A word of welcome and goodbye

The Dickinson Center undergoes a lot of change in January : we came back from vacation to dive back into academic life, exams for last semester’s students and welcoming new students. Indeed, a lot of first semester students take their exams right before their departure from the ville rose (pink city). We want to say “goodbye” to the first semester students and we wish them good experiences in the future (either if they’re returning to the States or if they’re starting a new semester abroad). We ask the students that are staying the entire year to evaluate their first semester and to reflect on their plans and wishes to take advantage of their second semester in France.

Welcome to the second semester students! We hope you enjoy your discovery of the ville rose. If you talk to the first semester students, you’ll know that a semester goes by quickly! Starting now, think about how you want to take advantage of your time in Toulouse. We can’t wait to share this experience abroad with you. The Dickinson en France team hopes this year will be a time of academic fulfillment, personal development and discovery for each of you.

–The Dickinson en France team

Reflections on my first semester in Toulouse

I can’t believe my first semester in Toulouse is already over. Toulouse was one of the best experiences of my life. I loved learning about French culture, food and people. I have a new perspective on life because of this study abroad program and I now feel like a more independent woman. I can’t wait to start second semester. I hope it’ll be even more enriching than the first.

–Gabby Betances

Memories of an unforgettable adventure

I can’t believe my semester abroad went by so fast. I only have one more week left in Toulouse, nº 31 Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrénées, France. I remember my arrival at Blagnac airport very well. During my first two weeks in the ville rose (pink city), I always felt like a tourist or a foreigner. But, slowly but surely, I learned and I reacted.

I now feel completely integrated in Toulouse. This semester, every time I came back from a trip, it was like coming home. The other Dickinson students, whom I didn’t know at all when I arrived at the Dickinson Center the first time, are now among my best friends. I would say I know Toulouse as well as I know Chicago (where I’ve been living for 18 years) or St. Louis (where I’ve been studying for the past two years). Throughout the semester, I went to the Opéra du Capitole, I saw Toulouse FC et du Stade Toulousain games, I went to the Saint Aubin market, I had dinner with the Saint-Pierre des Chartreux student parish, and I went to a Salon de Vins et Territoires at the Parc d’Expositions. I am going to miss a lot of things, such as: nights having drinks at Place Saint-Pierre with American, French and Erasmus students, the beautiful view of the Garonne river by Pont Neuf, the pleasure of taking walks (by my host family’s house, on rue Bayard, boulevard Alsace-Lorraine and along the Canal du Midi. But what I’m going to miss the most are the people in Toulouse. They’re proud of their Occitan heritage, of their beautiful city, of their joy and of all of the region’s wonders. I had the privilege of sharing these wonders with them for a few months and there are no words to express my gratitude.

–Nicolas Garzon

A few suggestions for the newcomers

Here is some information I would have liked to know when I got to Toulouse :

  • You can buy minutes for your French phone at any tabac store, but also at some ATM machines , like at Esquirol or Place Dupuy.
  • The boulangerie located by the Dickinson Center (that has excellent sandwiches and pizzas) is closed on Mondays.
  • There’s a flea market on the Allées Jules Guesde by the Grand Rond the first weekend of every month. It’s a great chance to look at old furniture, books, farm tools and lots of other things that depict the city’s history.
  • The homemade chocolate crêpes at Le Sherpa (rue du Taur) are really delicious!

–Gabrielle Kushlan

A suggestion from a professional perfectionist

Americans tend to try to be the best. Competition is a big factor in our culture. In order to reach the maximum of my abilities, I’ve elaborated a simple method: take detailed notes, study meticulously, absorb every word the professors spew out during class and then throw them back up on a piece of paper the day of the exam. You just have to sit down for hours and hours every day to integrate the day’s lesson. A simple formula, right? You give the professors what they want and you get a huge reward: good grades.

From the perspective of a professional perfectionist, I strongly suggest you not be one in Toulouse. Why? It’s like selling your soul to the Devil. Once the cycle starts, you can’t stop it. I started the semester with good grades, being efficient every day, every hour, every minute. In the beginning, I had to time to balance my studies with my free time, but my discovery of Toulouse stopped at the end of October, when I started to feel the weight of what I was doing. And bam! It was the end of the semester and I hadn’t visited all of Toulouse or the surrounding area, I had become a monk. Instead of discovering French culture, I had discovered the pages of books, my computer…my entire IKEA-styled room.

My grades. Yes, I’m proud of my grades. I worked hard for them. But I see that my classmate got bad grades and doesn’t see any problem in them. Plus, he’s not ashamed. The French, I think, don’t judge people’s grades. Nobody hides their results. Success is a collective matter: it’s not a competition, they’re not here to show that they’re more intelligent than the others, but they’re here to get by with the minimal amount of effort.

The minimal amount of effort? What’s that? It’s a way of life that you have to balance with perfectionism. Between the two, you’ll find average success that allows you to fill your life not only with your studies. Students here are used to mediocre grades and they’re happy. Therefore, don’t be too American and learn something from the French, as crazy as they may seem. This semester, the professional perfectionist is going on sabbatical and is working in moderation.

–Anna Ciriani Dean

Reflections of an intern at Dickinson in France

My internship at the Dickinson Center in France was a very enriching experience both at the professional and the personal level. In fact, I was able to observe a friendly place that allows for unforgettable encounters during these six weeks.

I was lucky to meet foreign students with whom I got along well. They helped me discover American culture and shared their experience with me. This internship was a chance for an intercultural exchange with the students who made me want to know more about the United States and visit their country when I can.

What is more, I’m very happy to have participated in their traditional Thanksgiving meal, which I would never have experiences without Dickinson.

This internship also allowed me to discover Toulouse’s bus lines! Although I have already been living here for a year, I had never really had to use the bus to get around. And the Center’s unclear location was an opportunity for me to get my bearings and use the different bus lines that I knew very little of beforehand.

I would like to thank Mme Sylvie Toux, Mme Laura Raynaud and Mlle Karen Kirner to have given me the opportunity to do my internship at their association.

This internship will always be very memorable!

–Dounia Kouraichi