Yikes! Three Months Today Since We Left Home

As ever, where is the time going?

I think I’m almost at a stage where I don’t miss home so much any more. I plan on going back at some point but I’m not *yearning* for it now.

The last three months have been a roller coaster of events and emotions. We packed up our entire lives, got rid of everything we owned, and moved into Josh’s parents’ place a week before we left Perth. Then very early on the 17th of September, we drove to the airport. I still remember how surreal it felt on the way there, and the late winter fog made it all the more so.

Since then we’ve Couchsurfed in London and Marseille, become tenants for the first time, settled into life on the other side of the world, gotten jobs… the amount of experiences we’ve had in just three months is incredible and I won’t go into details here. What I will focus on is the lessons I’ve learnt since leaving home and what our next three months are hopefully going to look like.

Things have been tough. I’m one of those people who needs to control everything and have structure and, most importantly, to be liked. Coming to France ripped all of that out from under my feet! In the beginning, I felt really depressed because things weren’t turning out the way I’d envisaged before we left home. Reality hit hard when we got here and it wasn’t all *perfect.* People could be rude. The city is grimy. Nobody picks up after their dog. We struggled to find housing. But in going through all of that and coming out the other side, I’ve learnt perspective. The perspective to say that there are bad things happening, but there are good things, too. I don’t know if any experience can top moving abroad in terms of gaining perspective!

In the next three months, I will complete almost all of my program (I’ll have about a month left), and we’ll determine what we’ll do thereafter. In terms of the program, I hope to improve my lesson planning and teaching skills by reflecting on my lessons and maybe even communicating with my teachers a bit more. Personally, I’m hoping to write more frequently and I’m setting a goal to write one blog post and one short story a week.

Finally, I can say that I’m glad we came. The challenges we’ve faced are worth it. The more I believe that it will all be alright, the more of myself I put into it and the more it does turn out alright.

Australia Needs to Have a Federal Department for the Arts!

Time to channel my inner Gordon Ramsay!

In the spirit of protestation and defiance gripping France at the moment, this article is my bit towards protesting the Morrison government’s latest act, which was to axe the federal arts department. I was speechless when I saw the news last Thursday that the Department for Communications and the Arts is being folded into a new super department which will also oversee roads and rail.

I’ll just give you a second to take that in.

Yes, that’s right, the arts are now in the same department as infrastructure. Because that’s exactly what springs to mind when you think about culture…

The name of this department will be the “Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.” The word “arts” isn’t even in there! The Libs are maintaining that this is just a technicality but words are powerful. Without the word, how can it be considered? So much easier to be ignorant of something that isn’t given visibility or importance. Omissions like this are very telling, and they pave the way for bigger things to come.

So why does it matter that the arts department isn’t going to exist in its own right anymore? And, why should we all care about it? Lots of reasons. Many people may consider the arts to be a frivolous hobby with no real value in society, but there is more to art than meets the eye. Arts’ role in society runs from increased economic prosperity to improved quality of life.

Firstly, the arts, by which I mean disciplines including music, literature, and theatre as well as visual art, is an industry valued at over 111 billion dollars per year in Australia. Clearly, the arts in Australia does have quite a bit of a financial contribution to make and one wonders why the government would choose to undermine such prosperity. It seems like an act of cutting off the nose to spite the face.

Secondly, and this is the real point I want to make: art is needed for, and a product of, healthy cohesive communities! It enriches our lives, informs our cultural identity, and helps us to live better lives. Without art, we are little more than robots, going to work, getting paid, repeat ad nauseum. Why do we do it? What’s the point? Is there a way to make meaning from our pathetically short time on the face of the earth? YES – to create stories from our experience and share them with others! Also known as… Art!!!!

In terms of art informing cultural identity, as a language assistant I have a long list of Australian art I wanted to share with my students to give them a taste of what it means to be Australian. Works such as Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, or movies like The Castle and The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, paintings, songs, poetry – all of these help to create an identity and sense of belonging to a group. Not to mention, without the help of works like this, how else can I show these French students that Australia is more than just a really big island on the other side of the world where it gets really hot and there are a bajillion deadly animals? These works tell of experiences that we as Australians can relate to and say, yes, this is like our life. They connect us and shape our lives and to not have this would be an indescribable loss.

The Arts hold a vital place in a healthy society, which the government has a duty to maintain and nurture, not disrupt and cut back. Australia could flourish. Everyone needs to promote the arts in whatever way they can and show the government that we care.

For further reading:
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/arts-community-mobilises-against-scott-morrison-after-federal-arts-department-axed
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/massive-backwards-step-australia-to-no-longer-have-a-federal-arts-department
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/opinion-the-loss-of-the-arts-department-is-a-loss-for-australia-s-humanity


In Which I Try Senegalese Food for the First Time

Some time back, I wrote a bucket list of all the things I wanted to do while we’re here in Marseille. One of those things was going to a Senegalese restaurant and trying out a new cuisine – and we got to do just that last night!

The idea to go to Ziguinchor restaurant had been floating around for a while. We’d brought it up with a new friend from America when we first met up about a month ago, but then life things got in the way as they tend to do. Eventually we found a date that worked for all of us and enthusiastically made the booking. This friend happens to be flying out today to begin a working holiday in New Zealand, so talk about getting in just in the nick of time!

Ziguinchor is just off Cours Julien (aka the coolest bit of Marseille). It’s quite cosy (read: small) but it had a really friendly and welcoming vibe going. It was like all the patrons and staff knew each other and were just there to socialise together. The restaurant is only open from 7:30pm to 11:30pm Tuesday to Sunday and our booking was for 9:00. So not only did we get to try a new cuisine, but also really got into the spirit of it by eating way past our normal dinner time!

There was plenty to choose from including entrees, mains, desserts and drinks. From my own uninitiated view point, everything appeared to be authentic West African dishes. I ordered Senegal’s national dish, thieboudienne, which was a grouper cutlet and vegetable stew served with a heaping mound of fragrant rice, and a little bowl of the broth it was cooked in off to the side. The fish had been stuffed with herbs and I think it had been fried before being cooked with the vegetables, which were eggplant, cabbage, carrot, and a starchy vegetable that I didn’t recognise. Josh had a chicken dish with an onion, lemon and olive sauce, and our friend, being vegan, had the veggie option which appeared to be the same thing as what I got, minus the fish. Of course, we gobbled it up before I remembered to take a photo for this post!

Not the exact meal I had, but this dish is thieboudienne Mayalabeil75

We were way too full after that to even consider dessert, but I saw some appealing sweets being brought out to other customers and it would be fun to go back to sample those one day.

We all agreed that the food was good, wholesome, and a great way to experience a totally unknown (to us) culture and cuisine. The service was friendly and quite efficient, and we’d go back there one day to have a taste of other dishes. Most importantly, it was a fun night out to send off a friend to her next adventure on the other side of the world!

Restaurant details:

Restaurant Ziguinchor
20, rue Pastoret
13006 Marseille

Ph. 04 91 47 72 91

Restaurant africain à Marseille

Two Months Down: Reflections on Another Month of the Program

Ummm… where did November (and the whole year) go?? I can’t be the only one who feels like time goes exponentially faster the closer to the end of the year you get.

So another month of my seven month program over. Done and dusted. I’ve worked out that that means only thirteen weeks of the remaining five months I will actually be working as an assistant. The rest of the time is les vacances scolaires!

Probably the best way to describe the last month is as a period of rapid change and transition, which hasn’t always been comfortable, but appears to be slowing down now. There isn’t enough room in this post for everything that Josh and I have experienced and learnt in just the last four weeks. Suffice it to say that we have dealt with everything from language barriers, starting new jobs, moving house, being locked out of our bank account, convincing unhelpful telco salespeople to help us, running out of money a week before pay day, and no, that isn’t even everything.

I like to think that this has all been valuable life experience, and that despite the anxiety, tears, and stress, it will get easier with persistence and resilience. There have been plenty of times when I’ve been fed up of the poor organisation, paperwork and communication breakdowns and I’ve wanted to chuck it all in and go home. Luckily I had gone into the program knowing that it wasn’t all going to be smooth sailing and that knowledge has been my driving force in trying to improve my circumstances.

As far as the program itself is concerned, it is going OK. It has its good and bad points like anything else out there. I’m not entirely certain I’d recommend it to anyone thinking about participating in it in the future. I may change my mind about that later on. The issues I’m seeing are probably a matter of the general awkwardness that you can expect from starting any job, but multiplied by a squillion because it’s on the other side of the world, in another language, and I’m still settling in.

What I personally enjoy about my job is meeting the students and getting to know them. The literature classes are my favourite, hands down. I looove literature and the opportunity to discuss the meaning of the stories, placing them in their cultural contexts, and getting to widen my own reading repertoire is just the best. Also, these kids are pretty strong in English and it’s possible to talk about more interesting topics with them.

What I dislike, generally, is teaching. Well, I guess, more specifically all the non-teaching aspects of being a teacher, like lesson planning and classroom management. I also dislike the fact that there’s an expectation that I’ll teach kids when I’m here as a language assistant. I suppose to look on the bright side, it’s valuable professional experience! I’m getting pretty darn good at improvising 😉

Stay tuned for the end of December!

The Symbol of Marseille: Notre Dame de la Garde

Image result for notre dame de la garde creative commons
Notre Dame de la Garde. From Wikimedia Commons.

Not to be confused with the local metro station, Notre Dame du Mont – it is actually very confusing because Notre Dame de la Garde is perched on top of a large hill, aka a “mont” in French. But today’s topic is the very famous and emblematic cathedrale Notre Dame de la Garde, and not a metro station…

We had decided to walk all the way up to the cathedral as a good way of getting some much-needed exercise in. It didn’t turn out to be *that* demanding of a walk as far as up-hill walks go, in fact, it was very pleasant indeed.

Apart from the bracing 10 degree cold, it was very nice all round! But we really needed warmer clothes than what we had on for those temperatures.

When you get up there, you can walk all around the cathedral for amazing views of the port, the city and the sea. Along with the incredibly detailed mosaics inside the basilica, the views were more than worth the time and energy expended to get there. All of the wiggly-windy streets, terracotta tiled rooftops and chimney pots really give a feel for the history of the city and how it’s existed for more than two thousand years. You wonder at all that the city has seen and at all the life that continues to teem far below, too small to see from your vantage point on top of the hill.

Then inside the basilica, you can marvel at how stunning and ornate it is. The walls are covered with paintings, while mosaics line both the ceiling and floors. As if that wasn’t enough, there are even miniature ships dangling from the ceiling! This is because of course Marseille is a port city, with trade and fishing being important aspects of its soul. Even though it’s right at the summit of a large hill, in times gone by, fishermen used to drag their boats up so that they could be blessed by the Virgin Mary. This is why the cathedral is so emblematic of Marseille.

Some of the many paintings that lined the walls
Even the floor was intricately decorated.
The mosaics and ships

All in all, this was an enjoyable afternoon out. We got plenty of walking, and were rewarded with awe-inspiring views, the chance to reflect on our place and the history of such an ancient city, and to take in what must be one of the most beautiful places of worship! This is a must-see for people who are planning on visiting Marseille.

Marseille Bucket List (along with a few things we have already done)

Josh and I have six months left in Marseille – where on Earth did our first month go??

Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with a massive case of homesickness which has made it difficult to properly settle in and enjoy all that Marseille has to offer (which, in turn, has perpetuated the homesickness…)

So, as a way to overcome the pangs of loneliness and need for all that is beloved and familiar, I am creating a bucket list of “musts” for the next six months. Simultaneously taking my mind off missing everything and everyone back in Perth, and having a good time here too. Win win!

My list is mostly to do with places to be in and experience, rather than going on tours or other common “tourist” activities. For me it’s about getting under the skin of a place and learning how to integrate, rather than spending a fortune on that sort of thing. I just like to get around and see for myself the hum of a place.

So without further ado, here is my list:

  1. Hiking in the Calanques. I have done this already and would definitely do it again, and recommend it to anyone!!
  2. Have an ice cream at EGO cafe at Cours Julien. They let you scoop your own flavours, of which there are many, and charge you by the weight. Josh had an organic rosemary honey ice cream there yesterday and it was delish!
  3. Go on a day trip to Aix-en-Provence – it’s really close to Marseille and it’s a charming town, very easy to walk around and see it all in a day. Just don’t bother doing the Cezanne trail: we found it very underwhelming and nothing particularly relevant to Cezanne on it.
  4. Enjoy happy hour on the Vieux Port. It lasts from 5pm to 9pm every day, and there’s a really nice vibe in the area.
  5. Go and have dinner at a North African restaurant. Marseille is a very diverse city with a vibrant North African scene so it seems like a waste to not try out some yummy food, especially since you don’t really get too many Senegalese or Algerian, etc, places back in little ol’ Perth!
  6. Have a drink at one of the places overlooking the sea, such as Bistrot Plage. On the pricier end but worth it for the views.
  7. Walk all the way up to Notre Dame de la Garde. If nothing else, the climb up the hill will prepare us for the next time we go hiking in the Calanques (!)
  8. Try bouillabaisse. It’s Marseille’s most famous culinary tradition – can’t leave without trying it!! Just gotta work out where to get some that isn’t served in a tourist trap…
  9. Spend an afternoon at a cafe. Taking it slow and soaking up atmosphere appears to be a national past time (along with cancelling trains, but we won’t go there now). Plus it’s long been a dream to be in France, and go to a cafe, while away a few hours, watch passers-by, and write stories.
  10. Check out some live music at Cours Julien. Apparently at night time it’s a very bustling place – more so than during the day, when it’s already quite busy – sounds like it’d be fun to check out.
  11. Sketch some of the street scenes, shop fronts and roof tops. The roof tops! I cannot impress upon people how much joy they bring me. A maze of terracotta tiles and chimney pots all going this way and that. I love them so much.
  12. Go to the Four des Navettes, the oldest bakery in Marseille, and try navettes, Marseille’s local biscuit. While we’re on the subject of bakeries, do people realise just how much power bakers actually have in France? Teachers and railway companies may strike and that’s a pain but life goes on. Should bakers ever go on strike… oh man, the whole country would be brought to its knees.
  13. Check out La Friche La Belle de Mai, which sounds like it is only open in summer, so hopefully it’ll already be open in early May next year as we might not be here in summer. But if we can make it there, it sounds like it’d be worth the trip. Apparently it is a former tobacco factory that has been converted into an art and cultural space and now houses workshops, events and shops.
  14. Visit the Roman Docks Museum. Somewhat surprisingly, I don’t *love* a lot of museums (maybe I’m just going to the wrong ones??) but I think seeing all the Roman artefacts that have been found in the port would probably be quite interesting. This is also the reason why I’m not including MuCEM in this list.
  15. Go to Palais Longchamp and see the “zoo” of animal statues, and the fine art gallery. The only reason I haven’t done this already is that it’s closed until December.

So yeah, that’s my list! If I learn about any more awesome things here in Marseille I’ll let you know. I can’t wait to try out as many things as I can while we’re living here over the next six months. Do you know, even just writing this has really helped my homesickness. I’m more excited now, and less yearning for home.

My First Two Weeks of Being A Language Assistant

My program began on the first of October. Prior to that, the local education department had sent me a timetable for my first week and on the first, I was meant to meet my new English teacher at the school at 8:30am. However, in a stellar example of French administration, nobody had thought to inform the teacher of this and he couldn’t meet me then. The first he heard of it was when I emailed him to confirm that I was expected then! Not to worry though, we just arranged another time and everything was OK.

The rest of the week was given over to a couple of training sessions and an introduction to the French school system. Then this week I began my two weeks of observation in the classes. Still more communications gaps, as I hadn’t been told which rooms the classes were being held in, nor the names of the teachers. One teacher hadn’t even been told to expect me, and several were not entirely sure what my role was actually meant to be. A couple of times the class that I was meant to be observing was having a test so I got to have a free hour (good when the it was my last class for the day, not so good when it was right in the middle though!) All in all a very interesting week.

My first day was made even more memorable when I was locked in the library over the lunch hour. The librarian didn’t realise that I was still in there when she left to have her lunch, and at the time I didn’t know that the library closed for lunch. So I was very happy when she came back and I could leave! The poor lady looked mortified and was terribly apologetic.

The classes themselves were very interesting to be a little fly on the wall and watch the interactions between the students, their teacher, and the class material. Every class has a kid who is better than everyone else at English. There is always a group of girls who would rather be off socialising than learning English. Almost all the kids in every class either could not or would not speak English out of self-consciousness. It really seems like I have my work cut out for me when I start teaching!

Time to Start Something New

In September 2019 I will fly to the other side of the world to start a placement in France’s language assistant program, which will have me helping out in two high schools in central Marseille. I’ll be working with the English teachers there and helping the kids speak English.

This blog is where I’ll be documenting my life as an English assistant, getting used to a new city, as well as Marseille-specific posts. It’s primarily to enable friends and family in Australia to keep up with what I’m doing during this placement, but also to help other language assistants by sharing useful information for them.

As I write this, there are exactly seven weeks left until I take off. Obviously it’s very exciting but there are still many loose ends to be attended to before leaving. I might do a few “travel preparation” posts – stay tuned!

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

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The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

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You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

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