Apparta'thon

Apartment + Marathon = an evening filled with food, drink and running round Caen finding people's apartments. Think like a pub crawl mixed with a house party, and you have the idea!

This is my second Apparta'thon, and I have to say...I enjoyed it as much as the first, if not more! This time round I felt a lot more confident in my French, and was very happy to speak with strangers whereas the first time I was definitely more nervous.

So my normal Wednesday was disrupted by classes! As my responsable had meetings about one of her pupils, she asked me to take the two classes she should normally have so they would still have a lesson. This was pretty fun in fact, even though there was a panic moment (again!) when some of the cinquième INTER could not log in to their computers...but turns out that if you wait long enough, technology will eventually work! As it was a fun lesson, where they were playing English themed games they of course all behaved, and I could relax. This class was followed by the troisième INTER and the theme of their classes at the moment is Black people in America and England...so we were watching the film/documentary of the events in Memphis that lead up to the assassination of Martin Luther King. The only problem was the American accents were so strong, that sometimes even I didn't understand what was going on! The poor students! To be honest, I am not certain how much of the film they understood, as one of them was getting quite fidgety about half an hour in...but I guess you can't really blame them...

After my private lesson with the two troisième pupils I went to work with my tutee. I had given her a news article to read and summarise, but she either hadn't understood my instructions, or hadn't understood the article...so hadn't summarised or done much as I could see! So we spent the hour going through the article and making sure that she understood what was going on...I think she did anyways!

In other news, I've started reading a new book...and I feel like I should share some of it with you lovely people. Right now, I am not certain what to make of it, other than the fact you really have to concentrate to keep up with the story. Well that's metafiction for you I guess...and this extract is taken from the first page of the novel:-

'You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveller. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room. Tell the others right away, "No I don't want to watch TV!" Raise your voice - they won't hear you otherwise - "I'm reading! I don't want to be disturbed!" Maybe they haven't heard you, with all that racket; speak louder, yell: "I'm beginning to read Italo Calvino's new novel!" Or, if you prefer, don't say anything; just hope they'll leave you alone.
Find the most comfortable position: seated stretched out, curled up, or lying flat. Flat on your back, on your side, on your stomach. In an easy chair, on the sofa, in the rocker, the deck chair, on the hassock. In the hammock, if you have a hammock. On top of your bed, of course, or in the bed. You can even stand on your hands, head down, in the yoga position. With the book upside down, naturally. Of course, the ideal position for reading is something you can never find. In the old days they used to read standing up, at a lectern. People were accustomed to standing on their feet, without moving [...]
It's not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You're the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything.
[...] So then, you noticed in a newspaper that If on a winter's night a traveller had appeared, the new book by Italo Calvino, who hadn't published for several years. You went to the bookshop and bought the volume. Good for you.
In the shop window you have promptly identified the cover with the title you were looking for. Following this visual trail, you have forced your way through the shop past the thick barricades of Book You Haven't Read, which were frowning at you from the tables and shelves, trying to cow you. But you know you must never allow yourself to be awed, that among them, extend for acres and acres the Books You Needn't Read, the Book Made For Purposes Other Than Reading, Books Read Even Before You Open Them Since They Belong To The Category Of Books Read Before Being Written. And thus you pass the outer girdle of ramparts, but then you are attacked by the infantry of the Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered.'


Now, back to the Apparta'thon. As you are put into a team with strangers, it is always pot luck who you end up with...luckily, I had an awesome group comprising of French, German, Italian, Spanish and Mexican students who were all absolutely lovely. As I said before, the aim of the Apparta'thon is to go to different apartments around the city and sample some French cuisine while getting to know some new people. This is in the apartment where we had cheese and wine, and you have a Spaniard talking to a German...I love the intimacy of the picture, and the light, even if the ISO is pretty high! After the Apparta'thon section of the night is finished, we all headed to L'Écume des Nuits to finish the party. Now Thibaud and Flavie's team managed to win by being the quickest between each apartment, so they had even more cause for celebration! However, I think I preferred the chilled out-ness of my team! Splendid time had by all, great night...wish the Apparta'thons happened more often!

In other news, learnt this French drinking song!

Ceux qui sont nés au mois de janvier/fevrier/mars/avril/mai/juin/juillet/aout/septembre/octobre/novembre/decembre...debout, debout, debout.
Prenez votre verre à la main et buvez-le jusqu'à le fin, jusqu'à le fin...(until they finish it !)
Il est des nôtres, il a bu son verre comme les autres !
C'est un ivrogne, ça se voit rien qu'à sa trogne !