the following

The following three posts were written stream of consciousness, when I was kind of tired. Take from them what you will (and are able)

Life in France

Yes the food is okay. There is too much meat and cheese and fatty sausages of course - all of which is delicious and a risk to my girlish figure. I refuse to tell French people their food is good though. They are too caught up in it and smug and I’ve had good food in many places.

However, I find it very doubtful the food I get in the school cafeteria would appear in a school café in any other country, but until the French learn to be a bit more humble about their food, they’re not getting anything else from me.

And what the heck is the problem with mixing vegetables with your aligot? It’s the only option when there’s only one hot plate and saucepan.

Aligot being a delicious local dish of potatoes, cheese and cream in a 4-2-1 ratio, and my condemnation arising when I suggested mixing a few veggies into the mash. I was roundly condemned by all present and informed later in the conversation it isn’t aligot lest the cheese come from somewhere other than a tiny block of farms somewhere south of Rodez.

I guess.

Too much about food!

Aside from that, the bureaucracy here is silly. I have filled out forms where I wrote my address down three times, on the same page! Opening my bank account required the murder of ten forests. Speaking of the bank, I deposited some cash today and it should appear on my bank balance by Tuesday. If I’d known it would take so long, I wouldn’t have bothered. I have general “life” insurance, not life insurance, just insurance for life. In case I step on someone’s toe or something. Before I join a gym, or take a yoga class I need to get some sort of form from a doctor, the cost of which will be refunded by the public health care.

And it goes and goes and goes.

So food, and bureaucracy. Seem to be the fixation of most people here. It isn’t about efficiency, that’s for sure, and come to think of it neither am I.

Maybe if I can figure out this whole language thing, thus enabling me to engage more fully in conversations over food, about food, during bureaucratic process or about them, I’ll like it all even more.

Right now, not being able to say what I really think is more than a bit irritating, and maybe if I didn’t talk to the other English assistants so much I’d be learning more and faster. Maybe.

Time and the internet

It’s interesting, I’m writing a bit more – I’ve written once or twice in the last week – but I’m still not reading much. Part of this is I only have one book, but I haven’t even been inclined to get into that.

I suppose I read quite a lot on the internet but you can’t really count that.

For a while there was a bit of guilt at the thought of dealing in English but that has passed. I wonder where my time goes because I do have a lot of it.

I think most of it disappears trying to sort out minutia. Things like which rail discount card to buy become hours long research and translation sessions where I always feel burned out and exhausted by the end. The deplorable state of internet in France doesn’t help things either. Packing up all my gear and heading over the teacher’s college I work at…working over there, but only with internet explorer because nothing else works…then coming back for lunch. It all just wastes so much time.

I think I should just give up the internet entirely, all the connections here are nothing but grief. But I can’t. Planning my holidays required oodles of research.

It’s strange being in a country, ostensibly tied in with the idea that the internet is the future, but also notoriously famous for its bureaucracy and pace. Not a good combo. Both through its connections and how websites are designed, the French have somehow extended this notoriety into the digital realm.

I have theories as to why I can’t find something helpful, like a train schedule online (I can find it through the German Rail website, which all the French use as well), but they’re for another time and involve the economy.

rodez 2

Ther might be some new thoughts in this. Maybe not. I can't be bothered to check.

Rodez is a city/town on a hill. Apparently the Romans had some stuff here, but as far as I can tell all that remains in town is a small section of amphitheatre wall that has been incorporated into the central underground car park. There was a museum tour of the local aqueduct system the other weekend but I failed to reserve my spot and was therefore grossly disappointed when I showed up on Sunday for the tour.

Rodez is just out of the way. There’s a direct overnight train from Paris, but aside from that to get here requires connecting. It’s at the end of the line from Toulouse, although there is a small train that runs on to places further east. It’s just south of the Central Massif, but not so close that I can see it out my window or anything. A lot of people who live and work here take off for Toulouse when the week is done. This includes most of the students I work with and many of the teachers. Most of the town.

The shock at seeing so many constantly shuttered windows has worn off I think, but there are a lot of shuttered windows. And now that I’m thinking of it the weekends seem a lot less empty now that I’m running along the river path. It always seems to be fairly busy during the day and it’s just the center of town that is dead.

But again I must say NO! Not dead. Just quiet. I think it’s nice, and I have decided to ignore that “well at least it’s something to do” that seems to pervade the mindsets of many of the other assistants. There’s lots to do, as long as you like walking, running, quiet contemplation, reading (perhaps, although I’m still not doing the latter enough and even if I was I might run out of books in a hurry) etc.

So all in all Rodez is nice.

rodez

Yes, So I have a few moments.

I don't feel like going into the in depth intricacies that are Frenchness and the famous french bureaucracy. I need to write those thoughts down and edit them before I think of posting them here because that's the golden stuff that British people eat up and I can put into a book.

But I will say this.

Rodez is a lovely town. It's main probalem is one of isolation. Part of this is likely the fact I haven't sorted out all the transit intricacies yet, but most of it is Rodez is a bit of a backwater, connected by rail to a couple of places far away that need to be gone through to reach anywhere of any significance. Bit of a pain, but there you go.

The bigger pain, howeverm is that I never learned to drive a manual transmission. Fine in Canada but here everythign is stick, and if I ever wanted to buy a car, or more likely rent one, it would certainly come in handy. Unfortunately I don't have the skill, so I can either rent a car and learn to drive the damn thing as I go (somehow hiding the fact I'm incompetent until I am out of sight) or sit here on my keester (booo) or convince another assistant to drive somewhere with me. That saves a bit of money so it's a possibility, but involves agreement etc etc.

Another thought I had involved buying a motorcycle, but while I'm sure I could figure it out I don't think the French are going to want to give me one without an actual motorcycle license...the little things.

So there I am.

But there are still many places to visit just on the train. I went to Albi just south of here the other day and there is still the entirety of Toulouse to visit. That should keep me entertained for a while. It's only if a I really want to take myself on a tour of the out of the way castles and villages that the Cathars hid out in that I need a car. Unfortunately I do so I'll have to think of something clever.

meh

Don't know when I'll be writing on here these days. Rodez is nice, French is hard but interesting to learn and the food is good.

What ,ore do you need to know....and I can't find the question mark on this keyboard.