Life in the French Alps

Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs, Inc.

rayne68 — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:11:42 +0000

Click here to go to BRCWA’s Facebook page.

Thanksgiving Celebrations

rayne68 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:11:43 +0000

As I was sitting in the local health unit waiting to get my once-every-ten-years tetanus shot, an elderly grandma struck up a conversation, asking what I was doing for Thanksgiving. I told her I really didn’t know, that plans hadn’t been finalized, but I was definitely going to be with family. She then proceeded to tell me that she begins to prepare up to 2 months in advance for the holiday (which, in her mind is even bigger than Christmas). She will be roasting 4 turkeys in 3 ovens the day of, baking 6 cakes tonight, already has the collard greens and string beans cooked and frozen in the freezer, and Wednesday will be spent baking macaronni and several other side items. I told her I didn’t even know anyone who HAD 3 ovens at their house. But she then explained that she has 13 brothers and sisters who are still living (originally there were 19 of them), and they’re almost all coming in with their families to her house. Talk about a major event! Finally, she went on to explain that one of her sisters couldn’t make the actual Thanksgiving day meal, so last Friday one side of the family had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner. But don’t worry about this little old woman working too hard. She only cooked 2 turkeys for that.

In my house, Thanksgiving has always been a nice meal (often topped off with the beginning of Christmas when we roam into the attic and break out the Christmas tree), but never have I experienced such a feast as what this woman cooks EVERY SINGLE YEAR. In fact, the biggest Thanksgiving I’ve ever had was last year in France when practically all of the American and Canadian assistants (plus a few other nationalities) in Annecy got together at someone’s apartment and each brought a dish to share. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t like we were all related.

I like Thanksgiving, but really Christmas is the holiday I couldn’t do without. That’s why, even though I haven’t always had a big Thanksgiving meal (like the year I was in Wales), I do always make sure to find and decorate my own little Christmas tree. Twinkle lights and decorations (store-bought or hand-made) required. But I do appreciate learning other people’s perspectives on their favorite holidays and why that is (mine are undoubtedly because some of my most-cherished memories revolve around Christmas).

What’s your favorite holiday, and why?

Beaujolais Nouveau and the Latest Cajun Festival

rayne68 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:17:26 +0000

Salut tout le monde! It’s been a busy few weeks for me with new jobs and activities to get used to. But as usual, I have been blessed to have lots of opportunities to meet interesting people in the international community, many who live right here in Louisiana. I’ll tell you about a few.

First of all, this past Thursday was the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau (which I celebrated for the first time last November in France). This time was a much more up-scale affair at the J.W. Marriott in New Orleans with the French American Chamber of Commerce. And I’m happy to say that we sold out of Beaujolais before the end of the night (either my sales skills are improving or everyone just really liked this year’s batch).

Then this afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the first Cajun festival in Baton Rouge. It was held on the grounds of Magnolia Mound Plantation, and the weather was just perfect for an outdoor event. On a beaucoup parler en francais, met lots of other francophones (some French, some from Louisiana), and danced to a live band playing Cajun music. I even learned how to play the accordion (now I just have to find a cheap one to practice with). Voila un photo de moi et des autres qui apprendrent comment jouer des instruments!

Christmas Songs en Francais

rayne68 — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:10:01 +0000

White Christmas/Noël Blanc

Oh ! quand j’entends chanter Noël
J’aime revoir mes joies d’enfant
Le sapin scintillant, la neige d’argent
Noël mon beau rêve blanc

Oh ! quand j’entends sonner au ciel
L’heure où le bon vieillard descend
Je revois tes yeux clairs, Maman
Et je songe à d’autres Noëls blancs

La nuit est pleine de chants joyeux
Le bois craque dans le feu
La table est déjà garnie
Tout est prêt pour mes amis
Et j’attends l’heure où ils vont venir
En écoutant tous mes souvenirs

Oh ! quand j’entends chanter Noël
J’aime revoir mes joies d’enfant
Le sapin scintillant, la neige d’argent
Noël mon beau rêve blanc

Oh ! quand j’entends sonner au ciel
L’heure où le bon vieillard descend
Je revois tes yeux clairs, Maman
Et je songe à d’autres Noëls blancs
Je revois tes yeux clairs, Maman
Et je songe à d’autres Noëls blancs

Silent Night/Douce nuit, sainte nuit

Douce nuit, sainte nuit !
Dans les cieux ! L’astre luit.
Le mystère annoncé s’accomplit.
Cet enfant sur la paille endormit,
C’est l’amour infini,
C’est l’amour infini !

Away in a Manger/L’enfant de la promesse

1. L’enfant de la promesse
Au milieu de la nuit,
est né dans une crèche
et nos yeux éblouis,
contemplent la présence
de l’Amour infini:
la Parole est silence
dans les bras de Marie.

2. Si douce est la lumière
qui dissipe la nuit.
Le Seigneur de la terre
vient s’unir à nos vies.
Si tendre est le mystère
en ce jour accompli:
la Parole est lumière
sous les yeux de Marie.

3. Que montent nos louanges
à l’Amour éternel!
Dans les cieux tous les anges
chantent l’Emmanuel.
Sur le monde rayonne
le plus beau de ses fruits:
la Parole se donne
et nous ouvre l’Esprit.

Beaujolais 2010 in New Orleans!

rayne68 — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:00:06 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55231565@N03/5123478631/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55231565@N03/5123478639/

Latin Festival in BR – 9/26/2010

rayne68 — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 04:31:05 +0000

For anyone who is looking for an internationally-oriented event tomorrow, the Hispanic Apostolate of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is hosting their 24th annual Latin Festival on Brightside Drive (near the Louisiana School for the Deaf). The festivities begin at 10:30am and continue until 6:30pm with lots of food, music, and fun.

As long as the rain holds out, this should be a great event. See you there!

LATIN FESTIVAL 2010 SCHEDULE
10:30 a.m.    Opening prayer with the Rev. Rafae Juantorena, Lazaro Avila and Rosa Eads
10:45 a.m.    Music with D.J. Santos
12:15 p.m.    Food booths, interviews with Memo Castro
12:45 p.m.    Grupo Mestizo
1:10 p.m.    Introduction, Latin Ballet of Virginia
1:15 p.m.    Latin Ballet of Virginia
2 p.m.      Introduction of Candidates to Queen of the Latin Festival by Marissa y Azucena
2:15 p.m.    Karaoke Contest with Marissa y Azucena
2:45 p.m.    Latin Ballet of Virginia
3:30 p.m.    Crowning of the Queen of the Latin Festival
4 p.m.   Banda Blanca Group (from Honduras)
5 p.m.          Raffle
5:15 p.m.    Banda Blanca Group (from Honduras)
6:30 p.m.    Closing

On the Inside

rayne68 — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 03:36:10 +0000

Did you know that English is not the official language of the U.S.? In fact, we don’t have an official language, period. As a life-long American, I never knew this until I started teaching an ESL night class through Catholic Charities, and we went over questions for the U.S. Citizenship test.

There are a lot of things I learned in school (and throughout life) about my native country. But sometimes it takes an “outsider” to make you realize integral things about your world that you never noticed. That’s one reason why I enjoy hanging out with international crowds so much. It’s like seeing the world in a fresh, new light, as a child would see it. Everything is unique and interesting, exciting.

In the spirit of trying to change things up a bit in my life and become a more involved American, I decided to become an election commissioner. It’s a simple process really. I called my Clerk of Court’s office, signed up to attend a 2-hour training class, sat through the class and passed the 15 question test afterward. Then they showed us how to open and close the fancy (new), electronic polling machines. Who knows when (or if) I’ll get called to work an election, but at least I’m in the running now, and I can make a bit of cash while helping fellow citizens excercize their right to vote. It was a simple decision, but one that I feel quite happy about. I’ll get to experience the polls from a different perspective, and it will give me one more reminder not to take the priveledges I was born with for granted!

Reconnecting With the Community

rayne68 — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:47:34 +0000

Since getting back from France, reconnecting with various communities in Louisiana has been one of my major goals. And I can happily say that not only am I finding joy in revisiting familiar people and activities around town, but I’m also discovering a wealth of additional resources and untapped international pockets. Spanish progress is moving along well, and though I still find it difficult to hold up my end of the conversation without my brain resorting to French or English, I am understanding a lot more than before. I’m also gaining opportunities to partake in the Latin culture here from special empanada get-togethers to learning about important Catholic feast days in Latin America. And the more people I meet, the more I discover that we are already connected in some way (whether we have a common acquaintance, have both volunteered for the same organization, etc.).

This past Sunday I partook in a tasty community dinner after Spanish mass and I met a whole table of women (and a few men) from Peru (several who recognized me from my work with the Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs). Even though I could understand less than half of what they were saying, I still had so much fun! Does that make me a nerd?

Louisiana’s French Connections

rayne68 — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:32:59 +0000

It’s amazing how many French connections I have made in the past few months since coming back from Europe with a new-found confidence in my French-speaking skills. Literally, it seems like fellow francophones (and even French natives) are coming out of the woodwork nowadays, and the more people I meet, the more I discover new connections that have been right under my nose for the past 23 years. On Friday I was invited to dinner and bowling with a French/Spanish teacher and her French friend who has lived very close to my hometown for 10 years. His nephew is visiting him for a month this summer (to practice English before going on to college) and lives a little more than 30 minutes away from Annecy in France! When I told them I taught at Lycee Berthollet, they both knew of the school (apparently it’s even more prestigious than I realized), and we had a lot of fun discussing the differences between France and the US. And what’s even more amazing is that I learned about a sort of French table that takes place the 2nd Monday of every month in Tangipahoa parish. It is held at a different person’s house each time, and between 30-40 people attend! I can’t wait to check it out the next time I’m in town.

On the Spanish front, I can tell my pronunciation is getting better with each mass (today all the songs we sang were ones I recognized, so it was pretty easy), and I learned that another student may join in occasionally on my weekly Spanish lessons (a priest who is new to the parish and wants to practice since he has to say the entire mass in Spanish!). It should be fun to have a little friendly competition to make sure I practice like I’m supposed to Also, the choir was very sweet and gave me an early birthday present and card full of well-wishes (en español, of course) that I enjoyed translating. Considering that it took me 8 years to get to an acceptable level with French, I’m breezing through my 3rd language. However, I still have a long way to go before I can have a decent conversation with someone. I have to figure out how to not translate from English to French and THEN to Spanish… Here’s to a busy and fun-filled birthday week!

My First Spanish Gig

rayne68 — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:02:34 +0000

Since I’m still relatively new to Latin American culture (besides Mexican tacos and Mariachi bands), many of the traditions I discover are still very new and unique to me. When I was in high school I heard that families in some Latin American countries throw a party for their daughters when they turned 15 (similar to our “Sweet 16″ in the U.S.), but I didn’t know much more about the ritual. So I was very excited to discover that my first Spanish gig with a few fellow Spanish choir members was for one of those very celebrations, a Quinceañera. But unlike any 16th birthday party I’ve ever been to, this event seemed practically as important as a wedding. We sang at a special mass for the girl who was dressed in a Cinderella-style ballgown with a tiara on her head. There was a professional photographer snapping pictures, they hired us (musicians), and she was escorted by a crew of about seven or eight teenage boys in tuxedos and impeccably shiny dress shoes. I couldn’t get over the grandeur of it all but was told by friends that this is the normal way to celebrate. After the mass, a big party is traditionally held to celebrate the girl becoming a woman. I’m still not an expert on this tradition by any means, but it seemed like fun (at least if you’re the girl)!