Nothing Toulouse!

Nothing Toulouse is one of the first signs we saw upon our arrival in this beautiful city in southern France. In fact, it sums up pretty beautifully the idea that in "La Ville Rose" the risks we take linguistically and culturally are well worth it. Students have demonstrated this philosophy throughout the week, diving into their classwork projects and community conversations (i.e.practicing greetings and interviewing Toulousain residents to glean personalized suggestions for historic and cultural gems in the city).

On Wednesday, at Le Centre occitan des musiques et danses traditionnelles, students learned about folk music from L'Occitanie, the name of this historic region of France. Inspired by their specialized instructors, students stretched their boundaries through song and dance, singing a beautiful occitane song called "Es aici lo mes de Mai  and then dancing a traditional "danse en ronde." They also had a wonderful lecture on traditional cornemuse (bagpipe) music, regaled by the instructor about the history of the bagpipe in France and all over the world, while demonstrating over a dozen hand-crafted cornemuses!

On Thursday, Level 3 students engaged in their Oz le français challenge by visiting local Carmes pâtisserie Loma and ordering from a menu of sandwiches, quiches, salads, pizzas and desserts made entirely from regional products by local farmers and vendors.

After an exhausing 4-day Week 1, it will be exciting to hear about students' 14 juillet weekend, time with their families and the food and culture they encountered. Looking forward to Week 2!