unrealistic expectations

I thought it would be different here, I really did. I thought to myself ``ok Marseille is a big city, it has to be different right`` WRONG. Now you all might be wondering what I am talking about. I am talking about the lack of public toilets in France. I mean seriously! seriously! It is like the french have no concept of what a public toilet is. Today I went to a museum, while there I wanted to go to a toilet only to be told `non on a pas de toilet ici`` (no we don`t have toilets here). All this in a suprisecd `where does she think she is tone`. I am baffled...what I thought was just a small town quirck is actually nation wide

A dog came into a coffee shop today...it then started barking its head off. It still amazes me that they let dogs in coffee shops, but in anycase a lot of things in France amaze me...not just the lack of public toilets. Oh and for all the warnings I got about Marseille, I have yet to harrased in any form (except by people wanting to read passages of the bible to me) I find that in cases like these rattling off a string of english will get rid of them.

The museum was great, it had what I love ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome so I was in heaven, it took me a while to get there however. I was told at the tourist office that it would take half an hour max...took me about twice that,mainly due to the fact that once you get to the neighbourhood its very hard to find but I had fun walking around the quaint streets and stumbled across a cool cathedral until I found the museum.

That night I went out to dinner , I promised mum I would have bouilbasse but the weather had other ideas, due to the strong winds none of the boats had gone out. Since the restaurant I was in specialised in seafood they were only able to offer one dish to everyone, it was an entree of salad with pine nunts and then steak and chips with a very yummy pesto sauce and a creme brulee. It was I must say one of the best steaks I have ever had. I had it very rare and it was perfect...my teeth are hurting just thinking about it.

Vertigo hostel is great, I ended up in a room with a very nice girl called Fatima we went to coffee together and dinner and just walked around the port, the christmas market was on with its foire des santons and selling all christmas stuff. It still is not snowing here but I will be having a white christmas in Barcelonnette

The last few weeks

School is over for the term and now it is the Christmas Holidays and all I can say is BRING IT ON!!!!. Seriously I am so burnt out at the moment that the last week of teaching was a real struggle. One thing that I find fascinating about french kids is that their education system has managed to zap them of all independant thought or ideas

Anais- Ok Class I would like you to write this down
Kid One: In pen or pencil
Anais- (stays calm) in pen.


Anais; I would like you to colour this red
Kid: In felt or colouring in pencil
Anais (Head explodes)
Kid -holds up three types of red that have hardly any difference
Which one do I use....?
Anais- Argggggggggggggggggggg

If the french education system is guided to squah individual though then they are on the right track....

Another interesting observation is at recre(break) kids have to ask the teachers permission to go and drink (there are no fountains outside). If there is ever a problem they will go up to a teacher and go "maitresse so and so hit me...."

As an outsider all I can do is laugh and ponder at the fate of these children if they ever move overseaa and realise that, no one cares if you draw in felt tips or pencils as long as you do the right colour.

For christmas I am going to Marseille for the weekend then to Barcelonnette (where it is snowing!) and then to Avignon....

Cooking and other things

Since living on my own (well technically there are two other people in this apartment but we hardly see each other due to our schedules). I have come to realise how much I love cooking, I don't know there is just something about being able to make what I want when I want that appeals to me. That and the fact that food here is so goooooooooood. Some of my favourite foods

Sausisson . How can we not have this in New Zealand
Jambon Cru- I have to be so careful with this because I can get carried away and eat the whole packet in one setting
yoghurt- The selection is amazing, I am trying every sort of flavour there is
Orange juice- I also tend to get carried away in this. I brought a two litre bottle of Orange juice yesterday and one litre has gone,
mushrooms- so quick to cook and you can add them to anything

Speaking of food, Claire, Kaia and I went to a crepe restaurant in Digne the other night, it seems we are infamous in this restaurant because the first thing the owner said when he saw us was "oh the girls who won't stop laughing". He was wearing a cool all blacks jersey, I did not ask him about it though....its not really the done thing, had a great night though and the waiter kept us amused .

In terms of school it is going ok, I have the permission from the teachers to write down the names of students that are misbehaving and they then have to write lines at the recre. I have done this and it seems to be working well, now the kids are a lot better behaved as they know I have the power to punish them, and I have used it.

I have moments of real pleasure in class though when kids really get it and show me that they have understood but I know that teaching is not for me.

Shout out to Emma Hyde who is the one who inspired me to update, I was checking out her Tumblr and saw her entry about me:)

Christmas is just around the corner and in celebration I have put up a tree in my room. Two weeks left and then the holidays:)