Wandering the streets of London

Back to where I left things off: Wednesday. I went to this primary school at 8.30am and spent 30 minutes in a Year 4 class (the equivalent of CE2 in France, basically children between 8 and 9 years old) teaching them basic French, like how to say hello, goodbye, the different ways to answer the question ‘how are you?’, etc. They had already done a year of French the previous year so they remembered a lot of things. Then I went to another Year 4 class for another 30 mins, they were equally cute and motivated. Finally, I went to a Year 3 class (aged 7 or 8) and there I had to take everything from scratch because it was their first year of French. It was a very interesting experience and intimidating experience to be in front of so many young children! They loved it when I mimed the typical way to say hello to your friends in France, with 2 or more kisses on the cheeks :-D

One of the teachers asked me something quite strange: how would you describe someone who is from Normandy (as in, the region in the North of France)? So I said, hmmm I don’t know, probably blonde and quite fair-skinned as opposed to French people living in the South? He laughed and said, well, if you ask any British people the same questions about Normands, they would describe them as tall and dark-haired! He then explained to me that this difference in popular culture was probably due to the invasion of England by the Normands in 1066, and how Anglo-Saxons had focused on their invaders’ physical differences rather than their common features… And at the time Normands may have been darker than now, I don’t know… I just thought it was interesting!

On Thursday since I didn’t have any classes in the afternoon, I went to London, walked around, went to the Photographer’s Gallery, sat in a café and started doing something I love to do when I’m alone in an unusual environment: observing people. Esp at this time of day when everyone gets off work and hurry to be home as fast as possible… One thing that particularly caught my eye was the large number of women dressed formally after a day at the office who had traded their high heels for comfortable trainers. It’s the kind of trivial thing that fascinated me, I don’t know why.

After that pause, I went to an Indian restaurant in Brick Lane for a friend’s birthday. We had to wait for a loooong time (well, we were 17 people) but it was worth it, the food was delicious and so cheap! And everyone was so nice! They were all students, since my friend (who I met last year at Melbourne uni) is on an exchange at UCL (University College of London). I met people from all around the world: Germans, Aussies, Malaysians, Indonesians, Americans, English and French people… A very good night :-)



On Friday I was off to London again, this time with K, my future housemate. We had lunch in Chinatown, an ‘all you can eat’ Chinese buffet for 4.95 pounds. Bargain! We took the Tube, walked around to South Bank and UCL to meet up with M, who I had seen the night before at the Indian restaurant. We admired all the buildings and had a latte in a lovely café inside the uni. I felt a bit nostalgic when I realised that I’m not a student anymore :-(

Also, it’s very curious, I’m not homesick, in the sense that I don’t miss Lyon or France that much. Of course, I miss the people who are back in Lyon, my family, my friends… but since I know I’ll be back for Christmas, it’s not that bad. On the other hand, being in a new city, speaking English every day, getting to know new people from all around the world… It reminds me so much of my first weeks in Australia that it makes me feel a bit sad. Oh well, I’m sure it will go away soon. I’m not complaining, for the moment everything is going well, if we don’t mention the hassle about moving in our new house :-/

After this afternoon in London K and I met E (my other future housemate) at the bus station in Slough and went to Windsor for dinner. We ate in a bar/restaurant, the food was so so good, the music and the bar itself pretty cool too though the people were quite noisy. We were surprised at how crowded the place was at around 8.30pm… People really go out earlier than in France, Italy or Germany!

On Saturday I met up with K and we checked out places where we could find places with a wireless connection. Turns out the only places to have it were the local pub and… Mc Donalds. Will be useful when I move in my new house on Monday, since I’ll probably have to wait a few days before having the internet…


Today I went to London again. It’s been so sunny and warm those last few days, it really is like an Indian summer! So I went to lie on the grass of Hyde Park with a coffee and a sandwich. The park was full of Londoners, children, tourists… Speaking about tourists, I heard so many people speak French since I’ve been here, I almost feel like I’m still in France :-D I then I met up with J, my friend from Québec who is back in London after his trip to the Netherlands. We walked in the streets, had a look at St Paul’s cathedral and St Bartholomew’s church, and finished our tour in a yummy Thai restaurant. I came back home with a Greenline bus which cost me only 1 pound (depending on the time of the day you take these coaches, the ticket can be as cheap as 1 pound or on the contrary, 6 or 7 pounds)
Now I’m getting ready for another week of teaching! Hopefully tomorrow night I’ll be able to sleep in my new house, we’re going to sign the papers in the evening… fingers crossed!