meet Rachel but as I opened the door there she was, standing on the doorstep. I was completely confused. 'Thank God I caught you' she said. 'But, I'm meeting you in 15 minutes at Rond Point' I said, completely confused. She'd left her phone at home that morning and her final class had been cancelled so she'd come home and had literally just managed to catch me before going to Rond Point. We went back to hers to get her phone and then to a coffee shop on Vieux Port. Afterwards, she had to go back to Lycee for another class and I went home for lunch. I had to be at Les Restos du Coeur for 14h. I left at 13h20 to get the tram to La Joliette and then the bus number 35 to L'Estaque. I met one of the other volunteers who is going to place me in a team, I should be starting sometime this week. He explained to me what they do and how it works. It was really interesting. I'm looking forward to it. Afterwards I called in at the newsagents and bought today's paper as it had an article about La Rue de la Republique on the front cover. I came home and read it. It talked about ANF which I didn't know so I googled it and it's a private company central to the redeveloppement of Marseille - perfect for my dissertation! I then had my cours de conversation in the evening. I left for Saint Just metro at about 17h15. This week we went through a reading comprehension he'd asked me to go through with him because he got a bad mark. So, we did that. It wasn't particularly thrilling but oh well, I got paid - that's the main thing!

Mon Lycee est bloque, comment le dit en anglais?

Lycee Artaud (which reminds me, I must look up who Antonin Artaud is/was - he has a school named after him!) 7h45. There is the usual group of students outside the gates, nothing looked out of the ordinary as I approached the gates. That is until I saw the banner 'Lycee Artaud en greve', I then saw the matresses, sofas, tables and bins stacked against the school gates. I then saw the tape around the gates to stop it from being opened. I then saw the students creating a human barrier to stop other students from entering. I realised that 'mon Lycee etait bloque' and no, I'm sorry, I don't know how to say that in English. The students of my Lycee had joined the students of Lycee Diderot (where Auriane goes) and Saint Charles in protesting against la loi pecrasse which is to do with the privatisation of the universities. It would basically make the french university system more like the UK's. Personally I think that would be a good thing but I'll keep that opinion to myself I think... I didn't know how to get into the Lycee, it was impossible to pass through the gates, but yet I could see members of staff on the other side of the gates. I walked along the gates to the car entrance and went in that way. When I got the staff room all the teachers were there. I was told there wouldn't be any classes today because the students were 'on strike'. The teachers were quite surprised it had taken the students so long to organise this as apparently the students at Lycee Artaud are usually amoung some of the first to protest on new laws. The last event like this where the students had striked and 'bloque' the Lycee was 2 years ago in protest over a law which would make it easier to sack young people, I vaguely remember. I thought I might be allowed to go home seeing as there were no students, but oh no. Members of staff are obliged to stay. So, i spent 3hrs sat in the staff room. It was actually really good because I was talking to Anne and I learnt so much about the school, the french education system. Even though the government want 80% of students to leave school with their bac, in order to achieve this standards have dropped and now, because virtually everyone has their bac, it isn't really worth anything and employers are asking for bac+3 or bac+5 instead. I learnt about how France doesn't have any exam boards and that each academie is asked to write the exam papers for various subjects. So, for example, Marseille might write the French paper, Paris the maths paper, Lyon the science paper. But Paris might also write a maths paper. So it ends up with 5 exams per subject and the different students in different regions sit one of the 5 papers. Then, every teacher is sent papers from a different region to mark. There are also no parents' evenings and no reports like at home. I also learnt that La Rose is an area with lower working class people and that half of the students at the Lycee are from La Rose. The other half are middle class and live in Allauch or Plan de Cuques. Religion is pretty mixed too - in a average class of 30 you could apparently expect to find 14 catholics, maybe 1 protistent, 4 or 5 jews and the rest muslim. Apparently the laicite debate wasn't really a problem at my Lycee, there were 2 girls who wanted to wear the full muslim head dress but were told they couldn't, instead they wear a scalf/headband thing to just cover the top of their heads which is acceptable. I've never seen anyone wearing any religious symbol and I'm always really conscious that I'm not wearing my necklace that's a cross when I'm at work! Also, there are no RS classes, I never realised this but I guess it's obvious with the 'laic' system. Again, I'm not entirely sure I agree with this - surely it would make for a more tolerant society if everyone were to learn about other religions?? Anyway. At 11h when my lessons would have ended I went home and it was my 4h lunch break. The landlord came round to fill in my CAF form, I just need to photocopy it and then, finally, I can send it off. He also said he was replacing our microwave with a microwave/oven... watch this space. I prepared some worksheets for my new private student. The first lesson's always really hard because I never know what level they're going to be which makes it impossible to prepare for. I therefore prepared a worksheet on telling the time (because no one, regardless of their level) can ever do that. I also did a number revision sheet. At about 14h20 I left to go back to Lycee. It was silly going back really, there was no way my secondes were going to be there. When I got there I was able to get in my normal way. The students had subsided after successfully managing to 'bloque' the Lycee. The chairs, tables, bins, matresses etc had been moved to one side. I went to the staff room and was told the lesson was cancelled. I knew it would be. It was ok though, I didn't go all that way for nothing. My private students lives just behind the Lycee and I needed to print off my worksheets. I was slightly early for my cours de conversation which wasn't due to start until 16h30. I waited by the gate and the mum came to get me. It was like an estate but there were gates at the entrance to let the cars in and out. Camille, my student, lives on the 5th floor of a high rise block of flats, that, from the outside looks pretty drab. It was in La Rose - what did I expect?! She met me at the entrance to the block of flats and I was like 'Bonjour, Je m'appelle Gill' and then she faired la bise which I found most random. Her flat is really really nice. I took my shoes off and she gave me a pair of slippers! I was offered tea, coffee, cake! We went into her room and sat down. I introduced myself. I had no idea whether she'd understood me or not. All I knew was that she was in 3ieme - the year below my secondes and if their level was anything to go by then well... I ask her after I'd finished speaking 'what am I doing in France?' and 'what do I study in England?' to see if she'd understood. I told her 's'il y a des choses que tu ne comprends pas, il faut que tu me le dises' and she was like 'd'accord'. We talked about me a bit more, I showed her my map of England and then asked her to introduce herself. We then had a bit of grammar - when to use 'for' and 'since'. I was quite proud, I drew time lines and everything. We talked about the cinema, her hobbies, just general things. We then did the worksheets on telling the time which she couldn't do but she picked it up really quickly. We then revised numbers but, to be honest, her numbers were fine. We then just chatted generally. she explained a film to me she'd seen and I ended up explaining the present perfect continuous - but just one use of it mind - for something that began in the past and is still happening now (because she wanted to say 'I have been playing the piano since I was 9) That linked nicely back to 'since' and 'for'. I then ended up explaining 'he used to have a wife and child' because she was telling me about the film she'd seen. At the end she said she couldn't have a lesson next week because she has a piano lesson, so I won't see her again until December 20th. I was then driven to the metro and got the metro home. I came in and ate, I was about to go for a shower when Rachel asked whether I wanted to go round to hers so off I went. Et voila, jeudi.

The day the bathroom became a swimming pool...

Mercredi, my first ever virtual date... collusion online, on msn, 10am. The pedagogic report plan. But first let me recount the story of Marseille's washing machines...

Rachel's washing machine broke, I think I mentioned it before. The water wouldn't drain out. I did some of her washing for her sometime last week but then my washing machine suffered the same fate. But it was ok, me and Auriane were able to drain the water out and wring the washing out. Ok, there was a small puddle on the floor but a towel easily soaked it up. Auriane then repaired the washing machine and we used it, no problem. We used it again, no problem. Then we used it again and the water didn't drain out. We did the same as last time - opened the door and braced ourselves to catch the water in a bowl. It didn't go as well this time. At the time it was like a horror film. The morning I was supposed to be writing my pedagogic report (I did start it) I ended up paddling in the bathroom. Looking back it's hilarious but at the time it wasn't so funny. Anyway, having nearly drowned I went back to my pedagogic report. I didn't get it finished but it's closer to finished than it had been. If it hadn't have been for the the bathroom becoming a swimming pool it would have got finished.

In the evening, after a wet and stressful day I went to the cinema with Rachel and Lucy to see A la croisee des mondes: la boussile d'or. I was disappointed it wasn't in French. Nevermind, I sat there with my notebook and pen instead noting the vocabulary. Which reminds me, I haven't word referenced it and written it up yet. I wanted to see the film as I've read the book - Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. The film was really really good and I'd recommend everyone to go and see it.

Anyway, that was mercredi, a virtual date to write the pedagogic report plan - things are always better when you work together. My virtual date was interrupted by a near death by drowing experience and then, to reward myself after a somewhat wet day that hadn't gone as planned, I went to the cinema.

The washing machine is now properly fixed you'll be glad to hear. And everything is dry, no damage caused. Thank goodness the bathroom isn't carpeted...

En colere

Tuesday - Lycee. Up at 6 and at Lycee ready for my terminales at 8h. This is the class that the teacher forgot to send me last week. I sat there, a part of me hoping she'd forget again, but no, I wanted them to come. What's the point in me getting there for 8am if I have no one to teach? At 8h30 I was still sat there on my own, they weren't coming were they? At 9h the bell went, no students for a second week running and now I was free until 10h. I went to the staff room and looked on the internet for inspiration for my text messaging lesson for my anglais renforce on Thursday. At 10h I went to my next/first lesson, depending on how you want to look at it. It was Angelique and Leslie who I'm working on the Mafia text with. They said they'd done the exercises on page 40 but the teacher had only given me pages 38 and 39. I went with the exercises with them anyway, it's a good job my french isn't too bad as the sentences were in French and had to be translated into English using the be+present participle. Anyhow, we did that and then I asked them to translate the text into french because I wanted to make sure they'd understood it. I then suggested, at the end of the lesson, that they write the commentaire at home as this had been the third week we'd been working on this text. My next class was my really nice BTS class. I like this class, I have 3 students and I have to talk to them about their work experience. It's good to see them slowly progressing. After this lesson, it was lunch. I went to the the staffroom and saw the teacher of the two terminale students who I do the commentaire with. She asked me how it was going and I told her she hadn't given me page 40 of the book but that I'd gone through the exercises anyway. I said I'd suggested they write the commentaire chez eux and she told me they were doing that on vendredi comme controle. I said, je ne le savais pas and she was like il faut que tu saches. It's al very well her telling me this after the lesson. I don't understand why the teachers don't tell you things before. I mean, Isabelle last week forgetting to send me the eleves, this week, she didn't call me to say she was going to be away. Anne Marie, who leaves me alone in the class, which, although it doesn't bother me is not actually the role of the language assistant. We are not supoosed to take whole classes. And now she is away until the end of term and nobody bothers to tell you, I just happened to overhear a conversation. Sometimes I wonder whether they think, oh, she's just the assistant, it doesn't matter. Grr. I work hard to organise my classes and then the teachers don't send the students or the teachers are away, or they don't tell me what they want me to do. Anyway, after lunch I had more BTS - this time accountancy, not engineering. I only see this class fortnightly, they're quite nice. After the BTS it was Agnes Terminale. It went quite well today, I'm still using the global warming image but it's working well. I'm not sick of it yet like I was the famine/size zero one so we'll keep going with it for a bit until I can no longer bear to draw the world and point to the ice caps and go 'what are these called?' and then ask, 'if they melt what will happen to the sea level?' After this class it should have been mes secondes - la classe de merde que j'adore (and no, that wasn't sarcasm). But as Isabelle was away the class was cancelled so I got to come home. It's a shame because, yet again, I'd planned my lesson. I guess it'll just have to wait until next time. i'm now home and Rachel text to ask if I wanted to go round for a cup of tea, I text back saying I couldn't be bothered to move but that she could come here. She'll be arriving shortly I expect although with her, 30 minutes is usually an hour. No sense of time, now who else do I know who's like that...

Thinking back

It's Tuesday afternoon and I'm desperately trying to think what I did at the weekend. I think the answer is 'not a lot' hence the reason there was no weekend blog post. Saturday, what did I do? Stayed in and worked on my dissertation. Had lunch chez Rachel and then went to the supermarche to buy lentils because I hadn't been able to find them in Casino on Friday. I came back home and continued researching the french education system. On Sunday I continued my research and made couscous with vegetables. I then went to watch the Liverpool Bolton match with Rachel, Lucy, John and Lucy's visitor - Nathaniel. They went for a curry but I came home and had an early night but didn't sleep all that well. I think it was because I hadn't really done alot. On Monday I got up at 8am and got the metro to Castellane picking up the all 3 of the papers on my way. There were articles in both Marseille Plus and 20 Minutes about Les Restos du Coeur and the beginning of their 23rd winter campaign. I went to IKEA to buy a cheese grater because, even though I don't want to grate cheese, I keep wanting to grate potato and not having a cheese grater was starting to annoy me. I got back at about 11h. At 11h30 I went to meet Angeline in the usual place - devant la pharmacie. We went to Cafe Simon for lunch. It was really nice, I had a vegetarian brushetta that was actually called 'vegetarienne' on the menu! It was really nice. Afterwards we went round a few shops and then Angeline came back to mine for a cup of tea. There's a song on the radio that I keep hearing but I don't know what it's called or who sings it. I'd heard it before leaving for IKEA on Cherie FM and Angeline told me about the Cherie FM website. It's the most amazing thing - you can put in that on December 3rd at 8h30 you heard a song and it will tell you which songs were playing at that time! I was therefore able to learn that the song was 'Pomme C' by 'Calogero'. Angeline also told me the name of some songs that she likes and they were ones I'd heard on the radio and that I like too but I didn't know who it was singing them. At 17h30 we left mine and Angeline went home, I went to meet Louise at Vieux Port. She came back from Paris on Monday but was going back on Tuesday. She has an interview for a place at Edinburgh University to do a PGCE to become a Primary School Teacher. Apparently Edinburgh is one of the best for PGCE's... We went for a hot chocolate and agreed that when she comes back on Sunday that we would go to the cinema - there is so much I want to see - Il etait une fois, Agent Double and A la croisee du monde.