Visit www.anglais.re for more!

The weekend had got off to a good start. My husband and I and a couple of friends had plans to hike to Marla, but as the Route Forestière leading up to Col des Boeufs was closed due to road-works we had decided to start by hiking across Grand Sable. After an hour’s trek we reached a junction in the path … only to find a big “footpath closed” sign. So we had no option but to turn round and go back the way we came, and then walk up the Route Forestière, before really starting the hike. All this meant that we arrived at Marla later than planned, as night was falling.

At the time there was only one gîte in the hamlet, and unfortunately it was being renovated, so the school was being used as temporary accommodation. The whole room was chock-a-block with bunk beds, only separated from each other by sheets of tarpaulin. As the four of us arrived last we had the only available beds left – my husband and I had adjacent top bunk beds, and the couple of tourists below agreed to move the bunk beds closer. We slept badly as they ‘made the most’ of being side by side, and found out the next morning that our friends, who were on the other side of the room, had been woken in the middle of the night to find their bunk-bed neighbour injecting himself, albeit with insulin.

It had also started to rain during the night, and we left the gîte under a downpour. To head back to Col des Boeufs we had to cross two gullies, which had been streams the previous day, but the overnight rainfall had turned them into raging torrents. Our two male companions crossed by jumping from stone to stone, but I – seeing my life flash before me if I was to slip and fall – decided I’d be better off wading across. In the first stream the water only come up to my thighs, and I imagined the second would be the same, but I actually found myself in chest-high water!

When we finally made it back to our vehicle we were all completely drenched, exhausted, and shivering with the cold. We put the heating on in the car, no realising that this would drain the battery however, and that when we wanted to start the car the battery would be flat. So our eventful weekend ended with one of our party – who shall remain nameless – back out in the rain, pushing the car to get it started, in their underwear …

Vocabulary

 

to lead = mener

road-works = travaux

accommodation = hébergement

chock-a-block = blindé

bunk bed = lit superposé

 

tarpaulin = bâche

available = disponible

albeit = même si c’était

downpour = déluge

gullies = ravines

 

to slip = glisser

to wade = avancer dans l’eau

thighs = cuisses

chest-high = jusqu’à la poitrine

drenched = trempé

 

to shiver = grelotter

heating = chauffage

to drain = vider

however = par contre

underwear = sous-vêtements

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

The weekend had got off to a good start. My husband and I and a couple of friends had plans to hike to Marla, but as the Route Forestière leading up to Col des Boeufs was closed due to road-works we had decided to start by hiking across Grand Sable. After an hour’s trek we reached a junction in the path … only to find a big “footpath closed” sign. So we had no option but to turn round and go back the way we came, and then walk up the Route Forestière, before really starting the hike. All this meant that we arrived at Marla later than planned, as night was falling.

At the time there was only one gîte in the hamlet, and unfortunately it was being renovated, so the school was being used as temporary accommodation. The whole room was chock-a-block with bunk beds, only separated from each other by sheets of tarpaulin. As the four of us arrived last we had the only available beds left – my husband and I had adjacent top bunk beds, and the couple of tourists below agreed to move the bunk beds closer. We slept badly as they ‘made the most’ of being side by side, and found out the next morning that our friends, who were on the other side of the room, had been woken in the middle of the night to find their bunk-bed neighbour injecting himself, albeit with insulin.

It had also started to rain during the night, and we left the gîte under a downpour. To head back to Col des Boeufs we had to cross two gullies, which had been streams the previous day, but the overnight rainfall had turned them into raging torrents. Our two male companions crossed by jumping from stone to stone, but I – seeing my life flash before me if I was to slip and fall – decided I’d be better off wading across. In the first stream the water only come up to my thighs, and I imagined the second would be the same, but I actually found myself in chest-high water!

When we finally made it back to our vehicle we were all completely drenched, exhausted, and shivering with the cold. We put the heating on in the car, no realising that this would drain the battery however, and that when we wanted to start the car the battery would be flat. So our eventful weekend ended with one of our party – who shall remain nameless – back out in the rain, pushing the car to get it started, in their underwear …

Vocabulary

 

to lead = mener

road-works = travaux

accommodation = hébergement

chock-a-block = blindé

bunk bed = lit superposé

 

tarpaulin = bâche

available = disponible

albeit = même si c’était

downpour = déluge

gullies = ravines

 

to slip = glisser

to wade = avancer dans l’eau

thighs = cuisses

chest-high = jusqu’à la poitrine

drenched = trempé

 

to shiver = grelotter

heating = chauffage

to drain = vider

however = par contre

underwear = sous-vêtements

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

In January, my parents visited me in Reunion. I’d planned tons of great stuff. Going to the natural pools, eating delicious creole food, visiting the volcano and of course checking out the beaches. 

My parents weren't so keen on that last one. Unfortunately, when they’d looked up ‘La Réunion’ online, they were met with stories of shark attacks. After I explained that there are several measures to protect swimmers in the lagoon, they agreed. And once in the water with their snorkels on, they loved it. After an hour, they came out with huge smiles and finally it was my turn.

Fast forward twenty minutes and I was feeling completely serene, with only the sound of the water filling my ears. Suddenly, the serenity gave way to complete chaos when I lifted my head up out of the water for one moment. The next twenty seconds seemed like twenty minutes. The first thing I saw was my Dad standing on the sand waving at me with both arms and shouting. Then he pointed to where the waves were crashing behind me. There, where he was pointing, was a boat of people and next to it, dark red water. A bright red flare had been shot into the sky. Instant terror took hold of my body. In my mind, this was a shark attack, the red water was blood and the flare was a warning from the people on the boat. I swam as fast as I could towards the beach. I was so sure there was a shark on my tail that I swam through the shallow water full of sharp coral and cut myself all over my arms, legs and stomach. I figured it was too shallow for a shark to swim through. After what felt like an eternity of swimming, I reached the beach and, like in the movies, dragged my weary body up the sand.

After a few seconds of wondering why nobody had come to help me after my near death experience, I lifted my head up from the sand. Looking back at me was a beach full of confused people, and my father, doubled over with laughter.

It turns out there was no shark, or any danger at all. He had seen a group of marine biologists doing some drills in the water and fancied playing a prank on his daughter who was so sure that the lagoon was completely safe. So, good one Dad. You got me. And I've still got the scars to prove it!

Vocabulary

 

tons = beaucoupto check out = aller voirkeen = enthousiastemeasure = dispositifmy turn = mon tour 

fast forward = passons directementsuddenly = soudaindark = foncébright = vifflare = fusée

shot = envoyéto take hold of = envahirwarning = avertissementon my tail = juste derrière moito figure = se dire

shallow = peu profondweary = faibleto be doubled over = être plié en deuxdrills = exercicesprank = farce

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

In January, my parents visited me in Reunion. I’d planned tons of great stuff. Going to the natural pools, eating delicious creole food, visiting the volcano and of course checking out the beaches. 

My parents weren't so keen on that last one. Unfortunately, when they’d looked up ‘La Réunion’ online, they were met with stories of shark attacks. After I explained that there are several measures to protect swimmers in the lagoon, they agreed. And once in the water with their snorkels on, they loved it. After an hour, they came out with huge smiles and finally it was my turn.

Fast forward twenty minutes and I was feeling completely serene, with only the sound of the water filling my ears. Suddenly, the serenity gave way to complete chaos when I lifted my head up out of the water for one moment. The next twenty seconds seemed like twenty minutes. The first thing I saw was my Dad standing on the sand waving at me with both arms and shouting. Then he pointed to where the waves were crashing behind me. There, where he was pointing, was a boat of people and next to it, dark red water. A bright red flare had been shot into the sky. Instant terror took hold of my body. In my mind, this was a shark attack, the red water was blood and the flare was a warning from the people on the boat. I swam as fast as I could towards the beach. I was so sure there was a shark on my tail that I swam through the shallow water full of sharp coral and cut myself all over my arms, legs and stomach. I figured it was too shallow for a shark to swim through. After what felt like an eternity of swimming, I reached the beach and, like in the movies, dragged my weary body up the sand.

After a few seconds of wondering why nobody had come to help me after my near death experience, I lifted my head up from the sand. Looking back at me was a beach full of confused people, and my father, doubled over with laughter.

It turns out there was no shark, or any danger at all. He had seen a group of marine biologists doing some drills in the water and fancied playing a prank on his daughter who was so sure that the lagoon was completely safe. So, good one Dad. You got me. And I've still got the scars to prove it!

Vocabulary

 

tons = beaucoupto check out = aller voirkeen = enthousiastemeasure = dispositifmy turn = mon tour 

fast forward = passons directementsuddenly = soudaindark = foncébright = vifflare = fusée

shot = envoyéto take hold of = envahirwarning = avertissementon my tail = juste derrière moito figure = se dire

shallow = peu profondweary = faibleto be doubled over = être plié en deuxdrills = exercicesprank = farce

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

In January, my parents visited me in Reunion. I’d planned tons of great stuff. Going to the natural pools, eating delicious creole food, visiting the volcano and of course checking out the beaches. 

My parents weren't so keen on that last one. Unfortunately, when they’d looked up ‘La Réunion’ online, they were met with stories of shark attacks. After I explained that there are several measures to protect swimmers in the lagoon, they agreed. And once in the water with their snorkels on, they loved it. After an hour, they came out with huge smiles and finally it was my turn.

Fast forward twenty minutes and I was feeling completely serene, with only the sound of the water filling my ears. Suddenly, the serenity gave way to complete chaos when I lifted my head up out of the water for one moment. The next twenty seconds seemed like twenty minutes. The first thing I saw was my Dad standing on the sand waving at me with both arms and shouting. Then he pointed to where the waves were crashing behind me. There, where he was pointing, was a boat of people and next to it, dark red water. A bright red flare had been shot into the sky. Instant terror took hold of my body. In my mind, this was a shark attack, the red water was blood and the flare was a warning from the people on the boat. I swam as fast as I could towards the beach. I was so sure there was a shark on my tail that I swam through the shallow water full of sharp coral and cut myself all over my arms, legs and stomach. I figured it was too shallow for a shark to swim through. After what felt like an eternity of swimming, I reached the beach and, like in the movies, dragged my weary body up the sand.

After a few seconds of wondering why nobody had come to help me after my near death experience, I lifted my head up from the sand. Looking back at me was a beach full of confused people, and my father, doubled over with laughter.

It turns out there was no shark, or any danger at all. He had seen a group of marine biologists doing some drills in the water and fancied playing a prank on his daughter who was so sure that the lagoon was completely safe. So, good one Dad. You got me. And I've still got the scars to prove it!

Vocabulary

 

tons = beaucoup to check out = aller voir keen = enthousiastemeasure = dispositif my turn = mon tour 

fast forward = passons directement suddenly = soudain dark = foncé bright = vifflare = fusée

shot = envoyé to take hold of = envahirwarning = avertissement on my tail = juste derrière moi to figure = se dire

shallow = peu profond weary = faibleto be doubled over = être plié en deuxdrills = exercicesprank = farce

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

Mine is a fairly strange case.  I was born in England so I have a European passport.  But I grew up in Australia. So all of my papers are Australian.  This seems to cause a whole lot of confusion. Take, for example, the case of my driving licence.  I found some seriously conflicting information about how you convert an Aussie licence to a French one and realised that a trip to the prefecture was on the cards.

Once there, I hand my papers through the slot, thinking that this all seems a bit easy! Well, it wasn't long before the bubble burst! I was politely informed that my papers couldn't possibly be taken - I had filled in the form in blue pen, not black!  And I wasn't even in the right place...  All things concerning driver’s licences are dealt with in St Paul.   I took another application, reminding myself to fill this one out with a black pen, and headed back to St Paul... only to be told that all things concerning driver’s licences are dealt with at the prefecture in St Denis!!  AAAhhhhh!

Back in St Denis and I'm determined to get this sorted out! I hand over my papers and, upon seeing my Australian licence, the lady asks me for my visa. This is where it gets interesting! I explain I don't have a visa as I am English by birth and have a European passport. "Where is your British driver’s licence?" she asks.  I explain that I left the UK when I was 11, so I don't have a British licence... "But, why not?" she asks... Uuummm, 11 year olds in the UK don't get driver’s licences!!  She seems to think this is quite strange, but finally accepts it!

20 minutes later and she suddenly "realises" that this is all pointless and says that I don't need to change my licence at all!! It's fine for me to use my Australian one.  Unbelievable!! So all seems well.

That is until I was pulled over by the cops for a random check. The prefecture was right... I can use my Aussie licence... But only for 6 months!! So now I have to head back to St Denis to start the whole process from scratch!!

 

Vocabulary

 

to grow up = grandir

to seem = sembler

conflicting = contradictoire

Aussie = Australien

a trip = un trajet

 

on the cards = inévitable

slot = la fente

to burst = éclater

politely = poliment

to fill in = remplir

 

to deal with = traiter

to sort out = résoudre

to hand over = donner

birth = naissance

strange = bizarre

 

pointless = inutile

to be pulled over = se faire arrêter

cops = les flics

to head back = retourner

from scratch = de zéro

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

Mine is a fairly strange case.  I was born in England so I have a European passport.  But I grew up in Australia. So all of my papers are Australian.  This seems to cause a whole lot of confusion. Take, for example, the case of my driving licence.  I found some seriously conflicting information about how you convert an Aussie licence to a French one and realised that a trip to the prefecture was on the cards.

Once there, I hand my papers through the slot, thinking that this all seems a bit easy! Well, it wasn't long before the bubble burst! I was politely informed that my papers couldn't possibly be taken - I had filled in the form in blue pen, not black!  And I wasn't even in the right place...  All things concerning driver’s licences are dealt with in St Paul.   I took another application, reminding myself to fill this one out with a black pen, and headed back to St Paul... only to be told that all things concerning driver’s licences are dealt with at the prefecture in St Denis!!  AAAhhhhh!

Back in St Denis and I'm determined to get this sorted out! I hand over my papers and, upon seeing my Australian licence, the lady asks me for my visa. This is where it gets interesting! I explain I don't have a visa as I am English by birth and have a European passport. "Where is your British driver’s licence?" she asks.  I explain that I left the UK when I was 11, so I don't have a British licence... "But, why not?" she asks... Uuummm, 11 year olds in the UK don't get driver’s licences!!  She seems to think this is quite strange, but finally accepts it!

20 minutes later and she suddenly "realises" that this is all pointless and says that I don't need to change my licence at all!! It's fine for me to use my Australian one.  Unbelievable!! So all seems well.

That is until I was pulled over by the cops for a random check. The prefecture was right... I can use my Aussie licence... But only for 6 months!! So now I have to head back to St Denis to start the whole process from scratch!!

 

Vocabulary

 

to grow up = grandir

to seem = sembler

conflicting = contradictoire

Aussie = Australien

a trip = un trajet

 

on the cards = inévitable

slot = la fente

to burst = éclater

politely = poliment

to fill in = remplir

 

to deal with = traiter

to sort out = résoudre

to hand over = donner

birth = naissance

strange = bizarre

 

pointless = inutile

to be pulled over = se faire arrêter

cops = les flics

to head back = retourner

from scratch = de zéro

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

Mine is a fairly strange case.  I was born in England so I have a European passport.  But I grew up in Australia. So all of my papers are Australian.  This seems to cause a whole lot of confusion. Take, for example, the case of my driving licence.  I found some seriously conflicting information about how you convert an Aussie licence to a French one and realised that a trip to the prefecture was on the cards.

Once there, I hand my papers through the slot, thinking that this all seems a bit easy! Well, it wasn't long before the bubble burst! I was politely informed that my papers couldn't possibly be taken - I had filled in the form in blue pen, not black!  And I wasn't even in the right place...  All things concerning driver’s licences are dealt with in St Paul.   I took another application, reminding myself to fill this one out with a black pen, and headed back to St Paul... only to be told that all things concerning driver’s licences are dealt with at the prefecture in St Denis!!  AAAhhhhh!

Back in St Denis and I'm determined to get this sorted out! I hand over my papers and, upon seeing my Australian licence, the lady asks me for my visa. This is where it gets interesting! I explain I don't have a visa as I am English by birth and have a European passport. "Where is your British driver’s licence?" she asks.  I explain that I left the UK when I was 11, so I don't have a British licence... "But, why not?" she asks... Uuummm, 11 year olds in the UK don't get driver’s licences!!  She seems to think this is quite strange, but finally accepts it!

20 minutes later and she suddenly "realises" that this is all pointless and says that I don't need to change my licence at all!! It's fine for me to use my Australian one.  Unbelievable!! So all seems well.

That is until I was pulled over by the cops for a random check. The prefecture was right... I can use my Aussie licence... But only for 6 months!! So now I have to head back to St Denis to start the whole process from scratch!!

 

Vocabulary

 

to grow up = grandir

to seem = sembler

conflicting = contradictoire

Aussie = Australien

a trip = un trajet

 

on the cards = inévitable

slot = la fente

to burst = éclater

politely = poliment

to fill in = remplir

 

to deal with = traiter

to sort out = résoudre

to hand over = donner

birth = naissance

strange = bizarre

 

pointless = inutile

to be pulled over = se faire arrêter

cops = les flics

to head back = retourner

from scratch = de zéro

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

Like so many of us today, I sometimes find that working can be stressful. Whether you're an employee, executive, or freelancer like myself, you often feel like a circus performer: you could be a lion-tamer managing your boss, a high-wire artist trying not to fall, or an acrobat juggling a hundred different hoops at the same time.  

Personally, the circus act I feel closest to is the plate-spinner. You know, they have a whole load of plates spinning on wooden sticks, and they have to keep rushing from one to another and back again to stop the plates from falling and smashing on the ground. 

Of course, it depends on the time of the year. But just one glimpse at my timetable and to-do list for this week is a daunting challenge. I've three main activities: coaching, interpreting and translating so, in reverse order, this week's plates have included translating the following documents: Air Austral's in-flight magazine, a European regional funding report, a short film in Mafate and the finishing touches to the Musée de Villèle website and application. 

As far as interpreting goes, I need to brush up on my technical vocab for next week's Iomma, the three day Indian Ocean music market before Sakifo kicks off. 

And as for the coaching, every week involves a lot of driving. As I work between St Louis and Ste Suzanne, I usually do an average of 2000 km per month. The companies where I teach business English at the moment work in fields such as sugar cane, automobiles, IT, tourism, construction and regional cooperation.

Ok, this might sound like a lot, but it's not finished yet! I do my own admin, so there are all the quotations and invoices to send, money to chase up and, of course, taxes to pay! And not forgetting working on anglais.re's podcasts and e-learning program with my fantastic friend and colleague Richard, and having the privilege of working with all my fellow English trainers, translators and interpreters. You know who you are! 

Like them, I enjoy keeping myself busy. But I must admit it would be nice to work just a little bit less! However, once a plate has started spinning, you can't let it stop and crash to the ground! Which reminds me, I have to go now, as my circus act is calling me, and there are a few plates which need my attention! That's life in the circus folks! 

Vocabulary

 

whether = si (oui ou non)

executive = cadre

lion-tamer = dompteur de lion

high-wire artist = funambule

circus act = numéro de cirque

 

plate-spinning = assiette tournante

to smash = éclater en morceaux

glimpse = aperçu

timetable = planning

daunting = décourageant

 

to brush up on = réviser

to involve = impliquer

average = moyenne

fields = domaines

my own = ma propre

 

quotations = devis

invoices = factures

to chase up = relancer

fellow = confrère

however = par contre

Visit www.anglais.re for more!

Like so many of us today, I sometimes find that working can be stressful. Whether you're an employee, executive, or freelancer like myself, you often feel like a circus performer: you could be a lion-tamer managing your boss, a high-wire artist trying not to fall, or an acrobat juggling a hundred different hoops at the same time.  

Personally, the circus act I feel closest to is the plate-spinner. You know, they have a whole load of plates spinning on wooden sticks, and they have to keep rushing from one to another and back again to stop the plates from falling and smashing on the ground. 

Of course, it depends on the time of the year. But just one glimpse at my timetable and to-do list for this week is a daunting challenge. I've three main activities: coaching, interpreting and translating so, in reverse order, this week's plates have included translating the following documents: Air Austral's in-flight magazine, a European regional funding report, a short film in Mafate and the finishing touches to the Musée de Villèle website and application. 

As far as interpreting goes, I need to brush up on my technical vocab for next week's Iomma, the three day Indian Ocean music market before Sakifo kicks off. 

And as for the coaching, every week involves a lot of driving. As I work between St Louis and Ste Suzanne, I usually do an average of 2000 km per month. The companies where I teach business English at the moment work in fields such as sugar cane, automobiles, IT, tourism, construction and regional cooperation.

Ok, this might sound like a lot, but it's not finished yet! I do my own admin, so there are all the quotations and invoices to send, money to chase up and, of course, taxes to pay! And not forgetting working on anglais.re's podcasts and e-learning program with my fantastic friend and colleague Richard, and having the privilege of working with all my fellow English trainers, translators and interpreters. You know who you are! 

Like them, I enjoy keeping myself busy. But I must admit it would be nice to work just a little bit less! However, once a plate has started spinning, you can't let it stop and crash to the ground! Which reminds me, I have to go now, as my circus act is calling me, and there are a few plates which need my attention! That's life in the circus folks! 

Vocabulary

 

whether = si (oui ou non)

executive = cadre

lion-tamer = dompteur de lion

high-wire artist = funambule

circus act = numéro de cirque

 

plate-spinning = assiette tournante

to smash = éclater en morceaux

glimpse = aperçu

timetable = planning

daunting = décourageant

 

to brush up on = réviser

to involve = impliquer

average = moyenne

fields = domaines

my own = ma propre

 

quotations = devis

invoices = factures

to chase up = relancer

fellow = confrère

however = par contre