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Wednesday,
May 23 2001
Monday, classes resumed
after the festivities of the weekend. Everyone was in fine mettle,
though a few of the students decided to supplement their breakfast
with a fine pastry treat from the calorically dangerous shop across
the street. The pictures below show some students sampling various
pastries; Christina dispatches a chocolate-filled pastry puff
called a religieuse, while Bianca savors a peach tartelette.
The group once again split into two
sessions, a conversation group led by Marie-Caroline Boubée
(in blue in the photo below left), the other group working with
the culture text. The conversation sessions are starting to
have the desired result, with the students finding themselves
more comfortable expressing themselves in French than when they
first arrived just over a week ago.
On Tuesday, the group had the surprise
visit of retired UA Engineering Prof. Mel Vye and his wife Martha
(photo below right), who are staying for a few days in the mountains
just a few kilometers outside of Faverges. The Vyes are familiar
to many of our students, as they are both taking French courses
at the university, where they show great enthusiasm and dedication.
 
Tuesday afternoon we
spent several hours at the local LEP (Lycée d'Enseignement
Professionnel), the French equivalent of a Vocational-Technical
school. At first, the group wasn't too sure about meeting with
vo-tech high-schoolers, but their skepticism soon evaporated.
The students had prepared extensive charts in English to explain
the types of degree programs offered by the LEP, and one student
gave a very competent presentation in English to present his school
and classmates. This was followed by a professionally produced
video that shows the students at work and illustrates the type
of careers for which they receive training at the Lycée.
Our students were quite
impressed by the breadth of the curriculum, and split into  three
groups to visit different classes. Most impressive were the graphic
arts sessions, with students working in a variety of media. The
LEP has an impressive $400,000 computer lab equipped with Mac
G4 units, 21-inch monitors, pen tablets, color laserprinter .
. . professional and state-of-the-art machines on which they learn
computer-assisted graphic design. One student showed us his Macromedia
Flash website, an animated site using entirely his own graphics.
Watching a presentation
at the LEP
The presentations and
class visits were followed by hour-long discussion sessions with
the students, with a great many questions being asked by both
the French and the UA students. The consensus of our group, after
the visit, was that the French vo-tech students were most impressive
in both their skills and desire to succeed. Both groups, through
dialogue and discussion, dispelled not a few myths and stereotypes
they may have had about each other. An altogether successful encounter,
which we are sure to repeat in future Faverges programs.
 Wednesday,
market day once again. We held our class as usual in the morning,
and at noon went to AFA President Yvette Millot's house for the
more-or-less weekly pasta lunch. On the menu this week was homemade
lasagna, which Yvette made with the expertise gained from years
of work as a professional caterer and cook. The weather coöperated,
so that we were able to eat outside in the little garden behind
Yvette's house.
In the
evening, we went to the grade school at the center of town to
watch a folk music concert staged in our honor. The folk group,
which performs all around the region, entertained us in return
for the web page that Prof. Jeantet created and posted some months
ago for the group's museum of folk costumes.
 
The students didn't
know quite what to expect; but the group's musical director, Florence
Gruffaz, ably explained the significance of their costumes, the
history behind the songs and the meaning of the folk dances that
they performed. We were all called into service, to participate
in the dances and even sing a traditional song in canon form.
 
The folk Group, which is called Echos
de nos montagnes (Echoes of our mountains), was founded in
1952 and has performed all over Europe as well as the United States,
at Harvard University for example. The twenty-seven musicians
gave a delightful performance that was enjoyed by everyone. The
concert ended with a rousing rendition of "Les Allobroges",
the "national anthem" of Savoie, which exalts liberty.
One more picture for today: host mom,
AFA president and cook extraordinaire Yvette Millot with
her tabby-point siamese cat Titou. (not a recognized breed!)
Next report, probably
Saturday, possibly Sunday....
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