Un Voyage Difficile

This morning was awful. I didn’t sleep very well last night because I was worrying about the journey, medicine etc. (mainly just because no one actually gave me any information so I didn’t know what was going on!)

I must have only got around 4-5 hours sleep, which was interrupted by a lot of banging at 4:30am – the german uncle (finally found out his name was Albrecht) and Benoit were leaving (I think going to Ireland, but who knows).

I got up at about 7am. I had some hot chocolate and then went to take my medicine. At 7:30am I asked if it was ok to use the shower to which Helene told me ‘No no no, there is no time’ so I just had a quick wash in the sink instead and then got dressed. I helped all the children finish getting dressed and have breakfast and we were ready to leave at about 8am. I was feeling very sick and the children wanted to play in the garden so I sat with them and had a drink of water. 5 minutes later Helene started shouting at me telling me that there was so much to do because we were about to leave and to go and help in the kitchen. I went to the kitchen only to be told by Anne and Grandmaman that it would be easier for me to wait in the garden with the children because there wasn't enough space (they were just emptying the fridge, getting the food together). There really wasn’t much to do – they had paid for the cleaning service at the villa so they didn’t have to wash bedding or towels or vacuum or anything.

Helene told me to put the children in the car because we had to leave very soon so I started getting the children into the car with all their things at about 8:30 and they were all inside, ready to go by about 8:45. At 9:15 I was getting annoyed. All the children had been sat in a boiling hot car for half an hour but Helene was just talking to the other adults. At about 9:30 we FINALLY left and by 9:40 all the children were fed up with their toys and games (obviously). At 9:45 we made our first stop at the side of the road because one of the kids was feeling carsick. I kept telling them to look ahead out of the window, and to open their window and let in some fresh air but for some crazy reason Helene told them to look out of the side windows and to put a jumper on – what?! Consequently we stopped another 2 times in that first hour… We also stopped after about 40 minutes to have a coffee at a little café – something else that made no sense to me. She didn’t even ask the children to go to the toilet if they needed to when they were there and so 5 minutes later they were all crying because they needed to go.

Helene told me to order a
'small hot chocolate' at the cafe.
Tiniest hot choc I've ever seen
(this cup was barely bigger
than an espresso cup)

There was hardly any room in the car, but Helene made me sit in the smallest seat in the whole car (the middle seat) – despite being bigger than all the other children. Apparently Hillaire gets carsick – so put him in the middle so he can look out of the windscreen!? Idiot.

We arrived at Ajaccio at about 11:30am and then drived around all over the place, the wrong way down one-way streets etc. looking for a Boulangerie. Crazy. At about 12:30 (yes, almost a whole hour was spent driving around aimlessly) we stopped in the ferry carpark. The grandparents were coming on the same ferry so they found a shop and bought croissants, pain au chocolat and baguettes which we then stood in a car park and ate. I wasn’t able to put on suncream this morning either – they had made me pack it up in the car the day before so I now have slightly burnt shoulders because the only shade was one bench under a tree and there wasn’t room under it for me.

We then drove to the boarding area for the ferry. Helene told me that she didn’t have a ticket in my name so if anyone asked my name was Bethany Amis (perhaps this is an au pair that cancelled on her which would explain the late notice for hiring me!). We then had to sit in a very hot car for almost an hour while we waited to board which was very difficult with bored and uncomfortable children (and me).

Eventually we boarded the ferry where everything was a big rush to find a seat. Helene then told me that she needed to spend time with her parents away from children because her mother was ill and was very exhausted so needed quiet time. She told me that she would sit with her mother for an hour or so, and then come back to spend time with the children before dinner, after which she would go to have dinner with her parents and Alienor, and then give me some free time.

However, that, as always with Helene, wasn’t how it happened. She appeared 3 hours later, at which point the kids were all huddled around a French film and I’d stuck on a film for me on my laptop. She came up behind me saying ‘is that a film for the children?’ When I said no, they’re watching a film on their dvd player, she got really angry and started telling me that this was time for the children, not for me. Trying to explain that the children were watching their own French film right next to me didn’t make any difference – she just huffed and then shouted, ‘I am really fed up of you!’ and stomped off. Her 17yr old daughter Alienor then gave me a dirty look and followed her mother… I was pretty confused at this point, in my opinion it was pretty nice of me to look after the children at all as she’d told me that she was hiring me to be an English tutor and to edit her courses. 10 mins later she came back with 5 plates of steak hache (basically a burger that’s not in a bun) with chips, throws them all on the table and then stamps off again. I wasn’t sure if one was for me or if they were just for the children inc. Alienor, and when I asked Alienor what they wanted me to do she just said ‘eat and watch the children like you’ve been told to’.

I had just sat down to eat when Helene reappeared to tell me that she had to speak with me immediately. I got up and followed her off to some stairs somewhere (ridiculous place to decide to sit – loads of people kept trying to walk past with their bags etc.).  I don’t remember exactly what she said but the gist of it was that she wasn’t very happy with me because I hadn’t done anything at all in Corsica (oh, only look after the children, and help in the kitchen or with cleaning, washing…) I told her that she’d never actually told me that I was going to be looking after children so to now tell me that was the main reason she had hired me was pretty ridiculous. She then tried telling me that she had been very clear – I was hired to help with English, edit her courses and look after the children (she didn’t). She then told me that I had to keep the children with me until she had finished dinner with her parents because her mother wasn’t very well. I tried to explain that at any given time at least 1 of her children (usually Hermine) didn’t want to stay with me and would run off to find her. She just told me she didn’t care, that she needed to keep the children safe etc. When I asked her to tell the children that so they knew they had to stay with me as they didn’t understand/listen to me, she told me that she didn’t hire me to tell her how to be a parent… Not sure quite what that had to do with it.

Typically, she then didn’t come back. One by one the children disappeared to go and find her. I tried following and keeping track of them but once I realised their mother wasn’t actually so far away, I gave up. She was supposed to have come to take them away after she’d finished dinner anyway…

Final view of Corsica from the Ferry

We finally arrived in Toulon just after 11pm. Helene was very angry about this because she thought they’d have arrived at 10pm, allowing us to get to the hotel by around 12am. Naturally she didn’t account for the actual getting off the ferry which took around 20 mins, plus getting out of the ferry area which probably took another 20 mins. Consequently, we didn’t arrive at the ‘hostel’ until after 2am, although I’m convinced we could have arrived by half 1 if she’d started walking back to the car earlier, and then hadn’t driven around EVERY roundabout 2-3 times each, and taken about 5 wrong turns (seriously, how?! the signs were so clear and she had a map and satnav?!) When we arrived at the hotel she told me that, again, she hadn’t planned for me and had only bought 2 rooms for 6 people (there was 7 of us). She then told me I had to share with the 10 and 12 yr old boys while her, Alienor, and the two little ones shared the other room. I felt quite uncomfortable about this arrangement – and told her so, but she just told me there was no problem and that she wouldn’t change it.

The hostel was super basic – much worse than those Formula1 hotels we used to stay at. Worst part was that the bathroom was like a train toilet, except they’d squashed a shower in there too… I felt hot and sweaty and generally dirty after the travelling and ferry so had a very hot shower before I went to bed. It was a good move as I definitely wouldn’t have got one the next morning. Helene told me that we’d be leaving at 6am (to be honest I don’t know why you’d bother stopping for just 4 hours – probably would have been better to upgrade to a cabin and sleep on the ferry…). I probably asleep at around 3am in the end… 

Papillion Nuit et Cartes Postales

Today not too much happened. I have managed to speak in full sentences most of the day which is a big achievement for me.

This morning I went swimming in the pool with the children and then went for a walk with Wandrille to the shop to buy postcards. I find him very funny. On the way to the shop I asked Wandrille, "Do you like... the sea, the sand, the sun, the shop, the holiday etc.?" To every question he replied, "No" and when I asked why, he just said "I like the swimming pool!" So it became a game and he thought it was hilarious! When I asked 'Do you like your friends?' he said that there was no friends so then I asked 'what about me?' and he said "Yes, mais mon ami prefere est Papa Noel!" (My best friend is Father Christmas!) 

When we went to pay for the postcards, the man at the counter said "Quatre Euros Soixante" very fast and so I wasn't sure what he had said. I just went to get out €10 but Wandrille saw that I had €5 note and said 'Non, Non' and pulled out the €5 and gave it to the man! He was very pleased with himself for helping!

When we got back I found a giant moth in the toilet. At first I thought it was not real because it was as long as my finger. It was still there this evening so I mentioned it to Helene who told me that they don't have a different word for moth and butterfly so in french it is just called a night butterfly, or 'Papillon Nuit'.

Papillion Nuit

The Moth - it was as long as the toilet roll!

Today I let the children play games on my phone again. It keeps them quiet! They were playing cut the rope (where you have a sweet attached to ropes and you have to cut the ropes to make the sweet go in the frog's mouth!) and Fruit Ninja (where you slice fruit like a ninja...) Wandrille was playing and whenever he won a level or scored lots of points he would shout "VIVE LA FRANCE!" Haha. He has also started to copy me when I speak in English and so when I ask a question in french he will now reply 'Yes, Yes, Yes' in english! It's very cute!

On the way back from the walk to the shop, I saw that our Villa has a weather vane on the roof which is the same as the Corse Flag. I have been interested in the image on the Corse Flag since I arrived so actually looked it up today! 

The Flag of Corsica

The flag depicts a black man with a white bandana - the man sometimes also has an earing in. My first impression of it was that it's a bit racist so wanted to find out about the origin. Originally the flag showed the black man (or Maure/Moor) with the Bandana over his eyes and chains around the neck but in the 18th Century, the General of the Nation, one 'Pascale di Paoli', decided that the chain should be removed and the bandana raised to signify the liberation of the Corsican nation. Very interesting.

Rambo!

This afternoon I went swimming with Wandrille again while the others went hunting in Rock Pools and then I sat in the sun. It was very nice but the Grandmother was very worried about me and came out with a hat, water and sun cream for me and moved a chair into the shade for me! She didn't believe me when I said I was ok!

The German uncle has a very big dog. It's name is Rambo and he is very old. He is struggling to keep cool and isn't allowed in any of the human areas (the house/pool) so just has to wander around outside. He keeps sitting by the fence around the pool and looking longingly at the water! I expect he's boiling with his big coat!

Hermit Crab

In the rockpools they caught a 'Bernard l'hermite' (Hermit Crab) which they brought back to the house to show everyone. The german uncle also went fishing and brought back some whelks which we had for Aperitif.

Dinner was Spaghetti Bolognase, and then Alice had made an Apple Tart Tatin for dessert. Alice, Tanguy and Alienor had all gone to a big party last night so they were were reserved at dinner and then went to bed early.

Helene spoke to me in English a little bit today. She comes out with the strangest things - I think she must read the dictionary as she was asking me what 'Statehood' was, and what '-hood' meant. I tried to explain that 'something-hood' was usually a state of being so 'statehood' would be to do with being a state but she didn't really understand. I tried explaining that it was to do with America and would only really be used in relation to America and so I didn't know much about the word but she didn't believe me because 'it is in my Oxford English Dictionary and so it is English'. I explained that just because a word is in English, does not mean it is from England.... She then wanted to know more words ending in 'hood' so I told her about 'Parenthood', 'Adulthood' and 'Childhood' - the period or state during which you are a parent/adult/child but she then asked if 'childishness' and 'childhood' was the same thing... It's very difficult to explain a lot of things as they don't really make much sense but I try! 

It's half past 10 and all of the children are awake, running around and fighting in the corridor. I refuse to go out and deal with them so their mother will just have to get up and do it! Eurgh!

Mon Premier Jour en Corse

I am staying in a Villa in Belvédère-Campomoro. The views are stunning - we are a stones throw from the beach and have a view across the bay and further towards Porto-Pollo (another village that is further north on the West Coast).

This morning I woke up at around 7am but didn't want to get up. By about 7:45am I could hear a lot of voices so went to see who was awake. The aunt asked me if I wanted something to eat but it looked like she was still setting up breakfast so I went to have a swim with the children first which was very nice. The mother (Hélène) had mentioned yesterday that the youngest child, Wandrille (5 years old) was not good at swimming so needed to be watched by someone older so when I was ready to come inside I tried to ask Wandrille if he wanted to come inside. He either didn't understand or didn't want to but the 12yr old (Anthelme) told me he would watch Wandrille and that it was super. (He speaks a little bit of english but not much. Hélène later came to tell me off for leaving Wandrille all by himself and that he was too young, she told me, it was very dangerous etc. etc. I understand what she means but she just said 'older' to me, not an adult. Her english is really bad!

After my swim, I had a shower. Most of the rooms are ensuite but mine isn't. There is a toilet near the kitchen and then just a 'Spa' which has a Jacuzzi and a 'Hammam' (apparently this is the correct name for a Steam Room rather than our anglicised 'say what it is' thing we have) although this also has a shower in it. I've googled and it looks like there is a proper ritual for 'Hammam's which is to scrub off all the dry skin with hard scrubber things, and then paint yourself with a clay or mud mix and wait for a while, and then put some black soap stuff on and leave that for a while too before rinsing off (sounds a bit like my body wrap experience at Tortworth Court Spa....) The girls said I could use their shower if I needed to but there is already 3 of them in their room so when I went to  ask them if I could they said it was in use. Not many other people were around to ask so I just used the shower in the Hammam. It was fine, it just didn't have a shower hook on the wall so I had to hold it. 

I then came out for breakfast and had my first experience of french hot chocolate in a bowl! It is brilliant! I drink that much hot chocolate anyway and it's really milky. Hermine (7yr old girl) made me some in the microwave. Most of the adults had bread and honey and/or cheese and ham and fruit for breakfast. No croissants or pastries though *sad face*.

Hélène came in briefly to ask me to make sure that Wandrille had suncream on as she was going off for a swim. Then me and Wandrille did some loom bands (the ones I brought as a present for them). They all love them! Alienor and Alice told me that they haven't seen them in France but Alienor had seem them once or twice when she was in London. (She was Au Pairing but only for a month with a family friend).

For lunch, they had pasta, bread and salad and then cheese for dessert. They just put olive oil on the pasta but it was lovely (I think Mum puts too much olive oil on pasta when she does it!) After that, they had cheese and more bread. They had bought some local cheeses - goats cheese and a cow cheese but apparently they were unusual because they were made with raw (unpasteurised?) milk which the german uncle said was illegal in most EU countries.

After lunch I had a nap and then was woken up by Hélène who had come to tell me off for not putting suncream on Hermine (she didn't tell me to!) She had burnt a little bit but Hélène told me it was my fault because I had to make sure the children were 'wearing the sunscreams'. Hermine was in the pool where her mother went after telling me to put some on Wandrille so you'd think she'd have known seeing as she was already outside?! Alienor later told me that it wasn't my fault and helped me learn how to say 'have you got suncream on?' so I can actually ask the children tomorrow. I am really struggling to understand the younger ones - they don't speak any english at all and speak very fast. Wandrille is very high pitched and I think must have a bit of a childish lisp as he doesn't pronounce words very clearly. Hermine is quite good at repeating things several times for me or trying to explain things in a different way.

We all went to the beach at around 3pm and I had a swim in the sea. I think I'm better at swimming than I think as every now and then when the sea got deeper because of the tide or waves and I had to swim because I couldn't touch the bottom I was fine. I find swimming very tiring and my technique is probably very bad but it was ok. The beach was very picturesque and there are even fishes in the sea. I only saw one small one but I think we might go to the rockpools tomorrow as that is directly outside the garden gate! When I came out of the sea I had heat-rash style red bumps on my arms, tummy and legs so Hélène thinks I am allergic to suncream. I don't think I am though as I hadn't put any on before swimming this morning and it happened a bit from the pool too.

After swimming, Hélène and the famille went home but Wandrille wanted to stay so we made sandcastles 'chateaux de sable' though he mostly called it 'un fort'. We tried to make a moat but we had problems because I couldn't think of the word for 'moat' or 'river' or 'around' so settled on 'de l'eau'. Eventually I just got some water from the sea and made one but the water kept sinking into the sand. Turns out 'oh no' is a common phrase as he said that a lot!

Wandrille said he wanted the toilet so I kept trying to ask him if he wanted to go home but he kept saying non. I tried loads of different ways of saying it but then he got really stroppy and smashing sandcastles so I just started packing up the things and gave him his shoes! That worked! Haha.

Back at the villa we washed off and then it was nearly time for dinner. Dinner today was very odd... 

Hélène told me it was the "birthday wedding of her parents a to-monday" so I corrected her...
They had some strange cold onion and cucumber salad/soup with a type of chilli sauce - it had a very french name but I have no idea what that was. Also there was some strange spicy tomato sauce thing, and a black thing which I first thought was caviar but it was disgusting! They also had a massive bottle of Champage - un magnum pour celebrations. Champagne brings out flavours though so not the best thing to have after eating disgusting black stuff. I tried to eat it though as everyone else seemed to really like it. It just made me feel sick though!

L'aperitif!
Grapes
Tomato sauce stuff, Bread, strange Salad/soup,
Watermelon

For dinner they had freshly caught 'Dorade' (Sea bream) and some kind of sliced baked potato with herbs on it, and courgette. For dessert it was the leftover watermelon and grapes and a dessert wine from Corsica made with the 'Muscat' grapes which are very sweet.

I keep getting bitten by mosquitos. They are everywhere. I don't think I had seen them before but I'm covered in little red dots from the bites. Savlon seems to make it better though so that's good.

Alice et Alienor then asked if I wanted to go to the Spa so I went in the jacuzzi with them. They are very good at english. Alice goes to Camp America or similar camps in Canada every year so she is near enough fluent. Alienor is also very good at english but struggles with some unusual words. They were telling me all about french music, schools and exchanges.

It is very hot tonight! The weather forcast for tomorrow is rain apparently so not sure what we'll all do. If it's warm and just a shower I think I'll walk to the local shop to get postcards! If it's really bad then I think I'll just sleep. I'm aching all over from carrying heavy suitcases and swimming so could do with a resting day. That's if Hélène lets me... Jusqu'à demain!

La Piscine!

Arrivée en Corse!

My year in France has begun!

4am view from the plane! 

After a very long journey (16 hours!) I have finally arrived in Corsica! It is very hot and very beautiful.

The flight was ok. I was sat next to an elderly french couple who didn't speak english but managed to find out that they lived in Ajaccio and had been visiting their son in London. They asked me in english 'why you go to Corsica?' and I tried to tell them that I was coming here to work but couldn't remember the word for work! I tried 'l'emploi' but I must have been pronouncing it wrong as I just got blank looks.

Mon sac being
unceremoniously
thrown into the hold...

When I arrived, I waited in the Airport for a few hours. I met an italian girl who had also travelled from Bristol who was meeting her friends from Italy to go camping in Corsica near Porto-Pollo. The girls at the information desk were very helpful and told me that there was another bus that I could get rather than the one at 4pm. The earlier bus was at 3pm but I needed to call the coach company to tell them to pick me up at the airport. When I called, they told me that there was an earlier one - at 2pm - but that I would have to go to 'Gare Routiere'. So, at 12.30pm I got on a bus to the 'Gare CFC' and then had to walk nearly a mile to 'Gare Routiere' which was not very fun with my very heavy bags! I met a nice english woman though - she was a secondary school french teacher in Oxford and was going to do 'WOOF'ing. Something about Working on organic farms or something but she said she was going to be working with horses at some stables in Bonafaccio (South Corsica). We also met a french girl who was fluent in English who was meeting up with friends to go on a Scuba Diving holiday.

First views of
Ajaccio en Corse

When we got to the Coach station, I bought my ticket and then waited almost an hour until 2pm but when it arrived the bus driver said 'the weather c'est nice et tres comfortable. We go at 3hrs'. Was a bit annoyed about that but me and the french girl and teacher went to find dinner at a little brasserie.

The brasserie was funny. It was being run by 4 or 5 men (really tiny place so not sure why there were so many but perhaps it was a family?) None of them were doing much - except the oldest man who was smoking and talking to some locals. When they brought us the menu they kept telling us all about the buffet and that it was wonderful and to please have the buffet because it was very good. I think about 3 of them came to tell us to have the buffet! The french girl (her name was Emiline) said that they were probably lazy and didn't want to do any cooking! I just had some pasta bolognase which was very nice!

On the bus I managed to fall asleep for a little while, but not long! Helene picked me up from Propriano but she kept trying to get me to tell the bus driver to take me to different places because she didn't want to drive in traffic (there wasn't really any queues, just lots of cars). I just got off in Propriano and she found me within 15 mins.

First views of Corsica
(I was surprised
by the mountains!)

We then had to go via a petrol station and get the car washed. The car wash was an outside/uncovered one. It took about 5 minutes per car and there were about 4 cars in front of us when we joined the queue! (And they were worried about the time it would take to drive through Propriano town centre...!?) The drive back to the Villa from there was ok but through mountains which, at times, was terrifying! It was a little bit like that on the coach too but I just went to sleep instead of watching!

Je suis arrivé à
l'aéroport d'Ajaccio

The family is very nice. Benoit speaks quite good english, and Helene's sister speaks english with her german husband. Helene has 5 children (Alienor -17, Hermine-7, Hillaire-12, Wandrille-5 et Anthelme-10) and all but the 2 youngest speak some english. Alienor is nearly fluent in English along with her 2 cousins (Tommy-20 and Alice-15). The youngest two - Wandrille et Hermine are facinated with me because I'm a new person and I don't understand what they're saying so they keep sitting next to me and repeating the same sentence over and over again and try in different voices, slower, louder etc. in the hope that I'll understand. They are very sweet though so hopefully I'll start understanding what they're on about soon!

The villa that they are staying with is really lovely. It overlooks Tizzano harbour and has a pool. They have put me in a little utility room where they were storing the luggage but the grandmother thought I might like to have my own space. No one else seems to realise that and they have spent all evening asking me if I'm sure I'll be ok in this room and if I want to I can share the girls room. Why would you leave a perfectly suitable room empty? I only have a double duvet cover as a blanket so hopefully it will stay warm and I won't get cold in the night.

It turns out that the grandparents have actually paid for the holiday. It's a family reunion in celebration of grandparents and parents anniversaries (50 and 20/25), and some birthdays. They all loved the musical tin and fudge/shortbread though they haven't eaten it yet. I will probably play with the loom bands with the children tomorrow.

We just finished dinner about half an hour ago (around 10:30pm). Very late. We had bread, cheese and some kind of uncooked, smoked ham/bacon stuff and melon as some sort of aperitif, then spaghetti with bolognase (again) or 'pulpe' (octopus) that they caught this morning, and then a roast chicken course, and then salads, and then dessert (a kind of vanilla and raison semilina pudding which was quite nice). Most of dinner was outside where I just kept getting attacked by mosquitos! 

I'm very tired and have no idea what time the family will all get up or what they are all doing tomorrow. We'll see!

View from the bus
to Gare CFC