Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
...et le Français!
After the children sang, the adults all gathered together (informally) and continued to sing for an hour or so. First in Occitan (as it is still practiced in this corner of France) and then they sang this one, in French, but it still carries the tune and harmonies of the old Occitan songs. In this video, the man in the large sweater is Dennis, to whom I give English lessons, the mayor of Tarbes, wearing the blue tie and suit, and the director of Jean Moulin (when I pan to the right), M Peyrot whose CM2 class I teach and who I think resembles Poppie :)
Vive l'Occitan
Occitan is the original language of southern france. I had the chance to attend an evening of music at the Mairie (town hall) where I saw some of my students from Jean Moulin sing this song about a man who is head over heels in love with a woman who does not want him... in the end he says he will go drown himself over her and she replys, 'well, should you go drown yourself, all you will be is drowned' I got a kick out of it :)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Emploi du Temps
Lundi/Monday | Mardi/Tuesday | Mercredi/Wednesday | Jeudi/Thursday | Vendredi/Friday | |
8h | |||||
9h | Sendère CM1 (9h-9h45) | Sendère CM2 (9h-9h45) | Debussy CE1 (9h-9h45) | ||
10h | Sendère CM2 (9h45-10h30) | Sendère CM1 (9h45-10h30) | Debussy CE2 (10h-10h45) | ||
11h | Sendère CE1 (11h15-12h) | Debussy CM1 (10h45-11h45) | |||
12h | Lunch with Suzanne | ||||
13h | |||||
14h | Jean Moulin CM2 (14h-14h45) | Sendère CE2 (14h-15h) | Jean Moulin CE1 (14h-14h45) | ||
15h | Sendère CE1 (15h-15h45) | Jean Moulin CE1 (14h45-15h30) | |||
16h | Jean Moulin CM2 (15h30-16h15) | ||||
17h | |||||
#'s | Sendère 05.62.93.12.87 | Jean Moulin 05.62.93.21.70 | Debussy 05.62.44.15.06 |
Back in the Swing
7 November 2009
Another rainy day in Tarbes. The weather was beautiful through the end of Octover, and even the 1st of November I was walking around in a t-shirt. But now all the skiiers and snowboarders are getting what they prayed for... snow on the mountains.
As I walk south towards one of my schools, Debussy, its as if I'm driving SE on Rand road. It seems the road I'm on will lead right to the tallest landmark if I just keep going. But rathe rthan the SEars Tower, I hav the Pic du Midi. Now she is crowned in all her glory with a thin layer of white - but everyday it continues to rain, I can be sure that she is one day closer to a BLANKET of white (update: its sunny and beautiful... the snow falls on the mountain but its sunny and warm here in Tarbes as I finally make this post weeks later), and I am one day closer to a sore bottom!
My new friends here are convinced that they will get me on board for a weekend of skiing in the mountains... I told them, "only if there's an afternoon of jacuzzi lounging prévu at the end!" I think they'll be willing to accomodate.
There is a spa, Aquensis, in one of the local towns. Sarah said she went a couple times last year and that it was fabulously relaxing, especially in winter - as there's a solarium with an all-glass roof, and you lay in the warmth while you watch the snow fall down 'on top' of you... ahhhhhhhh.
So as for right now, I'm back on track from a week-long break (the French really know how to do it - 5 to 6 weeks of work/school, 15 days of vacation, rinse and repeat). My school/teaching schedule changed a bit (see posted schedule: Emploi du Temps) but only for Thursday afternoon, and this makes far more sense.
Its been a while since I gave any updates on my living situation, as it was, I needed out of Natalia's place ASAP, told the landlord at 56 rue Georges Lassalle such, and also told him that if he didn't have the repairs done on the studio so that I could move in BEFORE Thursday, that I would find something else... Well, that lazy man made some calls, ending in a "tuileur" coming to replace the broken roof "tuiles" Tuesday, Octover 27.
It had rained during the night so the roof was slick - so apparantly the tuileur fell and twisted something, but would be back to finish the job later that afternoon... HA! I had to call M Estrade, the propriétaire (landlord) three times to get that news! Wednesday arrives... is it fixed? can I get a key and move my things in? No. The tuileur is coming back later today to finish, but I'm going out of town till Friday morning. I can give you the keys and sign the papers then, that's pretty soon, you can wait, right?... As I was on the phone with him, feeling fed-up, I was seeing apartments at 3 Cours de Reffye, another building in town which is directly across from M Estrade's office and also very close to Place de Verdun. So I reminded Estrade that I had told him that I needed to be out of Natalia's BEFORE Thursday, to which he said, well Friday morning is not too late. I told him I'd call him back. What a jerk!
Right then and there, I turned, faced teh lovely elderly lady whose name I still do not know, and told her I'd be moving in that very evening!
There are six liveable apartments in the building, and only one other tenant - a handsome young French man named Florent (who I never see because he is either looking for work during the day or is out with his fiancée at night - he moved to Tarbes to be with her, ahhh French romance!) So in moving here, I really had my pick of the lot! I chose a bright little studio on the 3ème étage aka 4th floor, with a blue tiled bathroom and a red dusty rug in the mainroom. Its a studio, probably about 25m2 or about 260ft2 that looks out on a courtyard... a rather disorderly courtyard. But being that I'm on a relatively high floor I have no one looking in on me and I get to look out over the broken tiled rooftops. This is my little piece of France, and I love it.
Little by little I'm feeling more at home here - decorating, cooking, and hosting my new friends for apéros (apératifs or cocktails and snacks). I bought myself a little oven yesterday for 30euros and a magnificent, thick, long sweater that I'm using as my robe (doubles for having guests over as a house coat!) and I'm avoiding stepping outdoors in today's rain by putting both to good use. I'm doing my favorite things, in my favorite outfit: cooking and baking in my pajamas (while wearing my new wonderful slippers -thank you Mom- my new wonderful sweater, and a rather new beautiful apron with poppies on it)
Today's lunch menu: Home-baked beer-pretzels (currently the dough is rising as I write) and a spicy low-fat egg salad with dijon mustard, no mayo (mayo is yucky), broccoli, and shredded carrot, and some camembert and brebis afterwards (I wouldn't be living the French life if I didn't have a cheese course, now would I?) Lunch will probably be served at my little table by the kitchen windwo overlooking the courtyard around 2, as I did not get out of bed until 11 and them made tea and got back in for a bit! Beads of moisture frost my window from the inside as I work away at warming the apartment with my cooking and the wind works away at cooling the town.
Tonight I will be going to Sarah's for crepes and have prepared a bottle of Fraise Tagada... Haribo candy mixed days before with vodka so the candy melts and creates a fantastic bright pink concoction - but I have added some grapefruit and orange juice so its not as strong, but still extremely pretty! I think that this evening there will be about 7 or 8 people at Sarah's studio (update: there were about 20 as people brought friends). Included in the mix are a Chilean, a Colombian, and Irish girl, two United Statesians, two French guys, and maybe even a guy from Turkey and one from Romania. These are my friends, and although we're very different, we come together over a love of cultural exchange, good food, and good spirits!
Another rainy day in Tarbes. The weather was beautiful through the end of Octover, and even the 1st of November I was walking around in a t-shirt. But now all the skiiers and snowboarders are getting what they prayed for... snow on the mountains.
As I walk south towards one of my schools, Debussy, its as if I'm driving SE on Rand road. It seems the road I'm on will lead right to the tallest landmark if I just keep going. But rathe rthan the SEars Tower, I hav the Pic du Midi. Now she is crowned in all her glory with a thin layer of white - but everyday it continues to rain, I can be sure that she is one day closer to a BLANKET of white (update: its sunny and beautiful... the snow falls on the mountain but its sunny and warm here in Tarbes as I finally make this post weeks later), and I am one day closer to a sore bottom!
My new friends here are convinced that they will get me on board for a weekend of skiing in the mountains... I told them, "only if there's an afternoon of jacuzzi lounging prévu at the end!" I think they'll be willing to accomodate.
There is a spa, Aquensis, in one of the local towns. Sarah said she went a couple times last year and that it was fabulously relaxing, especially in winter - as there's a solarium with an all-glass roof, and you lay in the warmth while you watch the snow fall down 'on top' of you... ahhhhhhhh.
So as for right now, I'm back on track from a week-long break (the French really know how to do it - 5 to 6 weeks of work/school, 15 days of vacation, rinse and repeat). My school/teaching schedule changed a bit (see posted schedule: Emploi du Temps) but only for Thursday afternoon, and this makes far more sense.
Its been a while since I gave any updates on my living situation, as it was, I needed out of Natalia's place ASAP, told the landlord at 56 rue Georges Lassalle such, and also told him that if he didn't have the repairs done on the studio so that I could move in BEFORE Thursday, that I would find something else... Well, that lazy man made some calls, ending in a "tuileur" coming to replace the broken roof "tuiles" Tuesday, Octover 27.
It had rained during the night so the roof was slick - so apparantly the tuileur fell and twisted something, but would be back to finish the job later that afternoon... HA! I had to call M Estrade, the propriétaire (landlord) three times to get that news! Wednesday arrives... is it fixed? can I get a key and move my things in? No. The tuileur is coming back later today to finish, but I'm going out of town till Friday morning. I can give you the keys and sign the papers then, that's pretty soon, you can wait, right?... As I was on the phone with him, feeling fed-up, I was seeing apartments at 3 Cours de Reffye, another building in town which is directly across from M Estrade's office and also very close to Place de Verdun. So I reminded Estrade that I had told him that I needed to be out of Natalia's BEFORE Thursday, to which he said, well Friday morning is not too late. I told him I'd call him back. What a jerk!
Right then and there, I turned, faced teh lovely elderly lady whose name I still do not know, and told her I'd be moving in that very evening!
There are six liveable apartments in the building, and only one other tenant - a handsome young French man named Florent (who I never see because he is either looking for work during the day or is out with his fiancée at night - he moved to Tarbes to be with her, ahhh French romance!) So in moving here, I really had my pick of the lot! I chose a bright little studio on the 3ème étage aka 4th floor, with a blue tiled bathroom and a red dusty rug in the mainroom. Its a studio, probably about 25m2 or about 260ft2 that looks out on a courtyard... a rather disorderly courtyard. But being that I'm on a relatively high floor I have no one looking in on me and I get to look out over the broken tiled rooftops. This is my little piece of France, and I love it.
Little by little I'm feeling more at home here - decorating, cooking, and hosting my new friends for apéros (apératifs or cocktails and snacks). I bought myself a little oven yesterday for 30euros and a magnificent, thick, long sweater that I'm using as my robe (doubles for having guests over as a house coat!) and I'm avoiding stepping outdoors in today's rain by putting both to good use. I'm doing my favorite things, in my favorite outfit: cooking and baking in my pajamas (while wearing my new wonderful slippers -thank you Mom- my new wonderful sweater, and a rather new beautiful apron with poppies on it)
Today's lunch menu: Home-baked beer-pretzels (currently the dough is rising as I write) and a spicy low-fat egg salad with dijon mustard, no mayo (mayo is yucky), broccoli, and shredded carrot, and some camembert and brebis afterwards (I wouldn't be living the French life if I didn't have a cheese course, now would I?) Lunch will probably be served at my little table by the kitchen windwo overlooking the courtyard around 2, as I did not get out of bed until 11 and them made tea and got back in for a bit! Beads of moisture frost my window from the inside as I work away at warming the apartment with my cooking and the wind works away at cooling the town.
Tonight I will be going to Sarah's for crepes and have prepared a bottle of Fraise Tagada... Haribo candy mixed days before with vodka so the candy melts and creates a fantastic bright pink concoction - but I have added some grapefruit and orange juice so its not as strong, but still extremely pretty! I think that this evening there will be about 7 or 8 people at Sarah's studio (update: there were about 20 as people brought friends). Included in the mix are a Chilean, a Colombian, and Irish girl, two United Statesians, two French guys, and maybe even a guy from Turkey and one from Romania. These are my friends, and although we're very different, we come together over a love of cultural exchange, good food, and good spirits!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Git R Done!
Emma and I were soo tired! ... and it was only halfway!
Emma, Sarah, and I International Club (potluck)
For the last two weeks I have been living with Natalia, the Chilean assistant, in her tiny studio above Sarah's. On this floor of the building lives one other girl, Pauline, a French art student, and my empty apartment.
Q: Why is my apartment empty? Why don't I live there?
A: There is a leak in the roof that was supposed to be repaired by now, after which the kitchen/dining area would have been repainted by now, and the laminate floor redone... by now.
So, I am resolved to start looking for another apartment, if not to live in, at least to threaten this lazy landlord into quickening his pace.
Can't remember if I mentionned the address in the last post, so here it is again:
56 rue Georges Lassalle
65000 TARBES
I'm making friends. :) I've been attending the get-togethers of the ENI's (local engineering school) international club. We meet Tuesday nights at a bar called the Celtic for a beer, and since I have been here we've done two other events: an international potluck and a day of hiking in the Pyrenees! For the potluck, I made potato skins with extra cheese, bacon, and of course, butter, and as to the hiking... Illinois just falls FLAT on preparing a girl for the sort of treks these guys are used to!
We drove directly south of Tarbes through Bagneres to get to where we would start (this was just this past Sunday - Oct 11) and we parked the car at about 9h45. It was chilly, so I was wearing a tank, tee, and jacket, along with jeans and my nikes. The entire outfit changed nearly 3 hours later of, what I called at some points more, climbing! The scenery was beautiful: beginning with a forest in green and fall colors; the leaves coating the rocky trail; large boulders strewn about and covered with thick green moss. There were little trickles of water everywhere, making everything very lush and wet. As we were in the mountains, there was really no level walking, everything went up, up, up. And as we climbed we got hot, hot, hot! Everyone (except a few of the Colombians) was sweating beads, and when we stopped to take a break about halfway to our destination (a beautiful blue lake in a crater atop one of the mountains), you could see the sweat soaking through everyones' shirts where their backpacks had been. I was a hot sweaty mess! But I had plenty of water, and I just kept telling myself I could do it - personifying the Little Engine that Could.
We passed through a grazing area for horses and sheep, very Sound of Music looking, and finally made it to our rocky goal. The lake is called Lac Bleu for good reason... it IS very blue! Up at the top, the clouds were rolling in and out and around us, chilling us after the long hike, but a couple people still dared to hop in for a brief swim! We all brought changes of clothes, so at this point I got into some dry things to keep warm while we ate our packed lunches and skipped stones.
The way down was much easier! Thanks Newton! And while my knees, thighs, and buttocks were sore for a day afterwards, I felt very accomplished at having made the trek. I'm hoping to to do many similar treks in the Spring when the weather will again be permitting.
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