greve off and STOP eating porc brains (late)

Unfortunately what should have been a very exciting week has in fact been quite limited by the wonderful people in France who have decided they would rather wreck their country rather than work an extra two years in order to support an ageing population and an ever increasing life expectancy...My suggestion, maybe you should all just take ONE hour for lunch break instead? Au mon dieu non!!

Rant over. The greves did not however stop us from moving into our lovely new home! We have carpet, sofas AND a cooker!! I am also very pleased with my new little room! See pictures below ( aka. look Mum I'm no longer living in a cave) We made use of the new kitchen on my birthday by cooking a jurassian dinner complete with beaucoup de vin et sticky toffee pudding. If I don’t stem the flow of fromage liquide and charcuterie soon I fear I will soon be waving goodbye to my size ten skinnies and donning the biggest jumper I can find for the rest of my time here!!

Mont D'Or et Morteau!

As for work, this week I was, without any prior warning, given a small group of ‘advanced’ students for a literacy class! *runawayhideunderatable* - How am I supposed to TEACH a language I’m still learning??? However, it turned out the kids were really sweet, we went through the work together and at the end one little girl came up to me and told me it had been a pleasure being taught by me! How sweet ha. So I will have that group on a weekly basis now, which whilst being quite daunting is actually quite comforting that the teachers are trusting me, and my French, to teach their gifted and talented!! I’m also now taking an older class on Thursdays for a purely conversational class which I’m to organise and teach alone, which again is both scary and exciting! Not to mention the adult ateliers de conversations which start after the holidays.


One hilarious, if worrying, observation I made in school this week was that French school teachers seem to be somewhat blind to any form of violence. At break I watched one kid throw a marble into his classmates forehead, another kids took a bloody punch to the nose, one girl took hold of her friends doll and dangled it tauntingly over a bin...and my favourite moment, as I was trying to get one group of boys to count to 100 one headbutted another in the back of the head making him fall of the chair whilst another kicked his friend firmly in the place one does not kick a friend!! Quelle violence!

Outside the classroom, I fully enjoyed my second Italian class! It is so encouraging when you realise that it doesn’t actually matter that the course is being taught in French!!

My housemate and I were also invited to a local book reading in an independant book store (could have spent my years salary there and then). We learnt a lot about Italian immigration in the surrounding area and were welcomed by everyone there. I even have a signed book as a momento!

I start les vacances with the prospect of a day in Lons-le-Saunier tomorrow, dinner at a friends on Tuesday and a long awaited trip to Besancon on Wednesday!!

p.s. I really don’t see why selling porc brains, horse or rabbits (with heads) in Casino is necessary, merci very much.