Catching up and (theoretically) winding down

I'm nearing the end of week 10. My final autumn term. We're well into December but the Christmas festivity is yet to touch me despite living with a group of people who are, quite possibly, the most enthusiastic people on the planet when it comes to Christmas. I've been listening to Christmas carols morning, noon and night from mid-November! But still I fail to feel Christmassy. I've written my cards and wrapped my presents. I've walked the decorated streets of Brighton and witnessed the turning on of the Christmas tree lights on campus. Maybe, after receiving my first Christmas card I'll be able to get into the festive spirit...

So, term is approaching an end. You might therefore expect a winding down of things, but no. This is final year and the deadines are looming, the essays are pouring in and the reading just keep stacking up. I may be counting down the housemates (everyone is going home, there's now only 3 of us left) but I'm not being so successful in counting down the number of tasks I still have left to do. I have a deadline tomorrow for the world's trickiest translation which, after hours of hard slog, is complete and ready to hand in, and, even though I say so myself, pretty good. I also have a deadline for an essay on Friday. And then it's the end of term. but does the work stop? Oh no. I have a 3000 word essay to research and write over Christmas. I still haven't chosen my title. They're all horrid. What ever I choose is going to result in a lot of reading and hard work. I'll have Gide's 'L'immoraliste' or Calvino's 'If on a winter night a traveller' going through my head as I'm tucking into Christmas turkey... or at least I would if I weren't vegetarian! I also have my french oral to consider, my research project reading to do and then just the odd book or 4 to read! Sorry, did someone mention a holiday? I thought I was just going 10 degrees colder north to give myself a change of scenary as I'm putting pen to paper!

I am however hopping over to Marseille on Saturday. I remember being there this time last year, walking the length of La Canebiere, browsing around les marchés du Noel and thinking 'I won't be here this time next year to see this'. Well I will be! Marseille, brace yourself. I'm coming back. For all of 4 days. I'm excited. I'm wondering how the regeneration, that I so painstakingly wrote my 8000 word year abroad dissertation on, is progressing. I wonder whether le Passage de Lorette is still rat heaven and whether any more new shops have opened along la Rue de la Republique. I wonder whether there are new dishes on the menus of my favourtie restaurants, whether the coffee, croissants and bread still taste as delicious and whether it will feel odd being there 'on holiday' rather then having my appartment and living there. Either way - *excitement*.

But that's Saturday and we're only Wednesday. I was supposed to have my interview with Lorica St Patricks today. They're a charity who work with homeless people in Brighton and Hove. I applied to do a couple of hours voluntary work with them back in the summer as I want to be able to compare the homeless situation in France and the UK and what is done to help this section of the population. I thought they would never get back to me but they finally did a couple of weeks ago. I was just putting my coat on this morning to go to the interview when they called to say the person interviewing me had been called away on a 'rare but not unusual' emergency and so the interview was having to be postponed - *disappointment*. They hope to reschedule for later in the week. Tomorrow I'm going onto campus to help Sukina with her research project and to also write my essay. I have 3 short stories to read for a seminar on Friday and then, then I can pack for a brief trip to a (hopefully) warmer climate. Well, it can't be any colder, surely?!

Now, what else did I have to say...? Oh yes. I've found a job. An actual job. You know, a paid one. I was made a provisional offer (provisional on student numbers) and it should (hopefully) be being confirmed this week. I would start in January. It's as an EFL teacher in a private language school in Brighton. They're hopefully going to be giving me an upper intermediate evening class with between 6 and 9 hours of work each week. Perfect. I'm looking forward to it. My faith in private language schools and EFL teaching is in desperate need of being restored following my brief summer encounter with a certain establishement... I need say no more.

So that's all. You're now fully up to date with all goings on in this part of the world. Oh and I had to queue for 23 minutes in the post office today to post my Christmas parcels so if you get a parcel from me consider yourself honoured - I was cursing you! There is, incomprehensibly, only one post office in central Brighton - the one in Ship Street's closed. As I was waiting in the basement of WH Smiths with half the population of Brighton I noticed a poster. A Post Office poster telling it's customers how 'We can't promise a white Christmas but we can promise next day delivery'. After that someone had written in ball point pen - 'and a bloody long que'. I'm presuming they meant 'queue' but still, it is the only word in the English Language that you can take all the letters away from, just leaving the first one, and still be left with the same word - 'q'! I clearly wasn't the only one frustrated with having to q, que or even queue for so long to post my Christmas parcels!