La Citadelle de Besançon

The citadel is something that I’ve been putting off for a while as it involves a bit of a trek up a hill, but a visit from two close friends meant that it was finally time to brave the climb to Besancon’s pride and glory (along with the new trams which feature on all the postcards). I had been told that its easy to spend most of the day exploring the citadel so I was intrigued to see whether it would live up to expectation. As we walked up the hill, things looked promising with the first view over the town – and my friend studying architecture was particularly happy as she managed to spot the Cité des Arts, designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

And, of course, we stopped off at the cathedral too…

We continued up the winding path and came to a bridge leading into the citadel, relieved to have finally reached our destination. But straight away we noticed that something was amiss. Looking down at the rocky area below us, we noticed four or five monkeys huddled against a wall sheltering from the wind. A tactfully placed sign informed us that this habitat was perfect for the monkeys but we weren’t buying it; they looked very out of place. Trying not to be deterred we carried on walking to the ticket office. Only after we had bought our tickets were we told that two of the exhibitions were closed, which left us with the aquarium, noctarium, insectarium and zoo… it wasn’t looking promising. But, despite the bitter winds, we tried to remain in high spirits. With a future architect among us, we were here to explore the citadel, an amazing piece of military architecture designed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban and constructed between 1668 and 1672. We walked along the outer walls which give nearly 360 degree views of the surrounding area, so it was definitely worth the climb!

But then, as we were exploring, we stumbled across the zoo. Those of you who know me, will also know that I don’t like zoos. Of course, they’re great for children and for families, but even then I wasn’t sure that on the top of a hill in freezing cold Besançon was the best location for a zoo, mostly due to a lack of space. At first it seemed to just be a few birds in cages, and a lone monkey, but as we turned the corner we were confronted with a cage of four lionesses pacing around in circles. Next to this was the male lion’s cage, a cage so small (about the size of my bedroom) that he could only pace up and down. I didn’t go any further. But one of my friends said that there were also two tigers in a similar sized cage. It was not just upsetting but also shocking to see big cats confined into such small spaces. And even more shocking was that no one else seemed to be shocked by the conditions. We watched as people walked right up to a small glass panel, bang on it to attract the attention of the lions, and then take selfies. I am lucky enough to have seen both lions and tigers in the wild, but here they were like completely different animals. They seemed bored and most of all sad.

As we left, we noticed a very small tunnel in the lionesses’ cage seeming to run into the hill but obviously leading to their shelter for the night. Having done her research, my friend studying architecture pointed out that the citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a Monument Historique. It seems strange that a zoo is allowed to be on the site, as this has led to some changes being made to the buildings. I’m sure there are strict regulations that are being followed to a tee, but for me a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not the place for a zoo. Such an impressive building alone merits a visit and the amazing views are a bonus. Unfortunately, I have no intention of supporting the zoo by paying the ticket price again, so I will have to find a new view point to enjoy the surroundings from. At the same time, the citadel is something you can always see, from the river, from the tram, as you walk through town, and when you arrive at the train station. And so it’s something that I’ll always appreciate… from the outside.

 

Staying calm à l’hôpital

This week a trip to the hospital provoked another one of my reflections on language learning. No one should panic, I am fine and so is my temporarily hospitalised friend. And don’t worry, the cause was not a night of heavy drinking.

So what got me thinking about language? Apart from the obvious need to speak in French.

un fauteuil roulant

I remember seeing this word in a vocabulary list full of obscure and unrelated words and thinking, why do I never learn anything useful? Of course, at the time, I couldn’t imagine myself in a French hospital, asking for a wheelchair for my friend. But luckily ‘wheelchair’ is a word that you see surprisingly often without really noticing – on the tram, on the bus, in shops. So asking for a wheelchair didn’t really pose a problem. But I wanted to explain why, upon departure, we suddenly needed a wheelchair. Although I’m convinced that 5 hours lying on a bed staring at the ceiling before suddenly being told to go and change, as you are free to go , would result in anyone feeling dizzy.

to faint

I am 99% sure I have never been taught this word. Although I do vaguely remember an oral class focussing on medical terms that of course at the time I thought was completely pointless! So maybe I’m wrong. Anyway, to faint in French, do you know it?

s’évanouir

Don’t worry, neither did I. But I had another phrase up my sleeve: tomber dans les pommes. Slightly more familiar, but much much easy to remember. I first saw it printed in a joke in a Christmas cracker in a restaurant, which led another assistant recounting a language barrier moment that she had at her drama club. Everyone was given a slip of paper with an action that they had to mime. Upon reading her slip of paper, my friend mentally danced with relief as she understood every single one of the words on her slip of paper. The only question was, how do you portray the fact that you are falling into apples? As opposed to pears or oranges? But she gave it her best shot, and straight away everyone was shouting “tu tombes dans les pommes!!”. Of course, she was somewhat bewildered but put it down to her natural talent. It was only later that a teacher explained to her the real meaning of the phrase and in hindsight I wonder how the students managed to mistake falling into a pile of apples for fainting? But there we have it, there are all kinds of weird and wonderful ways for learning new vocabulary.

I am one of those people that likes vocab lists, but at the same time I always moan about how none of the words are very useful. But what is useful? Well now I’m beginning to realise that you never know. It’s impossible to predict what situations you are going to be in, so why rule anything out? And who knows, you might get the chance to impress someone with your advanced knowledge of hospital related vocabulary…

l’infirmière – nurse
le médecin  – doctor
le médecin traitant – primary doctor
le chirurgien – surgeon
l’anesthésiste – anaesthetist
le malade – patient

la salle d’opération – operating room
la salle des urgence – emergency room
la salle – ward
la salle d’attente – waiting room

l’analyse de sang – blood test
l’injection – injection
l’opération operation
la radio(graphie) – x-ray
la scanographie – scan

admis – admitted
renvoyé – discharged

fatigué – tired
faible – weak
enflé – swollen
blessé – injured
malade – sick

trember – to shake
tousser – to cough
saigner – to bleed
vomir – to vomit
perdre connaissance – to lose consciousness
avoir une entorse à la / au… – to have a sprained…

une crise cardiaque – heart attack
un accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC) – a stroke

New Year’s Resolutions of a Language Learner

So after an early start on January 1st and a rather stressful sprint across Paris to make my connection, I am now back in Besançon trying to get back into the swing of things. At the collège this week we have been talking about New Year’s resolutions (my favourite being ‘I will be more delicious’, an interesting translation of gourmand), and so it seems appropriate that I make a few of my own. So here are my 5 New Year’s Resolutions, at least one of which I will hopefully keep.

1. Spend more time with my flat mates
What better opportunity can I have than living with French people? There is absolutely no reason to feel guilty about spending an evening chilling out in our salon, chatting and watching a bit of French TV. So this year I’m going to keep my bedroom door open, plan lessons on the sofa and probably make my flat mates sick of me as a result.
This one is going quite well – with a sortie en boîte (night out), a film night and a soirée crêpes.

2. Talk more slowly and think about what I am saying
When you first meet people in a new country and you are trying to build up a rapport with them, the last thing you want to be doing is constantly correcting yourself or taking forever to get your story out. If you focus too much on your mistakes and difficulties, language can end up concealing your personality. But now that I get on well with, for example, my flatmates and we have a laugh together (mostly about our favourite show, les princes de l’amour!!), it’s time to slow down a bit. To move to the next level I need to cut out the multitude of small errors that, although do not hinder comprehension, are errors nevertheless.

3. Do some grammar exercises
When you’re living in a foreign country, speaking the language every day, it’s easy to forget about grammar. I find myself often saying to myself, I can sort out grammer when I get home, this year is for SPEAKING. But obviously I am just lying to myself. Even just half an hour of grammar a week, would probably have a massive impact on my French and wipe out the multitude of small errors I just mentioned. So si clauses, I’m coming at you!

4. Make some vocab lists
I’m not talking pages and pages of vocab, just useful stuff so that my flatmates don’t have to play a guessing game when I say, “where is the thing you use to heat water?” Although that is also because bouilloire is basically impossible to pronounce.

5. Go places and have fun!
One of the main benefits of speaking languages is travel. But with two jobs and a very busy schedule, it’s easy to get stuck in the daily grind and forget that there are an array of pretty villages and bustling towns all around Besançon just waiting to be discovered. A visit to Dijon this week with Ben, got me off to a good start with this resolution…

Joyeux Nöel! Frohe Weihnachten!

One week of school to go and I was beginning to understand that end of term teacher feeling; my dwindling energy levels meant that both controlling my energetic students and attempting to speak a foreign language were becoming more and more of a challenge. But the prospect of a 5am start for my journey home was making me wonder if it was really wise to wish the week away.

So I thought, let’s squeeze one more thing in: a weekend of Christmas markets! Despite the obvious touristy gimmicks and over-priced everything, I’ve wanted to visit some ‘real’ Christmas markets for a long time. I’d already had a first taste of Christmas spirit both at the market in Besançon and on our whirlwind tour of Lyon. Although these were without a doubt an upgrade from the Christmas market in Chichester, I knew I could find bigger and better. Only a couple of hours away (and a 1 euro bus journey), Strasbourg, the capitale de Noël, was calling my name. And why not venture a little further? Just across the border, Freiburg is also easily accessible from Besançon. It seemed like the perfect way to end the year – one weekend, two languages. I was interested to see how my about-to-switch-off brain would cope.

The language mélange began aboard a tiny one-carriage train from Mulhouse which would cross the border to Freiburg. With the train announcements in both languages, we at least knew we were headed towards the right country. Suddenly the order of the languages swapped, the only indication that we were now in Germany. Not long after the language swap, I was convinced I was already having language difficulties when I heard a strange announcement saying that the train would be terminating in the middle of nowhere for absolutely no reason whatsoever. But no, the French announcement was the same. And suddenly off everyone got. We joined another train, this time much bigger (and yet much slower), following everyone else who just walked directly towards it as if this was a regular occurrence, and finally arrived at our destination about 45 minutes behind schedule. So far, I’m not convinced that German trains live up to the German stereotypes of punctuality and efficiency, but we will see in a few months!

Our next challenge was working out which tram to take; much older than Besançon’s brand new tram system, Freiburg’s Hauptbahnhof lacked clear signs for blondes like Clare and me. I phoned the hotel reception who gave us pretty detailed directions and it was my memory not my German that failed me. But we made it, and, as it happened, had arrived on a special day celebrating a new tramline, so all the trams were free! One last hurdle to overcome was finding the right hotel. Although, of course, we didn’t realize this was a hurdle until we had walked into a very swanky hotel with a very similar name. As I explained that we had just phoned in a suddenly very strange mix of German, French and English, they pointed us to the next building, with the correct name on the sign, a much more ‘student budget’ looking hotel, which was nevertheless better than expected.   After checking in and stringing out the conversation with the receptionist for as long as possible to redeem myself for my earlier language failure, we headed into town to check out the markets and explore the city. Definitely worth the trip don’t you think…

There were no complications with our very cheap bus to Strasbourg and, in fact, it was just as quick as the train. It was straight to the B&B with a quick stop at the local pub to pick up a tarte flambée before heading to bed. A delicious French breakfast set us in good stead for a day exploring and fighting off the large crowds. The capital of Christmas lived up to it’s name, and we were in for a treat…

Now fully in the Christmas spirit, I was ready for a week of Christmas themed lessons (if you’re after any ideas, writing our own lyrics to the Twelve Days of Christmas was great fun) before heading home. Although before enjoying a Christmas lunch with my family, I was challenged by my flat mates to cook a vegetarian English Christmas meal. Friends and family, you may be surprised to hear, that it wasn’t my cooking ability (or lack of it), that posed the challenge, but rather finding all of the ingredients! With a record number of substitutes and no food processor for my bread sauce or nut roast, it looked like I was destined for failure. But some how I managed to surprise myself, and my very sceptical flat mates. Merry Christmas everyone!

Snails for starter…

Veggie xmas lunch

Christmas lights in Bes!

Lyon vs Besançon

After the cancellation of the Fête des Lumières, I wasn’t sure how I felt about visiting Lyon. But I had passed through the city on my way back from Spain and seen a glimpse of what the city has to offer, so with our trains and hostel booked, Clare and I decided to take the trip anyway. And we were in luck, with a beautiful day perfect for wandering around. In fact we must have easily managed ten thousand steps searching for the best view point of the city and finishing up at the Theatres Romains de Fourviere.

Lyon is without a doubt a beautiful city. But it’s so big. I’m sure there are advantages to this – always having somewhere new to explore, never being bored – but coming from Besançon, which is small, quaint and yet bustling, Clare and I found ourselves feeling glad that we were only here for a couple of days. I am sure like every other language assistant who has been placed somewhere within a relatively large region that they picked somewhat at random, we are just trying to convince ourself that where we have ended up is the best place we could be. Besançon certainly does feel like the perfect match. Whether this is true or not, I guess I’ll never know. But I’m not one for ‘what ifs.’ So until our next trip, it’s back to eating crepes, rowing on the Doubs and buying far too much cheese from the market, in Besançon, our ville jolie…

Photo by Clare Harris

…don’t you think?

Lesson 2: Visiting a crêperie

Shortly after arriving in Besançon, the American assistant and I stumbled across a lovely little crêperie. We were tempted in by the great value lunch menu of a galette, a crêpe and an espresso for about 10 euros and now it’s become one of our favourite lunch spots. We pretty much always order the same thing, for me its the galette à chèvre and the crêpe avec crème de marron. And crème de marron, a sort of sweet chestnut purée, has overtaken chocolate as my guilty pleasure.

The owner now recognises us and brings us a little apératif when we arrive. Here are a few words to help you woo your waiter with your give-it-a-go French too…

Est-ce que je peux voir la carte s’il vous plaît?  – Can I see the menu please?
Je prendrai – I’ll have…
Je voudrais… – I would like…
Je prendrai la même chose. –  I’ll have the same thing.
C’est délicieux – It’s delicious
Mes compliments au chef!  – My compliments to the chef!
L’addition, s’il vous plaît. – The bill, please.
Je voudrais payer, s’il vous plaît. – I would like to pay, please
Ensemble – Together
Séparément – Separately

And, although it’s not really expected in France at all, if you really want to woo the waiter or just really liked the service, you can leave a pourboire (tip) of about 10%.

Lesson 1: Rowing!

It’s been really sunny in Besançon over the last week or so, t-shirt weather, perfect for… falling in the River Doubs.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been learning to row in a skiff (a single), which has proved quite a challenge as I am used to rowing en pointe (sweep rowing) rather than en couple (sculling). One of my biggest issues is fear and I find myself constantly saying “j’en ai peur!” (I’m scared). The coaches have been really patient with me, giving me tips as they drive around in a motorised dinghy – although the eau agitée (choppy water) created by the dinghy (and the passing dragon boats) does still make me panic a bit.

There were no dragon boats near by when I capsized so I definitely can’t blame the eau agitée. The dinghy was also nowhere to be seen, so I had a good five minutes to catch my breath after the shock of falling in to the river, which – despite the warm air temperatures – was absolutely freezing. Passing crews shouted instructions at me and I managed to right the boat in time for the arrival of the dinghy. I was hauled aboard before being asked, “tu es prête à continuer?” (are you ready to carry on?). So off I went, soaked though, unsure whether I was shaking because I was cold or because I was now even more scared. Falling in twice in one day would have been horrific, but luckily I managed to keep my balance for the rest of the session and land without too many difficulties.

But it wasn’t over there. On Wednesday there was a convocation regroupement de ligue, a regatta against le club de Dole. At least if I fell in, I knew what to do now. The first race was in categories, so I lined up at the start line with my beginners blades against the other seniors. Having never attempted anything near a race pace and unable to row in a straight line, it wasn’t a surprise that it took me about twice as long to finish the course as everyone else. But, despite a few wobbly moments and pausing to sort my balance, I managed to finish without a second swim in the Doubs.

The second race was in abilities, so I was racing sixteen year olds, who of course still managed to beat me, and it definitely wasn’t an arrivée serrée (tight finish). But I made it! The whole morning taught me a lot about sportsmanship. I have always believed that sportsmanship is extremely important, but as some of you know, I also like winning. It’s a lot harder to be sporting when you are by far the worst. Sometimes it’s hard not to get demoralised, but with everyone being so welcoming and helpful, I am trying to take it in my stride and laugh at myself. After two years of rowing, it’s back to basics. So it’s time to make use of the salle de musculation and hit the weights!

Some more vocab I’ve picked up along the way…

deux de couple – double sculls
quatre de couple – quatre de couple
garage à bateaux – boathouse
palette – blade
rame – oar
le coup – stroke
faire une fausse pelle – catch a crab
régate – regatta
attention, tous! – ready, row!
un rameur, une rameuse – rower
un débutant, une débutante – novice rower (me)

Is cheese France’s national dish?

The second week of my holidays was spent near to Besançon with French friends who my dad met when he was working as a language assistant some 35 years ago. This of course meant a week of exploring the countryside of the Franche-Comte…

….and a week of being spoilt with local French fromage from the fruiterie (another word for fromagerie, not a fruit shop!). As well as a fondue with the extended family, we were also presented with an impressive cheese board after every meal. So here’s my top five cheeses for a Franc-Comtois cheese board.

Comté
How could this not be on the list? It’s the cheese of the Franche Comte region, perfect for snacking on. Make sure you try before you buy because every wheel is different.

Brillat-Savarin
Okay so this one’s from Normandy but it’s possibly one of my favourite cheeses of all time, kind of like a very rich cream cheese. Doesn’t last long in my fridge!

Morbier
From the village of Morbier in the Jura, this cheese is recognisable by the line of blue running horizontally down its centre.

Tomme de Savoie
This one’s also from somewhere different, but it was on our cheese board because Savoie is where our French friends work in the winter months. It’s a hard mountain cheese with a crust that smells very strongly of ammonia!

Cancoillotte
Apparently a well kept French secret (that I’m now sharing with you), this cheese even has a song written about it….

Les Bretons ont des chapeaux ronds
Les Parisiens ont le Panthéon
Les Occitans ont Fos-sur-Mer
Et les Lorrains Servan-Schreiber
Les Alsaciennes font des biscuits
Que l’on trouve aussi à Paris
A ces gens là on dit caca
Car ils n’ont pas ce que l’on a

La cancan cancoillotte
C’est un mets bien franc-comtois
Tout en dansant la gavotte
On se beurre la gueule à l’arbois
La cancan cancoillotte
Ce n’est pas pour ces François
Quand ils viennent avec leurs bottes
On leur dit nenni ma foi

Mon gars tu prends le méton
Que tu verses dans le caquelon
Avec de l’ail, avec du beurre
Avec ton manche, avec ton coeur
Et faut touiller ça c’est sûr
Sinon ça devient de la confiture
La cancoillotte c’est tout un art
Il faut rien laisser au hasard

La cancan cancoillotte
C’est un mets bien franc-comtois
Tout en dansant la gavotte
On se beurre la gueule à l’arbois
La cancan cancoillotte
Ce n’est pas pour ces François
Tout en pelotant la Charlotte
On la mange avec les doigts (we eat it with our fingers)

Si avec Charlotte tu vas plus loin
Mets de la cancoillotte sur le traversin
Je te jure mon pote ce truc c’est dingue
Ca t’fout le vertige pour le bastringue
Mais va pas le dire aux étrangers (But don’t tell foreigners about it)
Sinon ils viendraient nous la piquer (They will steal the lot)
Alors fini la cancoillotte
On ne la trouverait que dans les sex-shops

La cancan cancoillotte
C’est un mets bien franc-comtois
Tout en dansant la gavotte
On se beurre la gueule à l’arbois
La cancan cancoillotte
Ce n’est pas pour les François
Tout en pelotant la Charlotte
On la mange avec les doigts
La cancan cancoillotte
Ce n’est pas pour ces François
Quand ils viennent avec leurs bottes
On leur dit nenni ma foi

Thanks to Monique and Jean-Marc for a great week sampling the specialities of the region!

_

PS.  My flat mates were also very excited to tell me that La Vache qui Rit (Laughing Cow) also comes from the Franche-Comte.

Hola España!

My first week of holidays began in San Sebastian for a quick sightseeing tour – sunny views of the Bay of La Concha and the old town.

Then it was off to Vitoria-Gasteiz so my boyfriend could show me around his new home. Highlights included the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca and a tour of the Cathedral of Santa María, which involved wearing hard hats due to the restoration!

I was also treated to a trip to Burgos (starring a cathedral)…

… and lots of Spanish specialities….

Spanish omelette

Chocolate (con churros)

Patxarán (Basque anise liqueur)

Vending machine shops…

€2 breakfast!

Ben’s flat mates even gave me a lesson in how to make a Spanish omelette, which we eventually ate at the standard Spanish meal time of 10.30pm.

1. Peel the potatoes and dice them into thin cubes. This takes ages, because you need loads of potatoes, so keep them soaked in water.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the potatoes and some onion. Stir occasionally until the potatoes are softened.
3. Strain to get rid of the oil! 
4. Beat the eggs and then stir into the potatoes with lots of salt.
5. Heat some of the strained oil in a pan. Add everything to the pan and shape the omelette with a spatular. 
6. Use a plate to flip the omelette two or three times before serving.

One week later, and I’m back on the train back to Besançon to meet mum and dad. My Spanish may have only improved to “mi novio habla español… pero yo, no!” (My boyfriend speaks Spanish, but I don’t!), but I really enjoyed my hop over the border.

Timetables and TGVs

After a slight panic that I was going to miss my connection and get stuck at a train station somewhere, I am now sat aboard a TGV on my way to Toulouse and hopefully eventually San Sebastian. I know what you’re thinking; she hasn’t even started yet, why is she already on holiday? Trust me I need one. These last two weeks have been ridiculously hectic and the to-do list is still very long. The mixture of decoding French tâches administratives (paperwork, administrative tasks), chasing teachers to sort out my emploi du temps (timetable), trying out new sports and meeting new people has taken it’s toll and I am looking forward to relaxing a bit before starting for real à la rentrée.

For now here are just a few observations/reflections on my time so far.

Decoding French tâches administratives
I had pretty much everything checked off for this one until I decided to move into a new apartment. Finding an apartment, it turns out, is the easy part. I am now living with two lovely French students in a quaint (or maybe just old, small and cheap) apartment on the fourth floor (daily workout). The public transport connections are great, I’m close to town and, most importantly, I’m living with French people. Although it really wasn’t that bad, moving out of the lycée made me feel instantly more at home. I finally unpacked and felt like I could start getting myself sorted. This included finishing off the numerous taches administratives on my to-do list. One week later and only two things remain: CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales) and assurance habitation. CAF provides monetary support for housing, which I am entitled to in France as a student. I tried to do it online, but you can’t ask an online form questions when you don’t understand, so I may have to head to the office when I’m back to check I’ve done everything right. Assurance habitation is a bit trickier. It’s some kind of home insurance for fires, thefts etc. and its compulsory in France. Simple enough. But I already have insurance which covers me in France so do I really need another one? It would seem so, but please correct me if I’m wrong. After a first quote of €3500 (apparently because my apartment has a salon (living room), I couldn’t have a student tariff), I took the bus to the office of another insurance company that was literally still being built. I walked into the huge building to find dustsheets and splatters of paint everywhere with a one man sat at a desk in the middle of it all. Slightly strange, but I came away with a quote of a little over €100 so I’m not complaining. I’m still not entirely sure if I really do need to pay for an insurance that I’m never going to use just so I can say yes, I have assurance habitation. If anyone has sussed it out better than me, get in touch!

Chasing teachers to sort out my emploi du temps
No, after two weeks, my timetable is still not sorted. I think it’s nearly reached the stage where I can say my timetable was easier to sort out when I was working in India. Of course, I appreciate that it is difficult to work something out that all three schools are happy with and I know that everything will turn out in the end, but it’s still a little bit frustrating to not know when or who I’ll be teaching after the holidays! I have, however, now visited all three schools so I can tell you a little bit about them. My schools are all in an area called Planoise, a sort of suburb on the edge of Besancon, and the students at both the collèges (secondary schools) come from all sorts of different backgrounds. For many of them, their mother tongue isn’t French, so I’m interested to see what sort of effect this has on their English, especially in terms of the accent (as this seems to be one of the main difficulties for French pupils). At Collège Voltaire I’ll have my own classroom next to the other English classrooms, which I’m really excited about. It’s a big room with a computer and projector so should be great for trying out lots of different activities. Collège Diderot doesn’t give a good first impression; it’s practically impossible to get in unless you bump into a teacher having a smoke. I arrived one lunchtime after the morning at Voltaire and was stood pressing the buzzer for about ten minutes before I spotted someone on a cigarette break who could let me it. Turns out the people at reception go for lunch between 12 – 2 so there was no one in the office… Anyway, I now have a key, and on the inside Diderot is pretty impressive. I’ve been told that it’s one of the most challenging schools in the area, and hence it has a lot of money. On my second lesson of observation I helped to film various groups act out different scenes on the iPads. They had all obviously worked really hard on the project, so maybe technology is the way forward in this school! Lycée Victor Hugo is a contrast to my two collèges with its good reputation and good grades. It’s a sixth form college (but students in France spend three years at the lycée) and lots of students board during the week. Perhaps because they are older, the students seem to be a lot shyer and don’t enjoy speaking English as much as the younger children. Despite the obvious challenges of the collèges, I think that engaging with the students at the lycée could be my biggest difficulty. In any case, I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, and am excited to be working with such a range of different students and their teachers… when I finally sort my timetable!

Trying out new sports and meeting new people
So I found a rowing club! I’ve only been twice so far, but have been asked if I’d like to join the competition team, which is exciting. I’m not sure if I can commit enough time to it, but there’s no harm in trying. I also survived my first ever outing in a single. The river circles Besançon and there are great views of the citadel from the water, so I can now safely say I’ve rowed in three picturesque cities in one year!

I’ve also given badminton a try, which may be a little more surprising to hear. As I am unable to participate in university sport in Besançon, I had a little search for other sports clubs in the area, came across “Bad’in Town Bezak” and thought why not. Still living at the lycée at this point, it was a bit of a trek to get to but I’m so glad I made the effort. The hall was packed when I arrived, but I was immediately welcomed and sent off to join in with some others who were far better than me. The atmosphere was great, everyone having fun and trying but failing to control their competitive side. The club were having some sort of celebration to do with the beginning of the new season, so there was a long table laid out with drinks and food. Everyone was really friendly and people seemed intrigued to know more about what I’m doing in Besançon. It’s definitely fair to say I need more chatting than badminton!

I’ve also enjoyed spending time with a few of the other assistants. Although we usually chat in English, it’s really nice to have some friends to chill out with in the evenings or rant at when something has gone wrong. Going to bars and restaurants, exploring the market and going on hikes are all things best done with others! Of course, my tandem partner has also been showing me a few of her favourite places too…

View towards Besançon from Planoise

View of Besançon

Crêpes with my tandem partner!

Grabbing a coffee with les autres gourmands (assistants)

Je suis arrivée en France!

For those of you that don’t know, je suis arrivée en France ! I am still in the settling in period with no Internet where I’m staying, but here are a few things I’ve been up to…

The first priority was tackling my long admin to-do-list…
Bank account
Wages can only be paid into a French bank account so even people with a bank account in euros have to set up a new one. This turned out to be slightly easier than in Austria, mostly because I had been given lots of advice by British Council and l’Academie de Besancon.
Carte jeune
Would really recommend this youth card to anyone living in or around Besançon. It offers lots of discounts and free entry to lots of sites, including the citadel!
Tram pass
The tram in Besancon is so useful, especially as I’m currently living quite far from the centre of town. A month pass for unlimited travel on the trams and buses is €28 and half the money is reimbursed for people using public transport to get to work – so very cheap!

And, of course, my other priority was to get speaking the language…
Orientation day
The orientation day was a general introduction for all language assistants in the Academie de Besancon. It was great to meet lots of the other assistants and of course speak some French, which was the language we all had in common. I did, however, manage to find the German speakers as German was still feeling much easier at this point and a ridiculous amount of German words were creeping into my French anyway. So lots of opportunities to speak, maybe mostly the wrong language, but a foreign language nevertheless!
Tandem Partner
At the weekend I met up with my tandem partner arranged by the CLA (Language Centre). Although there don’t seem to be any Facebook groups for organising language exchanges, it’s good to have at least one tandem arranged. Lisa and I also have German in common, which proved useful as a back up option.
Meal with teachers
My contact person at the school, an English teacher called Kate, invited the American assistant and I to her house for a meal with her husband, her mother and another English teacher. It was a lovely evening with a mix of French and English, so a fairly gentle start!
Apartment
I am currently living in accommodation provided by one of my schools but it’s quite a long way from the centre of town. I have decided to move into a collocation with French people to give me more of a chance to practise my French and to meet locals. Will let you know how I get on when I move!
German class
Today I braved a German class with the classe preparatoire (for the students preparing to go the Les Grandes Ecoles). I was extremely impressed by the level of German, and it’s definitely going to be a good way to keep my German going this year.

So you may be wondering why I haven’t really mentioned classes or teaching yet. I’m currently in the process of setting up my emploi du temps (timetable) and have been observing various classes. I officially start at the beginning of November after holidays, but watch this space for more info on my work.

I have found the transition from Austria to France and German to French a little bit difficult. But my biggest difficulty was something that I hadn’t really expected. I planned my trip to Austria completely myself so I knew exactly where I would be living, what I would be doing, when I would be starting etc. Naively, I thought that having other people do the planning/organisation for me would make things a lot easier. But it doesn’t. When someone else is in charge, you expect everything to be perfect and to run smoothly, where as when you organise everything yourself it’s easier to go with the flow and learn from your mistakes. As a result I’ve decided to view these two weeks as a settling in period, so if you don’t hear much from me, that is why. Everyone has been so lovely and welcoming, but working with three different schools is always going to be complicated. I am looking forward to diving into teaching and everything else Besancon has to offer after the holidays, as well as telling you all about it of course!

Ein ganz großes Dankeschön!

*English version below* 

Einszweidrei, im Sauseschritt
Läuft die Zeit; wir laufen mit. –

Wilhelm Busch (1832 – 1908), deutscher Zeichner, Maler und Schriftsteller

Meine Zeit in Graz ist jetzt vorbei! Ehrlich gesagt, habe ich mir nicht so viel von dieser kleinen Reise erwartet – nur die “Vorspeise” für mein Jahr im Ausland sozusagen. Es hat aber besser geklappt, als ich mir je vorstellen hätte können und deshalb ist die Zeit leider so unglaublich schnell vergangen. Bevor ich ein neues Abenteuer wage, will ich diese Gelegenheit nutzen, um über meine Zeit hier nachzudenken und allen zu danken, die mir auf dem Weg geholfen haben. Ohne weiteres, sind hier meine fünf Lieblingssachen aus meiner Zeit in Graz. Ich versuche, kurz und bündig zu bleiben!

1. WG-Wohnen 
   Dies hat mir eine gute Möglichkeit gegeben, Leute kennenzulernen und sicherzustellen, dass ich jeden Tag ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen konnte. Ich schulde meiner Mitbewohnerin Sina ein ganz besonderes Dankeschön für die Sprachhilfe, das Kulturlehren und die Tipps, sowie die gemeinsame Reise nach Linz, die wirklich Spaß gemacht hat. Ich hoffe, dass wir in Kontakt bleiben, also… bis zum nächsten Mal!
   
   

   Brunch!

   

   Movie night!
2. Translingua
   Ich muss ehrlich sagen, dass ich vor dieser Reise wirklich keine Ahnung hatte, wie ein Übersetzungsbüro funktioniert. Ich habe dank der Geduld und des Vertrauens des Tranlingua-Teams so viel gelernt – vom Telefongespräch und Kundenkontakt nis hin zum Korrekturlesen und Übersetzen. Gleichzeitig habe ich ein ‘bissel’ den steirischen Dialekt gelernt. Ich schätzte sehr die großartige Unterstützung meiner netten MitarbeiterInnen und habe die letzten zwei Monate voll genossen.
3. Rudern
   Ein Highlight meiner Freizeit war ohne Zweifel, Skulling beim Ruder Club Graz, zu lernen. Alle Ruderer und Ruderinnen waren so freundlich und haben mich herzlich aufgenommen, also habe ich mich immer gefreut, mittwochs beim Clubruder dabei zu sein! Der Verein ist relativ neu und heißt Anfänger gern willkommen, also würde ich ihn allen, die das Rudern ausprobieren möchten, sehr empfehlen. Ich hoffe, der Club bleibt so gelassen und offen wie bisher und ich wünsche dem Ruder Club Graz und all seinen Mitgliedern weiterhin viel Glück in der Zukunft, besonders mit der Weiterentwicklung des Vereins und mit zukünftigen Regattas!
   
   

   

   
4. Tandems
   Meine Zeit in Graz wäre ohne diese Sprachaustausche auf keinen Fall so gut gewesen und ich habe auf Grund dieser Tandems viele tolle Sachen erlebt: Geburtstagsfeiern, Spritzers auf dem Schlossberg, Dirndl-Shopping, Feiern beim Nachsteirern, ein dreigleisiger Sprachaustausch usw. Alle ehemaligen Tandem-Partner und Partnerinnen, die mittlerweile zu Freundinnen und Freunden geworden sind, waren die ganze Zeit so lieb und haben mir neue Teile der Stadt gezeigt. Also ich danke euch allen und hoffe, wir bleiben in Kontakt!
5. Der Uhrturm
   Der letzte Punkt könnte ein bisschen komisch klingen, aber ich vergleiche nun den Uhrturm mit dem berühmten Dom in meiner Universitätsstadt, Durham. Es ist ein schönes Symbol der Stadt, das man immer sieht, wenn man durch die Stadt wandert – für ich, vom Ruderverein bis zum Arbeitsplatz. Er bietet gleichzeitig extrem schöne Ausblicke auf die Stadt und ist ein toller Ort mit guter Atmosphäre, um Spritzer zu trinken und um den Sonnenuntergang zu bewundern.
   

   Der Uhrturm in der Ferne

Auf alle Fälle, ein erfolgreicher Aufenthalt. Graz, ich hoffe, wir sehen uns wieder!

Mein letzter Blick auf den Jakominiplatz

English version:

So my time in Graz is up! If I’m being completely honest I didn’t have too many expectations before setting off. I viewed it as a sort of “appetiser” for my year abroad. But it went better than I could ever have imagined and the time flew by. Before moving on to my next adventure I just want to take this opportunity to reflect on my time here and to thank all those who have helped me along the way. So, without further ado, here are my five favourite things about my time in Graz. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet!

Flat Sharing
Living in a flat with four other students gave me a great opportunity to meet local people and ensured that I spoke at least a little bit of German every day. I owe my flat mate Sina a big thank you for all of her help and tips with the language and culture, as well as our trip to Linz, which was one of the highlights of my time in Austria. I really hope that we stay in contact, so until next time Sina!

Translingua
I can honestly say that before coming to Austria I had absolutely no idea how a translation company worked. Thanks to the patience and trust of my colleges at translingua I have learnt an enormous amount – from answering the telephone and speaking to customers to proofreading and translation. I’ve also managed to pick up a bit of the Styrian dialect! I really appreciate the support that I have received from everyone at translingua, and have thoroughly enjoyed the last two months

Rowing
Learning to scull at Ruder Club Graz was, without a doubt, a highlight of my free time in Graz. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, so I always looked forward to club rowing every Wednesday. The club is relatively new and always welcomes beginners, so I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who would like to give it a go! I hope the club retains its laid-back approach and wish Ruder Club Graz and all its members all the best for the future, especially for regattas!

Tandems
Without language exchanges, my time in Graz would not have been so successful and they gave me the opportunity to do lots of fun things: birthday parties, spritzers on the Schlossberg, shopping for a Dirnl, Nachsteirern and a three way tandem to name a few. All my tandem partners, who I hope I can now class as friends, were so lovely and showed me lots of new parts of the Graz, so I owe them a big thank you and I hope we stay in touch.

The clock tower
So this one might sound a bit weird, but the Uhrturm here is a bit like the cathedral in Durham. It’s a symbol of the city that you always see as you wander around – for me, from the rowing club to my workplace. At the same time, the clock tower also offers extremely pretty views of the city and is a great location with a good atmosphere to enjoy a spritzer and watch the sunset.

In any case, a successful trip and I hope to be back soon!

Aufsteirern!

This weekend was Aufsteieren in Graz, a festival which celebrates all things steirisch (Styrian). It was such a great way to spend my last weekend in Graz, trying lots of local specialities, speaking lots of German and drinking lots of Sturm, and all in my Dirndl! Really great atmosphere with thousands of people, all dressed in traditional clothes (see here for pics). If you click on one of the photos below, it should load the ‘camera roll’ so you can have a peek at what I got up to!

Waiting for the Bim!

Landhaushof

Dirndl!

Hauptplatz

View of the Uhrturm

Österreicherin, Franzose, Engländerin

Schokofrüchte

Rathaus

Traditional Austrian fun and games

Lebkuchen

Schilcher Sturm!

I also braved ‘Nachsteirern’ in the Uni quarter, which was sort of like the after party. Unfortunately no good pics, but imagine a jam-packed club full of people wearing traditional clothes and dancing to traditional Styrian music…

20 German Phrases for Language Learners

Servus!
hello / goodbye

This greeting originates from the latin for slave/servant and literally means something like “I am your servant”, but that’s about all I can tell you. There doesn’t really seem to be any rule about who uses it but I tend to use it when I meet someone for the first time / shake someones hand just to mix things up.

Servus language learners (sorry friends and family, you may find this one a little less interesting)!

MEINe ZEIT IST FAST VORBEI
MY TIME IS NEARLY UP/OVER

Useful phrase of obvious reasons, which includes the very-hard-to-grasp “vorbei.”

I only have one week left in Graz , so thought it would be a good idea to record some of the things I’ve picked up along the way. Hopefully it will help me realise how much I’ve learnt subconsciously!

WAHNSINN!
CRAZY!

So the literal meaning of this one is madness or insanity, but it’s also used in conversational language to mean either “wow that’s crazy!” or “mad / crazy / ridiculous” along with a tut or a shake of the head.

Where has the time gone? Wahnsinn!

JEMANDEm UM EINEn GEFALLEN BITTEN
TO ASK SOMEONE A FAVOUR

Weirdly useful phrase, especially at work. So easy to forget the preposition though so Vorsicht!

Kann jemand mir einen Gefallen tun? Remind me to reread this before heading to Germany to give me a bit of  a confidence boost!

ICH ÜBERLEGE MIR
I’LL HAVE A THINK, I’LL THINK IT OVER

Can also mean something alone the lines of ‘let me just have a think’ which is great when you have no idea what to say.

Ich habe mir überlegt, and here are some useful words and phrases that I’ve picked up over the last two months…

ICH GLAUB(E) SCHON.
I THINK SO. 

Obviously very useful. Currently in a very bad umgangsprachliche habit of shortening all of my verbs (e.g. ich glaub schon), which isn’t going to do me any favours in an oral exam but means I can talk much faster.

Working in a translation company involves getting asked tricky questions about English grammar. There is no doubting the fact that my ability to analyse my own language has improved dramatically! But replying with“ich glaub schon” gives me a bit of time to quickly google!

ICH MELDE MICH
I’LL BE IN TOUCH, I’LL MESSAGE YOU

I always used to get this one confused and say “melde mich” when I wanted someone to message me. Led to a few awkward misunderstandings as it actually means the exact opposite!

One less obvious advantage of language exchanges / tandems is chatting with people via Facebook, Whatsapp etc to arrange meet ups. My phone’s inability to quickly swap between languages means that it’s often more hassle to write in English (to the extend that I even message a couple of friends from home in German). Although often annoying, it forces me to practise writing, with no time to check vocab in a dictionary, and pick up a few useful phrases along the way. So to all my German-speaking friends out there, ich melde mich okay. 

ES ist mir wurst!
It’s sausage to me!

I love this phrase, and okay, yes, it doesn’t mean “it’s sausage to me” other than in literal terms. A stronger, more colloquial form of es ist mir egal, it actually means anything ranging from “I don’t mind”  to “I couldn’t care less” depending on tone of voice and context. Feel free to but as much emphasis on voorrrssssht (Wurst) as you like.

Tandem partner to indecisive Katie: Do you want to go for ice cream or smoothies? Es ist mir Wurst! Normally we end up doing both of course.

ICH BIN DABEI!
I’M IN, COUNT ME IN!

Dabei is another one of those love-hate words that means literally everything… thereby, in the process, although, as a result, in doing so.

I learnt this one through the rowing Whatsapp group “Bachstelzen” (wagtails). A rowing Whatsapp group might sound pretty tame, but its literally like code. Dialect, slang, abbreviations. And about fifty people reading my messages. So my standard keen contribution is “ich bin dabei!“

Geil
CoOl… But not always…

Vorsicht! This might be a word that you hear all the time (especially if your ‘brushing up on your Umgangssprache’ by watching Germany’s Next Top Model), but it can also mean “horny.” Proceed with caution.

Yesterday was Aufsteirern – voll geil! Blog post coming shortly!

Anstrengend
exhausting, stressful, arduous, hard, tiring, challenging, trying, wearisome, wearing,taxing, punishing, grueling, straining

Thanks linguee for all these definitions. Normally, when a dictionary kindly provides me with far too many translations of one single word, I groan inwardly. Anstrengend, however, is useful because it has so many meanings. Can’t think of a negative adjective? Just use anstrengend!

Whilst anstrengend is a useful word,  I did already know what it meant so it’s a bit of a cheat. Blöd, however, was a new one. Meaning anything from stupid to silly to dumb, it might not sound like the kind of word you would enjoy using but try it – it’s literally the perfect combination of letters for explaining when something is just down-right annoying.

SÜß
CUTE, SWEET

Pretty sure this is one of the most overused words in my workplace. Another one is lieb, meaning nice, sweet, good and other things along those lines. You can also say “das wäre mir wirklich sehr lieb” which means I would really appreciate that.

Even I have been described as süß, if you can believe that. Of course, it was due to a language mistake. Not knowing the word for Reindeer, I went for Weihnachtspferd (Christmas horse). Voll süß. The actual word for reindeer, oh so simple: Rentier.

Auf Jeden Fall
in every/no case, certainly, for sure!

I’ve always know what this one means, but “in every case” never sounded as if it would be that useful. How wrong was I. This has to be one of the most used German phrases, and, once you stop thinking about it’s literal translation, you can slip it in everywhere. Don’t forget you can also say the opposite: “auf keinen Fall” means definitely not.

Learn this phrase! If anyone asks you if you want to come along, this should always be your answer! It’s true that tagging along to various events can often leave you feeling a bit awkward, and sometimes even bored, but its the best way to meet locals and get practising.

AUFESSEN
EAT UP, FINISH EATING

This phrase stops you from giving the game away that you are English with phrases like “ich bin so voll.” Another option is “ich bin satt”, which is the correct say to way “I’m full!”

If you’ve tried Käsespätzle from my last post, you’ll know how useful it is to be able to say “ich kann es niche aufessen!”

NA JA….
WELL…

Great one if you need a bit of time to work out what you’ve been said / how you want to reply. Or if you know the sentence you’re about to say involves some complex grammar.

Isn’t that enough vocab Katie? Na ja…. just a few more….

EBENFALLS!
Same to you! you too! ditto!

Phrases such as “schönen Tag noch!” (enjoy the rest of your day!) und “schönes Wochenende!” (have a nice weekend!) are pretty easy to get the hang of, but how do you reply to them? Here’s your answer. Ebenfalls seems to be much more common than ebenso so give it a try. 

Anyone out there struggle talking to cashiers, waiters, bus drivers etc? Ebenfalls! It’s partly the dialect and partly the speed but phrases like this make it a bit less awkward.

ES GEHT SICH AUS
österreichisch umgangssprachlich für es reicht, passt (Duden)

If any one can think of a good translation for this let me know. It’s pretty hard to explain out of context but this is a colloquial phrase which can relate to both time and space. The examples I was given at work include if you’re running for the bus and you’re not sure if es geht sich aus i.e. whether you’ll make it in time, or if you find a parking space that is pretty small but just big enough for your car, then es geht sich aus! Likewise, if your Christmas tree is almost too tall to fit in your sitting room and there’s a tiny gap between the tree and the ceiling you can say, yay es geht sich aus!

When planning my year abroad, I didn’t have much time to fit everything, but luckily my placement in Graz, es geht sich aus!

ES ZAHLT SICH NICHT!
IT’S NOT WORTH IT!

Austrian colloquial version of es lohnt sich nicht.

My other worry was that a two month placement zahlt sich nicht. How wrong was I. I’ve improved so much that I almost regret not working abroad earlier. I do, however, feel like I’m about to hit another barrier and that the next hurdle will be a bit trickier to overcome. So maybe its a good thing I’m moving on to a new challenge!

WENN ALLES KLAPPT
IF THINGS WORK OUT, GOES WeLL, GOES TO PLAN

Once you start using the klappen, you will wonder how you ever lived without it. Another useful variation is… es hat gut geklappt (it worked out well, went smoothly).

Once sentence to describe my time in Graz: es hat super gut geklappt!

Bis nächstes Mal / Bis zum Nächsten Mal
Until next time!

I use this one in the post office, as  I go to most days to post translations. It gives me a great opportunity to test my ‘strong Austrian dialect’ comprehension skills, and I like to think that bis zum nächsten Mal lets them know that I enjoy my daily post office chat/challenge.

Let me know if you have any more additions (or corrections!), and bis zum nächsten Mal!

Austrian Specialities – My Top Ten!

After a long absence of ‘cake-related updates’ (mostly due to a few gentle reminders than I cannot live off cake alone, and hence my attempt at healthy eating), a foodie post is definitely long over due. So here are my top ten things to try in Austria…

1. Natürlich cake comes first… I recommend Topfenstrudel (cream cheese strudel) or Topfentorte (Austrian ‘cheesecake’). It’s a lighter alternative to the Linzertorte and the Sachertorte, however unfortunately only in texture.
   
   
2. Apfelstrudel. Need I say more?
3. belegte Brote. Austrians love their bread and cheese, ham, salami etc. So while I’m snacking on cake, the locals are eating sandwiches! If you want to look like a true local, then head to Spar where you can choose your bread and fillings and they’ll pack you up a sandwich to take away.
4. Almdudler. Austria’s favourite soft drink. It’s tastes a bit like a cross between ginger beer, grape juice and elderflower cordial if that’s possible to imagine. You can also mix it with beer or look out Almradler!
5. Spinatknödel (spinach dumplings). This is a good option for veggies. When served in a tomato sauce, they taste like a really good pasta dish.
6. Sauerkraut. Okay so I haven’t actually tried this but everyone tells me I need to. According to wiki it translates directly as “sour cabbage” and is finely cut cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. Perhaps this is why it remains on my to-try list.
7. Kürbiskernöl (pumpkin seed oil) or Kernöl for short. Styria’s pride and joy. Great with salads!
8. Käsespätzle (Macaroni & cheese à la Austria!). I was encouraged to try this at a birthday party, and whilst everyone else tucking into salads, I was served enough food to last me a week….
   

   Sorry Austria. Glad I gave this a try, but think I’m going to stick to Spinatknödel!

9. Verhackert. One of Austria’s favourite spreads made of minced bacon with garlic and salt. Obviously I haven’t tried this one either, but there are also so many other Aufstriche (spreads) to chose from!
10. Sturm. Austrians love this, and unlike the Käsespätzle, so do I. It’s a fairly sweet drink made of semi-fermented grape juice that you all should try!

Working in a translation company and translating menus and touristic texts has made me realise just how important food is to culture. If you want to be a good translator, you need kosten (Austrian word for probieren, meaning to try, taste) everything!

And here are the sweet treats I’ve had recently (purely for research purposes of course)…

Austrian Marillenspitz

Steirische Butter-Nussschnecke

And, of course, my favourite: a Latte Macchiato Gugelhupf!