Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • Lucas Evans: Lyon et la musique – janvier 2024

    Pendant mon séjour à Lyon, je fait du bénévolat à une salle de concert du quartier qui s’appelle Kraspek Myzik. C’est une bonne occasion de rencontrer les gens qui partage les mêmes valeurs, de pratiquer le français avec les lyonnais, et de m’installer sur la scène musicale. Lyon a une scène musicale vivante avec plusieurs autres salles comme Kraspek Myzik qui organisent souvent des concerts. Comme Kraspek, près de tous les salles comptent sur une équipe de bénévoles pour survivre.

    L’extérieur de Kraspek Myzik sur la Montée Saint-Sébastien.
    The outside of Kraspek Myzik on Montée Saint-Sébastien.

    Kraspek Myzik est l’un des huit lieux artistiques (de la musique, la danse, du théâtre, du cirque) soutenus financièrement par la Ville de Lyon. Ces lieux s’appellent les Scènes Découvertes. L’objectif du projet de Scènes Découvertes est d’offrir plus de possibilités aux artistes émergents, de soutenir les lieux indépendants et d’encourager la participation du public en subventionnant le prix des billets. À Kraspek Myzik, il y a deux membres du personnel à temps plein, ce qui est très inhabituel pour une salle de concert avec une capacité de 80 personnes. Grâce au programme de Scènes Découvertes et un soutien financier du Centre national de la musique, Kraspek Myzik peut fonctionner en force.

    Bien que le soutien ne soit pas exhaustif, et à Lyon il n’y a que 8 lieux qui reçoivent les fonds, je suis étonné de voir le soutien de l’état à la musique en France aux niveaux local et national. Il est rafraîchissant de voir un pays qui soutient les arts, contrairement au Royaume-Uni. Par exemple, le conseil dans mon département natal Suffolk a annoncé cette semaine une réduction de 100% de son budget culture. Comme j’ai vu à Lyon si le gouvernement soutient les arts et la culture, la scène s’épanouira et encouragera plus de personnes à être créatives.

    Music in Lyon

    During my stay in Lyon I have regularly volunteered at a local music venue called Kraspek Myzik. It has been a great opportunity for me to meet like minded individuals, practice French with Lyon natives, and immerse myself in the local music scene. Lyon has a vibrant music scene with many other small venues similar to Kraspek Myzik regularly hosting concerts. Like Kraspek, most of these venues depend on a team of volunteers to keep going.

    “La rentrée en pentes douces” – un festival de musique en mi-septembre où j’ai fait du bénévolat
    Mid-September music festival where I volunteered

    Kraspek Myzik is one of eight independent arts venues (music, dance, theatre, circus) financially supported by the Lyon city council. These venues are known as the Scènes Découvertes, literally translated as “stages of discovery”. The aim of the Scènes Découvertes project is to offer more opportunities to emerging artists, to support independent venues, and to encourage audience attendance by subsidising the ticket prices. At Kraspek Myzik, there are two full-time members of staff, which is practically unheard of for an independent music venue with an audience capacity of 80. This is thanks to the Scènes Découvertes programme and further financial support from the Centre national de la musique, a national body run by the Ministry of Culture which handles funds for music and music creation in France.

    Although the support is not comprehensive, and in Lyon it is only eight fortunate establishments which receive the funding, I have been surprised to see state support for music in France at local and national level. It is refreshing to see a country which supports the arts, instead of repeatedly cutting ties like in the UK. As an example, the council in my home county of Suffolk this week announced a 100% cut to its culture budget. As I have experienced in Lyon, if there is government support of arts and culture, the scene will thrive and encourage more individuals to be creative.

  • Jenna O’Flynn – L’impact économique des jeux olympiques, January 2024

    Comme nous entrons la nouvelle année, on commence à penser des événements marquants qui va se passer dans l’année à venir. La France a récemment eu la chance d’être le pays hôte de plusieurs événements sportifs comme la Coupe du Monde de Rugby dont j’évoquais dans un précédent rapport mensuel. Mais un événement encore plus renommé et potentiellement le plus grand événement sportif au monde se tiendra cette année à Paris, les Jeux Olympiques. Les Jeux Olympiques ont des impacts économiques et sociaux massifs sur le pays hôte et dans ce rapport je vais parler des impacts économiques possibles que Paris pourrait subir à cause des jeux.

    Selon un rapport d’Euromonitor, trois millions de personnes supplémentaires sont attendues à Paris pour les Jeux Olympiques de 2024, augmentant les dépenses touristiques jusqu’à 4 milliards d’euros. On estime par ailleurs qu’ils pourraient générer 10,7 milliards d’euros de retombées économiques et créer plus de 250 000 emplois en Ile-de-France. En outre, le prix des tickets de métro va presque doubler pendant les Jeux olympiques pour aider à couvrir les coûts de fonctionnement des transports urbains avec des millions de visiteurs supplémentaires dans la capitale pendant les Jeux, a annoncé l’autorité régionale des transports en novembre. La directrice des transports de la région parisienne, Valérie Pécresse, a déclaré dans une vidéo que les abonnements annuels et mensuels des résidents ne seraient pas affectés par la forte hausse des prix.

    Les retombées économiques liées à l’accueil d’un événement sportif tant respecté dans le monde entier sont immenses et cet argent permettra à Paris et à la France de développer plusieurs domaines : les connaissances et les compétences de leur personnel et de leurs bénévoles ; opportunités de carrière ; l’industrie du tourisme et de l’événementiel ; le secteur des affaires ; leur profil mondial ; et les relations diplomatiques. Dans l’ensemble, on peut dire que les Jeux olympiques bénéficieront à l’économie française, qui contribuera par la suite à relever d’autres défis sociaux auxquels le pays est confronté.

    Paris avec les anneaux olympiques

    As we enter the new year, we begin to think about the significant events that will happen in the coming year. France has recently had the chance to be the host country of several sporting events such as the Rugby World Cup which I mentioned in a previous monthly report. But an even more renowned event and potentially the biggest sporting event in the world will be held in Paris this year, the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games have massive economic and social impacts on the host country and in this report I will talk about the possible economic impacts that Paris could experience because of the games.

    According to a Euromonitor report, an additional three million people are expected in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, increasing tourism spending by up to 4€ billion. It is also estimated that they could generate 10.7 billion euros in economic benefits and create more than 250,000 jobs in Ile-de-France. In addition to this, metro ticket prices will almost double during the Olympics to help cover the costs of running urban transport with millions more visitors coming to the capital during the Games, the regional transport authority announced in November . Paris region transport director Valérie Pécresse said in a video that residents’ annual and monthly subscriptions would not be affected by the sharp rise in prices.

    The economic benefits of hosting a sporting event that is so respected around the world are immense and this money will allow Paris and France to develop several areas: the knowledge and skills of their staff and volunteers; career opportunities; the tourism and events industry; the business sector; their global profile; and diplomatic relations. Overall, it can be said that the Olympics will benefit the French economy, which will subsequently help address other social challenges facing the country.

  • Louis Bazalgette: Trois expositions à Paris – January 2024

    Les occasions de voir de l’art à Paris sont innumérables. J’ai essayé ces dernières semaines d’en profiter. Ce reportage va se concentrer sur trois expositions que j’ai eu le plaisir de visiter dernièrement.

     

    La première était celui de Jürgen Teller au Grand Palais Ephémère. Teller, un photographe allemand, a fait plein de photographes dans un style que je décriais comme réaliste. Au début de l’exposition il y a une page d’un journal que décrit le mort d’un homme dans une accident de voiture. Cet homme était le père de Jürgen. J’ai trouvé cette façon de montrer un moment si tragique dans sa vie exceptionnelle. Très émouvant. La partie d’exposition que m’a touché le plus était un travail de vidéo avec Teller et Alexander Skarsgård. Ensemble ils font une excursion dans le neige… Je n’en raconterai plus mais ça vaut le coup d’y aller pour le voir !

     

    Le deuxième était celui de Picasso au centre Georges Pompidou. J’y suis allé avec deux amies, Camille et Zoe. Après avoir attendu sous la pluie pendant très longtemps, on a finalement eu accès au bâtiment. L’exposition a montré – dans une façon si ouverte – toute sa vie en montrant beaucoup des différents dessins qu’il a fait, beaucoup des dessins en préparant ses chefs-d’œuvre. Par contre la conversation avec mes amis tournait sur la vie privée de Picasso et la question qui revient souvent. Est-ce que c’est possible de séparer l’artiste de ses ouvres ?

     

    Le troisième, et mon exposition préférée, était celui de Mark Rothko au Fondation Louis Vuitton. Je ne savais pas grand-chose de lui auparavant, mais j’ai tellement adoré les changements de style qu’il a fait pendant sa vie. L’utilisation de couleur – parfois des tons très sombres – m’a vraiment fasciné. J’ai passé plus de deux heures dans l’exposition – qu’est énorme d’ailleurs – et j’aurais pu y rester encore.

     

    Si je devrais un recommander de les trois, ça serait définitivement le Rothko !

     

    The opportunities to see art in Paris are countless. In recent weeks, I’ve tried to make the most of them. This report will focus on three exhibitions that I had the pleasure of seeing thus far in Paris.

    The first one was Jürgen Teller’s at the Grand Palais Ephémère. Teller, a German photographer, created many photographs in a style I’d call as realist. At the beginning of the exhibition there is a page from a newspaper describing the death of a man in a car accident. This man was Jürgen’s father. I found this way of depicting such a tragic moment in his life exceptional. Very moving. The part of the exhibition that touched me the most was a video work with Teller and Alexander Skarsgård. Together they head off into the snow… I won’t say anymore but it’s worth going there just to see the video.

    The second one was a Picasso exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou. I went there with two friends, Camille and Zoe. After waiting in the rain for a very long time, we finally entered the building. The exhibition showed – in a very open way – his entire life through many different drawings he made, including sketches he made in preparation for his masterpieces. However, the conversation with my friends revolved around Picasso’s private life and the recurring question: is it possible to separate the artist from his art?

    The third, and my favorite exhibition, was Mark Rothko’s at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. I didn’t know much about him before, but I loved the stylistic changes he made during his life. His use of color – sometimes very dark tones – really fascinated me. I spent more than two hours in the exhibition – which is huge, by the way – and I could have stayed longer.

    If I had to recommend one of the three, it would definitely be the Rothko!

  • Cosmo de Bono: 2024 in Taiwan – January 2024 年台灣

    I’ve been in Taiwan for over four months now so am nearly halfway through my time here. It’s taken me by surprise at how quickly the time is passing now. I’m planning to write a bit about my Christmas experiences in Taipei. The big annual holiday in Taiwan is Chinese New Year in February, however, the language centre gave us a one-week holiday for Christmas. It was also interesting to see Christmas celebrations in Taiwan.

    Shilin Christmas Market

    Christmas market:
    A few days before Christmas, I visited a German Christmas Market in Shilin district with one of my classmates. This was actually my first time going to a large Christmas market so I thought it was funny that my first experience of this was in Taiwan. The market only had vendors that sold German food as opposed to gifts or anything else. The food was delicious; it resembled a cross between Taiwanese street food and European dishes. Most of the vendors were Taiwanese however there were also many German expats.

    Christmas party:
    My language centre organised a Christmas party for us a few days before Christmas. We all had to bring food and snacks, including both Western and Taiwanese food. We also had the opportunity to make TangYuan – Glutinous rice balls served in syrup. They sound a bit strange when you explain them in English, but TangYuan is a really common dessert in Taiwan and quite tasty. This was a really fun experience and it was great to learn a lot of Christmas-related Chinese vocabulary.

    I spent Christmas Day with my university classmates in Taiwan. It was a quiet but lovely day and very different to my previous Christmas experiences. We also went to Raohe Night Market – our favourite – in the evening. Christmas felt less important this year because it’s not so important for Taiwanese people so I wasn’t always thinking about it.

    As it’s now 2024 and my time in Taiwan is going by so quickly, I’ve started to think about my goals and intentions for the rest of my time here. My Chinese, especially formal Chinese, has improved so much recently but I have now set three main goals for the next few months:

    1. Improve my tones and pronunciation
    2. Practice speaking more idiomatically
    3. Learn 5000 Chinese characters (I currently know about 3500)

    Thanks for reading my report!

    我來台灣已經四個多月了，在這裡的時間已經過了快近一半。時間過得真快，我完全沒想到這點。我打算寫一點我在台北過聖誕節的經歷。台灣一年一度的大節日是二月的春節，但是語言中心為我們放了一週的聖誕節假期。看到台灣的聖誕節慶祝活動也很有趣。

    聖誕市集：
    聖誕節前幾天，我和一個同學一起去看了士林區的德國聖誕市集。這其實是我第一次去大型聖誕市場，所以我覺得很有趣，因為這是我看聖誕市集的第一次體驗。市場裡只有賣德國食品的點心，沒有賣禮品或其他東西的。這些食物非常美味，就像台灣街頭小吃和歐洲菜餚的綜合。大多數商販都是台灣人，但是也有很多德國外籍人。

    Christmas Eve dumpling dinner!

    聖誕派對
    聖誕節前幾天，我所在的語言中心為我們舉辦了一個聖誕派對。我們都要帶食物和點心，包括西餐和台灣菜。我們還有機會做湯圓–糖漿做的糯米糰。用英語解釋聽起來有點奇怪，但湯圓在台灣是一種非常常見的甜點，而且相當美味。這是一次非常有趣的經歷，我學到了很多與聖誕節有關的中文詞彙。

    我和台灣的大學同學一起度過了聖誕節。這一天很安靜，但很放鬆，跟我過去的聖誕節經歷有點不同。晚上我們還去了我們最喜歡的饒河夜市。實際上，今年的聖誕節並不那麼重要，因為聖誕節對台灣人來說並不那麼重要，所以我並沒有總是想著聖誕節。

    現在是 2024 年，我在台灣的時間過得很快，因此我開始思考我在台灣餘下時間的目標和打算。我的中文，尤其是正式的中文，最近有了突飛猛進，但我現在為接下來的幾個月設定了三個主要目標：

    1. 改善我的語調和發音
    2. 練習說更多的成語
    3. 學會 5000 個漢字（我目前認識約 3500 個漢字）

    感謝您閱讀我的報告！

  • Case Study – Simon Watson: Astana 2023

    Winter comes to Astana

    Deciding to retrain after lockdown in order to ‘pandemic-proof’ my future was no easy decision. What to do? How to move on from here? Having previous experience with and knowledge of languages, translation seemed a sound choice. Having decided on my path, I began my studies in my chosen languages and, before I knew it, it was time to head off to the countries in question and immerse myself in a native-language environment.

    ‘Family’ Dinner at Koktem

    Sadly, with the War in Ukraine, my plans to study in St Petersburg were derailed and I began to look for other Russian-speaking destinations. On a recommendation, I chose Kazakhstan and its northerly capital, Astana. Thus, in August last year I was off on a long series of flights (via Istanbul) to Astana. This was new ground for me; I had never visited Kazakhstan and, apart from what I could glean from YouTube and a blog or two, knew next to nothing about it.

    Touching down, I was met at the airport by the accommodation officer and, on next-to-no sleep and a black coffee, whisked off to the flat which would be my home for the next four months.

    My first impression of Astana was the sheer scale of the place. As a reasonably new capital city, and one that was purpose-built, everything was wide boulevards and high-rise buildings with mirrored-glass fronts. After a weekend spent catching up with a couple of friends living in the city, it was time to start classes. On my course, we had classes every day for at least four hours a day and covered all of the important topics, from grammar and writing skills to literature and conversation. It was very full-on, and they were not going to go easy on us; my first literature class was reading and discussing Pushkin (the ‘Russian Shakespeare’) in the original Russian, which certainly challenged my reading skills.

    Bye bye Astana!

    Luckily for me, Astana is a bilingual city (Russian and Kazakh are used interchangeably) and English-speakers are few and far between, so it was the ideal space in which to practise Russian daily, from ordering a taxi and conversing with the driver, to picking up shopping and chatting to the lady on the till. Language learning like this is so valuable because, unlike classroom Russian, you get to experience what the daily vocabulary and lexicon are like. Disaster struck halfway through the trip when I broke a tooth and had to navigate dentistry in Russian, but somehow I managed, which felt like no mean feat!

    The grand home of the President of Kazakhstan

    With daily classes and making new friends, four months was soon drawing to a close. Winter was upon us, plunging the mercury to lows of -40 Celsius some days. As I said goodbye to the people I had lived with for so long, I reflected on what I had learn and how far I had come. Sleep-deprived me, haltingly ordering a black coffee in August had given way to someone who was more conversant and, above all, more confident in my abilities. Learning any language is hard, let alone one as complex as Russian, and I am immensely grateful to my wonderful teachers for not focussing on the negatives but rather giving me positive encouragement and the space to improve.

    My thanks also go to the John Speak Trust for providing invaluable financial assistance when I needed it and enabling me to focus on my language development. Without them I would not have been able to undertake my studies, and I encourage anyone looking at studying a foreign language to apply for this scholarship – you won’t regret it!

  • Case Study: Isabel Wasserman, Taiwan 2022 – 2023

    Case Study – Isabel Wassermann: Taipei, Taiwan 2022-2023

    My year in Taiwan has been a meaningful experience in my life and propelled my Mandarin Chinese skills from the bare minimum at the start, to being able to navigate all aspects of daily life in Chinese by the end.

    I would like to start by thanking the John Speak Trust for their support and for making my time in Taiwan one full of rich experience.

    I arrived in Taipei, Taiwan in September 2022 to take language classes for the academic year as part of my degree in East Asian Studies. The classes were intensive, and at the start, somewhat of a shock as my teachers did not speak English and my Mandarin was minimal. This proved beneficial as I immediately had to start using Mandarin every day to make myself heard, and I learned quickly.  My teachers were all passionate and supportive, making the learning process so enjoyable. When I was not in class, such as for public holidays, I used the time to travel outside of Taipei to other places, such as Hualien and Tainan. These trips offered me another perspective of Taiwan and I was able to experience culture such as the temples, food, and a memorable conversation with a man of Indigenous Taiwanese background.

    There were a few lows, such as the time I caught COVID, but even this became a precious learning experience for me: How do I navigate the healthcare system here? How should I explain my symptoms in Chinese? How do I go and find out the current rules surrounding COVID? I soon figured these things out and had new tools to navigate any future issues. Of course, there were many more highlights during my time abroad.

    One of the main highlights was the first time I was praised for my Chinese skills by a stranger. My parents had come to visit me, and it was my job to be tour guide and communicator. I was in a restaurant with my father and had used my recently learned Chinese to order our drinks and what we wanted to put on the barbecue, when the waitress complemented me saying that my Chinese was very good and precise. As I had only been in Taiwan for 3 months at that point, it felt wonderful that not only I was able to converse with not too much struggle but also be told I was doing well. Furthermore, at that point in time I was worried about speaking in Chinese in front of my parents as I didn’t want to disappoint them after all the support they had given me in my studies so far, so it really meant a lot. In the end, they actually expressed to me that they were very proud, and that their enjoyable trip to Taiwan was enabled by my speaking Chinese to book restaurants and chat with taxi drivers.

    Another great memory from the time was my visit to Hualien with some classmates. We saw some beautiful historic architecture and visited the most amazing (and enormous!) night market. It was wonderful to get out into a smaller city, as they are often culturally different to capitals such as Taipei. One evening, when walking down a street we stumbled across two very cute dogs. We exclaimed how adorable they were, and to our surprise the owner plopped them in our laps and we had a lovely conversation about where we are from and what we were up to. It was one of the first times we experienced how friendly the people of Taiwan can be.

    As anyone would expect, moving to the other side of the world can be quite daunting.

    However, this is also the most enriching, fun, and enjoyable experiences one could ever have. I have learned so much about both another culture and language and also myself. I would tell anyone considering doing something similar to jump in head first – yes, there are challenges, but because of those challenges you really grow and gain a new perspective of the world.

     

    I would like to thank the John Speak Trust once again for their support, it really made all the difference.

  • Lucas Surgeon: Noël en Normandie – January 2024

    Noël en Normandie

    Le mois dernier a été un mélange équilibré de bons souvenirs et de nouvelles expériences, entre mes retrouvailles avec Bruxelles, où je vis maintient depuis trois mois, et la découverte de la chaleureuse Normandie pendant la saison hivernale.

    Je suis allé en Normandie pour Noël. Les paysages paisibles et les chaumières traditionnelles ont créé une atmosphère relaxante, parfaite pour échapper à l’agitation quotidienne. Les plages du débarquement en Normandie ont ajouté une note historique intéressante pour moi, offrant une perspective unique sur le passé. Les célébrations de Noël et la nourriture étaient excellentes. Nous avons mangé un chapon aux morilles et c’est certainement la meilleure chose que j’ai mangé pour Noël dans ma vie.

    Revenir à Bruxelles, une ville que je commence de considérer un peu comme mon chez-moi, a été une expérience agréable. Les coins familiers m’ont rappelé d’heureux souvenirs, et la ville, bien que différente par moments, a conservé son charme accueillant. Les cafés animés et les quartiers dynamiques ont été le cadre idéal pour une revisite décontractée de mes anciens repères.

    En résumé, ce mois d’allers-retours entre Bruxelles et la Normandie a été un équilibre harmonieux entre le familier et le nouveau. Chacun de ces lieux a contribué à enrichir ma palette d’expériences, en créant des souvenirs agréables dont je me souviendrai longtemps.

    Christmas in Normandy

    The last month has been a balanced mix of good memories and new experiences, between coming back to Brussels, where I’ve now been living for the last three months, and discovering welcoming Normandy during the winter season.

    I went to Normandy for Christmas. The peaceful countryside and traditional thatched cottages created a relaxing atmosphere, perfect for escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The Normandy landing beaches added an interesting historical note for me, offering a unique perspective on the past. The Christmas celebrations and food were excellent. We had capon with morel mushrooms and it was definitely the best thing I’ve had for Christmas in my life.

    Coming back to Brussels, a city I’m beginning to think of as a bit of home, was a pleasant experience. Familiar corners brought back happy memories, and the city, though different at times, retained its welcoming charm. The lively cafés and vibrant neighbourhoods provided the perfect backdrop for a relaxed revisit of my old haunts.

    In short, this month of going back and forth between Brussels and Normandy was a harmonious balance between the familiar and the new. Each of these places has helped to enrich my range of experiences, creating pleasant memories that I’ll remember for a long time to come.

  • Joshua Winfield: Noël au Québec – January 2024

    C’était trop chouette de passer Noël ici au Québec, la première fois que je l’ai jamais célébré sans ma famille. Malgré ce fait, j’ai beaucoup apprécié l’opportunité de passer Noël avec mes amies ici. On a profité des marchés de Noël, ainsi que mangé un repas de Noël ensemble le 24. Le jour de Noël lui-même, je suis allé patiner avec une amie, en adoptant une manière de célébrer Noël dans un pays où il fait froid.

    On est allé.e.s patiner le jour de Noël
    Un « friendsmas » au Québec! Notre repas de Noël

    Pour le Nouvel An, on a regardé le Bye Bye Québec, qui est une émission qui célèbre le Nouvel An, en parlant des grands événements qui ont eu lieu et des comedien.ne.s québécois.e.s se moquent de ce qui se passait pendant l’année. C’était vraiment divertissant de regarder ceci, ainsi que d’apprendre davantage sur les événements qui ont eu lieu plus tôt dans l’année avant que je sois venu au Québec.

    Après avoir reçu des bonnes notes de mon trimestre dernier, je suis prêt à commencer la nouvelle session. Cette session j’ai hâte d’étudier plus de matières catalanes. J’ai deux cours de la langue catalane, dans lesquels je développe mes compétences de compréhension, et production à la fois oralement et à l’écrit.

    J’ai aussi choisi de suivre la littérature catalane, qui couvre toute la gamme de la littérature catalane, depuis le Moyen Âge jusqu’à nos jours. Ayant déjà lu certaines œuvres catalanes qui étaient super intéressantes, je suis excité à apprendre davantage et explorer cette partie de la culture des Pays catalans.

    Les deux autres cours sont des cours à choix, donc ne sont pas liés à la mineure des études catalanes. Un cours est un cours politique qui couvre l’intégration européenne. On va analysera le fonctionnement de l’UE et les enjeux auxquels elle fait face en ce moment. Je suis sur que cette matière va être super engageante, spécialement parce que je vais avoir l’opportunité de l’étudier de l’autre côté du monde, et je vais voir un point de vue extérieur sur cet organisme.

    Et finalement, j’ai un cours linguistique qui explore le bilinguisme au niveau social et psychologique. Dans une province où il y a un discours constant sur le bilinguisme et presque toute la population est bilingue, je pense que c’est l’environnement parfait d’étudier ce champ de la linguistique.

    J’ai eu un mois assez quiet à cause du temps de fêtes, donc j’ai hâte de reprendre la session!

    It was so nice to spend Christmas here in Quebec, the first time I’ve ever celebrated it without my family. Despite this fact, I really appreciated the opportunity to spend Christmas with my friends here. We enjoyed the Christmas markets that sprung up around the city, as well as eating a Christmas meal together on the 24th. On Christmas Day itself, I went ice skating with a friend, embracing a way of celebrating Christmas in a cold country!

    For New Year’s Eve, we watched Bye Bye Quebec, a programme that celebrates the New Year by running through the big events that took place, before Quebecois comedians make fun of what has happened during the year. It was really interesting to watch this, as well as learn more about the events that happened earlier in the year before I came to Quebec.

    After receiving good marks for my subjects last term, I’m all ready to start the new session. This term I’m looking forward to studying more Catalan related subjects. I have two Catalan language courses, in which I’ll develop my comprehension skills as well as my production of the language, both both orally and written. I’ve also chosen to take a Catalan literature course, which covers the whole range of Catalan literature from the Middle Ages to the present day. Having already read some Catalan works that I really enjoyed, I’m excited to learn more and explore this part of the culture of the Països catalans.

    The other two courses are electives and therefore are not linked to the Catalan Studies minor. One course is a political course covering European integration in which we will analyse how the EU works and the issues it is currently facing. I’m sure that this subject is going to be really engaging, especially because I’m going to have the opportunity to study the EU on the other side of the world, and will get an « outsider’s » perspective of the organisation.

    And finally, I have a language course which explores bilingualism on a social and psychological level. In a province where there’s a constant discourse on bilingualism and almost the entire population is bilingual, I think it’s the perfect environment to study this topic of linguistics.

    I’ve had a pretty quiet month because of the holiday season, so I can’t wait to get back into the session!

  • Maisie Palmer: Les préparations pour les jeux olympiques d’été 2024

    Depuis j’ai emménagé à Paris en août 2023, la ville a été pleine d’affiches et d’annonces pour les jeux olympiques qui auront lieu entre juillet et août cette année. À mon retour à Paris après Noël, je réfléchis à la manière dont Paris pourrait changer à l’approche des jeux. D’autant plus que le gouvernement français a investi 1,3 milliards d’euros dans la construction des sites et des hébergements qui accueilleront les sportifs et leurs spectateurs. Je préviens que la ville va transformer totalement pendant les prochains mois !

    Lors de la préparation des jeux, de nombreuses polémiques ont été relevées dans les médias français. Par exemple, il y a un grand projet qui concerne l’usage de la Seine pour les nageurs olympiques. Les français espèrent utiliser la Seine pour les événements de natation donc ils doivent nettoyer la rivière pour des raisons sanitaires et de sécurité. Sans doute, c’est très différent du plus typique usage de la rivière pendant l’été ou les gens viennent ensemble pour les boires et les festivals de musique ! Dans l’espere de réassurer les publiques que la rivière va être prêté, cette semaine Anne Hidalgo, le maire de Paris, a dit qu’elle va nager dans la Seine pendant la cérémonie d’ouverture des jeux. 

     

    La nettoyer en masse de la Seine n’est pas la seule controverse notable du moment. Le prix du transport dans l’île de France va augmenter presque à double. Cela entraîne un autre problème qui va avoir un impact sur les vies des habitants de Paris. La vie quotidienne va être plus chère pour tout le monde, pas juste les spectateurs des jeux et les touristes. Typiquement, un billet pour le métro est 2,10 euros. De juillet, la côte va être de 4 euros pour chaque aller-simple à travers la région Paris. Maintenant, beaucoup de gens locaux vont acheter une carte de Navigo donc ils peuvent éviter le coût supplémentaire. 

    Pour des blogs avenirs, j’espère pouvoir vous partager mes expériences de vie à Paris pendant ce temps de changement.

    À bientôt,

    Maisie.

    Since I moved to Paris in August 2023, the city has been full of posters and advertisements for the olympic games that will take place between july and august this year. Upon my return to Paris after Christmas, I have reflected on how Paris might change as the games approach. Especially since the French government has invested 1.3 billion euros into the construction of venues and housing that will accommodate the athletes and their spectators. I expect that the city is going to totally transform during the coming months. 

    When preparing for the games, numerous controversies have been noted in the French media. For example, there is a major project concerning the use of the Seine for Olympic swimmers. The French hope to use the Seine for swimming events so they need to clean the river for health and safety reasons. Without a doubt, this will be very different from the more typical use of the Seine during the summer where people come together for drinks and music festivals! In the hope of reassuring the public, this week Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris said that she will swim in the Seine during the opening ceremony of the games.

    The mass cleaning of the Seine is not the only notable controversy of the moment. The price of transport in the Ile de France will almost double. This leads to another problem that will impact the lives of the residents of Paris. Daily life is going to be more expensive for everyone, not just game spectators and tourists. Typically, a ticket for the metro is 2.10 euros. From July, the cost is going to be 4 euros for each one way ticket across the Paris region. Now, many local people will buy a Navigo card so they can avoid the extra cost.

    For future blogs, I hope to be able to share with you my experiences of living in Paris during this time of change!

    See you soon,

    Maisie.

  • Louis Bazalgette Zanetti: Week-end à Bourgogne // Weekend in Burgundy – December 20203

    Une des raisons pour lesquelles j’ai voulu venir à Paris était la famille de ma cousine qui habite à deux heures au sud de Paris. Ma cousine et son mari français ont deux enfants qui ont trois et un an. Je ne les vois pas souvent dans ma vie quotidienne.

    Je suis devenu ami avec un voisin dans notre immeuble qui, par hasard, a une petite maison à 30 minutes de la maison de ma cousine. Quelle coïncidence ! Dans le pays du Pouilly-Fumé en plus !

    Donc, avec le voisin, un ancien clown qui a tourné dans le monde entier avec le cirque, nous avons pris la voiture pour la campagne.

    Une fois arrivé en Bourgogne, j’ai pris un petit moment pour admirer les moutons. Quelle sagesse se cache dans leurs têtes laineuses ! Quelle beauté ! Puis, j’ai admiré les poulets. Pour être honnête, ils ne m’impressionnaient pas autant que leurs voisins doux, mais quand même, j’ai bien aimé voir leur maison et leur façon de vivre. Je suis évidemment un garçon de la grande ville qui devrait en sortir plus souvent !

    Ensuite, c’était le temps de voir ma famille. C’était la troisième fois que je voyais mon cousin issu de germain. Comme il est mignon ! Pendant mon séjour, nous avons beaucoup joué ensemble. Je leur ai lu plusieurs histoires et leur ai en raconté d’autres. Nous nous sommes baladés dans la campagne où nous avons trouvé un cœur sous la glace – que mon cousin a brusquement détruit avec une branche.

    C’était un week-end mémorable avec des gens que j’adore tellement.

    One of the reasons for me coming to Paris was being closer to my cousin, her partner, and their two young boys – one and three years old. They live two hours south of Paris. I don’t usually get to see them often.

    I have also made friends with a neighbour in our building who, by chance, has a house 30 minutes away from my cousin’s and who was travelling there on the same weekend that I was planning to go down. What a coincidence. They live in the lands of Pouilly-Fumé, which is a huge bonus.

    So the neighbour and I set off down the motorway. He is a former clown who toured the world in the circus; it goes without saying that he is bursting with good stories.

    Once we’d arrived in Burgundy, I took a moment to admire the sheep that live next door to my cousin. What wisdom must hide in their wooly heads! Oh, their divine beauty! Next I took a moment to admire the chickens. Admittedly less majestic than their fluffy neighbours, but it was nonetheless a pleasant experience to see their home and their poultry way of life. Clearly, I’m a boy much too used to the city and I should get out of it more often.

    Finally, it was time to see my family. This was the third time I had seen my youngest cousin. Oh, how adorable he is! While I was at their home, we played together a lot. I read the two boys plenty of stories and made up others. We went for a countryside walk where we found a beautifully formed heart underneath the ice – which my young cousin quickly destroyed with a handy stick.

    It was a memorable weekend with people that I love very dearly.