La Une in English: November 2009

Learning Languages « Escota me plan que ieu sabi un conte » is, more or less, all I know how to say in Occitan. (Listen closely, because I know a story). Occitan, a regional language tied to Latin and Spanish, was spoken in this region for several centuries before French was imposed by a strong central government. It is part of a culture that is rich in literature, like the tradition of courtly love poetry during the Middle Ages. However, this heritage was lost after the Albigensian Crusade in the 1200s, when the county of Toulouse lost its independence. Occitan culture is a symbol of a Toulouse that is proud of its heritage. For example, there’s an Occitan cross in Place Capitole, a festival of Occitania and the names of the metro stops are announced in both languages. Furthermore, 20,000 people attended a pro-Occitan demonstration in Carcassonne on Saturday, October 24. So, when I arrived in Toulouse, I was interested in this language so rich in history and literature, so I found courses at an Occitan Cultural Center. It’s a little difficult—the accent is very different from the French one I’m actively studying—but I love my classes. Hey, for the next issue of La Une, maybe I’ll write something in Occitan! -- Alyssa Coltrain, associate editor Domaine Public : not your traditional theatre Friday, October 23, Dickinson in France had its cultural outing of the month. The agenda of the day: an interactive event at the Garonne Theatre, called Domaine Public. No one had any idea what to expect. Even though we didn’t know the format of the program, everyone was afraid that our level of French would cause some comprehension problems, or worse…that we would be required to speak French in front of the other attendees: “quelle horreur!” Actually, it wasn’t anything that serious. When we arrived at the ticket office, they gave everyone headsets and we went out into the parking lot for this interactive theatre. Through the headsets, we heard a voice that asked us different questions, like “Were you born in France?” “Have you ever stuck your finger in a jar of Nutella?” or “Have you ever shoplifted?” and the voice guided our movements with each response. Often, the directions were to go towards the left or right of the parking lot or to put our hands on our knees or heads. The movements of the participants created a type of dance, then began to have us act out a scene with characters: police, prisoners and members of the Red Cross. This unconventional theatrical event by Roger Bernat was a lot of fun but also proved thought-provoking. Some parts were hard to understand, but that didn’t prevent us from understanding the whole. This event made us conscious of the people around us and made us think about how everyone has his own story that directs his life. -- Andrea Wiley Andrea Wiley, Catherine Fields, Ramsay Pierce and Abbey Kalman put on their headsets to prepare for the show to begin. During the event, some participants lied down on the ground upon being « killed ». Renoir’s sculpture at the Grand Palais Pierre-Auguste Renoir is well-known for his impressionist paintings, but most people have never seen his sculptures. However, until January 4, 2010, the Grand Palais in Paris presents an exhibit of these pieces among his paintings and sketches, so that we can have a new perspective on his artistic style. Made of a material of uniform color, these sculptures don’t show the effects of light like the colourful paintings do. Instead, the sculptures show Renoir’s ideal feminine figure, which is present in many of his paintings, but obscured by other distracting elements, like the brilliant colors. The voluptuous bodies, the small heads, the large shoulders and hips and the round faces with full cheeks are all visible in his sculpture, but without the distraction of light and color. I encourage those who like Renoir and his work to go see this exhibit to have a new insight into his artistic contribution to the world. What’s more, the exhibit shows the relationship between the work of Renoir and that of other artists of his time. Even for people who don’t like Renoir’s style, the event is very interesting from a historical perspective. But heads up—photos aren’t allowed. You have to see these works in person. -- Christina Neno Editorial As the days change and the weather gets colder, we also find changes in the city and in our lives. We see the gap between our expectations that we had—consciously or not—before leaving for France and the reality that we have found. That said, our new activities, our classes, our new friends and our discoveries of all the festivals in Toulouse haven’t left us any time to be depressed! We understand that it’s difficult to avoid the little disappointments and stressful moments, but if we let them fall like the dried autumn leaves that crunch under our feet, we’ll be free to continue to take advantage of the richness of our time in Toulouse.:::-- :::--Anna Cumbie, editor Do you know argot? taule (nf) - prison. « Fais gaffe, sinon tu vas te retrouver dans la taule ! » (Look out or you’ll end up in jail !) faire gaffe - look out/pay attention. « Quand tu vas à Rome, fais gaffe à ton sac. » (When you go to Rome, look out for your purse.) fric (nm), thune (nf), pognon (nm) - money. « Elle me demande du fric mais sa famille est déjà pétée de thune ! » (She asked me for some money but her family is already stinking rich !) November Birthday 01 : Kim

My first impressions at a French university Culture, which evolves over time, encompasses distinct ways of being, thinking, acting and communicating. Education, then, is a essential part of creating this culture. I’ve had the opportunity to study in three different countries: Bulgaria, the US and now France, which allows me say that the education system differs a lot between these countries. A month ago, I started taking courses in France at two universities, UT1 and IEP (Université de Toulouse 1 and the Institute of Political Science) which are both known for their good reputation. However, I found a vast difference exists between the French and American systems of education, which you can see in the methods of teaching. In the US, college is constructed around the idea of graduated levels, meaning that the American student studies more and more each year. In France, I noticed that they study a lot during les années préparatoires (a period of preparation after a student has received his high school diploma, but before entry into a university) to prepare for the entry exams of the grandes écoles, France’s most elite universities. However, once the students have started classes in these schools, they get a little lazy and they don’t study as hard during the semester as they did for the entry exams. Furthermore, a French student who had started her first year at IEP told me that she worked a lot during les années préparatoires. However, the attitude of some French students, who love to go out and have fun, as well as the absence of regular homework like American students have, have made her less motivated to study. Despite this, the educational system in France makes the students accountable because it holds them responsible for organizing their time so that they can prepare for the final exam, which is often the only grade for the semester. Another marked difference is the lecture courses in large amphitheatre-style classrooms with lots of students, in contrast with the smaller courses at Dickinson. I find it more difficult to take notes in my courses here when the professor talks, often quickly, for two hours straight, which is a long time to stay concentrated. However, it’s really important to write down everything that the professors explain because they don’t use just one book to prepare their lectures, but a whole bibliography. In contrast, in the US, students only need one book to study for exams and do their homework. My career as a student reflects this comparison between the two systems. At the beginning, it was easier for me to study for my classes in the US than in France because I could easily find information that the professor had explained in class by looking in the book. Furthermore, if I couldn’t understand something, I could go see the professor with questions, which isn’t standard practice in France. Luckily, the French students are very nice and offered to lend me their notes. I was a little frightened to ask to copy someone’s notes at the beginning, but I found there were a lot of people who offered to help me. My education in France has been a very different experience. It’s helped me mature and adapt to a new system, with positive and negative elements. The start of classes was really hard, but now that my French has gotten a little better and that I’ve started to study more seriously, I feel more at ease in class and I want to prove that it’s possible to learn and succeed in France this semester. --Tanya Kovacheva Restaurant to try: La faim des haricots One of my favorite restaurants in Toulouse is La Faim des Haricots. It’s a small vegetarian restaurant on Rue des Puits Verts between the Place Esquirol and the Place du Capitole. It’s open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday. In general, I am much more of a carnivore than a vegetarian, but I’ve had very good meals here twice. All the food is buffet-style, so it’s impossible to be hungry when you leave. There isn’t a traditional menu, but you can choose different courses, such as salad, quiche, soup (in winter) the “plat du jour”, and salad. The prices are also very reasonable because it’s a buffet. You pay 11 euros for two courses, 12 for three, 13 for four and 15 for all five. The restaurant also has a lunch option, a “no worries” menu (15,50 for five courses plus an aperitif and either coffee or tea), a children’s menu and a takeout menu. Because each course only costs a euro more, it’s very easy to try new things. For example, if you don’t like the “plat du jour”, you just eat more quiche or salad. The atmosphere is very cozy. All the servers are very nice and explain the way the restaurant works. So, if you’re looking for food that is not only good for your health, but tastes good too, La Faim des Haricots is an excellent choice. -- Meredith Meisenheimer Four days in Paris Tanya Kovacheva and Justin Sterritt contemplate a series during our guided visit, Elles@centrepompidou, of works by female artists at Centre Pompidou. Several students from the group pause for a photo in the Palais Garnier after our group outing to see the ballet « Jewels » by George Balanchine. November Calendar 01 : Return from Paris 11 : Armistice Day (end of WWI) : holiday (Dickinson Center closed) 13 : Cultural excursion: « The Blue Dragon » at TNT (Theater National de Toulouse) 14 : Traditional market at Pechabou 26 : Thanksgiving dinner at the Dickinson Center Click here to return to La Une de novembre 2009. Click here to return to the La Une homepage.