Only In La Roche!

I've now hit the two month mark! On the one hand it feels like time's ticking by very slowly and that I've been here since forever, I've passed the stage where things are new and exciting and French is a novelty (although having said that some things never cease to amaze me, I still have enough material for a regular blog!). However, on the other hand, yikes a third of the way through, I don't want the easy life to end, Germany is going to be hardcore (I've hardly spoken a word of German since June) and I have a mammoth essay to write before then, which I haven't even started contemplating. Eeeek! I shan't let that get in the way of my fun though, it's not assessed!

I actually had some school at the end of last week and it was very hard to get back into, I just don't suit 8am starts! On Friday in my IDD class an interesting point came up, some pupils wanted to do some work at home for their project (which lasts until February) and they were actually forbidden by the teacher, I couldn't believe it. The reason being that according to the teacher this would be unfair on those who don't have a computer at home. The French principle of equality taken too far if you ask me. If the pupils want to do extra work, let them, it's not often that pupils are so keen! Plus those that don't have a computer are perfectly capable of going to the mediatheque if they like.

On Friday I also went to a sort of history club, there's a nationwide competition that the children are going to enter and I am hoping to help them with their work. Fortunately it just so happens that the subject is the Resistance, which I actually studied myself at A Level, what are the chances! All that work might actually come in useful, not that I can remember any of it. Think I might be spending my Christmas holidays swatting up on my old notes! They're also hoping that I might be able to translate any German that they come across into French, hmmm not so sure about that!

In my European studies class we were discussing mobile phones and I was highly surprised that only 12 out of the class actually had one, these pupils are 15 years old. I can't decide whether that would be the same in the UK (I don't think so), or if the French are less inclined than us to use technology. They're certainly not as open as us about giving their telephone number out and there's practically no technology at school, not even OHPs in all classrooms! And they've only just got a network installed on the computers.

One other note from school is that in English on Monday we were discussing personalities and I mentioned "organiser" and the pupils misheard and thought that I described myself as a "womaniser". That was pretty funny!

The rest of my days at work have been fine, all is ticking along as normal there, although we do have inspectors in this week which is stirring things up a bit! We also have a strike tomorrow, so I will get another day off! I do love it when the French go on strike! It's practically the national sport! However I may eat my words later in the week, I'm going to Paris for the weekend and apparently there's a train strike on Sunday, so I might not be able to get back, fingers crossed all will be ok.

On Friday night all of us assistants went round to Manu and Marta's for a typical Spanish meal that they made for us all. We had a bit of a fright the night before when we misheard Marta saying that she'd "started cooking" for "started cocaine" but all was well! In fact, it was absolutely delicious, we had tortillas, a gazpacho-like soup, croquetas, a delicious chocolate pudding and some nice salads. Am definitely going to have to get the recipes and learn to make all of that!

The weekend was pretty quiet, just generally hanging out, I've been playing lots of cards and watching "Qui veut gagner des millions", no prizes for guessing that show (incidentally, they have 4 life lines, the slackers!) and Pop Idol (notoriously bad!). Things got more exciting on Monday night, I had a hilarious time! I will explain all...There is a serious problem with birds in town, there are quite simply thousands and thousands of starlings, everywhere. They swoop around in hoards of several hundred, make an absolute racket and really, really smell. So admittedly they are a bit of a local pest and problem for the council. However I don't think that the solution proposed by the council is the best! They've held annual "bird scaring" nights for the past 2 years (the fact they've had them before probably shows the inefficiency of this solution!). We got a leaflet informing us that twice a day, at specific times, all residents should leave their houses and make as much noise as possible! The first of these sessions was on Monday, so of course we went along, keen to join in the fun! And what fun it was! I took a couple of bottles to bash together, but we saw and heard everything from whistles to saucepans to cymbals to metal watering cans to drums and tap taps, provided free by the council. There was also an industrial wind blower driving up and down the street, a man with a megaphone playing a recording of some sort of predator bird and to cap it off fireworks being set off in the street aimed straight at the trees or generally anywhere, talk about lack of health and safety regulations! It was just a mad racket, and of course the birds were very disturbed and flew around wildly, adding to the pandemonium! To think that the council workers were paid to do this! It can only have taken place in La Roche, France! Mind you, it will be interesting to see the consequences, I will keep you informed. On another note, what also interested me, was that there were absolutely know protesters, surely in England there would be RSPB supporters out?

Here at my residence we are making a calendar to sell to raise money for a charity fund we have. Every month there is a themed photo with the residents who have a birthday in that month. So Tuesday night was the turn of August, and me of course. Unsurprisingly (as females are extremely outnumbered here), I am the only girl with an August birthday. So we decided that for our shot (which is beach themed) we should all wear beach clothes and the boys would hold me lying across their arms, we'll then photoshop the picture onto a beach scene. We shot the photos last night, which was really funny, fortunately they were strong enough to carry me! It was also outrageously cold, it is nearly December after all. Hopefully I'll be able to buy a copy of the finished product!

It is also "International Solidarity" week here at the residence, so this evening our meal was themed by country (they do love this sort of thing, it's rather like our European week at school was!). The starter was British...it was "Cornish Pasties"! Now firstly, I'm pretty sure it's not normal to have pasties as a starter, very weird concept if you ask me! But secondly, they weren't Cornish Pasties at all! Rather more like a squashed square sausage roll, the filling was just meat (no potato, carrot or swede!) and not even the sort you find in a pasty normally. So I was disappointed (although in retrospect, I don't know why I was actually expecting a genuine pasty, they were bound to get it wrong, especially serving it as a starter!), but it was funny none the less, I just wonder where on earth they got the recipe from!

Well that's the lot for now, I'm just wondering what to do with the rest of my evening, it still feels very odd not to be out on a netball social on a Wednesday night, my body clock is actually set to arrive at Ziggy's in 3 minutes time....!