Author: coggins Page 7 of 18

by Lisa Johnsen

Piano concert at the Saint-Pierre des Cuisines. Photo by Lisa Johnsen

On Monday, September 14th the Dickinson group went to hear a piano concert that was part of the annual festival, Piano aux Jacobins. Many of these concerts are featured at the beautiful Cloitre at the Eglise des Jacobins, however this concert took place the Eglise Saint-Pierre des Cuisines. This church no longer holds services, but is instead used as a concert hall throughout the year. We had the opportunity to see pianist David Violi perform pieces by Liszt, Brahms, Dukas, and an encore featuring Liszt and Schumann. Though concert etiquette may seem universal, there were a few cultural differences that I noticed throughout the evening. At the beginning of the concert, the Dickinson students received programs containing information about the performer, the composers, and the location of the concert from the always helpful Dickinson Center staff. None of the other audience members received any information about the performance. In the United States, most audience members receive a program containing information about the performance they have come to see, and usually advertising and promotion for other events. When we debriefed our experience of the concert the next day, Madame Toux remarked that when the French go to see a concert, they know who they are going to see and what they will hear. This is not usually the case for many Americans, who may go to a concert with no idea of what they are about to experience. In addition, many Americans would have been frustrated with the lack of information provided at the venue. This is part of the implicit vs. explicit culture of France and the United States, respectively, that we have studied in FR 300, Toulouse Colloquium. Another interesting note, during the intermission, there was no sale of drinks or food, nor was there any merchandise pertaining to the festival or the artist. Everything was very simple, and most people stayed in their seats although they began talking. It seems as though in the U.S. there are many more opportunities for commerce as well as advertising. Thinking to many American cities, it seems as though advertising takes up a lot of space, and is aggressively fighting for attention. The centre ville of Toulouse, while filled with many people, contains stores, but also a park and an area to sit together with friends. It gives off an entirely different vibe.

The concert started about 15 minutes late, however I did not find this to be particularly unusual, as many performances in the U.S. do not start exactly on time. No one in the audience seemed to be confused or frustrated with the later start time. Something I found to be surprising was the 2 encores after Violi had finished the original program. Normally, in the majority of concerts I have been to in the U.S., the audience may give applause, cheers, and even a standing ovation, but after many bows by the performer, the audience leaves. This audience clapped enthusiastically, with little cheering and no standing ovation, but the performer came back and continued to play. I found this to be surprising and also frustrating, as I was very tired after a long day. I know many of the other Dickinson students felt the same way, but the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it, and even expect it. Overall the concert was lovely, and I plan on attending another concert that is part of the festival Piano aux Jacobins at the end of the month. The next time, I will research the concert beforehand, and expect an encore.

by Jennifer Morris

Cake and tea. Photo by Jennifer Morris.

One of my goals this semester is to find the best tea salons in town. I worked at a café in the United States for two summers and I developed an interest in hot beverages, specifically tea. After speaking with my hosts, searching the internet, and walking around town I visited some salons that I like. They all have different, unique atmospheres that are good for going with a friend, working, or reading in your free time. French culture is much more relaxed than in the U.S. ; lunch can last for two hours because it’s a time to talk with your family or your friends. For example, the children of my hosts return to our house every day to eat lunch because they have the free time during the day. When you go to a café to eat lunch or simply to hang out for awhile in the afternoon it’s completely normal to sit at your table for several hours with a cup of tea. There are lots of different types to chose from, and menus specifically for all the different kinds of tea. The menu is divided into sections by taste, like black teas, green teas, and fruity teas. In the U.S., there is usually around five types of tea to chose from, and I thought that fifteen at the place where I worked was a lot, but in Toulouse each salon has around fifty options. Because I live in a residential neighborhood that’s rather far from the center of town I like to go to a café between the end of my classes and dinner instead of going back to my host’s house.

Here are a couple salons I’ve visited during my first month in Toulouse:

Dips is located near Carmes at 28 Pharaon Street. It has good pastries like cheesecake, chocolate cake and a raspberry pie that’s my favorite. There’s indoor and outdoor seating so it’s a good salon for all different types of weather. The salon has a modern ambiance and I saw a lot of young people there when I went with my friends. The waiters were very nice and friendly with American students.

The Dips Café terrace in Carmes. Photo by Jennifer Morris.

You can find L’Autre Salon du Thé (ha ha) at 45 Tourneurs Street between Capitole and Esquirol Place in the town center. It’s more sophisticated than Dips with ancient art on the walls and ancient furniture inside. It’s speciality is a well-known dessert in Toulouse : banoffee. It’s name comes from a contraction of bananas and toffee. It’s a pastry made with bananas, cream, and caramel. You can also add chocolate and coffee.

The cake dsiplay. Photo by Jennifer Morris.

The décor in l’Autre Salon de Thé. Photo by Jennifer Morris.

by Molly McNulty

Nathalie & Anna at the wine-tasting. Photo by Molly McNulty.

Wine is an important part of the French culture. Thankfully, along with wine, comes cheese and bread. The perfect trio if you ask me. Our class was invited to attend a wine tasting at the Number 5 Wine Bar located at 5, Rue de la bourse, just a few blocks away from Esquirol. Everyone was on his or her best behavior, mostly because the President of the Board of Trustees at Dickinson was also attending. We were given four different wines each paired with a specific cheese from the same region as the wine. The purpose of the cheese is to enhance the taste of the wine. You are meant to have a bight of the cheese first and then the wine so that you can taste the contrast between the two. The intensity of tastes and smells is meant to progress throughout the tasting to ensure each sip is recognized. It was right around the third glass of wine when some of my peers started to get a little more cautious about the cheese. As I said before, it was getting stronger and for lack of a better word, “stinkier”. The third glass of wine was paired with two types of the cheese. The first was fresh Brie and the second was the same Brie but two months older. The server explained that after salting the cheese, it is sprayed with penicillin and left in the maturing room, which allows the mould to develop, and which gives the cheese its bloomy rind. Normally, the mould develops for a few weeks; however the Brie that we tasted had spent 6 months in the maturing room, so it was quite strong! This was a completely new idea to all of us. I’m sure some of us have had this type of Brie before but none of us knew it had mould growing on it. That being said, I have to say I was very proud of our class because everyone gave it a try! There were mixed reviews but we can all now say that we are officially French, at least that’s what the Board of Trustees French host told us (so I’m going with it!). This experience was one I couldn’t imagine having before I came to Toulouse. Of course, I knew I would be having mountains of cheese and wine but I never imagined experiencing such extraordinary tastes and trying new things around thirteen other people, now friends, who were experiencing the same feelings as me. It is a scary thing deciding to go to a foreign country but when you have a group of people who are going through the same experiences as you are it makes it that much better and memorable. Trying new things is what this trip is all about and I can say with confidence that we won’t forget this night.

by Olivia Boggiano-Peterson

Lake Saint-Ferréol

This past weekend I went on a trip sponsored by the University of Toulouse’s center for foreign exchange students. The program is called EIMA because (as I have learned in my three weeks here) the French love acronyms. Unfortunately, I cannot recall what exactly EIMA stands for but that doesn’t matter because I had an amazing time and met so many interesting people from all over the world. About one-hundred students went on the trip to lake Saint-Ferréol, which is near the town of Revel about an hour from Toulouse. We left Saturday morning and arrived at the lake just in time for a picnic on the lake’s beach. It was quite cold and grey out and the beach was much more rock than sand but nevertheless, we all sat down and enjoyed our packed lunches. Lisa (another Dickinson student) was somehow the only person out of one-hundred who had brought a knife so people kept coming up and asking to borrow it. In particular, a German girl had brought a whole avocado and cantaloupe for her lunch but had no way to open them so she came over to use the knife and we had a pleasant conversation about the relative expensiveness of avocados in different countries.

After the picnic we realized that there were no activities planned for the rest of the day and that we were expected to spend time on the beach and sunbathe, which as I said before, was impossible because of the gloomy weather. This realization actually helped us bond with a group of English students because they were just as frustrated and confused by the lack of structure (which the French seem to be quite used to) as we were. Later we went inside and played a name game where people introduced themselves and said something that they liked to do – it was the sort of thing that is painfully awkward to the point that everyone laughs continuously.

By far the best part of the weekend was the soirée Saturday night. I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of alcohol (usually wine) being served at university events but then again, every time we explained to other students that the drinking age is twenty-one in the U.S. they laughed outright. The soiree ended up being an enormous dance party (which I’m happy to say we helped start) and lasted far into the night. Sunday proved to be much nicer and although everyone was exhausted, we spent time on the beach and floated around in paddleboats and kayaks. It was still too cold for me but tons of people (mainly Canadians and Northern Europeans) put on bathing suits and laid in the sun. It was so much fun to be around students from all over the world and I felt reassured learning that other students are just as baffled by the French university system and nervous about starting classes as I am.

Well, another academic year at Dickinson in France has come to an end and our students have returned to the US to enjoy their summer before starting back up at their respective universities in the Fall.  The Dickinson in France staff would like to thank all of their participants for their contribution to the program’s activities throughout the year. We wish you a wonderful summer, continued success in your studies, and the best of luck in your future endeavors. We hope that you will return to the United States with your suitcases full of new experiences as well as memories of new friends and of course, a little bit more French!

Thank you, readers, for your loyalty and interest from the beginning of year; without you, this blog would not exist.

I would also like to thank Lucile and Laura for welcoming me and integrating me into the Dickinson in France team. Just like our students, I too have learned a great deal this year, acquiring experience and skills that surely will be useful in the future.  Thank you for being part of my unforgettable year in Toulouse.

I hope you enjoy the last edition of La Une for the 2014-2015 school year in which two students will tell you about the joys of VêloToulouse, adjusting one’s expectations regarding convenience, as well as regional differences between Lille and Toulouse.

Julia

End of the Year Reception

End of the Year Reception

To begin, a disclaimer: this is not a paid advertisement for VeloToulouse.

A VéloToulouse; Photo by Lizzie Hardison

Even so, I have a hard time hiding my enthusiasm for Toulouse’s self-service bike sharing system. I bought a membership in early March, and since then, hardly a day goes by in Toulouse that I don’t travel by bike. I live in Côte Pavé, a nice, residential neighborhood with the one drawback of being far from the metro. I can get into Centre Ville easily by bus, but I prefer to travel by bike for a few reasons.

First, the bikes are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – even when the bus service is interrupted. In the event of strikes (which happen frequently), you can’t count on the bus as part of your travel itinerary: there may be one bus for every two or three that are scheduled, or the bus may never come at all. Bikes have saved me plenty of times the buses were running irregularly. You rarely have to go out of your way to pick up or drop off a bike, since there are more than 250 stations throughout the city. Secondly, traveling by bike is often quicker than taking the bus or walking. Toulouse isn’t a pedestrian only city, but a good number of narrow, inner-city streets are accessible only by bike or by foot. Traveling by bike gives you access to more roads and lets you skip the traffic-congested boulevards, all while outpacing the city’s pedestrians. Finally, traveling by bike is enjoyable and good for your health! You can get fresh air while experiencing the best pleasures of a city, such as a view of narrow streets or the smell of a boulangerie in the morning. Throughout the semester, it’s also been the best way for me to keep fit and active.

For future students who want to explore Toulouse by bike, let me offer some advice. First, I’d suggest that you don’t buy a subscription as soon as you arrive Take the first few weeks or month of the semester to familiarize yourself with Toulouse. If there’s a route you foresee yourself biking a lot, take it a few times by foot in both directions. . To bike safely in a city, you must have a reliable knowledge of its layout and traffic patterns. I’ve found that most drivers in Toulouse are very obliging to cyclists, but you need to be attentive and sure in your movements to avoid accidents. Secondly, always verify that you’ve locked your bike properly after deposing it at a station. If you didn’t attach it well, your account could be fined for the price of a bike – 150 euros. This is easy to avoid, but it can happen – and it did happen to my host’s son. He paid the fine, but hasn’t biked since!

Overall, my VeloToulouse membership was one of the best investments I made during my time in Toulouse. Commuting by bike gave me the opportunity to appreciate the beauty the city has to offer, and I can’t recommend the experience enough.

-Lizzie Hardison

As I wrap up my semester in Toulouse, I’ve concluded that one of the most notable absences on this side of the Atlantic is that of the American culture of convenience. When I say “culture of convenience,” I’m referring to all of the comforts and services that Americans expect to make their daily lives easier. In the United States, we’ve created a consumer culture that minimizes the time you must wait to satisfy your wants and needs. If you want to order something from Amazon, it’ll be at your door in two days time. If you need milk at 1 am, there’s probably a 24-hour grocery store within quick driving distance. And if going grocery shopping isn’t your thing? Not to worry – in most cities and suburban areas, you can arrange grocery delivery to bring food to your front door. We think nothing of getting Starbucks at 11 pm, or going to the cinema on a federal holiday, and we’re accustomed to constant access to information thanks to omnipresent Wi-Fi and 3G data.

In France, the expectations for convenience are much more reasonable, and I would say that they reflect a humanist understanding that people aren’t machines. One way that this belief manifests itself is the widespread use of lunch break hours. If you try to go to the post office, bank, or boutique between noon and 1:30 pm in Toulouse, there’s a good chance that it’ll be closed so that the employees can eat lunch. The reasoning behind this is simple: humans need to eat, and they deserve to do so leisurely and without interruptions.These closures may inconvenience those whose work schedule only permits them to do business during their own breaks hours, but they signify that the people mailing our packages or processing our deposit slips have the same needs and rights as we do.

Talking with my friends in the Dickinson program has told me that the lack of American convenience culture in France requires most students to be more deliberate in their daily life. On my first Sunday in Toulouse, I went to pick up some toiletries at Casino, only to find that it had closed at noon. Most of us have learned to work around the lunchtime closures in the administrative offices at the Mirail, and to plan our meals and grocery shopping ahead of time. With a bit of planning and foresight, we’ve come to tailor our expectations for satisfying our wants and whims on a moment’s notice.

Casino supermarket closed on a Sunday afternoon; Photo by Lizzie Hardison

American businesses can learn from the French approach to consumer convenience, too. I’ll admit that 24-hour Starbucks is a godsend on late-night road trips, and that seeing a movie at the end of Christmas Day is one of my favorite holiday traditions. What we need to think about more, however, is the fact that there are hidden prices to convenience. Oftentimes, the people who absorb these costs are the ones providing us with a service. 24/7 convenience means that someone is missing out on time with their family on the weekend, or that employees are overworked to provide a constant stream of labor. If we can all adjust our expectations for convenience, everyone would be able to live a little bit better.

-Lizzie Hardison

Rue de la clef à Lille; Photo de Caitlin DeFazio

France is a diverse country, bur oftentimes, Americans don’t realize that. When most people think of France, they only think of Paris and act like it’s the only city in France. They think the French only drink wine and only eat snails. All the French people I know are not from Paris, in fact, they come from several different regions. My goal is to eventually visit every region in France. I’ve already visited five, but I’m going to compare the Nord-Pas-de-Calais with the Midi-Pyrénées. You can first look at superficial differences like the weather. Of course it’s usually colder in the North of France ; the same difference exists in the North and South of the USA. However, several regional differences exist that aren’t so obvious to the eye. My trip to Lille was, in my opinion, the best choice I ever made. It’s not a city that many Americans think of visiting, but I’ve wanted to visit Lille since I was in 7th grade because my first French teacher was from there. After living in Toulouse, it was easy to compare the regions. After having spent a semester in Toulouse, here are the differences I noticed:

You can see the Flemish influence in Lille, especially in the architecture and food. The buildings are extremely ornate and colorful, and the brick buildings with gold detailing gives Lille a distinctive appearance. Lille mixes French, Flemish, Belgian, and Dutch influences that make it the perfect « link » between France and the northern countries. You can also find row homes in Lille, which aren’t as common in other French cities.Lille is definitely a city of beers, and you can find more beers than wines on their menus ! Instead of Occitan, Flemish is everywhere because of Lille’s heritage, and the Lillois are very proud of their regional culture. Unlike Toulouse, I’ve seen menus that are completely composed of regional cuisine !

La Grande Place de Lille; Photo de Caitlin DeFazio

L’influence flamande; Photo de Caitlin DeFazio

La Vieille Bourse à Lille; Photo de Caitlin DeFazio

The accent is also different. No, the Lillois DO NOT speak with the exaggerated, weird accent found in Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis. That’s just stereotypical. Personally, I think it is easier to understand the Northern accent. It’s clearer and people do not speak as fast as they do in the South.

I had already heard of many of these differences, but was fabulous to experience these differences in person. I don’t understand how some people can ignore French regional differences when regional differences exist in almost every country. I think that many Americans have « Paris syndrome » in which they completely romanticize the city and don’t think of France as a diverse country, the same way that many French are only familiar with New York.

-Caitlin DeFazio