Week 12 - Feeling Festive

My final week of 2015 in Avignon!

Ryan, aka DJ Vessel, one of the other assistants, was playing in Avignon on Saturday night and our Avignon family were of course ready to go out en masse to support him! Kate and Chelsea generously hosted pre drinks (or pre-game as the Americans like to call it) and we had an eventful evening before we'd even left the apartment - their neighbours had heard the party from across the street and came over to join in! We finally made it to Pub Z to catch DJ Vessel's epic set before moving on to Red Zone, one of Avignon's finest evening establishments. Unsurprisingly, none of us made it to circuits the next morning.

Anushka hosted a pizza pyjama party on Sunday, exactly what we needed to nurse the hangovers and properly celebrate her birthday which was the day before. This week I also opened my first Christmas present at our Secret Santa evening - a gorgeous starlight that Chelsea had sneakily bought for me from the Christmas market.

Birthday girl

Secret Santa squad

After school on Tuesday I stuck around in Vaison for a catch up drink with Jeremy and we exchanged Christmas presents - I was spoiled with an amazing bottle of wine. It was the first time I'd seen Vaison in the dark since the Christmas lights have been up and the town is looking amazing! As it was so very late in the evening (7pm) there were no buses running, however fortunately my BlaBlaCar pal Gael was driving back to Avignon that night so we had a catch up on the ride home too.

Kate and I spent the day together on Wednesday exploring Avignon's nooks and crannies, topping up Christmas presents and hanging out with Father Christmas. That afternoon I went along to a tandem conversation session with Brian at a café/bookshop where there were loads of people from all over the world - France, America, Korea - looking to improve their French or English. It was a great opportunity to meet some people and practise my French conversation so I'll definitely be going along again in the New Year.

My last day at school before the holidays went really quickly and we played lots of end of term Christmas games and made Christmas cards (although getting a class of 24 French children to write the words Merry Christmas inside a card was actually a lot more complicated than it sounds). Children in France all learn to write in cursive so they are often confused by my handwriting! I also asked what they wanted for Christmas and can conclude that Lego, Fifa 16 and remote control helicopters should be top of every parent's Christmas shopping list this year. One girl also asked for masking tape which was a bit of a random one.

My two favourite Vaison buddies, Jeremy and Alex, treated me to lunch in the town square and we had a lovely catch up. I've barely seen them since moving to Avignon so we had lots to talk about. The evening was spent attempting to pack and having a farewell drink with the gang before we all head our separate ways for Christmas. On the walk home we saw a security guard relieving himself on a Christmas market stand. And that, my friends, sums up Avignon in a nutshell.

Super early start this morning despite not having a flight until midday - turns out the trains are on strike (classic France) so I had to take a much earlier one and just chilling in the airport until my FLIGHT HOME!!

That's it for 2015,

Joyeux fêtes et à l'année prochaine,

Katie x

P.s. Brian had a haircut this week, doesn't he look dashing? (Modelling alongside the gorgeous Amy).

Week 11 - Montpellier Magic

A week of Christmas markets and cheese, lots and lots of cheese.

Over the weekend I'd originally be planning a trip to Lyon for the Fête des lumières, however unfortunately in light of the Paris attacks the event was cancelled this year. Instead, I organised a spontaneous trip to Montpellier to visit my buddy Niamh and check out the amazing Christmas market!

Niamh met me after work on Friday and took me to her super-cute French apartment. It's an adorable quirky and typically French layout, complete with a ladder to get to her bedroom and stunning views of the city. The plan for the evening was to hit up Montpellier's nightlife and make it to Panama, the only place to be on a Friday night. After a delightful vin chaud at the Christmas market, Niamh and I met up with her friends and headed to pres before a night on the town. We had a hilarious night and it was safe to say we were feeling a little worse for wear the following morning after one too many Desperados.

At the Montpellier market

Things are a little blurry in Panama

On Saturday, Megan, Kate and Annie from Avignon took the train over and we went ice skating at a huge rink at the edge of the city. The ice rink was a lot more extreme than a conventional ice rink, complete with flashing lights, club music and a disco tunnel! Being a Saturday, it was of course ridiculously busy, which was slightly terrifying as tiny French children were literally whizzing round and pushing people out the way. After a few circles round the rink we did manage to leave the sides and channel our inner ice princesses. The afternoon was spent at the Christmas market, stocking up on Christmas presents and crêpes before getting the last train back to Avignon.

In the rave tunnel

Kate, Megan and Annie

The Avignon Christmas market has also opened here so we spent the rest of the weekend seeing what our own town had to offer. Although it's not as big as in Montpellier, there are still some great stalls, especially the place that serves everything chaud, including wine, beer, cider and apple juice! The Christmas lights here are also beautiful and there's even been Christmas music playing in the streets so everyone's been getting very excited.

With only two weeks left of term, this week's lessons have been all about Christmas too. I remembered to pack my collection of Christmas hats when I visited home last weekend so I've been using them as teaching tools in the classroom - the children were very over-excited to dress up! I also introduced stickers into the classroom this week which was hilarious at first as none of them knew what to do with them. However it wasn't long before the whole class was desperately trying to answer a question to earn themselves a sticker.

On Wednesday evening we had an assistants meal out for cheese fondue at La maison des fondues and I'm pretty sure we all went into a cheese coma that evening. As if I hadn't had enough melted cheese for one week, at school on Thursday it was the staff Christmas meal: raclette! The teachers put on an impressive spread of cheese, meats, potatoes, homemade brioche and brownies and even wine (they decided they'd have a relaxed couple of lessons that afternoon).

Cheese fondue

Staff raclette

I'm staying in Avignon this weekend for my last week here as I'm off home on Friday for the Christmas holidays!

Bisous,

Katie x

Things I've learnt about living in France

1. Everyone has a dog
The cliché is true: walk around any French town or city and expect to walk past a woman carrying at least one fluffy little dog before you've made it to the end of the street. These adorable little pooches come at a price though, as the French don't seem to clean up after their animals - keep your eyes on the pavement.

2. Baguette from the supermarket is a serious no-no
The same goes for pastries. Why buy poor-quality, mass-produced, flavourless 'bread' when there's a charming local bakery just across the road. Pick up a baguette in the supermarché and expect looks of disgust/pity.

3. Cat-calling is far too common
Apparently men in France seem to think if a young girl or group of young girls walk past them in the street they have every right to holler, wolf-whistle, click their fingers and request sexual favours regardless of your age, time of day or what you're wearing. This NEEDS to change.

4. Wine
It's socially acceptable to have a glass at 11am. On a weekday. In public.

5. Nights out start much later
While back at home we might start preing as early as 7pm (Wednesday sports socials anyone?), clubs out here open as late as 2am and can stay open until around 7 in the morning! Thursday is the big night for students before they go home for the weekend.

6. Dog Boutiques are everywhere
Go to any French town and expect to find the following: bakery, restaurant, newsagent, small supermarket, pharmacy, beauty salon, dog parlour - clearly all the daily essentials covered. Perhaps this is explained by #1.

7. There is nothing to do on a Sunday
Somehow everyone and everything shuts down and disappears for the day. Make sure you've stocked up on groceries the day before otherwise you're going to go very hungry.

8. Remember to bring your own shopping bags
The English are only just cottoning on to this trend. Go to the supermarket, do a massive shop and realise you've forgotten your trusty Bag for Life. Either buy another one to add to your collection or have an interesting time carrying it all home.

9. Admin
No matter how many forms you sign, how many photocopies of your passport, bank statement, proof of address, birth certificate... you have sent off, there will always seem to be more that magically appear. It's fine though, somehow it will all sort itself out and after signing one or two forms it's important to reward yourself with a 2 hour lunch break and a glass of wine.

10. Customer Service
Order your food in a restaurant, it might come in minutes, days, weeks... who knows? Attract a waiter's attention and they'll wave you off and tell you they're coming - maybe in half an hour's time if you're lucky. Never go for a meal when you're rushed for time, a 'quick bite to eat' does not exist in France.

11. Everyone smokes

Cigarettes are cheaper and chicer across the channel. I'm yet to meet a young French person who doesn't smoke at all. Even the gym instructors!

12. They love coffee

Whatever time of day, a cup of coffee is appropriate. Just not in a big mug, espresso shots are the only way to go.

Week 10 - Family Reunion

This week has absolutely flown by!

Had a wonderful weekend back on home soil with my family. I went up to Sheffield on Saturday to visit my sister Alex at uni. Soph was also up visiting a friend so we had a sister reunion day of shopping the Black Friday weekend sales followed by a night out at Pop Tarts (the Sheffield SU and a little more exciting than the Lemmy I'm afraid to admit). Pre Pop-Tarts Alex and I went on a Pub Golf bar crawl on an ANTS (volunteering) social. Fair to say it was a very different night out from the one's I'm used to in France.

Sheffield Christmas Market

Pub Golf

Braving Meadowhall shopping centre

Sisters reunited

Sunday was the big family reunion for my Grannie's 80th celebrations and she seemed pretty chuffed and surprised to see me (phew, the plan worked)! After a lovely country lunch which included a longed for roast, we headed off back to London before I caught my flight back early the following morning.

Family reunion

Back at school on Tuesday my arrival provided much entertainment when one of my CP pupils (6 year olds) exclaimed Maman (Mummy) as opposed to Katie by mistake. Somehow the kids seem to be getting cuter every week and my collection of drawings is rapidly growing. My new shoes I bought over the weekend have seriously made an impression in the playground - it seems shoes are something people half your size pay a lot of attention to!

Last night I had some friends round at mine for the evening to try British snacks I'd brought from home. Mini Cheddars, Percy Pigs and Cadbury's chocolate were all new to assistants from across the pond.

Off to Montpellier this weekend to check out the Christmas markets and visit Niamh!

A la semaine prochaine,

Katie x