Thursday Sept 11

Warm today but raining. It rains a great deal. I may have mentioned that! Jean showed me some photos taken last winter and they were very white. Yes, SNOW! When I googled Poitiers before coming over I got the impression that the climate was a bit like Auckland's, and perhqps even a little warmer. Hmmm....
Had lunch with the English teachers today then sat in on a Language Lab training session. I think it would hqve been over my head in English, so I sure struggled to stay awake with it being in French. And after a substantial lunch at the school cafeteria. I didnt have all the courses, but you get an appetiser, a main - meat and vegetables - a dessert, cheese, bread, yoghurt and fruit. They didnt really get it when I tried to explain what we did in NZ. Well, we take sandwiches. Or leftovers. Or buy a pie! :-) In fact, eating a nutritious filling meal could be a jolly good thing for the kids at our school, many of whom think that missing lunch will help them lose weight. Anyway, speaking of losing weight, after lunch we had some Tarte Citron and Tarte du Poivre as it was the birthday of one of the teachers.
I should put in some enlightening information rather than rambling on as I do. And all the time wondering if I have any readers out there! :-)
Do you know about Eleanor of Aquitaine? Eleanor of Aquitaine (or Aliénor), Duchess of Aquitaine and Gascony and Countess of Poitou (1122[1]–1 April 1204) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe during the High Middle Ages.
Eleanor was Queen consort of both Louis VII of France and Henry II of England in turn, and the mother of two kings of England, Richard I and John. She is well known for her participation in the Second Crusade.
I am attached to the Aliénor d'Aquitaine Lycée.
The photo is not of the school cafeteria by the way! It was taken in Paris.
OK then folks. Au revoir.

Address

Just briefly, if anyone has the urge to write a real letter, or send a postcard, or just feel secure in the knowledge that you know where I am, here are my contact details.
My address at the moment is: 37 rue des 2 communes

86180 Buxerolles

France.



From the start of October it will be: c/- Christian & Hélène Martin

106 route de Bonneuil-matours

86000 Poitiers

France.

I'm still roaming with my Vodafone NZ phone, but need to get a French sim card soon as it will be costing me a fortune.
Au revoir.

mardi le 9 septembre

Are you out there?
Three things of significance today. 1. I weighed myself. Aaagh! 2. I got drenched in a thunderstorm. 3. I went to a mall!
Back to yesterday. I sat my language placement test along with a large proportion of the population of China, it seemed. Well, a small proportion. It was OK really. There was a photo of some jazz musicians and we had to write about what they were doing, and mqke up stuff qbout how they formed their group, etc. We also had to discuss the statement - Life in the city is better then in the country. I had no trouble waxing lyrical on that. It's easy to say in French, "I love shopping!" I mean, it would have been full of mistakes, but at least i was able to write something.
In the afternoon I went to the school. I was really nervous, and at first the meeting with the principal didn't seem to be going too well - altough it was hard to tell as I couldn't understand him - but then I met the English teachers and they were simply lovely. All female, and all very good English speakers. We chatted for a while, and Im going to have lunch with them on Thursday. We'll then work out a timetable.
And last night Thérèse and Jean had some extended family round for tea which was very pleasant.
This moring I had my oral lqnguage test at the university. It was a beautiful day here so off I went without a coat or umbrella. Not a good idea! As I sat on the bus I could see the sky getting blacker and blacker...... By the time I got to uni it was pelting down, with thunder and lightning added in for good meqsure. It's about a 10 minute walk from the bus stop and I had no choice but to just go for it. So I arrived at my interview absolutely sodden and squelching. I suppose in a way it helped as it was an immediate talking point and I was able to be a bit dramatic. If you can picture that at all. :-) Anyway, that was OK too I guess. And then I went back into the same downpour to get the bus back home.
Oh, an interesting little thing on the bus.... There is a sign that changes and shows the destination, the nqme of the next stop, etc. I was looking at it and I thought, "Gosh, Il est (he is) seems a funny name for a bus stop, compared with Perpinière, Champlain, and other nice French names." And then I looked more closely and saw that is actually said 'Il est 10:20.' Lol!!
Speaking of buses, I notice that there is always someone standing by the driver chatting to him or her. I imagine that practice has been banned in New Zealand since Barbara and I were at Intermediate when we used to stand and chat to a driver called Currant Bun, feeling very proud that we knew him. (I cannot vouch for ther fact that he was the offspring of a Mr and Mrs Bun, but can only say that I knew of no other name!)
Anyway, after drying out, and a long lunch, and a rest, :-), Jean took me to a mall. You may be interested to know that the clothes look much the same as in NZ, although you need to bear in mind that I'm in the provinces! There did seem to be quite a few baggy trousers gathered in at the ankle. Not a good look for Apple Women I'm afraid.
Incidentally, if you don't want to comment on this blog, you can email me at allykroon@hotmail.com If you want. I might be repeating myself here.
And so this episode draws to a close. I will end with some wise words from my lovely form 2 teacher, George Williamson, who said that you are never separated from people as long as they are thinking about you. I thought that was really nice.
Amities,
Alison.

Still Sunday

A tiring day. I liken it a bit to how my friend Christine talked about being deaf. A slow one-on-one converstation is manageable, but a room full of people going flat out is just dynamite!
Anyway, I went to the market by myself this morning then J, T & I went to a display of clubs and groups that you can join. Then we went to a lovely village , full of history. It's called Nouaillé-Maupertuis. Anyway, I just wanted to pop on these photos. Me, and also Thérèse and Jean.
Love Alison.

If it's Sunday it must be France!

I have managed to put on a sideways photo. If anyone is able to fix it that would be great. I suspect I should hqve rotated it before publishing it. Anyway, that photo is especially for you Jane. It's me outside the Palais de Justice, which I assume is the Poitiers version of the Pukekohe Courthouse. The other photo is of all the people at the dinner part chez nous last night. It's funny how it was just like John and me with friends around. It just seemed exactly the same. It could hqve been you here Bass except that they probably speak French better then you and Hazza. It's funny really - I keep being terribly impressed at how good everyone is at speaking French. How different lqnguages evolved would mqke qn interesting study. (I realise thqt other people hqve indeed studied that very thing. I just think that I would like to.)
But back a bit... I cant remember where I was up to. But that's OK. Last week Thérèse and I went to the university to check out languqge courses, and we went by bus so that i would know how to go on the bus by myself. Anyway, it was a very long and drawn-out process, but fortunqtely T is not easily put off, so we eventually got the info we needed. I am going to the uni on Monday BY MYSELF and sitting a placement test. In the afternoon I have a meeting with the school principal. Then we are going berry picking with friends. I think that Thérèse knows more people than I do. I can hear you snorting Nadean, but it's true!!
Yesterday moring Thérèse and I went for a long brisk walk. Sadly it did not remove my fat stomach in one go, but I'll try again some time! We walked though suburban streets and also through open country, even stopping to pick and eat wild blackberries. Id like to say that that took me back to my childhood, but to be honest I don't think I did a lot of rambling down the South Road picking berrries. Although I do remember picking convulvulus at the tip and making fairy toothbrushes. And digressing a bit further, when I ate raspberries straight from the garden here, it reqlly did remind my of the delicious berries we ate at Grandma's in Alexandra. Real flavour. This blog could become a berry memoir. I will refrain from making berry awful jokes.
But enough. After a brief nap yesterday T & I raced into town again as there is a kind of Arts festival on. We ran into quite a few of T's friends including a chap who spoke English. You have no idea how exciting that was! Anyway, we watched a juggler for ages. He was very good, but I spent 30 years in arty Nelson (all good!)and there are only so many jugglers one needs to see. :-) We then walked back to the bus and came across a wonderful jazz band. I could have easily listened to them for so much longer.
Anyway, we went home and got changed and friends stqrted arriving for dinner. It was a group of friends who holiday together. I had made a pavlova especially, but help me please here - does anyone know of cream you can buy in France which can be whipped? Whipped cream was pretty much unknown to Thérèse, but she did tell me the sort to get that she thought would work. It tasted like tinned milk and whilst it thickened a tad, it really didn't whip. I poured it on to the pavlova where it paused graciously for a moment before glugging off on to the plate. Oh well.....
It was a long night, but just when i thought it was time for bed we all jumped up and went and watched a fireworkes display. Quite impressive in fact.
And now it's Sunday morning. I am continuing to hog the computer. There was an English speaking IT chap here last night who felt confident he could connect my laptop to the internet via wireless, but alas, no luck. But anyway, I had better wind up for today. Remember that if you click on a photo it will enlqrge it. And please excuse my a's and q's. (I wouldn't normqlly put apostrophes there but it looked funny without.)
A bientot!
Alison.

Some photos at last!

Well, I have downloaded my photos on to the family's computer. It was a bit of a mission but they didn't seem to mind. In no particular order, as they change when published: a view of Poitiers; my lovely hosts, Jean et Thérèse Ragonneau; the view from my bedroom window and moi outside a church in Poitiers. The old parts of Poitiers are lovely, but it isn't really a picture postcard city as I think I've said. Zillions of apartments in 60s high rise blocks. In the town centre there are lots of very narrow streets where cars and buses hurtle up and down in both directions! One thing I have noticed is that just about everyone drives small cars. Better for the environment I guess, better for the narrow streets and certainly better for getting a park.

I haven't been to school yet, as le directeur is very busy with La Rentrée, the big start of the new school year. But I seem to have been very busy too. I suspect that AFS has said to the host families to drop us into it, as it were, as Thérèse is very keen for me to do things on my own, and go to places then walk home. I am more then happy to walk, but knowing where to walk to would be helpful! It really is quite scary being here and on the fringe of what's going on. Today we went to the university to enquire about language courses, and Thérèse was all for me coming next time in the bus on my own. However, we are going to have a wee practice together tomorrow before I do go on my own on Monday for the placement test. Hopefully then I will know where to get off! Help! She also chats to me all the time in French, which is lovely, but the reality is that I don't understand most of it. Which tends to mak my brain very very full and it's tiring!

But I'm not complaining. It's all about learning. I'm just not sure why I thought that I needed to keep learning at my age. :-)

You will be pleased to know, I'm sure, that today I made my first clothes purchase. I bought a top at a market. (There are markets everywhere, mainly fresh foodstuffs.) The guy selling the clothes spoke some English, which I have to say is rare in this fairly un-touristy town. I told him where I was from and he said, "Oh, Les Springboks." After I nearly had a nervous breakdown and we sorted it all out, Les All Blacks of course, he looked at me and said "Jonah Lomu." So perhqps he was just having me on in the first place. But isn't it interesting - I don't think we really appreciated in New Zealand just how world famous Jonah was. Well, I didn't.

Oh, the food. Not only have I been quaffing red wine and even drinking coffee, neither of which I do chez moi, I have been eating my evening meal at 8.00pm at night! And this is someone who is usually ready for tea at 5:00pm! It could have something to do with the fact that I have about 6 courses at lunchtime. (I could have put another exclamation mark there but I thought I might be overdoing it.) It's the bread that will be my downfall in the end I suspect. I will need to show restraint of a kind not shown before! Mind you, I tend to tuck in when something is produced at the table, not realising that there is more, and indeed even more, to come. When I get the hang of small portions..... Hmmm.....

The food is simple as a rule, but pretty fresh. No limp exhibits from Foodtown Hunters' Plaza!

I'm also trying to plan a trip to see my friend Shirley who is in Cluny on an AFS award for a month. I have been invited down for the weekend after next, but getting there is proving very tricky. It will involve going on the TGV via Paris, something I find quite scary, because it means changing stations amongst other things. Well, no other things really, but that is enough! Oh no, I think I have to change to a bus before I get to Cluny. Anyway, we will see. Hopefully it will work out.

Well, that's enough for now. Apart from the weather. It's quite cold really for the time of year. If there's something you want me to write about, let me know.

Lots of love,

Alison.

And now it's automne!

Bonjour. I can't really download photos while I'm using my host family's computer as I would have to save it on to their desktop, etc. As it is I'm very aware that I'm using the computer quite a bit.
A gloomy day today and bad weather predicted, but the windows and doors are wide open a ce moment and it's quite warm.
Yesterday Thérèse and I got the bus into the centre of Poitiers. There are some truly wonderful old buildings. There are also zillions of uni students around as they have just started back. So people smoking everywhere!!!
We wandered around and checked out what to do to open a bank account and looked in some shops. And witnessed a couple of beggars? tramps? attempting to belt someone up. Pretty scary. I sort of expected people to look different, but they don't. They could be people from anywhere. Apart from the very strong African presence it's as if they could be from NZ. The only tricky bit is that they all speak French!
I am still a bit hopeless at understanding what I hear, but am certainly better in the mornings. My brain turns to fromage in the afternoons. I think it always has! :-)
Thérèse and Jean and their friends seem very involved in socially left wing groups which is very interesting. As I'm sure you can imagine I connect better with the left than the right! (Apart from any right wing friends who may be reading this! :-)) They are really good people.
The homesickness/separation anxiety still gnaws away at me, and I do wonder why at my age I'm still putting myself through stuff like this. I should be a little old retired lady somewhere! But I will be OK. It comes and goes. The computer is a marvellous thing for feeling some sense of connection and immediacy.
Well, I had better leave this for now. I enjoy your comments and/or separate emails.
Amities,
Alison.