I've gotten hold of a bike! No, wait, other news first..
I'm going (and staying) home the 23rd of August! Yeah, shock.. Thing is, 2 nights ago José told me that the owner of the restaurant had decided that the restaurant would be closed for renovation from September and 3-4 months forth. My older sister's getting married the 26th of August which I've already gotten the ticket for and so José told me that there'd be no point in coming back as there'd be no work for me. So just when I thought I'd have to build character by sticking it out here I was salvaged by Circumstance. Well, my feelings are ambivalent but I'll keep the good ones in mind.
The bike: Mustafa, the dish-washer at the restaurant whom I will always remember for aggressively looking me in the eyes while asking: "Tu aime respect?" ["You love respect?"], apparently has one that he doesn't put to much use. He says he'll lend it to me tomorrow but, with the same intensity as before, turned friskly from smile to aggression: "Mais, achtung!" ["But, achtung!"] I didn't know whether to laugh or whimper. In any case I succeeded in convincing him that I'd take good care of it.
I think I'll go busking tomorrow. I need to get hold of something to sit on, a small chair of sorts. I'll figure something out. Tips for today was a whopping 11 euros and I've rounded page 1000 in Vikram Seth's magical universe.
Another pastime of mine is poetry. I've realised I'm not passionate enough about this or else I just need to get into some more poetry.. Its for my song-writing. Melodies and chords come easy to me but lyrics are a whole other game. I don't wanna end up writing melancholic "she left me please come back can't live without you"-songs, but songs which will have a social and cultural impact. It shouldn't be so hard, should it? hah
Vinoth Ramachandra has written a book. Yeah, several, but he gave me this one book before he left: "Gods that Fail." Fantastic to read his view on Marx, Freud and Hegel, creation/evolution and his commentary on Job amongst other topics. Much of it was written seperately to students in Asia but he later collected it for a book: excactly what I've been looking for! But if you decide to pick it up you'd do well to keep a dictionary with you and take notes etc., cos it ain't easy reading! I'm beginning to like Indian writers: they're well-educated and as a result they have a huge vocabulary, they are prone to better human understanding and they don't seem to be entrenched in a certain view from birth / open-minded.
On the Danish front, we've decided to let Poul fix up the apartment ('let'? hmm) and then we'll rent it out. I should be home to lend a hand which I'm excited about doing. I'm equally excited about lending my dad a hand with his house which is something I, at large, failed to do while I was still at home. I was just too busy all the time and never set off days to do it. Should've..
Found a beautiful music store selling only classical music, jazz and world music. Who could've imagined better?! I tried buying a CD but to my dismay my VISA card didn't was rejected. I'll have to get in touch with my bank about it.
Okay, taking off! I've turned to writing some wierd stuff on here! Sorry, folks. ;)
25 July, 2005
Vikram Seth wannabe, me
(Note written the day after: This post is long, tiring and not really worth reading. Brace yourself with patience in the face of resounding trivialities if you set out on this long journey. Now you are warned. I might also add that the discussion in "Comments" to the post "My Faith" is growing increasingly engaging. Do you have anything to add?)
-------
Sorry for neglecting you, blog, and you who might be following too of course. I realise that its not a good way to hold an audience but I have actually been doing stuff! Yeah, so its a good thing..
There's a new/old guy at the restaurant, Sascha, (spelling?) a Croatian who lives and studies here with his Japanese wife, Megumi (name which I remember 'cos its coincidentally the name of my half-Japanese cousin in Singapore..) He's a good bloke, very intense when he speaks of anything and he is like clockwork in explaining to me everyday how, "this place is f*cked up." [laughs] Nevertheless we get on quite well and have been talking about everything from international economy and politics and religion to religious multinational coorporations in the chocolate industry including their historical role in the abolition of slavery - in English! ;) I wouldn't get nearly as far in French (although I can feel/see/hear/sense some progress.) Actually, being in this position of a learner of such a basic necessity as the local language is quite eye-opening.
[red. This is a very superfluous paragraph. Don't read it!] I learned in my first year of 'highschool' in Denmark that I was actually quite intolerantly selfish, globally speaking. It happened as my history teacher was lecturing on globalization, painting the picture of material wealth being gradually distributed more evenly, whereto she pointed out that it didn't just mean the 3rd world countries improving their standards of living, but also the western countries having to decrease our standard of living, which probably meant that Denmark couldn't go on being the island of welfare that it was, she went on to explain. My immediate reaction was one of honest shock! "Did this mean that within my lifetime... my kids might not get the same benefits and securities that I have been taking for granted?!" My secondary reaction was also shock, but this time it was shock at my first reaction of shock. Was I really that selfish that I honestly resented the thought of evening out the goods? I have strained to change which has also helped mainly under the heavy, although short, influence of Vinoth Ramachandran (Indian professor who doesn't waste money on new clothes but wears 2nd hand to save money and increase possibilities of influence. Has a Danish wife which obligates them to be here once in a while.)
Where was I? Oh, it was the word 'intolerance' that brought on the previous paragraph! I should have started on about my previous intolerance with others who I have come across who have been in my current position: learner of the basics. So the whole intolerance thing is about how I realise that I've looked down on such people because of their inability to show signs of meaningful intellect. Now the tables have turned and I am speaking like a child - a 4-5 year old - and how are people then to respect me as a thinking person! -Which they don't but I don't blame them. What I'm saying is that I'm a nuisance to be or have around and that's just the way it is. "Inevitability." I'm not depressed about it though. :)
In fact I'm quite happy these days! I've got my future planned (the next 7½ years in terms of education), and I am progressing on a personal level: 'enlightenment/scepticism/responsibility', musically (have just started meditating on Arabic scales, sounds and rhythms) and… well, other areas! ;)
In other news I'm looking forward to my first paycheck at the end of the month! I'm in a dilemma though: tax to Dk. I don't know much about the tax system (and amazingly enough, the government hasn't produced one, gathered, extensive yet logically arranged, self-education media like a book or even a CD-ROM or interactive webpage, to help along us young people who learn by gathering tid-bits of info here and there. I mean, why don't we learn about it in the school which is purposed to equip us with a basic but extensive education focused around our country and our system!) and I am wondering whether I should save 48% to pay to the guv sometime next year?
Now we're at my money affairs I may have picked up another job in the mornings. It's gardening with Sascha for his Jewish landlord. I don't know much about it 'cept its in the daytime, where I'm certainly not doing anything and it would be good for me to get out more before my nights and days are completely reversed!
I'm long-winded, I know, but I have 2 very good reasons. 1) I'm (still) reading "A Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth which is a whopping 1474 pages! I'm a good 3rd way through and when you consider that its merely about a 19 year old girl, Lata, who's caught between an arranged marriage and a more modern way of going about things interspersed with a lighter version of the tales of 4 other family trees, only sometimes connecting, you might get an idea of how long-winded it actually is. You have to remind yourself that you're not reading it to finish it, but actually to read it! 2) I'm writing this on José, my hosts, computer at home. Turns out he has one in his room that he'll let me use which'll undoubtedly save me money at the internet café. Found another trick to save money as well:
Sascha, having quite a number of international friends himself, gave me a number which'll enable me to call any country at local Marseilleise rates! Crazy but true! I don't know who's providing a service like this but I know it works. So mom'n'dad I'll be calling home now! ;) Yay
Uhh… is that actually it? This must be the longest post I've ever written!
No, haha, church! 3 nights ago, across the street from the restaurant, I noticed a modest crowd gathered around some commotion and I lingered at the entrance in curiousity. I then saw that it was amateur dancing going on and I chuckled inwardly as I soon enough recognised the all too familiar tactics of a regular evangelistic street performance:
eye-catcher/ice breaker >
short but sweet introduction >
another item (dance/drama) >
testimony of how Jesus has changed a life (maximum of 3 minutes, preferably with reference to the previous dance/drama) >
main drama that should convey the gospel >
preaching of the gospel with heavy reference to the previous drama >
CD or other music to keep people hanging around while the evangelists (who have been observing individuals in the crowd) approach people to pose the question in a one-on-one setting.
Some people get scared or appaled when they learn that there have been developed techniques to such personal matters, but on the other hand it would be intent and sheer stupidity if techniques were not implemented to optimize results.
Anyway, point is that I, 2 years ago, was with one such team in Budapest where my role in the programme was the "CD or other music to keep people hangning around" where I played with band. So they'd set up a band workshop where we could work on the songs in an intense atmosphere with other, more seasoned, musicians there to assist us and produce the good sound. One of these "more seasoned musicians" was Bruno, an educated nurse who lived in Marseille. We hit it off quite well, no doubt because of his patience with my obsession with the French language, but it ended in him giving me an open invitation to come experience the country itself. Now I have come but without being able to contact him so we could meet up (and I could get some friends!) So I approached the group guessing that they would have some connection to him and sure enough, there was a Danish guy among them, Anders from AMC (name of church) in Aalborg, who excitedly told me that he knew Bruno. So I passed him a note with my name and email addy, and asked if he could give it to Bruno together with a greeting from me. Of course he could and further volunteered information about Bruno going to Malaga this week where alot of my friends and acquaintances from home are going. I put on a wide-eyed expression and excused myself as I had to get back to work.
Then 2 nights ago I looked and there again was another christian, evangelisation tactic unfolding: worship in the heart of the city (for spiritual effect and proclamatory impact on everyone involved.) This time it was easy to see, that it wasn't the same organisation as the night before but probably a local church or even coalition of churches (if they were big enough to see past their detrimental differences.) I approached and my intricate knowledge of these things was confirmed: a coalition. I talked to Bruce, presumably American, who lives here in Marseille and is a regular in a church that's only 15 minutes from my apartment. Not bad! I intended to attend the morning service yesterday but overslept classically. I will go next week to check it out (for wisdom.)
Okay, this is actually it! ;) Amazed with those who've held on for this long!
-------
Sorry for neglecting you, blog, and you who might be following too of course. I realise that its not a good way to hold an audience but I have actually been doing stuff! Yeah, so its a good thing..
There's a new/old guy at the restaurant, Sascha, (spelling?) a Croatian who lives and studies here with his Japanese wife, Megumi (name which I remember 'cos its coincidentally the name of my half-Japanese cousin in Singapore..) He's a good bloke, very intense when he speaks of anything and he is like clockwork in explaining to me everyday how, "this place is f*cked up." [laughs] Nevertheless we get on quite well and have been talking about everything from international economy and politics and religion to religious multinational coorporations in the chocolate industry including their historical role in the abolition of slavery - in English! ;) I wouldn't get nearly as far in French (although I can feel/see/hear/sense some progress.) Actually, being in this position of a learner of such a basic necessity as the local language is quite eye-opening.
[red. This is a very superfluous paragraph. Don't read it!] I learned in my first year of 'highschool' in Denmark that I was actually quite intolerantly selfish, globally speaking. It happened as my history teacher was lecturing on globalization, painting the picture of material wealth being gradually distributed more evenly, whereto she pointed out that it didn't just mean the 3rd world countries improving their standards of living, but also the western countries having to decrease our standard of living, which probably meant that Denmark couldn't go on being the island of welfare that it was, she went on to explain. My immediate reaction was one of honest shock! "Did this mean that within my lifetime... my kids might not get the same benefits and securities that I have been taking for granted?!" My secondary reaction was also shock, but this time it was shock at my first reaction of shock. Was I really that selfish that I honestly resented the thought of evening out the goods? I have strained to change which has also helped mainly under the heavy, although short, influence of Vinoth Ramachandran (Indian professor who doesn't waste money on new clothes but wears 2nd hand to save money and increase possibilities of influence. Has a Danish wife which obligates them to be here once in a while.)
Where was I? Oh, it was the word 'intolerance' that brought on the previous paragraph! I should have started on about my previous intolerance with others who I have come across who have been in my current position: learner of the basics. So the whole intolerance thing is about how I realise that I've looked down on such people because of their inability to show signs of meaningful intellect. Now the tables have turned and I am speaking like a child - a 4-5 year old - and how are people then to respect me as a thinking person! -Which they don't but I don't blame them. What I'm saying is that I'm a nuisance to be or have around and that's just the way it is. "Inevitability." I'm not depressed about it though. :)
In fact I'm quite happy these days! I've got my future planned (the next 7½ years in terms of education), and I am progressing on a personal level: 'enlightenment/scepticism/responsibility', musically (have just started meditating on Arabic scales, sounds and rhythms) and… well, other areas! ;)
In other news I'm looking forward to my first paycheck at the end of the month! I'm in a dilemma though: tax to Dk. I don't know much about the tax system (and amazingly enough, the government hasn't produced one, gathered, extensive yet logically arranged, self-education media like a book or even a CD-ROM or interactive webpage, to help along us young people who learn by gathering tid-bits of info here and there. I mean, why don't we learn about it in the school which is purposed to equip us with a basic but extensive education focused around our country and our system!) and I am wondering whether I should save 48% to pay to the guv sometime next year?
Now we're at my money affairs I may have picked up another job in the mornings. It's gardening with Sascha for his Jewish landlord. I don't know much about it 'cept its in the daytime, where I'm certainly not doing anything and it would be good for me to get out more before my nights and days are completely reversed!
I'm long-winded, I know, but I have 2 very good reasons. 1) I'm (still) reading "A Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth which is a whopping 1474 pages! I'm a good 3rd way through and when you consider that its merely about a 19 year old girl, Lata, who's caught between an arranged marriage and a more modern way of going about things interspersed with a lighter version of the tales of 4 other family trees, only sometimes connecting, you might get an idea of how long-winded it actually is. You have to remind yourself that you're not reading it to finish it, but actually to read it! 2) I'm writing this on José, my hosts, computer at home. Turns out he has one in his room that he'll let me use which'll undoubtedly save me money at the internet café. Found another trick to save money as well:
Sascha, having quite a number of international friends himself, gave me a number which'll enable me to call any country at local Marseilleise rates! Crazy but true! I don't know who's providing a service like this but I know it works. So mom'n'dad I'll be calling home now! ;) Yay
Uhh… is that actually it? This must be the longest post I've ever written!
No, haha, church! 3 nights ago, across the street from the restaurant, I noticed a modest crowd gathered around some commotion and I lingered at the entrance in curiousity. I then saw that it was amateur dancing going on and I chuckled inwardly as I soon enough recognised the all too familiar tactics of a regular evangelistic street performance:
eye-catcher/ice breaker >
short but sweet introduction >
another item (dance/drama) >
testimony of how Jesus has changed a life (maximum of 3 minutes, preferably with reference to the previous dance/drama) >
main drama that should convey the gospel >
preaching of the gospel with heavy reference to the previous drama >
CD or other music to keep people hanging around while the evangelists (who have been observing individuals in the crowd) approach people to pose the question in a one-on-one setting.
Some people get scared or appaled when they learn that there have been developed techniques to such personal matters, but on the other hand it would be intent and sheer stupidity if techniques were not implemented to optimize results.
Anyway, point is that I, 2 years ago, was with one such team in Budapest where my role in the programme was the "CD or other music to keep people hangning around" where I played with band. So they'd set up a band workshop where we could work on the songs in an intense atmosphere with other, more seasoned, musicians there to assist us and produce the good sound. One of these "more seasoned musicians" was Bruno, an educated nurse who lived in Marseille. We hit it off quite well, no doubt because of his patience with my obsession with the French language, but it ended in him giving me an open invitation to come experience the country itself. Now I have come but without being able to contact him so we could meet up (and I could get some friends!) So I approached the group guessing that they would have some connection to him and sure enough, there was a Danish guy among them, Anders from AMC (name of church) in Aalborg, who excitedly told me that he knew Bruno. So I passed him a note with my name and email addy, and asked if he could give it to Bruno together with a greeting from me. Of course he could and further volunteered information about Bruno going to Malaga this week where alot of my friends and acquaintances from home are going. I put on a wide-eyed expression and excused myself as I had to get back to work.
Then 2 nights ago I looked and there again was another christian, evangelisation tactic unfolding: worship in the heart of the city (for spiritual effect and proclamatory impact on everyone involved.) This time it was easy to see, that it wasn't the same organisation as the night before but probably a local church or even coalition of churches (if they were big enough to see past their detrimental differences.) I approached and my intricate knowledge of these things was confirmed: a coalition. I talked to Bruce, presumably American, who lives here in Marseille and is a regular in a church that's only 15 minutes from my apartment. Not bad! I intended to attend the morning service yesterday but overslept classically. I will go next week to check it out (for wisdom.)
Okay, this is actually it! ;) Amazed with those who've held on for this long!
20 July, 2005
contract
This'll be quick 'cos I have work in 15 mins..
Good song line:
"There's a flag wrapped around a score of men."
A girl from my school, Lise Fischer (that's the girl, not the school), is coming to visit me tomorrow! She's holidaying with some family here in southern france and sms'ed me if she could come visit. At the same time, I found out that my weekly day off is Thursday.. haha, no I'm not into clear comunication and organisation.
The restaurant's breaking up. More and more people are having it out with the manager and it's all cos of lack of communication. See, when the manager has a problem with somebody's attitude he waits until its gotten the better of him and the starts yelling incomprehensible phrases with the same words seeming spread randomly throughout: planning, respect, 'not a bordel', discipline, fun'n'games. I wish I could say something (seeing as how I live with the guy, it might give me the opportunity to be diplomatic) but there's this wall of china/communication barrier. The other day he started yelling at me too, cos I was washing the glasses before the evening was over (the kitchen was full of glasses) because the washer's set out. I told him (not yelled, no) that I had too, wherefore the others had to help out with the desserts - my duties had been increased and the others do have spare time. He didn't stop to listen (typical French way of discussing) and started yelling at everyone else. Everyone's getting fed up and it's not good. My dad just bought me a plane ticket home for my sister's wedding in August, and I'm tempted to just stay home! No contract remember..
Okay, taking off! :)
Good song line:
"There's a flag wrapped around a score of men."
A girl from my school, Lise Fischer (that's the girl, not the school), is coming to visit me tomorrow! She's holidaying with some family here in southern france and sms'ed me if she could come visit. At the same time, I found out that my weekly day off is Thursday.. haha, no I'm not into clear comunication and organisation.
The restaurant's breaking up. More and more people are having it out with the manager and it's all cos of lack of communication. See, when the manager has a problem with somebody's attitude he waits until its gotten the better of him and the starts yelling incomprehensible phrases with the same words seeming spread randomly throughout: planning, respect, 'not a bordel', discipline, fun'n'games. I wish I could say something (seeing as how I live with the guy, it might give me the opportunity to be diplomatic) but there's this wall of china/communication barrier. The other day he started yelling at me too, cos I was washing the glasses before the evening was over (the kitchen was full of glasses) because the washer's set out. I told him (not yelled, no) that I had too, wherefore the others had to help out with the desserts - my duties had been increased and the others do have spare time. He didn't stop to listen (typical French way of discussing) and started yelling at everyone else. Everyone's getting fed up and it's not good. My dad just bought me a plane ticket home for my sister's wedding in August, and I'm tempted to just stay home! No contract remember..
Okay, taking off! :)
13 July, 2005
lover->porsche = employee->bicycle
2 of the best waiters left during a row with the manager and the head-waiter. Well, that they were '2 of the best' is, of course, no absolute but they were 2 of the 3 that were most welcoming to me when I started a week ago! It was quite wild actually, seeing how everyone's voices just gradually raised until they were screaming at each others and the two picked up their stuff and walked off. My next thought was: "how're we gonna make it through the evening?!' Somehow it worked out. That was 3 nights ago. Last night, we had a new girl start and the boss wasn't entirely pleased with her effort. Last night was also the first night that I was left to myself in the bar at the back to refill water, prepare alot of the meals, mix drinks, make desserts and wash glasses (the washer's broken.. sigh) and it worked out. I think it was largely due to the psychological effect of not being the newbie anymore. Made me think more independently and effectively... sigh, my life is a farce! haha I'm too shallow sometimes, but the worst part is my awareness of it.
Found the beach yesterday. Small, but nice! It's 20 minutes walk away.. I'm walking too much! I've walked 45 minutes to get to this café! I'm gonna try and make the owner of the restaurant buy me a bike.. It shouldn't be too hard! He just bought his lover a Porsche! -and since I'm only an employee, that should be in ratio with lover->porsche equals employee->bike, right?
I've stopped smelling the dog.. horror of all horrors, yes.
Thanks Anne, for reading and commenting. You others should do the same (mainly my parents and siblings! ;)
I think I just might stop writing the nonsense about my job, cos I don't think anyone's really into it.
Found the beach yesterday. Small, but nice! It's 20 minutes walk away.. I'm walking too much! I've walked 45 minutes to get to this café! I'm gonna try and make the owner of the restaurant buy me a bike.. It shouldn't be too hard! He just bought his lover a Porsche! -and since I'm only an employee, that should be in ratio with lover->porsche equals employee->bike, right?
I've stopped smelling the dog.. horror of all horrors, yes.
Thanks Anne, for reading and commenting. You others should do the same (mainly my parents and siblings! ;)
I think I just might stop writing the nonsense about my job, cos I don't think anyone's really into it.
09 July, 2005
My Faith
[this post is not travel-related.. well, not travel in the geographical sense!]
I think I've made up my mind. As some of you know, my 'highschool' time flung me into a search-for-truth-from-an-objective-point-of-view period and although I'll admit, that my search hasn't been extensive (lasting, what, ½ year when there are those who spend their entire lives!) I think I've got the basic drift that the modern lifestyle, in what has been a toss-up between Christianity and modernity or whatever you wanna call it, only has relativism and a shallow perception, that there is no truth and if there is then its definetly without consequence for how I should live my life. The moral that comes from some vague pantheistic idea of the supernatural seems to me hypocritical and unfounded, assuming that the individual, on the basis of a sense of responsibility for all of humanity, should in all things do what is best for the world, when the best for the world, would be that I sold all I had, gave it to the poor and became a christian missionary. Hmm.. haha, I think I'm biased, but what the heck?!
Now, I'd like a discussion about this if anyone is up to it! ...please? ;)
I think I've made up my mind. As some of you know, my 'highschool' time flung me into a search-for-truth-from-an-objective-point-of-view period and although I'll admit, that my search hasn't been extensive (lasting, what, ½ year when there are those who spend their entire lives!) I think I've got the basic drift that the modern lifestyle, in what has been a toss-up between Christianity and modernity or whatever you wanna call it, only has relativism and a shallow perception, that there is no truth and if there is then its definetly without consequence for how I should live my life. The moral that comes from some vague pantheistic idea of the supernatural seems to me hypocritical and unfounded, assuming that the individual, on the basis of a sense of responsibility for all of humanity, should in all things do what is best for the world, when the best for the world, would be that I sold all I had, gave it to the poor and became a christian missionary. Hmm.. haha, I think I'm biased, but what the heck?!
Now, I'd like a discussion about this if anyone is up to it! ...please? ;)
07 July, 2005
Lost Da Vinci dog frustrating Sofie and Anja w/out money or contract
Goodness, time moves slow here!
Lost
Sofie og Anja
Money / contract
Dog hair
Da Vinci code
Comunication barrier frustration / pad and pencil
There - those are the things I'm planning on writing about today. If I don't write 'em down now, I'll forget 'em and this post will be as void of information as the last, and we don't want that happening now do we?! :)
Now, where was I? Oh, "Goodness, time moves slow here!" I feel like I've been here 3 weeks already when in reality it's only been.. been.. uhh.. How long's it been? 3 days?! sigh I miss the familiarity of home. I miss a familiar, daily routine where I know what to expect of people - where I actually have friends! -or just know my way around town! Take last nite for example:
We close up the restaurant around 1 am after having outwaited the last customers, drunk the wine in the bottles that are left and cleaned the place. Normally (if there is such a thing yet) I'd take a cab home with Jose and the napkins to be washed, but tonight the two waitresses ask if I'd like to go have a bite to eat and a drink with them. 'Course I say yes and we head off. Around 2.30 am the bar closes (there was nothing else on a week night) and I start walking home. One of the waitresses, Corali, lives in my direction so we walk off together. No, don't worry mom, the waitresses are 30 and 25! ;) Now, Marseille is apparently known in France as a dangerous city - especially at night - so I'm quite aware of my surroundings when walking 'cept I dont know my way around. My landmark is a big old church that's on the definitive hill-top of all hill-tops!. If you check out this pic and notice the outermost black iron gate in the bottom left hand corner, that's where I climbed the gate after scaling the 50m high sheer rock face that you can't see on the pic but that's in front of the gate.. in my black slippers and new white shirt that I use for waitering. Thing is, I knew my block was north of the church, but I'd apparently come around the south side and seeing how the roads going arooound the church were pretty freaking long, I decided to go over the mountain. I get to the top thinking more and more about snakes as I had to go through loads and loads of bushes to get around the locked, video surveyed church lot that was only open to 8 pm in the summer, 7.30pm in winter. Point is, that I got home sometime around 3.15-3.30am and had to walk Jose's dog. sigh c'est la vie, non?! Now, pity me and send me gold and myrrha! hehe No, I must admit that I thought it was fun and the walk/climb/trek was worth the joy of seeing Rue Jules Moulet where I live!
So that was all about being lost. The other alienating factor is the lack of friends that I can communicate with. Jose keeps scolding the others when the start speaking English to me at the restaurant, but I just wrote with 2 girls from my gymnasie class, Sofie and Anja, who've arrived to work in Toulon, 52 km's away by the freeway. They'll be here all summer, and I can't wait to meet up with them to speak a language I can actually express myself in! I've bought a really chic pad at the local newspaper story for 1.50 euros and it's beautiful! :) Fits in my pocket, perfect line spacing, casually serious front, perforated paper to allow easy ripping, even perfect thickness! Makes me sick to think that I've made do this long without one of those! Neways, I took down 5 solid pages of unkown words during the first day. haha, overwhelming, yeah.
About the money and contract heading it's just that I'm worried. We divide up the tips at the end of each day but that's all I've seen to do with formalities so far. I asked Jose if there was a contract I had to sign, he nodded and went on doing other stuff. I don't know.
Next header.. what was it? Oh yeah, dog hair! The dog in the apartment's a mess! Its my first time living with a dog, and my previous statements about NEVER GETTING A DOG have only been confirmed: I'M NEVER GETTING A DOG! You get home like last nite and you feel like your limbs are about to implode or explode or woteva, and you've got this beast of the wild jumping up and down you, like a child caught in a beasts body. Its uncivilised through and through and you have its filthy hair and its filthy smell riddling every inch of your body, clothes, bed, hair wax/gel, stacks of paper, wallet, socks, shoes - even your CD's are infiltrated! Garh! So I escape into a fictitious world where you don't have a dog, you never go to the toilet and you're immortal: the Da Vinci Code.
I finished it within 18 hours of starting it and walked the dog twice and had one 8 hour shift. T'was true and unmasked escapism! heh Beautiful! Now the book had a fantastic plot, but the translation (to Danish - it was all there was) was lame, outdated and riddled with spelling and marking errors. That just ticks me off, but hey. As for the conceited attack on religion, if Dan Brown had ever intended for it to be factual, which I seriously doubt were it not for the humanistic altar-call that is the moral point, then I don't give. Its pretentious and full of holes. But but but, let's not get caught up in that discussion and just let a story be a story: its beautiful fiction!
Was that really it?! Oh well, any questions? If I'm missing someone? Yeah, Filip and Michelle. Dang, when we pulled away from them in the parking lot in Dk I fiercely fighting back tears that they thoroughly deserve. I can't imagine the last 3 years without those two and now the era of their sweetening my everyday with casual, familiar love is over and I only hope that I can create something just half as beautiful in the years to come. I think I just may be happy then! So if you're reading this, Flip and Chelle, thanks again. I've said it before, and at the risk of being waaay to sentimental, I've just said it again.
But does this mean that other people haven't been important to me? Absolutely not! I know its foolish to start listing your friends in priority publicly, but it's done. ML, I'm writing you now! :) No, wait I don't have your email address!!! Dit moi!
Lost
Sofie og Anja
Money / contract
Dog hair
Da Vinci code
Comunication barrier frustration / pad and pencil
There - those are the things I'm planning on writing about today. If I don't write 'em down now, I'll forget 'em and this post will be as void of information as the last, and we don't want that happening now do we?! :)
Now, where was I? Oh, "Goodness, time moves slow here!" I feel like I've been here 3 weeks already when in reality it's only been.. been.. uhh.. How long's it been? 3 days?! sigh I miss the familiarity of home. I miss a familiar, daily routine where I know what to expect of people - where I actually have friends! -or just know my way around town! Take last nite for example:
We close up the restaurant around 1 am after having outwaited the last customers, drunk the wine in the bottles that are left and cleaned the place. Normally (if there is such a thing yet) I'd take a cab home with Jose and the napkins to be washed, but tonight the two waitresses ask if I'd like to go have a bite to eat and a drink with them. 'Course I say yes and we head off. Around 2.30 am the bar closes (there was nothing else on a week night) and I start walking home. One of the waitresses, Corali, lives in my direction so we walk off together. No, don't worry mom, the waitresses are 30 and 25! ;) Now, Marseille is apparently known in France as a dangerous city - especially at night - so I'm quite aware of my surroundings when walking 'cept I dont know my way around. My landmark is a big old church that's on the definitive hill-top of all hill-tops!. If you check out this pic and notice the outermost black iron gate in the bottom left hand corner, that's where I climbed the gate after scaling the 50m high sheer rock face that you can't see on the pic but that's in front of the gate.. in my black slippers and new white shirt that I use for waitering. Thing is, I knew my block was north of the church, but I'd apparently come around the south side and seeing how the roads going arooound the church were pretty freaking long, I decided to go over the mountain. I get to the top thinking more and more about snakes as I had to go through loads and loads of bushes to get around the locked, video surveyed church lot that was only open to 8 pm in the summer, 7.30pm in winter. Point is, that I got home sometime around 3.15-3.30am and had to walk Jose's dog. sigh c'est la vie, non?! Now, pity me and send me gold and myrrha! hehe No, I must admit that I thought it was fun and the walk/climb/trek was worth the joy of seeing Rue Jules Moulet where I live!
So that was all about being lost. The other alienating factor is the lack of friends that I can communicate with. Jose keeps scolding the others when the start speaking English to me at the restaurant, but I just wrote with 2 girls from my gymnasie class, Sofie and Anja, who've arrived to work in Toulon, 52 km's away by the freeway. They'll be here all summer, and I can't wait to meet up with them to speak a language I can actually express myself in! I've bought a really chic pad at the local newspaper story for 1.50 euros and it's beautiful! :) Fits in my pocket, perfect line spacing, casually serious front, perforated paper to allow easy ripping, even perfect thickness! Makes me sick to think that I've made do this long without one of those! Neways, I took down 5 solid pages of unkown words during the first day. haha, overwhelming, yeah.
About the money and contract heading it's just that I'm worried. We divide up the tips at the end of each day but that's all I've seen to do with formalities so far. I asked Jose if there was a contract I had to sign, he nodded and went on doing other stuff. I don't know.
Next header.. what was it? Oh yeah, dog hair! The dog in the apartment's a mess! Its my first time living with a dog, and my previous statements about NEVER GETTING A DOG have only been confirmed: I'M NEVER GETTING A DOG! You get home like last nite and you feel like your limbs are about to implode or explode or woteva, and you've got this beast of the wild jumping up and down you, like a child caught in a beasts body. Its uncivilised through and through and you have its filthy hair and its filthy smell riddling every inch of your body, clothes, bed, hair wax/gel, stacks of paper, wallet, socks, shoes - even your CD's are infiltrated! Garh! So I escape into a fictitious world where you don't have a dog, you never go to the toilet and you're immortal: the Da Vinci Code.
I finished it within 18 hours of starting it and walked the dog twice and had one 8 hour shift. T'was true and unmasked escapism! heh Beautiful! Now the book had a fantastic plot, but the translation (to Danish - it was all there was) was lame, outdated and riddled with spelling and marking errors. That just ticks me off, but hey. As for the conceited attack on religion, if Dan Brown had ever intended for it to be factual, which I seriously doubt were it not for the humanistic altar-call that is the moral point, then I don't give. Its pretentious and full of holes. But but but, let's not get caught up in that discussion and just let a story be a story: its beautiful fiction!
Was that really it?! Oh well, any questions? If I'm missing someone? Yeah, Filip and Michelle. Dang, when we pulled away from them in the parking lot in Dk I fiercely fighting back tears that they thoroughly deserve. I can't imagine the last 3 years without those two and now the era of their sweetening my everyday with casual, familiar love is over and I only hope that I can create something just half as beautiful in the years to come. I think I just may be happy then! So if you're reading this, Flip and Chelle, thanks again. I've said it before, and at the risk of being waaay to sentimental, I've just said it again.
But does this mean that other people haven't been important to me? Absolutely not! I know its foolish to start listing your friends in priority publicly, but it's done. ML, I'm writing you now! :) No, wait I don't have your email address!!! Dit moi!
04 July, 2005
Working apres la premiere jour
Yeah, so I had my first day at the restaurant yesterday and it was loads of fun! The other waiters and waitresses (only 4) are great and they know how to have a good time while working. As well they were very welcoming and insisting on speaking French to (not really 'with') me which of course is a necessary evil in order to learn the dangin language. It sounds cool but the problem with it is, that the pronounciation is nowhere near the spelling, and I'm quite dependent on visualizing the word, when it's said in order to understand it, so.. Its only a minor hiccup though - no biggie. Oh yeah, tips from the first night: 10 euros 75 cents.
Saturday night was crazy though as it was the last night with my parents. In the morning we'd checked in at the place I'm staying which is with one of the two managers of the Restaurant: Jose. Anyway, he invited us as a family to come eat at the restaurant which we of course did. After a hearty hearty dinner (the bill came up to around 100 euros!) my parents had to take off to their highway hotel real fast. So we went to the car, said our goodbye's whereafter they got in, and took off. Now that must have been my single most lonely moment in my life. I was standing with the clothes on my back in a city of which I didn't speak the language, and was going 'home' to a man, with whom I couldn't communicate. Let me tell you that all of my previous naive optimism left me in that moment. I trotted off to the apartment, got into the foreign bed with the strange dog still trying to hump my leg when I got in the door and dozed off to sleep. Man...
Okay, it's a bit melodramatic, but I really did feel like I was utterly alone! I had the thought walking home sat nite that now I was really on my own now. Exciting having to be alone and your life is a job which you can not fail cos you live with the boss! I think I need this lesson in responsibility. My dad kept repeating a mantra at me in the last 48 hours:
"Be responsible,
Think ahead,
Innovate."
-and I think I will!
Oh well, I gotta take off. Gotta be at work in half an hour and there's a guy I wanna find on the net here. His name's Bruno and I know him from a summer camp a year ago in Budapest. He lives here in Marseille and invited me to come visit him.. Think I will, if I can find him!
Oh yeah, if anyone wants to send me stuff my address is:
c/o Ferrer
102 Rue Jules Moulet
13006 Marseille
Saturday night was crazy though as it was the last night with my parents. In the morning we'd checked in at the place I'm staying which is with one of the two managers of the Restaurant: Jose. Anyway, he invited us as a family to come eat at the restaurant which we of course did. After a hearty hearty dinner (the bill came up to around 100 euros!) my parents had to take off to their highway hotel real fast. So we went to the car, said our goodbye's whereafter they got in, and took off. Now that must have been my single most lonely moment in my life. I was standing with the clothes on my back in a city of which I didn't speak the language, and was going 'home' to a man, with whom I couldn't communicate. Let me tell you that all of my previous naive optimism left me in that moment. I trotted off to the apartment, got into the foreign bed with the strange dog still trying to hump my leg when I got in the door and dozed off to sleep. Man...
Okay, it's a bit melodramatic, but I really did feel like I was utterly alone! I had the thought walking home sat nite that now I was really on my own now. Exciting having to be alone and your life is a job which you can not fail cos you live with the boss! I think I need this lesson in responsibility. My dad kept repeating a mantra at me in the last 48 hours:
"Be responsible,
Think ahead,
Innovate."
-and I think I will!
Oh well, I gotta take off. Gotta be at work in half an hour and there's a guy I wanna find on the net here. His name's Bruno and I know him from a summer camp a year ago in Budapest. He lives here in Marseille and invited me to come visit him.. Think I will, if I can find him!
Oh yeah, if anyone wants to send me stuff my address is:
c/o Ferrer
102 Rue Jules Moulet
13006 Marseille
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