Category: La Une in English Page 7 of 17

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

Here we are at the end of the month of April, and our students have returned from Spring Break with even more stamps in their passports! They have one more month to take their exams and enjoy Spring in Toulouse before returning to the United States. In this edition of La Une, three students share their thoughts on the  television in the US and France, meals in France as well as the education system. Don’t forget to check out the ‘Excursions’ section to read about our last trip to French Catalunya !

Happy Reading,
Julia

(From left to right) Lizzy, Laura, Andrew, Julia, Claire, Lauren and Claudia ran into each other in Morocco during the break!

A photo from the finale of The Voice : la plus belle voix    

Throughout my semester in France I have done and tried many things in order to better understand the French way of life and mentality. Normally, in order to do this one thinks of cultural discoveries that are found away from the house like visiting museums and churches and walking among the habitants of the city. However, there is a place at home that one can use to discover cultural differences – the world of television. Here are my thoughts on the subject after having watched it a few nights each week with my hosts.

Like in the United States there is a variety of programming and channels to watch. During my time in Toulouse I have watched shows like “Nos Chers Voisins” (Our Dear Neighbors), “C’est Cantaloup” (It’s Cantaloupe), the news, and TV game shows like “The Voice” or “QI” (IQ). I find that the programming schedule is set up in an interesting way. For example “Nos Chers Voisins” and “C’est Cantaloup” are very short shows that air every night for less than a half hour time slot. Other emissions like The Voice and various series air regularly one night of the week and only once a week, the norm in the US. Finally there are some shows like “QI” that air on Friday, but not every week. Each week another show of a similar type will take the place of the show aired the week before, and they go through a cycle.

The show that I love the most is “The Voice : la plus belle voix” (The Voice : The most beautiful voice). I know that this show is essentially identical to the American version, but with an added French flair. Season four of The Voice ended last Saturday (Go Lilian and team Zazie!), but up until now I watched it each week as a way to discover French songs and artists. The judges also use words that I don’t know as they are part of a specific music jargon, so I listen and learn while watching. From what I understand, American television series like this one are rather popular in France. I’ve asked French students what they like to watch and I was repeatedly given responses like “Desperate Housewives” and “The Simpsons”. For me, this is bizarre because in the US we watch French TV shows rarely, if at all, but here it is the inverse. Even the music that the contestants sing on The Voice is a mixture of English and French songs. It is easy to see these American and anglophone influences in the francophone world.

I find that the most shocking show, but also the most French, is “C’est Cantaloup”. The idea of this show is to mock politicians by dubbing video clips of the politicians with various jokes. It’s all a part of French satire. Each time I watch, I try to understand the references, but it’s somewhat difficult to keep up with everything that happens in French politics so the references normally end up passing over my head. However this show, even though relatively short, is one of the most impolite that I have ever seen. In the US we have “Saturday Night Live”, and while the two are similar, they also have their differences. The main difference is that “C’est Cantaloup” will mock only politicians and then it’s normally Hollande or Sarkozy.

France also has commercials like the US during and between shows. They are not as frequent as they are in the US, but they last for a longer time. Subjects for commercials are similar, the most frequent being food related commercials (McDonald’s, Carrefour, etc.), but unlike in the US, I almost never see commercials for medicine. Movie trailers are also rather frequent in the US, but not in France. The subjects may be slightly different between the two countries, but the methods to grab the attention of the viewer are almost the same. The French use humor and music jingles like Americans and it works rather well. One of my favorite commercials that I probably will never forget is for Sosh where everyone tries to say “Je suis passé chez Sosh” as a tongue twister. After I tried (and failed) to say it, it becomes unforgettable, effective, if somewhat annoying. I know that it is important to not stay at home all the time, but even at home there are cultural discoveries waiting to be found, even if they are behind a screen.

-Gabriel Chong-Ling

Toulouse is a city filled with culture and opportunities to have fun and make the most of our time here, but the daily life of a Toulousain is what interests me the most. In particular, the habits around meals and eating are one of the aspects of French culture that I find the most different from American culture.

Every day, I wake up ad go into the kitchen to make my breakfast. I don’t like breakfast much, at home in Boston I usually eat a bagel or have a glass of juice and a granola bar before I leave for the day. But here, breakfast is a real meal. The daughters of my host family eat a big bowl of hot milk, which they mix with a chocolate powder supplement called Banania and pour Chocopic cereal over it. At the beginning of my time in Toulouse, the amount of food that they ate for the first meal of the day stunned me, but after a few months here, I understand why they eat so much. The amount of time between breakfast and lunch is at least four hours! For a twenty-one year old girl like me that’s a long time, but for a seven-year-old, like the youngest child of my host family, it’s incomprehensible for me to think that she can wait four hours between meals, especially when there isn’t a snack break in the morning. In fact, adults are supposed to avoid snacking in general in France. I was a little bit horrified when I discovered that this was the case because I am used to eating something every two or three hours when I’m at Dickinson. I should also mention that at Dickinson, classes don’t stop in the middle of the day for lunch break, so it is entirely possible to only have 10 minutes to grab a sandwich at the Quarry or Grab-N-Go for lunch.

After lunch, which is very similar to what we have for lunch in America, except for the likelier presence of alcohol, we don’t eat again until 7:00 pm or later when we eat dinner. Luckily, children have a reprieve where in French culture, they get to eat a snack when they get home after school, called a “goûter.” The kids in my host family like to make sandwiches made with a bar of chocolate between two slices of bread. YUM. The adults, I’ve observed, will have a glass of beer or a cocktail if they are in town with their friends. This happens between 5:00 pm and dinner time (which is usually between 7:00 and 10:00 pm), and is a moment of relaxation at the end of the day. This aspect of French culture is pretty cool to me. It is a lot like “Happy Hour” in America, but a little bit more sophisticated for the lack of food to accompany the drinks. Dinner time in France also seems to follow the pattern of eating and then resting right afterwards because dinner is a relaxed meal and we usually go to sleep right after finishing eating.

I appreciate that in France the day is structured around meal times. In the United States, we do not respect meals and I’ve found that there aren’t many times where my family at home eats all together like my hosts do in Toulouse. I like the familial and congregational side of eating a meal together in France, and I’m going to miss it when I leave.

-Hannah Matlack

The Saint Stanislas School

I began my semester in Toulouse impatient to discover the French education system. Because I would like to become a teacher, education is my passion. Before arriving to Toulouse, I had read books that explained education systems around the world, specifically in France, but this semester I had the opportunity to live in a system completely different from my own.

This semester I worked at Saint Stanislas, a private Catholic elementary school in the neighborhood of Carmes. Each week, I gave English courses to elementary students. The students with which I worked were four years old and eight years old. They were lively and full of energy. I observed that at Saint Stanislas the young students have much more time to play outside, to have fun, and to be independent than in the United States. The teachers give the students more freedom. They let the students fall, make mistakes, and learn by themselves that in life, even though one will inevitably fall, it is always possible to get up and continue.

When I first arrived at Saint Stanislas, I met the students in the recreation courtyard. There were students everywhere. They were running everywhere, crying loudly and the situation resembled a true chaos. The teachers were together near the door, talking to one another. Madame Tilly, the director of the school, introduced me to the teachers and then she left. Immediately, a small boy who was crying said, “Maitresse, Charles hit me on my elbow!” One of the teachers pushed the small boy aside and said, “Not now, go play Constantin.” A few minutes later, a girl approached us saying the same thing. Someone had hit her, but again, the teacher ignored her. At first, I found these interactions harsh and the teachers insensitive. In the United States, elementary teachers are always gentle and kind to their students. When a student cries, the American teacher takes care of them with care. I began to compare the two countries but then I realized that this comparison was not useful.

Comparisons between two cultures create massive generalizations that do not consider the individual factors of each person. These comparisons also reduce each culture down to stereotypes that are inaccurate. In this case at school, my comparison made me think that the teachers were mean or insensitive. After letting go of this comparison, I was able to see that in reality these women are truly kind and gentle. They love their students, but they also know that it is necessary to make sure they respect the rules so that the children can learn well. Even though their discipline seemed harsh still, I could not understand les complexities of the situation because I was still comparing France and the United States.

My students at Saint Stanislas were full of surprises. Each lesson gave me challenges and obstacles. In reality, I believe that even though my students have learned a lot because of me, it was the students who taught me. This experience allowed me to better understand the methodology of teaching but also to better understand the context in which these students learn every day. My experiences at Saint Stanislas and at the Institut Catholique de Toulouse have helped me appreciate the Americain education system but also have helped me to grow. For three years I have been learning to become a teacher. These experiences in France are invaluable because they contribute enormously to my professional development and my academic development, but more importantly they contribute enormously to my personal development and growth as a human being.

– Olivia Calcaterra

   Some drawings from Olivia’s students

The Saint Stanislas School

Dickinson in France and Dickinson College are pleased to announce that, at the end of July 2015, the Toulouse center will be transferred from the rue du Japon to 2, place Alphonse Jourdain. The new Center – adjacent to the Jardin Japonais – is located on the ground floor of a 10-story building, in a pedestrian area across from the Toulouse Business School and in direct proximity to several other universities, in the heart of the downtown Compans-Caffarelli neighbourhood.

The Dickinson Center is changing its location primarily in order to meet the French equivalent of the American Disabilities Act. However, we remain dedicated to the original mission established by Dickinson’s French and Francophone Studies Department: to provide an engaged study abroad program in an immersion setting while furthering our exchanges with our local university and community partners. In our new center, we will offer the same support and structure we have provided for over 30 years to our students: classroom and work spaces for student exchanges and orientation; administrative offices, serving as a liaison between local partners, home stays and the Carlisle campus; a privileged environment conducive to intercultural learning and research. We look forward to welcoming you at the new Dickinson Center at the start of the 2015-2016 academic year.

New address as of July 31, 2015:

Dickinson en France – 2, place Alphonse Jourdain, 31000 Toulouse, France

Tel: +33 (0)5 61 25 83 21 – M: Compans Caffarelli

Floor Plan – Dickinson in France – 2, Place Alphonse Jourdain

Source: www.flickr.comphotoslyli1211388372736-1

Often when riding the metro I see advertisements for various events happening in Toulouse: a play, a sports game, or an exposition. However, I had never paid much attention to them until recently. Last week, a friend brought to my attention an advertisement for a Salon du Chocolat. I was instantly intrigued. As often is the case, we were able to purchase discounted student tickets to the exposition. It was only a short walk away and I was bouncing with excitement. The Salon was held at the Parc des Expositions, a giant venue in Toulouse made for such events. This particular exposition had already been to Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.

Upon entry, I was slightly overwhelmed. Stands filled the giant space bursting with all different types and forms of chocolate. There were truffles, macaroons, fruit, fondue, fudge, jellies, hot chocolate, and waffles just to name a few. We began to weave our way through the crowd, tasting samples and taking in all of the aromas. We ate savory waffles for lunch, washed down with the richest hot chocolate. After awhile we watched some of the performances also happening. We were even lucky enough to see a bit of a pastry show.

In the show, a young man demonstrated how to make a piece of chocolate that looked remarkably like a piece of bark. Until then, I had not realized what patience and skill it requires to work with a material as diverse as chocolate.

The pamphlet we received had both a map and biographies of all the different artisans and performers being showcased. It was inspiring to read all about these people who had made chocolate their life’s work. Their passion was evident in their products. At one stand, there was a naked woman being painted in chocolate. It was so beautiful and it made me so curious as to how someone got in to that line of work.

It was so amazing to see all of these artisans gathered to sell their unique product, and even more so it was fun being with all of the Toulousians. There is nowhere else I can imagine having a festival quite like this except France. I really felt part of the community and I look forward to finding out what this lively city will offer next!

– Jenna Lamb

For my community service in Toulouse, I teach swimming lessons to children with the swim club TOAC Natation. I really like the opportunity to work with children because I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for swimming. Because I taught swim lessons for several years in the United States, I thought that my time teaching swim lessons for community service would be easy. However, I was wrong because the French terms relating to swimming instruction are not common, everyday words. During the first few weeks, it was difficult for me to come up with words such as “palme”, “tuba” and “planche.” This made me realize that even though one can be nearly fluent in a foreign language, there are always specific technical words that are not used in common dialogue.

Also, while the children swim laps, I have the opportunity to talk with the other swimming instructors at the pool. While discussing the differences between club sports in the United States and France, I learned some interesting contrasts in how each country treats organized youth sports. In France, there are not many sports teams run by high schools. In Toulouse and throughout France, high school athletes train on club teams because there is no option to play with a high school team. French high schools often don’t have pools or large fields for sports. On the other hand, almost every American high school has a pool and basketball courts, as well as soccer and football fields. Furthermore, successes for American high school teams are often more esteemed than club successes, especially considering college athletic scholarships. In my opinion, the lack of high school teams in France leads to a less intense school pride compared to the United States. French high schools also don’t have mascots, and town communities aren’t unified by supporting their local high school.

Lastly, it is interesting that the apparent American emphasis on high school sports isn’t always more inclusive as the France view on sports. By this I mean that the French high school education is more interested in everyone having some athletic competence, whereas the American high school education is not necessarily interested in every student’s athleticism. This is shown by the fact that the SAT and ACT do not have an athletic component, while the French equivalent, the BAC, has an optional section that can benefit athletic students. Thus, it’s not necessarily true that sports are more esteemed in one country or another; each country has different means of supporting physical education for students