Garbage and Soccer

The garbage strike is getting settled, they are starting to pick up again. Which is good, because I could barely walk around the corner of my apartment complex without gagging, since there was a huge pile of garbage bags there. So I was happy to see that the pile was gone yesterday.

And France won their match against Spain last night, 3-1. So that means they advance to the semi-finals on Saturday, against Brazil. I think I'll try to watch it with someone, it's just more fun. Although I think I will avoid going downtown, somehow crowds of 10 000, waving flags, fireworks, and sirens just don't sound tempting to me. I could hear people celebrating, horns honking, shouting each time France scored. Then on the news today they showed people celebrating in Paris, on the Champs-Elysees. In fact, the first 20 minutes of national news was about the game. Even a quick interview with the Prime Minister. Brazil won the last Fifa cup in 2002, France won the cup before that in 1998. We'll see who wins this round!

I can speak French

I can speak French. How crazy is that? I spent the afternoon at a friend's place with her and her sister. We spoke French because I needed to practice and they are French. I made a lot of mistakes with conjugations and forgot a bit of vocabulary, but they helped fill in the blanks and corrected me when I got off track. I was even complimented on my French accent and pronounciation (very important to the French). So not only did I have an excellent heart to heart conversation with my friend, we took time to pray together, as we'll soon be parted when I return to Canada. : ( But on the upside, I went away very encouraged in my continued studies and struggles to master this language. It's hard to believe how far I've come in learning French from when I first arrived in France in Dec '04. Wow. I started out so timid, so afraid and without any confidence at all in my speaking abilities. Now I can start a conversation, keep one rolling, and express myself. I can even tell a joke in French. For all you language learners out there, it is worth it, it will come, you will one day have a fluid understandable conversation with native language speakers. The tears, sweat, and throwing your dictionary across the room in a fit of frustration is all worth it. This post is for you, my fellow language learners! Bon courage, mes amis!

Quiz time

Who's on strike this week in Marseille?
A) The postal workers
B) The bus drivers
C) The garbage men
D) High school teachers

Strikes happen so often here in France, it's not even funny. You may remember when I just arrived in Marseille in September that the public transportation workers went on strike for 6 weeks. And then the high school and college students went on strike this winter. Not to mention the odd days here and there where the postal workers, trains, etc went on strike. I've gotten used to the strikes and the general inconvenience they cause. In general, we are given prior warning, like 3 days in advance, that a strike will take place. We grumble a bit and just go on with our day. C'est la vie, en France. But with a 35 hour work week, 5 weeks vacation per year, I don't know how they get any work done!

Who invented the trash can?
A) Mr Garbage--American
B) Mr Höchstetter--Swiss
C) Mr Poubelle-- French
D) Mr Falk--German


The answer to both above questions is C). The garbage men are on strike in Marseille. It's the 4th day now. I was downtown catching a bus, I can tell you I could SMELL the garbage. It's stacked in piles by the bins. I do hope they sort this out soon. It's starting to be tourist season, we don't want them having a bad impression of the city. Nor do I want to have to walk past the ever growing pile of smelly garbage in front of my own building. And it's hot here, folks. Over 30 C, so the stuff is rotting, fermenting and otherwise smelling up the city.
As for Mr Poubelle, he did indeed "invent" the garbage can, about 118 years ago, he decided the people of Paris needed some other way to dispose of their daily garbage ("ordures") other than the normal way of tossing it into the streets. Hence the start of garbage bins, garbage pickup and sanitary engineers, aka garbage men. I LOVE the word "la poubelle" or garbage can, named after the smart man, Mr Poubelle himself. That's poo-belle. Yep. Belle means beautiful in French. Yep. Enough said.

On the way to work, again

I pass this house on my way to work, it's constructed from stacked field stones. You'll have to click on the photo to see the detail up closer. Apparently in this area, there wasn't much good wood to build with. But there was plenty of stones, so the clever peasants and farmers built homes, barns, storage sheds, etc out of stone. Cool in the summer. Freezing cold in the winter. I think these are called Freesia. Not sure but they are blooming all over the city now. The seasons come and go for flowers... and now the lavender is blooming. I hope I can get out into the country to see the lavender fields before I leave! This is Mimosa, no longer in bloom here, but my favorite so far. It smells so sweet too!

L'Arc de Triomphe, Marseille

This is Marseille's version of L'Arc de Triomphe. There's a much larger version in Paris at the end of Champs-Elyées. I stole another photo, this time of an elderly man reading the paper in the shade of l'Arc.
L'arc reads "A la Republic Marseille Reconnaissante" meaning "Marseille is grateful to the Republic (of France)".

Palais de Longchamps

This is Palais de Longchamps, a park just "around the corner" from my nearest metro stop. I took an hour to walk around the park, enjoy the waterfall and snag some photos. It also has a great view of the city, too bad there are so many construction cranes in the way now. I stole this photo of a lady walking in the park. I liked the shot because of the frame of the archway and the blue sky and trees leading out.

There and back again

Walking to work has its benefits. And excitement. I passed an accident scene on my way to work this week. Complete with 2 “flics” (cops) taking witness accounts, 2 banged up vehicles and a “pompier” (fire truck, which actually works like an ambulance, it’s equipped with paramedics and emergency responders plus they fight fires too.)
I pass two construction sites on my way to work. They’re building a new metro stop along my walk. There are a few cranes, and lots of trucks and heavy equipment. Plus lots of grit and dust…cough, cough, sneeze. Great for my allergies, especially on a windy day when it all blows into my apartment.
I passed this motorcycle on my way to the office. Strange sign in itself since this is such a secular country. Religious declarations like this (of any religion) are generally frowned upon. But this is even more strange because it’s in English. "Jesus is Lord God and Savior". Well said, and true!
And I have another weird thing to add to the contest of weird and wonderful things I’ve seen on my way to work. Last week I saw a lady holding a plastic garbage bag, she reached her hand in, took out a couple handfuls of rice, and then proceeded to sprinkle the rice all around the base of a streetlight post. I was too far away to ask her what the heck she was doing. And days later, the rice is still there. Gross. People are strange.

Allez les Bleus!

Allez les Bleus!
World Cup fever has hit France. Everyone is cheering on the French team ("allez les Bleus"="go Blues", Team France’s name), hoping that France will claim the coveted FIFA World Cup trophy this year. The team captain is from Marseille,
Zinédine Zidane. But he is retiring from soccer this year. That was big news here about a month ago. Kinda like Gretzky retiring from hockey. Anywho, Zidane is a BIG sports star here, he’s raking in the dough making commercials, selling sports gear, and there’s even a movie about him.
I’m getting drawn into watching some of the soccer matches, but I don’t really understand all of the rules. Nor am I emotionally tied to who wins or who loses. Would be cool to be here if France wins. We’ll see how it goes! I have to fill my sports life with something, there isn’t any Hockey Night in Canada here! And I just can’t stand watching tennis, even if it is the French Open. Yawn.

Tuesday Market in Aix

My friend Gen and I took a day out in Aix for shopping at the market. Our feet were sore by the time we walked up and down the stalls, mostly looking but we did buy some lavender sachets, some Marseille soap, some jewelry for gifts, a t-shirt, a table cloth, etc. Then we had lunch, people watched for a while so we had time to rest our aching feet. After that we started exploring the side streets of Aix, taking pictures along the way of churches, fountains, etc. We talked ourselves out of paying 3 euro for icecream, knowing we had some waiting for us in the freezer at home. Unfortunately we had a bit of a late supper because we got caught in rush hour traffic on the way home. And we were indeed hungry by the time we got home! Shopping is hard work, you know!  

The Fountain of Aix-en-Provence

This is the main fountain of the city Aix-en-Provence (or Aix, pronounced "X"). There is this large one at the head of the main street of the old part of town, then down the street in a line are 3 others. You'll have to click on the pictures link on the right to see the rest!
Aix is known for its fountains. Each fountain has different history and a different purpose, including water temperature--one is cold, one warm. One was used to water cattle, one is just pretty to look at.
Here's some info I got from http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/uk/aix-fontaines.htm
The fountains of the Cours Mirabeau Built in 1691 by Laurent Vallon, the Fountain of the Nine Cannons replaces a watering fountain, a place where herds would be brought to drink as they migrated, before the Cours was constructed. The vegetation, invading little by little, makes it difficult to recognise the sculptures. A little further on, the Fountain of Hot Water (the picture of the fountain with green moss) so called "Moussue" because of the moss that covers it, is the very fountain from which the hot waters of the Bagniers spring flow. At the top of the Cours Mirabeau is the Fountain of King Rene (the picture of the fountain with the statue of a man), designed in 1819 by Pierre-Henri Revoil. The statue which adorns it is a work by David D'Angers.
But the most imposing is without doubt the Rotunda fountain. Its construction in 1860 marks a turning point; not only are its dimensions exceptional for this city but it is also the first to have a fonted basin. Three statues: Justice, Agriculture and Fine Arts adorn the fountain and recall the main activities of this town. In effect the fountain was a symbolic mark of the entry to the modern town, without rampart nor gate, open to the world. Aix has grown now and today the "great Fountain" is at the centre of the town. (pictured below)

Candle Light

I took this picture in a Catholic church in Aix, L'Eglise de le Saint Esprit (The Church of the Holy Spirit). I edited using Picasa2, adding the black and white background with the glow of colour. Pretty isn't it!? 

To God Be The Glory

This is the inside of the French church in Aix where every Sunday evening, there is an English church service. I liked the stained glass and the "to God be the Glory" which sums up my desire for the end of my stay in France.

On the back wall of this church is an inscription about Calvin and how he wrote a letter to this same French church to encourage them during their time of persecution in 1561. The church was founded in 1557. To translate the quote from his letter, he writes to the church "We have confidence in God that His hand is upon you, to keep you safe and protect you." I can only imagine what comfort the persecuted church took in reading his letter, much like the early church took in reading Paul the Apostle's letters. 

Home grown

Home grown terrorists in Canada. As a Canadian living overseas the ripples of news in Canada trickles into France in a very limited amount. But to have 17 people arrested in southern Ontario (most of them Canadian citizens) on terrorist charges, planning to take over the Parliament and behead the PM…well, that makes news. Even over here. Even before World Cup soccer.
I first heard about this via CBC news website. I can’t say that I was shocked or surprised. In a way I feel very insulated from this nationwide shock of this news story. Perhaps its because I was in Europe during the London bombings last year, in London within a week of the second bombing attack. In time to see police in riot gear, with automatic weapons at the ready, calmly walking past major landmarks in London. Perhaps its because I’ve travelled in countries where people “disappear” or are silenced for their beliefs, their opinions, their actions. Places where the common people are instilled with such a sense of fear that even I as a foreigner could feel. Perhaps because I’ve read too many news briefs and emails about co-workers living in bombed out parts of cities, some escaping within a half city block of a major terrorist bomb attack.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not surprised that this has happened in Canada. I’m actually more surprised that the police were able to catch them BEFORE they put their plans into action.
In my opinion, Canadians in general need to wake up and realize that just because you have Canadian citizenship; does not exclude you from the fact that terrorism is worldwide, that evil, fear and hatred can live and breed just as easily in Canada as in any other corner of the world. We are not exempt. But we need not live in fear. Nor should we spread evil, fear and hatred by acts of retaliation, racism and discrimination. When I return to Canada next month, I want to return to “the true North, strong and free”. And I truly pray “God keep our land strong and free.”

Unexpected Guests

I live alone, in a 4 bedroom apartment. Don't get me wrong, I like the quiet and solitude but somedays its just a bit TOO quiet and solitude-ish. So I always appreciate the chance to have guests fill up my space, to have someone to cook for (or someone to cook for me!) and some great conversation, instead of just eating in front of the T.V. Last week I had two American girls stay with me from Covenant Players. They needed a place to stay for a few days while they waited for their third team member to join them. It was fun to have new people around. We hung out, watched Wizard of Oz, ordered in Indian food, celebrated a birthday, and painted our toe nails. They left after 3 days, to continue on with their tour. It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, in a matter of a few days they were here, and a few days later they were gone.

And this week I have a friend staying with me for a few days. She's from Singapore, we met in Albertville, France last year, she's been working in Niger for a year and is on a holiday in France and decided to come to see me! Yay! I picked her up at the metro station yesterday. I was so greatful to see her, not just because it's been a year since we saw each other last, but because I was being hit on by a very bold Algerian man. He was even trying to speak English with me. In French we call them "un drageur", the best translation I can come up with is a pickup artist, but that doesn't quite fit. Anyway, G. and I made a quick exit to the bus stop, he followed us, said he hoped to meet me again (gag), and then left. Then once we were on the bus, the bus driver (on his break) started chatting with us, curious why a very white Canadian girl was hanging out with an Asian girl, and why we could both speak French. He was very interested in visiting Canada sometime, and said he'd call me (joking) if he ever made the trip. And who said French people weren't friendly!? (By the way, my friend G. was being hit on by another man on her way to meet me. She even had to change metro lines to get rid of him! Sheesh!) It's not like this everyday folks...that's why I write about it. But it is "normal" here.