July 7, 2007

• Well, I've been here a week already which is hard to believe!

  So far this week I have:
  Leisure time:
  - Been to the cinema 3 times (the only thing to do in Falaise when you don't know anyone) - seen 2 French films (one excellent, one crap) and then "Irina Palm" which turned out not to have been dubbed; it was in English with French subtitles.
  - Been to hear a Gustav Leonhardt harpischord recital, for free (instead of €20). He's apparently 'the world's greatest harpsichord player' and it certainly was very good, even though he is now 79!
  - Been to William the Conqueror's Castle (for free)

  At work/for work:
  - Been on one guided tour of Falaise for a rowdy primary school party
  - Been to the Automates Avenue Museum
  - Been to the Andre Lemaitre Museum
  - Been driven to St Vigor Chapel...a little chapel near Falaise which was restored by a Japanese artist
  - Been to the inauguration of an exhibition at the castle, with my manager, where I got to drink champagne and stand there like a lemon because I didn't know anyone, until this couple started talking to me!
  - Been to the 1944 Museum
  - Done several translations (translated the whole summer events programme, the 5 pages of guided tour of the chapel and then the first of 15 hiking guides that I have to translate).
  - Panicked about having to answer the phone in French...manager said not to worry about doing it yet as I don't know enough to anyway, but then got thrown in at the deep end yesterday when I was on my own with Elise and she was on the phone already and the phone kept ringing, so I had to keep answering it!
  - Talked to tens of British tourists, in English
  - Talked to tens of French tourists and locals, in French
  - Run lots of errands around town, putting up posters, posting letters, collecting paper, delivering cheques etc
  - Given myself a huge blister on my thumb from guillotining hundredts of flyers
  - Done 3 number plate surveys around town (counting all the numberplates and writing down where the cars come from)
  - Done 5 surveys around town...3 in French, 2 in English (the target is 36 per day so I'm going to have to work a bit harder!)

  I think that's it.... as you can tell, I'm getting to do a lot of different things so the time is passing quite quickly which is good. It's really just like any boring summer temp job I've ever had though. The only difference is that it's all in French which means my brain is actually constantly having to be used, rather than just drifting through tasks. I am just general dogsbody but it's nice that they need me for the translations and do seem to appreciate having me when English people come in. Although the problem is that I don't actually know the answers to most of their questions, so at the moment I have to ask them for help answering anyway which means I turn into an interpreter, which is a bit silly because a) they can all speak reasonably good English and b) some of the tourists speak French as well as I do probably (ie. not very). At times I just can't get the words out at all, and it seems worse in that situation which is embarrassing all round. When I just have to speak straight out in French to French people I seem ok, most of the time. It's all a bit scary though and I am dreading actually being expected to answer the phone and talk properly to people, and also know that soon they're going to expect me to not be having to ask them the answers to everything. Obviously I've only been at work 5 days and I've been out of the office a lot, but I don't know how long they will expect it to take. I am much happier sitting in the office typing up translations, but that's because it's in my comfort zone. If I don't force myself to stay out on the welcome desk learning about it then I'll always be afraid of it. The manager told me my French is very good, but I don't know how much she has heard me talking in the difficult situations. I seem to be ok talking to her. This English man who I was trying to help with a complex query basically told me my French was rubbish and that I'd 'need to work a bit harder at it'.  I KNOW!

  Anyway... tomorrow I am going to Pont d'Ouilly which is a pretty little village 18km from here, where we run a small tourist office. Agnes, one of my colleagues, is taking me down there as she is working. On Sundays there is dancing in an open air cafe by the river, as well as canoeing and all sorts of leisure activities. I hope the weather is nice so that it's a really nice day. I'm going again for July 14th (Bastille Day) as apparently there are a few coaches of English people arriving so I'm going to go down there to help out (even though it's meant to be my day off!).

  • 5:30 am
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