There haven't been a lot of posts recently for the simple reason that I haven't been doing anything worthy of writing about. I came back to uni a week ago today - so a Thursday. I took the train. The journey wasn't all that smooth as I missed my first train of the day which messed up the connections for the rest of the journey. I was supposed to get the 0921 Arriva Trains Wales service to Newport but, due to the atrocious weather conditions, a lorry skidded on the black ice and got wedged in the hedgerow blocking a narrow country lane, it just so happened to be the country lane that led to Ludlow and the train station. By the time a u-turn had been done (yes we did leave the stranded lorry driver wedged in the hedgerow!) my train had been and gone without me. I therefore ended up getting the 0948 Arriva Trains Wales service to Newport where I had missed my once-an-hour train to Southampton Central and so had a bit of a wait. 45 minutes later I was on my way again. When I finally got to Southampton Central I had to wait another 40 minutes for a train to Brighton and then there were further delays because of signalling problems. I finally arrived back in my room at about half four - 7 hours after leaving home! After unpacking I went to Tesco to stock up on food.
On Friday I went onto campus - I went to the library and printed out the records from my research into my family tree (I have begun researching the ancestors after receiving a book entitled 'Tracing your Family History' for Christmas.)
On Saturday I did my voluntary work (I am no longer allowed to say where I work - it's a charity shop somewhere nearby). I stayed until about 16h but I am just going to be doing the morning. That will be plenty. We had quite a lot of donations coming in so there was plenty of sorting to do. I can't say as the quality was particularly amazing - it's incredibly that people think we can sell dirty underwear and chipped mugs. And to think we have to smile and be thankful when receiving such donations (although when we're handed a plastic bag or cardboard box we don't know whether it's dry cleaned Monsoon trousers or smelly socks). After I left I made a start on the crossword - I do the one in the Daily Telegraph on a Saturday. I started doing it last year because the lady who I vounteer with on a Monday morning does it and she brings it in to see if anyone can help her with any she can't do. And then there's a customer who comes in who also does it so it's like a team effort. But she wasn't there this Monday, nor will she be there next. I'm still doing the crossword though!
On Sunday I went out in search of a jack to jack lead but found them to be ridiculous in price so I didn't bother buying one of those. I went for a walk in the afternoon. I also did some reading and some painting - I bought from Homebase a canvas with a pattern printed on it. It's a bit like painting by numbers if I'm honest but with acrylic paints. It's keeping me occupied anyway!
On Monday it was raining. I went to do my voluntary work, but just until 12h30 because I have to be on campus for a lecture at 14h. It was a quiet morning. Nothing much happened. I did a refund for £14.98 at about 11h and that was before we'd sold anything! I think we'd gotten ourselves back up to £0 before I left! The lecture at 14h on a Monday is for something entitled 'French Special Subject' which is no where as thrilling as it might sound. It's a module about Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. The lecture was far from interesting. Looking round the room after 3o long minutes I could see the tired faces of people stifling yawns, doodling on their paper in an attempt not to fall asleep: the lecturer was doing nothing more than reading to us. After 60 long minutes I had an hour before my French seminar. I had a couple of things to do so it went quite quickly. We didn't do too much in the seminar at 16h. At 17h I was on my way home.
Tuesday was, and will continue to be all term, quite a busy day. I have a 10h seminar which accompanies Monday's 14h lecture. I then have, at 11h, a research project meeting (although that isn't starting until next week). And then it will be either (except next week when I have both) a 13h lecture or a 16h seminar for Discourse in Public Life which looks like it could be quite interesting. Trouble is it's being run by the same two teachers who so unsuccessfully ran Communication Analysis last term. The end of term feed back must have been awful because they are clearly making an effort to do better this term. I'm not convinced they will improve but I'll console myself with the thought that it really can't be any worse. So, I'd finished at 14h and I went to meet a friend for a cup of tea in Marks and Spencer. Well, actually I had a coffee.
Wednesday is a day off - yey - we like those. I stayed in and worked until about midday when I went to Tesco. Then I came back and did some more work before starting my new Wednesday voluntary position with a night shelter for the homeless. It's something I've been interested in doing because, after having worked with the homeless in Marseille, I wanted to know what was available in the UK. Particularly because the french press is often contrasting the high number of people sleeping on the streets in France with the relatively low number in the UK. In France I was working with the people on the streets, we provided food, hot drinks and basic toiletries. We didn't do anything to help them get their lives together or move off of the streets. My work here in the UK is with people who have made that step - to get off the streets. I am helping in the evening to prepare a meal for these people and then serve it and just talk to them about their day etc etc.
Thursday is very much like Wednesday - a day off. I went onto campus in the search of some books and then popped into the charity shop where I work to talk to the Manager about my dissertation. I have to write a dissertation this year as I'm a final year undergrad. I'm looking at the difference in male and female Manager's speech when interacting with volunteers. I'm trying to get it off the ground in an attempt to have it 75% completed by the Easter break. Don't hold your breath.
And so that's it really. Nothing exciting has happened. I got 66% for last term's translation which I was pleased with. Nothing else worth mentioning I don't think.
Qui êtes-vous ?
- Gill
- I'm an ex-student. A vegetarian ex-student. A vegetarian ex-student who studied English Language and French at the University of Sussex in Brighton. I spent the 2007-8 academic year on my year abroad (in Marseille, France) which is when I started the blog. It was a way of keeping my family and friends back in England updated with what I was up to without racking up gigantic phone bills. I enjoyed my degree. I originally wanted to be an EFL Teacher, I even did the CELTA. I still get excited about grammar, about the present perfect continuous and phrasal verbs. But it's not a career I want to fall into. I love speaking French too and learning new words. Now I've finished my degree I miss my Student Discount. I miss my title of 'Student' too. I'm a Project Worker now, a far cry from an EFL teacher. I've swapped my international students for rough sleepers and my text books for substance misuse and harm minimisation leaflets. I've decided to stay in Brighton, for a while at least. I might do a Masters, you never know. But, at present, I'm quite happy being a Project Worker. I'd still like to travel mind, maybe teaching as I go. But we'll see - at present I'm just fine where I am.