La Une in English: October 2006

Americans in Toulouse Throughout the last few weeks, Dickinson students in France have made both pleasant and unpleasant discoveries. Each one of us has found our individual preferred place to drink a coffee, write a postcard, or do some window shopping. But at the same time, we have found–at times in certain unpleasant situations–that we are, in fact, foreigners, that certain stereotypes are true, and that it is certainly difficult to be a fully-functioning human being in a country where the language isn’t our own. Despite these obstacles, or perhaps due to these obstacles, we are learning and we are becoming intelligent, interesting people, and considerably better prepared for a successful life. Whether it is a small incident or a serious problem, everything that happens to us brings us closer to a stronger sense of an intercultural mentality–a tool that is extremely valuable in this world. With that said, let’s amuse ourselves, and continue energetically to surround ourselves with this culture that simultaneously amazes and frustrates us. It is now our attitude that will determine if this year is an experience we’ll savor or simply survive. –Anna Cumbie, editor Monument to Discover: Saint Sernin The Saint Sernin church is one of the most well-known locations in Toulouse. The bell tower is an architectural mix between roman and gothic styles, and can be spotted from many places in the city. St. Sernin was constructed during the roman period; the origin of it’s name is found within the context of the city’s history. In 250 A.D., St. Sernin became the first bishop of the city of Toulouse. He was martyred by a pagan priest who tied him to the hooves of a bull, that, in turn, dragged St. Sernin down the many streets of Toulouse until he died. The renaming of the church began after the king Charlemagne who donated a relic in its name. It is for this reason that many religious benefactors visit St. Sernin simply to be in the presence of the relics from the historical religious figures. The church that exists today was established in order to host the many religious figures that visit daily. Today, the church remains a destination for religious demonstrations. St. Sernin is also a point of interest for many locals as well as tourists; every Sunday a substantial market is held around the church, where merchants sell everything from alimentation to clothing to antiques. Anyone can also attend the masses held inside the church. This impressive monument is also a cultural center. For example, for the first half of October, St. Sernin participated in the “Festival Internationale Toulouse les Orgues”. It is possible to also simply sit at the heart of the church and listen to the organ music performed by individuals of all nationalities. The St. Sernin church remains today an important monument for the history of Toulouse, as well as its lively culture. --Meredith Ship Play review: "Good Samaritans" at the Théâtre Garonne Imagine four young American girls waiting with impatience for the occasion to see an American play in Toulouse: “That would be really cool to see other Americans in Toulouse,” we told ourselves. In reality, what we saw on Friday the 20th of October at the Théâtre Garonne was not at all what we hoped. Yes, it was nice to hear English without it being followed by “In French please!”, which we’re actually hearing less and less at the Dickinson Center. With that said, I found that the New York City Players presented “Good Samaritans” by Richard Maxwell, with too much enthusiasm, overacting, and in the end achieving nothing. According to the program that we were given before going to the theater, Kevin is an attractive young character while Rosemary is an old nurse in a rehabilitation center. We learn that Kevin arrives at the center in order to cure himself of his drug and alcohol abuse. Instead of being attractive, Kevin is ugly and dirty, clearly homeless. As soon as he enters the scene, Kevin speaks with a loud and embarrassing voice. Perhaps he spoke in this manner in order to portray his dependency on drugs – no one really knows. Rosemary, in the meantime, is stone-faced, rigid and strict, following rules at the rehabilitation center. She never smiles. During the first ten minutes of the play, we had the opportunity to see Kevin completely naked, suddenly undressed by Rosemary. It is this sort of thing that shocked us; the play’s goal appeared to be to shock the audience as often as possible. The two main characters were completely monotone, even while singing, portraying a real lack of spirit during the entire production. Kevin’s monologues were bizarre, without logic, and the relation between the two characters developed too rapidly. Presented in a traditional and religious manner, Rosemary falls too quickly in love with Kevin. During the scene where the two of them make love, we felt extremely awkward in our seats, averting our eyes so not to see a 60-year old woman in her undergarments. We could certainly say that Americans are constantly ill at ease during love scenes. I might conclude that for us, this wasn’t the case. The love scene was tense because it portrayed a rushed love between two awkward characters, and not a single person was prepared to witness it. We left the theater saying, “Did they act badly on purpose?” after feeling completely out of the loop during the play – we never fully understood if we had possibly missed a scene that would have explained everything. --Kitt Squire

Excursion to Montauban Montauban is located 25km north of Toulouse. This picturesque city was constructed along the banks of the Tarn river. Like Toulouse, Montauban is known for it’s pink glow, as most of the buildings are constructed from brick. We began our trip to Montauban by visiting the museum d’Ingrès, which houses most of the paintings by Jean Ingres, a French artist born in Montauban. After the museum, we meandered along the city streets, and discovered the St. Jacques church, a monument dating back to the 14th century, as well as la Place Nationale, a square that dates back to the 17th century. Before leaving Montauban, we ate lunch at la Brasserie Bourdelle, a restaurant named after a famous sculpture also born at Montauban. After leaving the city, we spent the afternoon at the Jean-Jacques Lefranc de Pompignan chateau. Pompignan was also a native of Montauban, and lived during the Siècle des Lumières, and was a renowned poet. He was also a landscape gardener. After listening to a conference in the gardens about the Pomignan garden contribution, we visited the chateau gardens. If you happen to be searching out a day trip during your time in Toulouse, consider Montauban; it’s a beautiful city with a rich history and culture. --Meredith Ship Restaurant to Discover: Au Coin de la Rue Bistrot e Brasserie This quaint little restaurant located at Place St. Pierre is an enjoyable place for students who are searching for a cheap meal a bit more extravagant than the crêperie that we all know too well. Upon entering Au Coin de la Rue, you sense a relaxed yet fancy ambiance, manifested by the exposed brick walls and the crystal chandeliers. The menu is comprehensive, with a considerable selection of wine by the bottle or glass; large salads; tapas and “trays” of meat, fish, or vegetables that highlight French, Italian and Spanish specialties; as well as coffee and desserts, with the most notable being pear and Nutella tiramisu. Au Coin de la Rue offers a breakfast formula at five euros, and a general formula at seven euros (until 6:00pm), which includes a boiled egg, bread, Serrano ham, and a glass of wine. For dinner, you can order only à la carte. Tapas and desserts cost about five euros, trays and salads around ten euros, and wine by the glass is about three euros. Yet another charming aspect of this bistrot is the dog that greets you and rests his head on your knee throughout the meal. Au Coin de la Rue is open Monday through Sunday from ? To ?, except for Saturday at lunchtime, and is located at the corner of rue Pargaminières and Valade at Place St. Pierre. The telephone number is 05.61.21.99.45. --Anna Cumbie, editor Excursion to Albi Saturday, the 14th of October, Dickinson students went on an excursion to the midieval city of Albi. About a one-hour train ride from Toulouse, Albi is a pleasant city with an architectural style much like the « pink city », Toulouse, with many of its buildings constructed from brick. The most remarkable building is the cathedral Sainte-Cécile, a southern gothic fortress. Besides the impressive brick exterior, the interior is decorated with paintings completed by the famous painter of the Last Judgement, portraying the seven deadly sins. Around the cathedral are several cafés, restaurants, merchants in the streets, and a great chocolatier, where regional specialties like violet candy and cassoulet can be found. Also, Albi is the birthplace of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a 19th-century artist. The Toulouse-Lautrec museum presents the portraits and advertisement posters produced by this revolutionary artist. Albi is a charming city that caters to the different interests of its visitors. --Jamie Wolf Springtime in September Springtime in September (Printemps de Septembre) is a contemporary art festival. For 24 days, nine locations present the contemporary art of Toulouse. These locations are: L’espace Ecureuil, l’Hôtel Dieu, Le Chateau d’Eau, Les Abbatoirs, l’Espace EDF Bazacle, Maison Eclusière, les Jacobins, l’Espace Croix-Baragnon, as well as several other urban spaces, such as le Pont Neuf. The festival also includes nomad soirées. These particular manifestations include dance recitals, ciné-concerts, video-sound performances, and music. The entrance fee is free for everyone. The juxtaposition of the contemporary art and the ancient architecture of Toulouse produces an unforgettable effect for any spectator. Don’t miss the festival of Springtime in September if you happen to be in Toulouse during the months of September and October. --Meredith Ship Exposition at the Château d'Eau As we all learned from our orientation program with Madame Beauville, le Château d’Eau is a location for modern photograph expositions, and serves as an interesting example for recycled architecture. The current exposition at the Château d’Eau is a photography collection by Dominique Delpoux called “Double je”. Certain series of this exposition are Les mineurs de Carmaux (Minors of Carmaux), Les jumeaux (Twins), Les hommes du chantier (Men at a construction site), Uniformes (Uniforms), and Double je (Double I). Each series is a commentary on identity and the employment of juxtaposition through portraits. My personal favorite is Les jumeaux, as Delpoux demonstrates pairs of twins with each individual at his respective home. Twins that live separately are presented as diptych; those who live together are photographed together. It is quite interesting to compare the two twins portrayed in the context of their home. Le Château d’Eau is located on the banks of the Garonne at the Pont Neuf. This exposition will be presented until December 10, 2006. –Anna Cumbie, editor Cliquez ici pour retourner à la version française.