La Une in English: December 2009

Thanksgiving à la française – Thoughts The students shared with us their sentiments after celebrating this decidedly American holiday in France. Here are some of their comments: Thanksgiving Day in Toulouse, I taught a course at the high school where I am doing an internship, and I was very happy when all the students wished me « Happy Tanksgiving » (without pronouncing the « th ») at the end of the class. The meal at the Dickinson Center was amazing and I was very happy about this American holiday in France. I liked Thanksgiving in France a lot. Certainly, it’s not the same thing as in the States. I miss my family, and football too. However, I found the evening very nice and it’s interesting to see the French participate in Thanksgiving. I had been a little sad this month, especially because I missed my family. However, Thanksgiving in France was better than I could have expected. The meal was very good and the ambiance had lots of love and happiness. It was the perfect Thanksgiving, while keeping in mind that we were in Europe! Thanksgiving in France was a little difficult for me. I miss my family. I had lots of work to do during the day, so it was a day that was very difficult for me. However, the meal with everyone was really nice. It helped me a lot. Thanksgiving in France was very nice—the intercultural exchanges and the discussions with the French guests about this rather unknown tradition in France were amusing. The meal was excellent—I have no idea how they found the cranberries! Le Dragon Bleu at the TNT I’ve walked by the TNT building several times and I was always curious about what was inside. Friday, November 13, I had the chance to find out. The Dickinson students saw a play, Blue Dragon, at the Toulouse National Theater. It was the perfect moment for us to see a play, because even though we still have some difficulties in speaking, we’re now very comfortable with our level of understanding in French. The play told a love story, about pain and desire. Two old lovers are reunited in China when Claire arrives to adopt a child and she stays with her old friend Pierre. The spark between the two is re-ignited, but Pierre is already with a young Chinese artist, Xiao Ling. When Claire is not approved for adoption and she becomes friends with Pierre’s young lover, the two women find a solution for Xiao Ling, who discovers she is pregnant. At the end of the story, the audience sees three different possible endings. First, Pierre and Claire leave China with the baby and Xiao Ling is left alone. After that, Claire leaves China by herself and Pierre stays with Xiao Ling and their child. Finally, the two women leave and Pierre stays in China with the baby. We thought that it would be the ultimate happy ending because we could choose whatever ending we liked, but when we thought about the choices, they were all bittersweet. The first ending leaves Xiao Ling all alone without her baby. In the second, Claire is alone with the baby, who is separated from his biological family. In the third, all characters are alone except Pierre, who becomes a single father. The actors were fabulous and the stage impressive. The play was filled with color, both literally and metaphorically. Xiao Ling perfomed some spectacular dances with a scarf and bright lights. Furthermore, the décor was filled with bright colors, like one imagines when picturing Shanghai. But the color was not only physical ; we truly felt the characters’ emotions. This is why we can’t determine which of the possible endings is best: because in the end, we want everyone to be happy. --Ramsay Pierce Parles-tu l'argot? poser un lapin - to not show up for a meeting or date, to stand someone up. « Désolé de te poser un lapin, mais il faut que j’annule pour ce soir. » (I'm sorry to stand you up, but I have to cancel for tonight.) piger - understand. « Je ne pige rien à ce que dit ce prof ! » (I don't understand anything this professor says!) être à la bourre - to be late. « Ne m’attends pas, je vais être à la bourre. » (Don't wait for me, I'm going to be late.) December Birthdays 07 : Andrea Click here to return to La Une de décembre 2009. Click here to return to the La Une homepage.

At the market in Péchabou The bakers' stand. Anna-Lisa takes advantage of the opportunity to buy fresh and local produce at the market. On November 14, when the weather couldn’t decide whether it wanted to pour or let the sun shine, a group of courageous Dickinson students went on an adventure to the Marché au Gras in Pechabou, a traditional market in a village just beyond the suburbs of Toulouse. As a participant in this event, I can tell you the story. Once a year, the farmers and local vendors come together to sell their products at this large market. With hopes and dreams, we had made some American desserts like pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies and banana bread, to sell at the market. Our favorite Bulgarian, Tanya, made medenkis, cookies with honey and cinnamon, a recipe from her home country. Situated amoung other ambitious vendors of wine, meat and cheese, we were welcomed like one of them. On the other side of the market, we could see the care with which the bakers were making their bread in open-air ovens. We had the opportunity to taste hot mulled wine, organic food and regional specialties (most notably every variety of duck product that you could imagine). With the sounds of a group of musicians dressed in striped smocks in our ears, we wandered through the market and spoke with the other vendors, looking for the traditional specialties of this region of France. The French liked our desserts, especially the pumpkin pie and our large selection of cookies. If you end up at the market in Pechabou next year, I recommend drinking a glass of mulled wine, tasting the magret de canard (the breast of a duck raised for foie gras), and buying some of the local bread. -- Kim Wilson Editorial: discovering French wine Wednesday, December 2, six Dickinson students took a whirlwind tour of the French wine regions without ever taking a plane. Organized by Annick Saub of Association Les Cuisines, we had a wine tasting at La Cour des Vins, a wine shop near the St. Michel metro stop. We tasted five wines from different regions of France—one white and four reds. The first wine was a dry white from Gaillac, an appellation near Toulouse. The head of the tasting and shop owner Dominique Stehlik advised us to try it with a bit of fresh goat cheese. She explained that often the French think cheese and red wine go together best, but that’s not always the case. Afterwards, we tasted the four red wines: a fruity red from the appellation Coteaux de Rhone, one from the Corbières, a Madiran du Bearn, and a red from Bordeaux. Specifically, the Bordeaux was from St. Emilion, the village that Dickinson en France is going to visit in January. We tried it with a creamy Brie for a magnificent blend of tastes. We passed an excellent evening together and learned a lot. We can’t wait for the next tasting with Annick--- a cheese tasting! --Alyssa Coltrain, associate editor December calendar 08 : Cultural outing : Seule dans ma peau d’âne at Théâtre Sorano, 19h30 15 : Christmas reception at the Dickinson Center 18 : End of semester at the Dickinson Center ; the Center will close at noon and will reopen on January 4. 19 : Beginning of holiday break in Toulouse's universities.