The life of an exchange student

Collage
the foreign language magazine
Le magazine de langues étrangères
Vol. 25 No. 34
Octubre 2012
The life of an
exchange student
by : Dominique Schwarz
Hello, I’m Dominique Schwarz and I am from
Switzerland, but I’m now in Tampico as an exchange
student from Rotary this year. When I first arrived it
was really hot, this was my first impression. Then at
school, the IEST, I entered the room and everybody
was screaming what my name was and where I came
from. I really liked that, because like every exchange
student, I was afraid that nobody would speak to me
and I would be alone. But Mexicans are very frank and
friendly, they are really interested and I like that a lot.
Domenique with her mexican family
My host family is really lovely, I feel like
I’m part of them and they take care of
me. It’s very important that you have
a good family to live with, because in
the beginning you only have them. As
an exchange student you have to be
open, do a lot of things to find friends
and be strong. I’ve missed my family
very much the last week, because I was
on vacation and I just had like no home.
The vacation was really good, I don’t
know how I missed them in this time
but it was hard. But you just have to go
on and make yourself busy.
Domenique’s mom and dad
I think Tampico is beautiful with the
beach and I like that everything is
different from Switzerland. Honestly
almost everything is different. In
Switzerland I was very independent,
I spent a lot of time with friends or in
town and I moved all the time on the
train or on the bus. But here I felt a little
bit strange in the first weeks, because I
had to go always in the car and couldn’t
walk around and stuff like this. Another
example is the family. In Switzerland you
don’t have such a strong relationship
like here, for Mexicans, or for all the
people in South America I think, family
is very important for everyone.
I also really like the food here, my
favorite fruits are avocado and mango,
but I don’t really like spicy food, but I
think I will like it in the end of my year.
Interview au Chef Bruno Airagnes Moulon
by Julio César Gallejos Osorio
a plus de service. Mais ici, c’est vrai qu’ici c’est relativement plus ouvert, les restaurants ont certainement des heures de service mais c’est beaucoup
plus ouvert. Par exemple, les mexicains qui vont
en France pourraient avoir un choc culturel parce
que s’ici au Mexique à trois heures de l’après-midi
on mange, là-bas les restaurants ils ne servent pas
à manger. Je crois que ce n’est pas le pays qui doit
s’adapter aux coutumes de la personne. C’est la
personne qui va s’habituer aux coutumes du pays.
3. Comment est-ce que vous avez découvert votre
vocation ou ce que vous vouliez faire dans la vie?
Cheff Bruno Airagnes Moulon
1. Vous habitez au Mexique depuis longtemps? Estce que vous vous êtes déjà habitué au mode de vie
des mexicains? Qu’est-ce qu’il vous manque le plus
de votre pays?
J’habite ici depuis 13 ans et oui, je me suis habitué.
Il y a eu peut-être différentes choses que j’ai eues
du mal à m’habituer un peu, l’imponctualité par
exemple. Ce qui me manque le plus, je crois peutêtre le bon pain français, le fromage, le bon vin. Ma
famille et moi, on mangeait du fromage tous les
jours, le fromage en France, c’est vrai, c’est la tradition ; il n’y a pas un repas sans fromage et pain frais.
Le bon fromage européen c’est vraiment difficile de
trouver ici, on en trouve mais c’est très cher.
2. Qu’est-ce qui vous a impressionné le plus de la
nourriture mexicaine. Pourriez-vous nous raconter
une anecdote par rapport au «choc culinaire»?
Sans doute, les heures de repas des mexicains.
Les gens n’ont pas une heure pour manger ici ; tu
manges alors que tu as envie de manger, que ce soit
dès la matinée, dans la journée, l’après-midi ou le
soir, il y a toujours un endroit pour aller manger. Je
n’avais jamais vu ça ! Au début c’était un choc, parce
que, par exemple, quand j’étais à Singapour, les restaurants ils ont une certaine heure pour ouvrir et
après à une certaine heure c’est fermé quand il n’y
2
Quand j’étais tout petit, mes grands-parents, les
parents de ma mère, ils habitaient à la campagne
et ils avaient une grange. Mon grand-père avait son
moulin pour faire de la farine de maïs, il faisait tout
lui-même. Il y avait un petit étang pour aller à la
pêche ; on chassait ; il y avait un jardin de fruits et
légumes ; il y avait les arbres botaniques ; des volailles, des canards, des dindes ; il y avait des moutons. Puis dans la ferme à côté, on avait les bovins,
comme les cochons, le bœuf. La bonne nourriture
était présente tout le temps. Ma mère, elle n’allait
pratiquement pas au supermarché pour acheter des
tomates, des laitues ; on avait tout ça chez nous.
On avait des courgettes, des fraises, des groseilles,
des poires, des pommes, des prunes. On tuait un
cochon par an et on faisait du fromage de tête,
les saucisses, le jambon, les pâtés, on faisait tout
nous-mêmes. C’était très artisanal et on faisait
trois jours de fête pour ça. C’était la fête familiale
de Noël qui commençait à une heure de l’aprèsmidi jusqu’à huit heures le lendemain. C’était des
moments où chacun participait en portant un plat
différent. C’était des journées de discussions, de
convivialité familiale. Et puis, après l’école secondaire, bon, je n’aimais pas trop les études, j’étais
quelqu’un qui n’étais pas très doué pour les études,
alors il y avait le choix des apprentissages. J’ai commencé à l’âge de treize ans et j’ai reçu mon certificat à l’âge de seize ans. Avec ce diplôme, j’étais déjà
considéré cuisinier. Puis, j’ai commencé, je suis allé
directement travailler à Paris ; je travaillais dans de
petits restaurants près de chez moi. Après, j’avais
quelque petites relations. Une relation qui m’a fait
énormément de bien, un chef qui à cette époque
n’était pas très connu mais qui maintenant a été élu
l’un des meilleurs chefs du siècle. J’ai
travaillé avec lui pendant quelques
années, pratiquement seize ans, pas
avec lui directement, mais dans différents restaurants, les meilleures de
France.
4. Si vous n’étiez pas chef, qu’est-ce
que vous auriez étudié? Êtes-vous
content de votre profession?
Je suis relativement content de ma
profession, oui. Je crois que j’aurais
étudié quelque chose en relation
avec l’esthétique, la haute couture,
parce que le perfectionnisme me
fascine, l’art manuel aussi. En France,
on est bien placés au niveau du stylisme, au niveau de la haute couture.
Pourtant ce métier, c’est très dur, il
faut travailler chez les meilleurs pour
avoir du succès. C’était deux autres
options que j’avais, mais il n’y avait
pas la possibilité de les étudier dans
la région où je travaillais, donc, c’est
pour ça que j’ai choisi la profession
de cuisine.
5. C’est quoi la profession du chef ?
Pourquoi devrait-on choisir cette carrière. En plus, pourquoi étudier cette
licence ici à l’IEST ?
Je crois que le Cordon Bleu c’est
un emblème de l’art du bon vivre,
comme on dit en France, « la bonne
bouffe » ; le bien manger, le bien
vivre, boire du bon vin, des bonnes
liqueurs. Donc, je crois que la profession du chef, c’est un des métiers
du futur. Pourquoi ? Parce qu’il y a
beaucoup d’hôtels, beaucoup de
gens qui ouvrent les métiers d’hôtellerie, du tourisme et la gastronomie va en grandissant, elle grandit
énormément et trop vite. Je crois
qu’il n’y a pas suffisamment de main
d’œuvre, de main d’œuvre qualifié
pour pouvoir travailler dans ces endroits. Je crois que c’est pour ça que
le Cordon bleu a mis ses empreintes
ici au Mexique, pour que les élèves
de toutes les écoles de gastronomie
qu’il y a dans les pays puissent vraiment se démarquer de toutes les
autres écoles. Ce n’est pas sur les
recettes, c’est sur les techniques.
Une fois que l’élève domine cette
technique, il n’y a absolument aucun
problème, il peut, donc, commencer
à marcher, à faire un petit peu son
style de cuisine. Ce qu’on enseigne à
l’élève ce sont les techniques de base,
à tout faire lui-même, de A à Z. Par
exemple, s’il fait des « sopes », il doit
préparer la masse, car dans n’importe quelle cuisine, il faut savoir
faire la technique de base. L’avantage
principal du Cordon Bleu ce sont ses
installations de première catégorie,
les meilleures installations de cuisine de toute l’Amérique Latine. En
plus de gastronomie, avec, l’association IEST-Le Cordon bleu, l’élève vois
un petit peu d’hôtellerie et de tourisme et ils vont y apprendre tout ce
qui est en relation à plus de services,
la sommellerie, l’œnologie. Je crois
que c’est un tout que Le Cordon Bleu
donne et que beaucoup d’écoles ne
donnent pas. Beaucoup de gens disent que le prix c’est trop cher, mais
il faut voir ce qui est inclus dans le
prix ; chaque élève a la matière première, chacun peut faire son propre
plat. Beaucoup d’écoles travaillent
en group, ici, l’élève doit être capable
de dominer la technique mais tout
seul. À part tout ça, on a des ateliers
pour pratiquer des diverses cuisines
comme, la japonaise, l’italienne, la
française, etc.
6. Est-ce que votre profession vous
permet de voyager souvent ? Combien
de langues parlez-vous ? Qu’est-ce
qu’il faut avoir pour réussir dans les
environnements internationaux ?
J’ai appris des langues étrangères
après avoir commencé à travailler. L’espagnol, je l’ai appris ici
au Mexique. L’anglais, je l’ai appris
quand je travaillais en Angleterre.
Je crois que maintenant il n’est pas
suffisant d’être un bon cuisinier, un
bon professionnel ; il faut parler au
moins deux langues. Si on parle de la
gastronomie, le langage de la gastronomie, la plupart c’est en français,
surtout les termes culinaires. Alors,
il faut parler les plus des langues en
relation a ton métier pour réussir
dans les contextes internationaux. Il
faut aussi savoir ce qu’on veut, avoir
des idées bien formées sur la profession ; on peut toujours écouter des
conseils mais la décision finale, ce
n’est qu’à nous.
3
7. D’après vous, quel est le rôle de la
langue française dans la société actuelle ? Pourquoi est-ce qu’il est important de l’apprendre ?
Je crois que la langue française, c’est
une langue relativement complexe.
Ella a beaucoup d’histoire, beaucoup
de culture. Parler de la culture française, c’est parler de la haute couture, la haute coiffure, les parfums,
les cuisines, la gastronomie, le tourisme, l’histoire en général, l’histoire
de France. C’est important parce que
la France encore l’un des pays les plus
forts de l’Europe. La France a une très
grande technologie en parlant de
l’armement, un armement très cher ;
on parle aussi de bateaux croisières,
des avions, la culture du vin, l’agronomie. Il y a une très grande richesse
au niveau importation- exportations
de tous les produits que la France
fabrique. C’est un pays ouvert à des
échanges.
Soufflé au Chocolat
4
8. Quel conseil donneriez-vous aux
apprenants de français pour mieux
acquérir cette langue?
Ce n’est pas du tout facile. Il faut
persévérer, pratiquer tous les jours.
Il faut lire, voir des films en français,
écouter de la musique en français,
c’est vraiment important. Après, il y
a des revues, il y a des journaux. Voir
la télé en français c’est plutôt cher et
difficile ici au Mexique. Le plus facile,
ce sont les cassettes, des CDs, des
DVD. La phonétique c’est compliquée, le « R » surtout. Mais ce n’est
pas impossible, il y a des gens qui ont
de facilité pour les langues étrangères. Il faut aussi s’imprégner de la
culture du pays.
Lightning Snow Flowers
9. Pour finir, on aimerait bien que
vous nous partagiez un petit peu de
vos connaissances culinaires. Pourquoi vous ne nous donnez pas une de
vos recettes secrètes ; quelque chose
qu’on puisse faire sans trop de difficultés, pas très cher, mais surtout,
délicieux!
Une des choses que vraiment je réussis bien, ce sont les soufflés. J’aime
bien le soufflé sucré, au chocolat.
C’est une technique relativement
ancienne à base de crème pâtissière,
meringue. Il faut avoir un ramequin,
il faut mettre le beurre dans le ramequin, un peu de sucre. Il faut faire
une bonne crème pâtissière bien
consistante. Après à la crème pâtissière, on va ajouter quelques jaunes
d’œuf dedans. La crème pâtissière,
elle est à base de lait, jaunes d’œuf,
sucre, fécule de maïs et farine, moitié et moitié ; on mélange tout ça
dans la même casserole et avec un
fouet on commence à bien remuer à
feu moyen jusqu’à ce que cela commence à épaissir, à bouillir (il faut
que ça commence à bouillir en dois
ou trois minutes). Quand le mélange
est prêt et épais, on le met dans une
petite poêle ; on le laisse un peu refroidir ; on met les jaunes d’œuf. Pour
by Mariana Rojas Arreola
un quart de crème pâtissière, on va
mettre deux jaunes d’œuf. On met
du chocolat râpé, un peu de cacao,
moitié et moitié, puisque le chocolat est relativement puissant (pour
que le soufflé puisse lever et grandir
bien, il faut mettre un produit un peu
plus léger). Après on va battre cinq
blancs en neige ferme, on va ajouter un petit peu de sucre glace pour
faire comme une meringue et après
on va incorporer relativement, doucement, la meringue avec la crème
pâtissière. On met cette préparation
dans les moules beurrés et sucrés
et on cuit dans un four à 180°-200°
pendant 15 minutes. Normalement
un bon soufflé, si on a un moule de
trois centimètres, le soufflé doit
monter un peu près de trois, quatre
centimètres (la même quantité du
moule). Un bon soufflé ne doit pas
monter et ça dépend de la technique.
C’est pas trop compliqué.
As I follow you through a long casted shadow,
I walk with you into the twilight’s darkness.
The white starlight envelops your falling tears in the warm wind.
“I’m still by your side”
This trembling quiet whisper is going your way
I take your hand even until then.
Just the thought of us being together, makes tears flow.
As the wind gets colder, winter comes closer.
As I walk up the street, the season we parted in, returns little by little.
While being together at this moment, I want to give you everything I have.
If you are by my side, I can do anything, after today and until the end.
That our love will last forever, for this I pray.
Wait on me, I don’t want to see your painful tears anymore
The wind is shaking your window and with the endlessly falling white snow
flowers, we tried to ignore the fact that the road we walked on was changing,
was melting with the bright starlight.
For I’m gone, I want you to know that wherever you are,
I will become the night stars and shine for you.
On laughing and sad days and tearful nights, I’ll always be by your side.
I want to promise I won’t leave you again, I yearn for the days when the snow
flowers were falling endlessly, drawing little memories in our hearts.
I will become a snow flower and every winter, I’ll fall down on you,
this is how I will be by your side forever.
Just look at the bright winter starlight and remember me.
5
Breena and the Kelpie
by Sidonie de la Courcel
Long ago, in an ancient Celtic village that no longer is,
lived a young woman by the name of Breena. She had
beautiful caramel hair and big, bright green eyes. Her
mother had died when she was very young, leaving
her father to raise Breena alone. Her father was the
village’s blacksmith and part of the council. Breena
had a fair amount of suitors but her father refused to
give her away to any young man. Breena’s father, a big
man with strong arms and a fierce face, left little room
for bargain when it came to pursuing his daughter in
matrimony. Breena, on the other hand, didn’t really
show any interest in any particular man; she was
polite to every one of them as she had been raised a
lady but none of them lit her fire. Breena was not in a
hurry to get married, she spent her days creating new
recipes to please her hard-working father with lovely
meals and daydreaming by the lake which bordered
the village and where the forest began.
The lake was vast and it’s water clear most of the
time, but once every month, the water turned muddy
for three days and nobody would come near or even
look towards it. The elders had warned the villagers
to never touch the water during its “Black Phase”.
Animals that drank from the foul-colored water
disappeared leaving behind only their liver ripped into
pieces. The women’s gossip said even some people
had disappeared during the “Black Phase”. For three
days every month, Breena would be locked in the
forge with her father to prevent her from approaching
the lake. She helped her father in his work but her
mind was away, thinking about the vast lake and the
beautiful flowers that grew at its bank.
On a particularly hot summer, the “Black Phase” hit
the lake earlier than expected but the village continued
its normal life. By the fourth morning after the water
turned black, the villagers expected the bright blue
color to shine again; but they awoke to see that the
“Black Phase” had not ended. The elders urged the
villagers to stay in their houses but they could not
afford to lose one day of their harvest and left to their
fields. The council had an urgent meeting to discuss
the matter; Breena’s father left the forge and warned
his daughter not to go outside and especially stay
away from the lake. As her father walked out the door,
Breena jumped out the back window and dashed to
the lake. When she reached her destination, she sat
6
down and took a deep breath. Being outside and sitting
by her beloved lake was more than glorious to her.
From where she was sitting, the water had a grayish
color with purple and green flares; she couldn’t really
understand why the villagers were all so scared when,
even like this, the lake was so beautiful.
The thick old trees didn’t let the sunlight through,
so even though it was early morning, the edge of the
forest was covered in shadows and fog. The forest was
forbidden territory for the villagers, only the bravest
of hunters would go there. A thick cloud slowly
covered the bright sun and the forest’s shadows were
enhanced; amongst those shadows, Breena saw a
black horse with shiny eyes and white mane. She was
startled; nobody in the village owned a black horse
and if anyone did, they wouldn’t let it roam free close
to the forest. She hurriedly got up to go to the horse
but it turned back and started walking into the forest.
She went around the lake and ended up at the forest’s
entrance, she was afraid but something about the
horse had caught her attention. She told herself she
wouldn’t go that far and hesitantly started wandering
in the forest.
Breena moved slowly through the forest and always
kept an eye back so she wouldn’t lose her way back.
She heard a noise, a twig that had been stepped on;
she turned around to find a young man with broad
back and big eyes. Even though the man looked very
young, his hair was entirely white. He was leaning
against a tree trunk just looking at Breena; she froze
where she was standing, she didn’t know this young
man and she had no idea why he was just standing in
the forest. She was also wandering where the black
horse with white mane had gone off to. The young
man started walking towards her; Breena knew that
she had to get away for her feet would not move.
When he was finally standing right in front of her, he
reached his hand to touch her cheek; his hand was wet
and cold, Breena noticed, like a fish. He whispered her
name. She pushed him away and demanded to know
who he was.
—I’m the Kelpie of this lake, —he said— My name is
Cain.
Breena was shocked to hear this; she thought he was
trying to mock her. There were no such things as
Kelpies; it was just a foolish legend. But then again,
his hand was wet and cold and his hair was white.
—I’m looking for a partner —he told her— I have
chosen you.
He was blunt and he didn’t bother explaining any
further.
—Prove to me that you are a Kelpie —she demanded—
and the young man proceeded to change its form into
that of the horse Breena had seen before.
Breena had never been so scared before; a real
Kelpie was standing right before her eyes. A creature
described by the elders as evil and said to feed on men.
The big black horse with white mane stood very still
watching her closely. She knew, deep inside, she could
never out run it; she had to get out of this using her
wit. She thought of an old story that had been told in
town for as long as the elders could remember, there
was a request that would get rid of any creature from
the fairy realm. “If you can give me the real moon
which waxes and wanes, I shall become your partner
and wife”, —she said bravely. From the horse’s mouth
emerged the voice of Cain, “I accept your request and
I will be back to find you when I have the moon that
waxes and wanes in my possession.” After saying that,
he stepped back into the darkness of the forest and
disappeared. Breena felt as if a spell had been broken
and her feet were free. She ran back home as fast as
she could, she was uncertain of how long it had passed
since she left and was glad to find that her father
was not back yet. There was no one she could talk to
about what had happened, her father and the elders
would punish her for disobeying the village’s rules and
she didn’t have any real friend she could trust such a
matter.
7
The next morning, the whole village was gathered
around the lake. They discovered that the “Black
Phase” was over and were thrilled to go back to their
normal ways. The only one who was not really happy
about it was Breena; she had made the impossible
request and the Kelpie had accepted it. There was no
way for him to bring her the real moon but she was
not sure Cain would give up as easily.
A month went by and Breena had almost forgotten
the incident with the Kelpie in the forest when,
suddenly, one day when she was sitting by the lake,
she saw him again. Not the black horse this time, but
the handsome young man. She didn’t want her father
to see her talking to such a stranger so she went into
the forest once again. Something inside had convinced
her that she should be scared; after all, the Kelpie
had magical abilities. Cain was waiting for her in the
same spot where they had met the first time. He was
holding a ring with a single very white stone.
—I have brought what the lady requested —was the
only thing he said.
Fear aroused once more in Breena’s gut.
—Prove it to me.
Cain gave her the ring so she could look at it more
closely; the perfectly shaped oval stone reflected the
frail sun rays that managed to cross the forest top. It
did, in fact, wax and wane as the moon did. Breena
was speechless, she couldn’t take her word back now;
she had to marry the Kelpie and leave the village.
—You don’t belong in the human world Breena, you
belong with me —he whispered.
She felt it, in her heart, that he was right. There was
nothing really left for her there expect her father.
—There is only one condition you must accept before
I go with you —she said. She was trembling visibly but
she held her ground and said
—I want to be able to see my father once every month
for three days.
Cain’s eyes filled with doubt but the only things he
said was
—You must promise to come back by the forth morning
because I will be waiting.
She went.
For the rest of the villagers, life remained the same;
nothing had really changed. A girl had been taken by the
Kelpie, the elders said; she ran away with a foreigner,
people whispered. Only a man with a saddened face
knew the truth. His daughter had become the lady of
the lake, married to a Kelpie and was allowed to visit
him once every month. Nobody else was to see her or
the consequences would be grave. The only console he
had, was that his daughter was happy.
8
Day of the Dead Celebrations
by Jorge Torres Almazán
A very unique celebration we have in
Mexico is Day of the Dead, celebrated
on November 2nd, and it is a celebration in which we remember and honor
our deceased loved ones. Though it may
sound gloomy or morbid, it’s not. Foreigners may think that we are celebrating because a person has just passed
away. However, it is not like that. It is
the opposite, it is a festive and colorful
holiday. People visit cemeteries, decorate the graves and spend time there in
the presence of their deceased friends
and family members. They also make
elaborately decorated altars in their
homes to welcome the spirits.
In Prehispanic times the dead were buried close to family home and there was
great emphasis on maintaining ties with
deceased ancestors, who were believed
to continue to exist on a different plane.
With the arrival of the Spanish and Catholicism, All Souls’ and All Saints’ Day
practices were incorporated into Prehispanic beliefs and customs and Day of
the Dead came to be celebrated.
The belief behind Day of the Dead practices is that spirits return to the Earth
for one day of the year to be with their
families. It is said that the spirits of babies and children who have died arrive
on November 1st at midnight, spend an
entire day with their families and then
leave. Adults come the following day.
The spirits are greeted with offerings
of food and things that the person enjoyed in life. These are laid out on a Day
of the Dead altar in the family home.
It is believed that the spirits consume
the essence and the aroma of the foods
that are offered. When the spirits depart, the living consume the food and
share it with their family, friends and
neighbors.
Other items that are placed on the altar include sugar skulls, often with the
person’s name inscribed on the top, pan
de muertos, a special bread that is made
especially for the season, and cempasuchil which bloom at this time of year
and lend a special fragrance to the altar.
In some places it is a tradition to spend
the whole night in the cemetery, and
people make a party of it, having a picnic supper, playing music, talking and
drinking through the night.
family members that one has not seen
in a year.
Day of the Dead continues to change,
and a mixing of cultures and customs
continues to occur. Halloween festivities are becoming more prevalent in
Mexico: masks and costumes are sold
in the markets alongside sugar skulls
and pan de muertos, costume contests
are held along with Day of the Dead altar contests in schools, and some children dress up in costumes and go trickor-treating.
Day of the Dead is celebrated in different ways in different places. Festivities
tend to be more colorful and special
in the south of Mexico, particularly in
the states of Michoacan, Oaxaca and
Chiapas. In rural areas celebrations are
mostly solemn whereas in bigger cities
they are sometimes irreverent.
Here in our region there are important
celebrations in Tempoal and Xantolo
in Veracruz. In Tampico cemeteries are
crowded and many people set altars in
their houses. The celebration is a good
excuse to spend time with family and
remember members of our families
that are no longer with us.
Day of the Dead has some similarities
with Halloween . They both come from
early cultures’ beliefs about death that
later mixed with Christianity. They are
both based in the idea that the spirits
return at that time of year. Customs
around Halloween seem to come from
the idea that the spirits were malevolent, whereas in Day of the Dead festivities, the spirits are joyfully welcomed as
9
cours de français
hiver 2012
Laisser tout
derrière soi
by Valérie Lacombe
Pablo et moi à Montréal
Il y a déjà 1 an et 3 mois que je vis ici, au
Mexique. La décision n’a pas été facile à
prendre, mais comme on dit, «l’amour
donne des ailes»! En effet, j’ai décidé de
faire le grand saut car je suis mariée à
un mexicain.
La première fois que je suis venue habiter ici, c’était pour une courte période,
environ 3 mois. Je dois dire que cela a
été très difficile, car mes connaissances
en espagnol étaient plutôt élémentaires. Les contacts avec ma belle-famille étaient très difficiles. De plus, je
suis plutôt une personne réservée, ce
qui n’est vraiment pas bien vue ici! Mon
silence et ma discrétion ont été interprétés comme un refus de m’adapter
et de connaitre les gens d’ici. Après ces
quelques mois, tout ce que je voulais
c’était de rentrer chez moi. Mes sentiments étaient très partagés. D’un côté,
j’étais en amour et je ne voulais pas rentrer sans lui. De l’autre, la vie ici était
tellement différente, que j’avais le mal
du pays. Finalement, je suis rentrée, car
je commençais ma maitrise au Québec.
En arrivant chez moi, j’étais tellement
frustrée de la perception que les gens
avaient eue de moi, que j’ai décidé de
travailler sur mon comportement et
d’améliorer mon espagnol, pour pouvoir mieux communiquer la prochaine
10
fois. Les huit mois passés loin de mon
mari ont été les plus longs de toute ma
vie. J’étais très triste, mais bien décidée
à retourner au Mexique et changer l’opinion des gens à mon sujet.
Après huit mois de séparation, mon
mari est venu me voir et nous avons
solidifié notre relation. Il a connu ma
famille et a pu vivre l’expérience d’être
totalement dépaysé. En effet, toute ma
famille est francophone et il ne parle
pas du tout le français. Nos rôles étaient
donc inversés. Je crois que ça a été une
bonne expérience pour lui, pour qu’il
prenne conscience de mon état d’esprit
durant ma visite précédente.
Depuis juin 2011, je vis donc, ici, au
Mexique, à Altamira. Les six premiers
mois ont été difficiles, car nous avons
vécus avec ma belle-famille. Moi qui
étais habituée de vivre seule, habiter
avec six autres personnes a été tout
un changement! Par contre, j’ai pu avoir
l’occasion de me rapprocher d’eux, d’apprendre à cuisiner à la mexicaine, de
connaitre leurs histoires de famille, etc.
Finalement, en décembre, nous sommes
déménagée dans notre maison, je me
suis trouvé un emploi et ma mère est
venue me visiter. Je dois dire que depuis
ce temps, je suis plus heureuse. Je me
sens plus indépendante et utile.
Début: 3 de décembre
Fin: 19 de décembre
Horaire: Lundi à Vendredi de 9h à 14h
Coût: $4,400.00
Préinscriptions: Au CAADI
du 19 au 28 de novembre de 2012
conversatiOn english
courses winter 2012
Start: December 3
End: December 19
Schedule: Monday to Friday from 9h to 14 h
Cost: $4,400.00
Pre-registration: In CAADI
from 19 to 28 november 2012
Évidemment, une relation avec deux
personnes d’origines différentes amène
beaucoup de discussions. Nous devons
toujours discuter ouvertement et trouver des compromis afin que tous les
deux soyons heureux. Mon mari a été
élevé dans une tradition très machiste
et moi dans un environnement plutôt
féministe. Alors, nous faisons quotidiennement un travail d’adaptation afin
que notre relation soit harmonieuse.
La clé, selon moi, pour réussir à vivre
dans un autre pays, avec une autre
culture est de connaitre la langue. Une
fois que la communication est possible,
tout devient un peu plus facile. Ensuite,
l’ouverture d’esprit, la patience et une
grande capacité d’adaptation sont nécessaires pour pouvoir vivre à longterme dans ce nouveau chez soi.
Je terminerai en vous avouant qu’effectivement, je m’ennuis du Québec, de ma
famille, de mes amis. Par contre, j’ai découvert ici une autre famille, une autre
manière de vivre qui me satisfait tout
autant. Je suis grandement reconnaissante à tous ces gens qui m’ont si bien accueillis et qui me considère aujourd’hui
partie intégrante de leur famille.
register for the next
english Placement Exam
November 7, 2012
The iest Language Department is a certified Center of
the toefl itp, the toefl ibt and the toeic exams
toefl ibt
November 16, 2012
Institutional toefl
November 9, 2012
The Future of Mexico
Anormalia
by Minsu Kwon
by Nilse González Jaramillo
When I moved to Mexico for the first
time in 2008, I did not know how to
speak Spanish not to mention, I was not
interested in Mexico. I just imagined a
person with a mustache, charro hat and
boots. When I got to know Mexico, I realized that there isn’t a big difference
between Korea and Mexico. Although
I thought that Mexico was one of the
poorest countries, I changed my mind
because one day I read an article which
included Mexico in the Top 20 of the
best economies in the world. I found
that the richest man in the world was in
Mexico, Carlos Slim. Also I got to know
that Mexico has an important petrochemical plant, PEMEX.
Mexico is a country which has big cultural heritages from ancient civilizations such as the Aztecas, Mayans,
Olmecans, etc. They have had a very
influential role in the current Mexican
culture. For example, the celebration
or fiesta, the gastronomy and in the
daily life. Similarly, thanks to the Mayan
number system, we are able to use the
number “zero”.
Mexico is abundant in natural resources. Furthermore it is located in
an advantageous geographical position. Accordingly Mexico has an important international treaty called
NAFTA (North American Free Trade
Agreement), and therefore, POSCO,
the most famous Korean iron-foundry
which was installed here in Altamira.
That’s why I’m living in Mexico.
What surprised me about Mexico was
the sociability of its people. They welcomed guests warmly and with open
arms. Generally they are almost content with their present lives.
On the other hand I can see the problem
with Mexico, from a foreigner’s perspective. For example, there is a big difference in the education level between
public schools and private schools. The
private school supplies superior educational services with excellent qualities
and opportunities to study abroad. But
the public school cannot offer these
types of services and opportunities because of the lack of government support. Not only that, In 2010, according
to PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), It was pointed out
that of 100 children enrolled in the elementary school, 66 finish in time standard, 17 enter the college and 2 or 3 in go
on to postgraduate courses. Also nearly
35% of the students drop out of school.
The students are losing interests in their
studies and they stop going to school to
work and earn money or simply because
they don’t want to go school.
The here and the hereafter of a country’s prosperity depends upon the qual-
ity of the education of its people. Mexico has still plenty of time to improve
the educational system and it’s a must
for the future of Mexico to continue to
prosper.
One of the biggest concerns in Mexico
is the insecurity situation. Now, the war
between The Federal Police and the Soldiers against the bad guys brings calamity to the citizens. One night I witnessed
a gunfight in a bus. This accident became a trauma.
The other problem is corruption. Corruption has been rampant in this society. Personally, I do not agree with
fathers’ jobs transferring to their sons
because it is not fair. Everyone has to
get an opportunity to fair competition.
Also, there is a lot of sex discrimination
here. Even though the women’s population is higher than the men’s, men get
employed more than often than women do, and for better jobs.
So, as you can see, Mexico has many
problems, but they do not take away
the fact that there is also a big potential here as well. Mexico should reflect
on their problems and each Mexican
should wake up with patriotism in his
heart. I hope the future of Mexico will
be better than yesterday because Mexico is now my second home.
Somewhere in the universe, there was this land called
“Anormalia” where nothing seemed to be normal.
Here, people could fly, they lived for hundreds of years
and the environment was so pure that it may resemble
some kind of sanctuary. In a few words this land was
what every man dreams of.
Everyone was happy with the way they lived except for
one young guy. His name: Blake Prish. Since he was a
little child he heard stories about a world completely
diferent, the world where humans lived. A world full
of imperfections but still amazing. He always wanted
to escape from his land and dive into the wonders that
Earth offered.
Anormalia
One night while he was sleeping, he saw on his dream
his dead grandfather, who had told him that there was
one way to get to the world of the humans. He had to
reach the top of the mountains of hope and there he
would see a portal to Earth.
So the next morning he grabbed a backpack with food,
water and some other things for the travel and headed to the mountains. Since he could fly this wasn’t a
problem for him, the problem was to find the portal.
He couldn’t see anything that could be the road to another world. At this point he wondered if he was
crazy for trusting a dream he had, but just when he
was thinking of this he saw a sparkling circle of the
size of a balloon. It was the portal! Without thinking it
twice he jumped into it and in a few seconds he was in
the middle of a road surrounded by a desert.
Blake was amazed by the majesty of the landscape
he was looking at that he didn’t even realized that
he couldn’t fly, apparently, now he had the same
capabilities of a human. So he walked for a few
minutes until he bumped into a girl riding a motorcycle
who almost ran him over.
—Are you o.k.? —said the girl
—Yes, I’m fine thank you
—I’m so sorry I didn’t see you
—Don’t worry I shouldn’t be walking in the middle of
the road
—Well, that’s true. I didn’t introduce myself, my name
is Cassandra
—Hi, I’m Blake
Jake on the road
12
13
—Nice to meet you. So, what are you doing here?,
walking in the middle of the desert
—I just crossed the portal
The girl was confused, Blake didn’t notice that it had
been inappropiate to mention that.
—The what? Excuse me but I don’t know what are you
talking about.
—The portal from my world to Earth, we are on Earth
right?
—Well I’m on Earth, but I’m not sure that so do you.
—I don’t understand
—Never mind, so tell me about this world you talk
about.
The girl thought that Blake was a crazy guy so she
didn’t mind what Blake was just telling her about
Anormalia.
—So, you can fly —said the girl after Blake finished his
explanation
—No, apparently I can’t do it on Earth, just in my world
—Sure, sure.
—You don’t believe a word I’m saying right?
—Not really.
Luckily for Blake, he was carrying an artefact that his
people used to reproduce memories like if they were
a video. He showed Cassandra what he had seen in
Anormalia and the girl started to trust Blake’s word.
He asked Cassandra to talk about her planet and the
way humans lived. The young boy couldn’t believe what
he was hearing. How was it posible that humans could
destroy their own world? Even though Anormalia was
beautiful Blake thought that Earth was even more
amazing than his world. For him, the defects of its
people made it more diversified and unique.
—I’m glad you think that way. I’d wish more people
around here thought the way you do.
A few hours had passed and it was getting dark, Blake
had to come back to Anormalia and Cassandra took
him back to the portal, but when they reached the
place where the sparkling circle was, they saw some
guys around it wondering what could that be. Blake
and Cassandra waited to see what the men would do.
Just as they feared the men entered the portal.
—This is terrible Cassandra, they will see my world,
they shouldn’t be there, this is all my fault I shouldn’t
have come here.
—Don’t blame yourself for pursuing your dreams.
Now come on, we have to get them back to Earth.
The two kids entered the portal attempting to prevent
the men from discovering what Anormalia had to
offer. If the humans had done much harm to earth
they couldn’t even imagine what they would do to
Anormalia.
14
—Cassandra, do you know those guys?
—I‘ve seen them twice, I think they are mercenaries
—Is that bad?
—I think so, but lets not talk now, we have to find them
Not much time had passed when they saw the
mercenaries destroying some houses and stealing
everything in their path.
—Why don’t they do anything? They are being stolen.
—We are peaceful people
—Well if you don’t stop them, I will.
—Wait, they can hurt you
—They won’t do me more damage than they’re doing
to your world and your people.
The girl approached the mercenaries and yelled at
them
—Hey you! You’d better stop what you’re doing
—Or what? —answered one of the mercenaries, the
leader apparently.
—This is not about the money you would get with
all those treasures, you‘re hurting these people,
they haven’t done anything to you, nor us. They are
not responsible for our mistakes. We are already
destroying our world, let’s not destroy theirs.
The mercenary remained silent for a while and then
he muttered something to the other men who were
with him. Cassandra was terrified but she was looking
at them firmly.
—We are not leaving this place without something in
return.
—We can give you treasures but please stop destroying
our homes. —said Blake desperate.
—Fine. We have a deal.
The people of Anormalia gave the mercenaries some
treasures, but as they were so clever, they didn’t give
them valuable things, just things that seemed to be
valuable.
The mercenaries were about to leave. just as Cassandra.
As soon as they were gone, the portal would be closed,
and no one could travel through it again.
—I guess I won’t see you again —said Blake to Cassandra
—I’m afraid so, but this way your world won’t be
threatened again.
—Are you going to be okay?
—Of course, I’m a tough girl.
—Good bye Cassandra
—Good bye Blake.
Blake would miss Cassandra but he knew it wouldn’t
be possible to see her again. So after everyone fixed
the mess that the mercenaries had left Blake went to
his place and fell asleep just to dream once again of
his dead grandfather.
Jake and Cassandra saying good bye
Québec’s status within Canada
On September 24 2012, with a crowded
auditorium filled with college and high
school students, Valerie Lacombe, a
teacher from the language department,
shared with the audience an interesting
speech about her homeland in Canada
—Québec—. Lacombe´s conference was
an appealing one in which she had the
opportunity to mention what the Québec’s status is within Canada. Through
colorful visuals, pictures, and charts,
Valerie definitely brought Québec closer
to us by discussing about its culture,
history, folklore and much more. People who gathered that morning to listen
to her were able to discover how different French Canada can be, compared
to the English Canada. Students got
involved in this presentation by asking
the speaker about her country once she
was through. Needless to say how interested the audience was as Valerie continued to talk and to change each slide
projected on the screen.
Through this presentation, the language
department at IEST participated in the
event organized by Asuntos internacionales called «Vive Internacional» which
was held from September 24 to 28. Vive
internacional is a series of conferences
through which the speakers who take
part of it, bring the world right in front
of the audience making them aware of
how globalization has impacted our
lives in so many aspects.
The Mercenaries
15
David Gomez Fuentes
President
Instituto de Estudios Superiores
de Tamaulipas
Jorge Barrón de la Rosa
Academic Vicepresident
Avenida Dr. Burton E. Grossman
501 pte. Col. Tampico-Altamira
CP. 89609
Altamira Tamaulipas, México.
Tel. (833) 230 25 66
Alfredo Castillo
Language Center Coordinator
Kizzy López
Editor
Martha Eileen Ramírez
Editorial Designer