Above - the spring sun shines through the window casting a pretty shadow of the pattern of my candle holder.Hello. I'm back by popular demand! It would appear you have all been quite concerned as I haven't posted anything for a while. Well, there are two reasons for that the first being I've been incredibly busy. They second being, that despite being incrediby busy, I don't have a lot to report!
So, the last you heard from me was when I went out with Les Restos du Coeur. Nearly two weeks ago! My word. Can I remember back that far as to what I've been doing...
On Monday (March 10th) I went to Casino (a supermarket - don't worry, I've not turned into a gambler!) to do my shopping and then met Angeline devant la pharmacie at 12h. We went for lunch at 'Chez toi' where I've been a couple of times before. It's really nice - a good vegetarian selection, reasonably priced for the food, tasty... trouble is it's always so empty! Anyway, we had a nice lunch.
On Tuesday I was at Lycee. I don't see the terminale class (you know, the one that hardly ever turned up!) anymore because they've done their exam. I went in anyway for 8h to do some photocopying and lesson planning. I then sat with Andrée (one of the English teachers at Lycée) from 9h to 10h and we just chatted away - in English. As I was free from 9h to 10h she asked whether we could spend the time talking English because she doesn't very often get the chance to speak with an English person. At 10h I had my two terminal girls. There level is so low and the texts the teacher gives me to study with them are too hard but we're plodding on. The text at the minute is rubbish - it's about cranes and building sites - the vocabulary is hard (I didn't know the french for 'crane' (I do now, it's une grue) - how could they be expected to know the english?!) Anyway, they try and they're nice girls. At 11h I had my BTS which are a nice class but this week they were pushing their luck. I told them that my secondes behave better than they do (which is saying something because the behaviour of my secondes is, well 'penible' (look that one up in your new french dictionary!) to say the least.) I had to repeat about 4 times my sentence before they understood. I think they were quite insulted that I compared them to a class of seconde (who are 14, 15 years old, compared with BTS students who are 18+) it seemed to do the trick though. After that it was lunch and then I had more BTS followed by Agnes' terminale. She sent me two students who were lovely. They worked well, they wanted to be there and learn, they were happy and had personalities - as opposed to blank, bored faces that I'm often faced with - they were human! After that I had my secondes - you know, the class whose behaviour is 'penible'. And indeed it was just that - penible. Well, I'd have been shocked with anything more.
Wednesday. I have absolutely no recollection of what I did on Wednesday. It could well have been my dissertation and lesson planning.
Thursday and I was back at Lycee. I began at 8h with Olivia's BTS, then anglais renforce where I did an article, that the teacher had given me, on smoking. After break it was Olivia's terminale and then I had a three hour gap. I'd taken my dissertation to school with me to work on during my three hour gap but Anne Marie (whose anglais renforcé I see on a forghtnightly basis) asked me whether, as I hadn't seen the class last week, I could take them today from 13h to 14h. I said I would, they're a lovely class. So that meant I had an hour for lunch, an hour of classes and then another hour free. I did my news quiz with the anglais renforcé class and then with Marie José's terminale I did keeping fit. I only had 2 of them this week (there were 6 last week). I only had 2 because one was ill and the others had been excluded! I was shocked, they were really nice students! After Lycée I went to Madisons to give her a cours de conversation.
On Friday I was supposed to have my telephone interview - you know, for the TEFL job I applied for for in the summer in the UK. The man called me but apologised for having mislead me. He'd just looked over my application again and realised I'd only be available from the end of July and as he was looking for people available from the beginning of July it wouldn't be possible for him to offer me a job. He apologised for having wasted my time and asked whether there was any way I could be available from the beginning of July - nope, I'm off to Germany to teach English for a girl I met whilst doing my CELTA course last summer. She has set up a language school there and was looking for teachers for an intensive english course in July. Naturally when she asked me I jumped at the chance - see more of the world and all. I was quite annoyed with the man and his interview because the primary school where Louise worked had called me earlier in the week to ask if I could be an accompagniatrice for a school trip to the beach and I'd had to say 'no'. Turns out I could have gone after all. Oh well, maybe they'll call me for the next time. At 14h I met Angeline and we went to eat ice cream together at Vieux Port. It was beautifully warm and sunny - we sat outside with the view of Vieux Port - beautiful. Afterwards we walked towards Joliette to discover another supermarché. I then had a cours de conversation with Doréan at 17h30.
Saturday and Sunday saw more dissertation writing. I now have a very nearly completed dissertation. I just need to reference it and check it. Sunday also so les élections municipales in Marseille (and other cities and towns too). Now, Marseille is the city that most voted UMP (Sarkozy) in the general elections last year so it was reasonable to think that they would revote in their current UMP major - Gaudin. And indeed they did. Whereas the rest of France is swinging towards the left, despite having voted right last year, Marseille is resisting and remaining right. Pity.
Now, this week. Monday. I went to Lycée for 16h. I was going to a french class. It my anglais renforcé class plus a few more. It's a big class and they were loud and noisy. They teacher got quite angry and ended up giving them a controle to calm them down so I got to leave early. I copied the question they'd beeen given as the controle down to do at home. Before going to Lycée I'd met Angeline devant la pharmacie and we'd been for lunch - Bruschetta, at Café Simon. Delicious, comme toujours.
So, the last you heard from me was when I went out with Les Restos du Coeur. Nearly two weeks ago! My word. Can I remember back that far as to what I've been doing...
On Monday (March 10th) I went to Casino (a supermarket - don't worry, I've not turned into a gambler!) to do my shopping and then met Angeline devant la pharmacie at 12h. We went for lunch at 'Chez toi' where I've been a couple of times before. It's really nice - a good vegetarian selection, reasonably priced for the food, tasty... trouble is it's always so empty! Anyway, we had a nice lunch.
On Tuesday I was at Lycee. I don't see the terminale class (you know, the one that hardly ever turned up!) anymore because they've done their exam. I went in anyway for 8h to do some photocopying and lesson planning. I then sat with Andrée (one of the English teachers at Lycée) from 9h to 10h and we just chatted away - in English. As I was free from 9h to 10h she asked whether we could spend the time talking English because she doesn't very often get the chance to speak with an English person. At 10h I had my two terminal girls. There level is so low and the texts the teacher gives me to study with them are too hard but we're plodding on. The text at the minute is rubbish - it's about cranes and building sites - the vocabulary is hard (I didn't know the french for 'crane' (I do now, it's une grue) - how could they be expected to know the english?!) Anyway, they try and they're nice girls. At 11h I had my BTS which are a nice class but this week they were pushing their luck. I told them that my secondes behave better than they do (which is saying something because the behaviour of my secondes is, well 'penible' (look that one up in your new french dictionary!) to say the least.) I had to repeat about 4 times my sentence before they understood. I think they were quite insulted that I compared them to a class of seconde (who are 14, 15 years old, compared with BTS students who are 18+) it seemed to do the trick though. After that it was lunch and then I had more BTS followed by Agnes' terminale. She sent me two students who were lovely. They worked well, they wanted to be there and learn, they were happy and had personalities - as opposed to blank, bored faces that I'm often faced with - they were human! After that I had my secondes - you know, the class whose behaviour is 'penible'. And indeed it was just that - penible. Well, I'd have been shocked with anything more.
Wednesday. I have absolutely no recollection of what I did on Wednesday. It could well have been my dissertation and lesson planning.
Thursday and I was back at Lycee. I began at 8h with Olivia's BTS, then anglais renforce where I did an article, that the teacher had given me, on smoking. After break it was Olivia's terminale and then I had a three hour gap. I'd taken my dissertation to school with me to work on during my three hour gap but Anne Marie (whose anglais renforcé I see on a forghtnightly basis) asked me whether, as I hadn't seen the class last week, I could take them today from 13h to 14h. I said I would, they're a lovely class. So that meant I had an hour for lunch, an hour of classes and then another hour free. I did my news quiz with the anglais renforcé class and then with Marie José's terminale I did keeping fit. I only had 2 of them this week (there were 6 last week). I only had 2 because one was ill and the others had been excluded! I was shocked, they were really nice students! After Lycée I went to Madisons to give her a cours de conversation.
On Friday I was supposed to have my telephone interview - you know, for the TEFL job I applied for for in the summer in the UK. The man called me but apologised for having mislead me. He'd just looked over my application again and realised I'd only be available from the end of July and as he was looking for people available from the beginning of July it wouldn't be possible for him to offer me a job. He apologised for having wasted my time and asked whether there was any way I could be available from the beginning of July - nope, I'm off to Germany to teach English for a girl I met whilst doing my CELTA course last summer. She has set up a language school there and was looking for teachers for an intensive english course in July. Naturally when she asked me I jumped at the chance - see more of the world and all. I was quite annoyed with the man and his interview because the primary school where Louise worked had called me earlier in the week to ask if I could be an accompagniatrice for a school trip to the beach and I'd had to say 'no'. Turns out I could have gone after all. Oh well, maybe they'll call me for the next time. At 14h I met Angeline and we went to eat ice cream together at Vieux Port. It was beautifully warm and sunny - we sat outside with the view of Vieux Port - beautiful. Afterwards we walked towards Joliette to discover another supermarché. I then had a cours de conversation with Doréan at 17h30.
Saturday and Sunday saw more dissertation writing. I now have a very nearly completed dissertation. I just need to reference it and check it. Sunday also so les élections municipales in Marseille (and other cities and towns too). Now, Marseille is the city that most voted UMP (Sarkozy) in the general elections last year so it was reasonable to think that they would revote in their current UMP major - Gaudin. And indeed they did. Whereas the rest of France is swinging towards the left, despite having voted right last year, Marseille is resisting and remaining right. Pity.
Now, this week. Monday. I went to Lycée for 16h. I was going to a french class. It my anglais renforcé class plus a few more. It's a big class and they were loud and noisy. They teacher got quite angry and ended up giving them a controle to calm them down so I got to leave early. I copied the question they'd beeen given as the controle down to do at home. Before going to Lycée I'd met Angeline devant la pharmacie and we'd been for lunch - Bruschetta, at Café Simon. Delicious, comme toujours.
