Marseillaise moi???, ma foi quoi!

Life continues - Since January 21 I don’t need a winter jacket anymore, but one night in February the temperature downed to zero because of the mistral. Since March 15 the windows are already open in the early morning and March 21 was a day that I really wanted to have a swimsuit when I came back from school and saw the first swimmers in the sea (the extremists). Finally I had to wait until the 25th of May for my first swim, and that day until 15H to avoid being burned. The heavy rain we had in the beginning of the year became more an exception during spring, especially for the plants. We were always excluded from extreme weather conditions. For example the heavy snow (March) or the storm that passed Nice and Cannes just before the Film Festival of Cannes(May) and the floods very near to us in the Var department (June). Looking back we can say that this winter was horribly cold and wet (for most Marseillais the first time) But since the first of July the sound of the cicada returned around our home which means that the heat of the Mediterranean has recovered and time has come to swim in the sea; quietly at 7:00 am when the last fishermen are on their way home.

Bon voisin, bon matin: (Good neighbors mean a good morning)- My daily conversations with my neighbor from our windows moved to the internet (skype or msn) since he bought his own computer and joined our internet-network. But if I'm not online, it is always easier to call me by throwing coins, garlic cloves or wine corks against the window like he did before. And since the windows are always open, it is also possible to be attacked by that stuff while relaxing on the couch. Fortunately I was a victim during Easter: chocolate eggs! In the meantime his two birds have flown away by an open door, but a month later during a tea together he told me about a new bird. This time an wild one who was attacked by a cat. When I asked where he kept it because the nest (still in the corner) was empty , he walked to the kitchen, opened a kitchen cabinet and between the pots and dishes, I saw a ‘black redstart’, where he felt the most comfortable. Since the bird got his freedom back he comes back from time to time to sing his song. And what more do I wish, not being an early riser, then to have breakfast in the sunshine in the living-room while music from my neighbors guitar is pouring through the open windows: he still plays.

life after the pastaga - A party with all neighbors together in our street on May 28 (neighborhood day) or the cultural festivals in Marseille as the party ‘of the Mediterranean’, 'of the sun', ‘of the oldest quarter of the city' and 'the day of the music’ (21-6) made us live during the night. Also going out with or without my neighbor and his friends got me acquainted with the true Marseilles nightlife. In fact it is as quiet as in the desert, except for the seagull (flying day and night) who scares you because of his size when he appears unexpectedly or when one almost landed on me but appeared to be looking for the food next to me. The mornings are always quiet. Even by 7:00 AM you can easily make two complete turns in the neighborhood to try to find a place to park, because in fact everybody is still asleep. An advantage: if the bus is not at time and I have to take a taxi in order not to miss the train that leaves in 3 minutes, it is still possible to get there in time because there is nobody on the road! A desert I said, except when the local football-club wins an important match. Then there is always a very nice atmosphere with the CRS (national security) in the Old Port. This year especially after winning two games, we (my roommate and I) were stuck in the Old Port on returning from a concert. At first it was 'boring' (shit everywhere we said to each other), but 2 minutes later the windows of the car were already open to enjoy the music of the excited supporters and again 2 minutes later my roommate also began to hoot with a face as if we had nothing better to do. And I must confess that I was already on the roof of the car while driving home along the coast road.

Fallen again!- After having fallen on the best possible living space in Marseille in December last year, I fell once again. But this time hard enough to have a ride in the ambulance and spend a night at the hospital. All this happened to me after a accident with in line skating in my street ... a small, quiet, cosy street, where Ulysses (our cat) often waits for me. But this time it surprised me as an dangerous black ski piste ... .. and to be sure not to be smashed on the parked cars at the end of the street, I let myself fall down on purpose to prevent more damage.
In Marseille they say that Marseille is a country rather than a city and I always thought it was the madness of the inhabitants to pretend so. In the hospital I finally understood that it was true. A nurse who examined an old lady next to me wanted to verify if she was alright by asking questions about herself like; in which country are we? As a real inhabitant she replied that it was Marseille. I was right away convinced that she was going well, but the nurse needed another 5 minutes to be convinced that we were living in the country Marseille. I would like to thank my neighbor for his jokes during my stay in hospital and the next day when I came back home. He joked that I rushed down the street like a flag, faster than a plane back to Holland, but unfortunately I crashed like a mosquito that gets smashed against the wall... and meanwhile everyone in my street was aware of my stunt, like in a small village. Thanks also to my roommate Marion for being my personal nurse at home during the follow-up care and for removing the stitches.

Aoliwood - After the films of Marcel Pagnol and many others that have been shot in Marseille, in the meantime a new film The eternal (about mafia life in our city) was partially turned in our valley ‘au vallon’. I also got a small role in a film because of my roommate's cousin, who is a beginning filmmaker and wrote a horror movie that was turned in our apartment.
Turning movies in Marseille, it is in the air! When I get permission of the author to show the movie on internet, I will let you know!

Like I said the first time French people exaggerate about people in Marseille exaggerating about a lot of things. But in regard to the weather I must confess that I don’t want to think about my return to the cold north. Did I become like them? (marseillaise moi?)




### I will show the pictures, but first my birthday ### Thanks!