The A-WA-KEN, South African Faction logo

Carol, Sky and XiaXiahn of AWAKEN South African Faction

GL: Why “A-WA-KEN”?

XiaXiahn: A-WA-KEN is derived from the word Awaken. We chose the name in representation of very many things beginning with the simple act of ‘waking’. Waking from our dreams, waking up to our selves. Waking up to the moment and the inevitable awakening of new and shared experiences.

We are awake and open to the art of possibility within each day…

GL: What sort of activities are you offering?

XiaXiahn: A-WA-KEN is an in-depth South African experience of artistic expression incorporating dance, music and art. We also host various fun-filled English activities available under our A-WA-KEN Papillon umbrella. We are open Mondays to Saturdays 07h30–18h00. For the summer holidays we will be hosting exciting English craft workshops for children throughout the month of August and we re-open officially as of the 12th of September 2011.

Currently our general sessions for children are filled with fairy tales, artistic crafts and creative movement. We incorporate natural elements into our arts and crafts activities whilst adhering to the principle of Anglais en s’amusant. Our program is designed to be flexible and these lessons are adapted to suit the relevant age-groups of the children in question. We also offer Soutien Scolaire, family playcare and babysitting services.

Our adult members explore the dynamics of language through conversation and creative writing. We host ‘Survival English’ meetings for travellers and English conversation sessions.

We offer natural, organic meals and snacks on request as well as an opportunity to sample authentic South African foods one evening a month at our A-WA-KEN dinner.

 

Handcrafted books created at A-WA-KEN

GL: How can people find out more information and/or get involved?

XiaXiahn: For more information please contact us directly by telephone or via e-mail as we prefer a personal approach. Our contact details are as follows:

Meylan

Please contact Carol (landline: 04 76 59 31 95; mobile: 06 12 65 64 14)

Grenoble (12 bis Quai Mounier, 2ème étage, St Laurent, 38000, Grenoble)

Please contact XiaXiahn (pronunciation similar to Josiane) and Sky (landline: 04 76 03 12 74; mobile: 06 38 48 70 84)

awaken@orange.fr

skype me ° waken.awaken

Our website is under construction and will be ‘live’ on the 15th August 2011. Our ‘A-WA-KEN Online Store’ will offer a unique opportunity to order personalized items directly from our website as well as handcrafted items. Keep an eye out for our Facebook group. Follow us on twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

GL: What are A-Wa-Ken’s plans for the future?

XiaXiahn: In light of our Ubuntu culture we are in the process of expanding our enterprise into a multicultural centre where English and the Arts come together to create a platform for creativity and diversity, expanding individuality in a space which caters for children and adults alike. We hope to inspire a ‘community-based’ youth project for teenagers focused on ‘Ubuntu in action. We are currently operating from a small and lively venue in Grenoble in addition to a small space in Meylan while we explore our options for an independent location.

We will be incorporating the following new and exciting avenues for creative exploration into our program in the near future: Social dancing – our group or individual classes will become a vehicle for practicing the art of English conversation whilst learning to dance. Gumboot fusion – incorporating an eclectic mix of tribal, urban and contemporary movements accompanied by drumming will offer us an insider view of South African culture at its best.

We will at long last be launching ‘eYe’ – a unique form of transcendental movement experienced through ambient and digital sound which takes us on a journey deep within ourselves. We look forward to crafting and making use of African musical instruments to explore rhythm and sound. We will host the A-WA-KEN Festival once a year for our members to showcase their talents.

We can’t wait to welcome you into our South African home …

iTU Espace Design interior

We talk to Charlotte Felix-Faure of iTU Espace Design, a new fair-trade boutique in Grenoble showcasing the creations of Southern African artists and artisans.

Grenoble Life: What and where is iTU Espace Design and when did it open?

Charlotte Felix-Faure: iTU Espace Design presents a unique collection of creations resulting from the rich artistic traditions and cultures of Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique …). The creations have been designed and handcrafted by artisans and artists working within non-profit organisations and by artists employing people from the townships and rural areas.

We opened our doors on the 1st of December 2009.We are situated at 5, rue Aubert Dubayet 38000 Grenoble, in the very artistic neighbourhood (and village within the city) of rue lakanal/place championnet (www.ruelakanal.com).

GL: What inspired you to open this boutique?

Charlotte: I studied sciences and business in South Africa and then went on to study for a Master in International Business at Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, completed in 2007. After a stint in the corporate environment, I decided to embark on a project that has been very close to my heart, opening a faire-trade art and design boutique working with Southern African artisans and artists. What inspires me most is the creativity that is blooming in Southern Africa these last couple of years, notably in South Africa. And I’m not talking about your typical roadside souvenirs or cheesy wildlife art, I mean Design! Originality! Hipness! Every time I go down there I get swept away by new amazing creations and their originality! I think to myself this really deserves to be shown to the world. I also love the fact that there is so much recycled material used in many of the products and there’s already a “green” culture that is growing within the society.

GL: How important is fair trade to you?

Charlotte: Fair trade is very important and very necessary. It actually has to be the normal way of conducting business. People should be paid according to what they judge their effort, skill and time are worth. By trading fairly with the producers we allow them to live a decent life and to be able to provide for their families. Then they’ll have no need to go far away in search of employment, leaving their loved ones behind and risking their own lives in the process.

GL: Where do you come from originally and why did you first come to France?

Charlotte: I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and I have been living in France since 2003. You’ll be amazed at things one is capable of doing for love [laughs]!

GL: How did you create your network of artists and artisans and where are they from?

Charlotte: My network of artists is from Southern Africa. I knew some of them and had heard of most of them before setting up my store. Because I’ve always liked these kinds of products and have bought them for my home, I already knew a couple of the artists and designers from before. I have a good network in South Africa as well, so I was able to be referred to some of them by friends.

Charlotte Felix-Faure

GL: Do you have to travel to Africa often?

Charlotte: Yes, I just love that because in that way I can always stay in touch with new developments in the art and design scene in that region of the world. I have just returned from a trip in Cape Town. I attended the yearly design expo called the Design Indaba which was breathtaking … I really love what I do!

GL: What were some of the challenges setting up a boutique in Grenoble?

Charlotte: My main challenge was to figure out who my customers were going to be in this mountain and ski town! Are people really interested in new and different things that come from a place that they don’t know much about? Especially products that are not your typical commercial stuff! Then I put my trust in the quality of the products offered and I was able to position my business accordingly.

GL: What organisations did you find helpful in setting up your business?

Charlotte: I first presented my business plan to my bank (thank goodness for business school education!) then, I went to the Grenoble Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie for advice on different legal stuff about setting up a business. I also went to see MCAE and they were really helpful because they provide advice from experts in business and entrepreneurship. After finding a suitable location I just went for it. The whole process took six months, from decision to opening!

GL: What has the reaction been from the Grenoble public?

Charlotte: Fantastic! I had vernissages for four days for the opening, from Tuesday to Friday, and each night there was a good crowd. People were pleasantly surprised even in my entourage; they did not expect to see the kind of things I’m selling. The neighbours are quite proud to have a beautiful boutique in their street. There has been very positive feedback and encouragement from a lot of people.

GL: What’s next for iTU Espace Design?

Charlotte: I would like to go further and organise for the young artists that I work with to come over and exchange with artists in Grenoble and vice versa. I would like to encourage cultural exchange, events and workshops between the French and Southern Africans. But I will have to see if there is interest on the French side first.

You can contact Charlotte Felix-Faure at:
iTU Espace Design
5 Rue Aubert Dubayet
38000 Grenoble
FRANCE
T. +33476472822
M. +33662701522
www.itu-designartisanal.com

A detail from the cover of Thora van Male's book, 'Liaisons généreuses'

Grenoble Life talks to Thora van Male, author of Les liaisons généreuses – l’apport de français à la langue anglaise, ahead of a talk she is giving organised by Alliance Grenoble-Oxford on April 7.

Grenoble Life: What is the topic of the talk you have organised with Alliance Grenoble-Oxford?

Thora van Male: I’m going to be talking about my latest book, Liaisons généreuses. It deals with the huge debt that English owes to the French language. We English speakers (I’m from British Columbia, in Canada) are more aware of this than the French are. My impression is that in France, people are so obsessed with the supposed invasion of English into French, that they don’t realize that, a) English would not be much at all without French, and that, b) a lot of the words that are coming from English to French are just returning home, so to speak.

When you see the many many areas where words from French predominate in English, it really makes you think; such subjects as law, religion, cooking, life in society, politics. There are very few areas of life in English whose vocabulary is not affected by – French.

GL: Who should come to the talk?

Thora: Well, I will be speaking in English, which means the talk is aimed at people who are interested in and speak some English. All the AGO people speak French, though, as do I, and the question session after the talk will be bilingual and bicultural, so to speak.

In terms of the content of my talk, it will probably be more of an eye-opener for French people than for the Anglo-Saxophones, as I call us. However, I intend to make the talk interesting and accessible to everyone. And I hope to provide a few chuckles, if not guffaws.

GL: How has the French relationship to the English language changed since you arrived in France?

Thora: Well, you know about the Loi Toubon that was voted in 1994; its objective was to prohibit the use of languages other than French (Read my lips: Eng-lish!) in official French documents, in business, in advertising, etc. This law also established quota rules about how much English-language music could be played on the radio, etc.

Just to put that into perspective, remember that the provincial government of Quebec had voted its Charter of the French language in 1977; this put legislative authority behind the enforcement of French as the language of government and law, as well as that of work, instruction, communication and commerce.

That being said — and people recognize this — English exercises a certain attraction to French speakers in France; dropping an English word here and there is considered to confer a touch of class. Conversely, as you know, the prestige of French exercises a huge influence on English speakers, to this day. Of course, English no longer borrows what I might call “meat and potato” words from French, words that English doesn’t have a name for — this is something I’ll be talking about — but there are still French words coming into English. I found this really noticeable in the latest issue of The Economist’s Intelligent Life. But also in a book of Woody Allen’s witticisms…

GL: As someone who has taught English at the University here in Grenoble and published books for learners of English, what changes have you witnessed in the way the language is taught in the French educational system?

Thora: There has been a continuing move towards getting learners to work with English in a “real world” environment. The conjugation tables and the translations that I grew up with gave way to audio language laboratories, but still with a lot of rote work. The Internet has totally changed that, and the focus is moving more towards experiencing English as it is spoken in environments that are meaningful to each learner. As I see it, that is a general trend.

GL: What needs to be improved?

Thora: Have you got a couple of hours? Judging from my students, I would say that in secondary education they need to hear more authentic English and to be dragged away from translation. They also need real-life experiences with English (Wouldn’t it be nice if English language films were shown on TV with English subtitles …). They also need to shed some inhibitions.

You remember the passage in My Fair Lady when Henry Higgins says “In France, every Frenchman knows his language from A to Z; they never care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce it properly.” Well there is a grain of truth in this. Students just don’t want to pronounce a word unless they can spell it, and once they have the spelling they tend to “spell-pronounce” — you know, pronounce the L in ‘could’, etc. — in fact, pronounce every word as if it were French. The insecurity involved in jumping in and pronouncing a word that they might not know, or might not know the spelling of, just petrifies them!

But I should get off my hobby-horse: I love my job, and am quite willing, year in, year out, to put my heart and soul into teaching English to my students.

GL: Where do you teach?

Thora: Now, I teach only at the Institute of Political Science on the campus. But like so many expats (though I now have dual nationality) I taught English all over the place in Grenoble before I managed to get a post in the French university system.

GL: When did you originally come to Grenoble and why?

Thora: I came in 1970, with a scholarship from the French government. And I just never went back to Canada! I had always loved French … I think it was my mother who got me going when I was a child, when she taught me that silly song about “La plume de ma tante”. Had I stayed in Canada, I would no doubt have become a French teacher.

GL: You are a published expert on French dictionary illustrations.

Thora: Yes, I am, but my expertise is limited to those little ABC primer type compositions that represent several objects whose name starts with a certain letter. Though this is common in children’s’ alphabet books, France is the only country I know of that has them in dictionaries for adults as well. So when you look at the alphabet illustrations in a dictionary dated, say, in the 1850s, you have a sort of snapshot of French culture and society at that time. It is fascinating. To my amazement, this is a field that had never been researched until I got involved in it. It has been a lot of fun. Since there was no existing research on the subject, I really had to start at zero, and create the tools to analyse all these pictures. I even coined a word for them, since French didn’t really have one; and that involved a meeting Alain Rey, the author of the Petit Robert, a very interesting experience. I love the “treasure hunt” side of this work: you’ve got all these pictures, and you have to figure out what they represent. Plus, I’m always on the lookout for some dictionary that I haven’t yet come across.

GL: What sparked off this particular passion?

Thora: Well, I often jokingly answer this question by saying the answer is contained in an alphabetical list of things I love: A as in alphabet, B as in brocante, C as in calligraphy, D as in dictionary, E as in aesthetics, F as in France, G as in Grenoble, H as in hedonism … The dictionaries I work on are up to 150 years old, and their alphabetical illustrations really combine these elements. In fact I love the alphabet so much that one of my recent books is subtitled La Vie secrète de l’alphabet.

GL: You have also curated a touring exhibition about dictionary ornaments. Tell us about that and where we can see it.

Thora: Shortly after I published Art Dico, I was invited by the Lyons printing museum to curate an exhibition there. It was a lot of fun choosing among the many old illustrations, having huge blow-ups made of them, and showing the general public how rich this apparently naïve form of illustration can be. Another fun aspect was rounding up dozens of artefacts, finding the actual objects that appear in the illustrations. I presented two groups of 26 items, one for children and one for adults, and the game for the visitors was simply to find the names of all the objects. Many of these artefacts were things that people just don’t see today. What I loved about that part of the exhibition was that it showed how the world reflects the dictionary, as opposed to how the dictionary reflects the world. But I could go on about that for hours, too …

Chance being what it is, once the exhibition was over in Lyons, I met a man whose surname is almost identical to mine and who is both a calligrapher and an alphabet-exhibition manager. What serendipity! Bernard Vanmalle has now taken the ART DICO exhibition under his wing. It has circulated widely in France (mostly in public libraries and médiathèques). Unfortunately, it was in Grenoble three years ago for several months, so I do not think it will be here again in the near future …

GL: This wasn’t your first exhibition, though. You exhibited photographs of rue Brocherie at the Grenoble Maison de la Culture in 1981.

Thora: That was another really interesting project. I asked all the merchants on the street I live on to stand on their doorstep for a picture, and to tell me about the past history of their shop. Then I produced a set of panels that combined my photographs and some fabulous line drawings done by a man who worked at the Maison de la Culture at the time; I wrote a text about the history of each shop, and calligraphed it onto each panel.

This exhibition doesn’t circulate any more, and I hope that it will at some point join the Musée Dauphinois collection.

GL: Tell us about your charitable work and how our readers can get involved.

Thora: For several years, now, I have been volunteering in a soup kitchen in the centre of the old town. The association provides breakfast every morning, hot lunch twice a week in the winter months, clothing, food hampers and a variety of other services. The people who come are not all homeless, but they are all in fairly distressing situations (this can include being a refugee, having mental health issues, drug or alcohol problems, or just plain poverty). We have between 40 and 100 people every morning.

If your readers want to help us, one thing we are always in need of is men’s shoes. They can be dropped off at 4 bis rue du Vieux Temple, any week day between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. The association also accepts monetary donations; I myself am very interested in donations in kind, however, and can promise you that any shoes that are given will find a pair of needy feet!

Thora van Male will be talking about her new book at Maison des Langues on campus on Thursday April 7 at 6.30pm. Contact Alliance Grenoble-Oxford for more information.

Wing It Productions logo

Grenoble Life talks to Hélène Perrin-Gouron, Vicki Bernard and Katie Coakley – aka Wing It Productions – a new English theatre group for secondary school pupils in and around Grenoble.

Grenoble Life: Who is Wing It Productions?

Hélène Perrin-Gouron: Three passionate women who have always loved and done some theater; one French having lived in the US, one English, and one Irish.

Vicki Bernard: Sounds like the beginning of a joke…

Katie Coakley: Oh thanks, ladies. I’m the Irish one (‘wanting desperately’ to change the subject)! We’re part of the abc anglais association, which aims at helping people ‘learn, improve or maintain their level of English in the most natural manner’. Our goal is to open this theatre activity to the entire secondary school community in and around Grenoble.

Hélène: That is… for this first year. I have the High School population (15-18/19) in mind too, the college students, etc.

GL: What is the philosophy of the group?

Vicki: Having worked so often with young people, we have really been able to see how much the theatre can bring them in terms of self-confidence, team-work (relying on others), their creativity and imagination.

Katie: The fact that we use English purely as a vehicle means that they improve their English without even realising it.

Hélène: I would add to this that one of the most positive things to come out of the work with young ones is the bonding that they experience. The show becomes bigger than every single one of them, and us.

Katie: Very much so! It also eradicates the age differences.

GL: What ideas do you have for your first productions?

Katie: Although we’re going to keep that secret, we can say that we’re going down the comedy road.

Vicki: Our lips are sealed.

GL: What have some of the major challenges been getting started and how have you overcome them?

Katie: To start with, we had a real dilemma. Do we create our own association or do we become part of an existing one?

Vicki: We were very fortunate to come across abc anglais (through Helen McEwan who worked on the Cité Scolaire Internationale pantomime with us.) They took us under their wing.

After that, our main challenge was sorting out a lot of things all at the same time: reading umpteen scripts to find a story, organizing and advertizing the auditions…

Katie: And making sure that all this gets done behind the scenes without a hitch. That in itself is quite a challenge!

Hélène: I, personally, was happy to have help with all that work that no one ever imagines exits. How to overcome the constant challenges? With ‘your head in the stars and your feet on the ground’ (i.e. persistence, patience, with zest, and more persistence, more patience, etc.)

GL: What kind of people are you looking for and how can they audition?

Katie: Anyone of any nationality between 11 and 15 with a good knowledge of English and an excess of enthusiasm.

Hélène: You can be French, British, American, or whatever; but you must know that the whole activity is going to be run entirely in English.

Vicki: In other words, you can come from Mars …

Hélène: Or Venus …

Vicki: As long as you can get along in English and are prepared to improve through taking part.

Hélène: If you wish to join us for this thrilling adventure, go to www.abcanglais.org, section ‘collège’. All the information you need is there!

GL: Tell us a bit about your theatrical backgrounds

Hélène: I started doing theater at university, in the US. Then I was asked to keep going with the county community theater. I thoroughly enjoyed working eight months solid on the ‘Man of La Mancha’ musical. I was there six days a week and I can’t think of any moment not being sparkling! Then these past few years, I was general director of the C.S.I. panto where every single cast has been my favorite!

‘Out of hours’, I’m a scriptwriter and have worked on long features such as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, or Pearl Harbor; and if you’re dying for more names, you can go to my LinkedIn profile.

Vicki:  I was involved in acting in a semi-professional theatre in England. I did drama all through school, acting and directing as house and drama captain. I acted during my university days too and put on a couple of plays in the English Department at U.3 in Grenoble. Finally, I was part of the panto direction team at the C.S.I. for two years.

Katie: I’ve done theatre with small children in Ireland. Here in Grenoble, I’ve worked on the C.S.I. panto for two years.

GL: What is the potential of Grenoble in particular for this type of theatre group in terms of audiences and participants?

Hélène, Vicki, and Katie: (with one voice) Massive!

GL: Thanks ladies. Watch this space for updates and news about Wing It Productions.

Breastfeeding baby. Photo by fikirbaz

Grenoble Life talks to Kelly Rigotti of Les Marraines de Lait – an Isère based association offering breasfeeding support – ahead of their meeting this Thursday. 

Grenoble Life: What is Les Marraines de Lait and what is your involvement in the association?

Kelly Rigotti: The Marraines de Lait (Big Sisters of Breastfeeding) is a local, non-profit association dedicated to supporting new mothers in creating the breastfeeding experience that works for them. Unlike other local associations, like the La Leche League or the Voie Lactée, we don’t have regular monthly meetings, although we do meet several times a year. Instead, we match new and experienced moms to create a breastfeeding support pair; to give the new mother an experienced person she can call on when she has questions, problems … or just needs to talk. Our role is not to offer medical advice, but instead lend a friendly, supportive ear to our filleules, or Little Sisters.

I have been a filleule in the association, a marraine (big sister) many times over, as well as past president. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of these roles, although I like being a marraine the best! 

GL: How, when and why was the association founded?

Kelly: The association was founded in 2003 with the goal of recreating formally the informal bonds that used to exist when we lived in smaller communities. Little girls used to grow up seeing their moms, aunts, neighbors, sisters and friends breastfeeding and there was always somebody to turn to for advice. As we’ve moved away from our villages and into a more modern community, and especially with the dominance of bottle-feeding over the past few generations, it has become more and more common for a new mother to be the first in her circle of family and friends to want to breastfeed. After her stay in the hospital, she might not have any one to turn to with her questions, and if she does ask a friend or older relative, more often than not the advice will be to give the baby a bottle.

Associations like the La Leche League and the Voie Lactée use hotlines and monthly meetings to reach and support new moms, but the Marraines de Lait feel that it’s important for each new mom to have one (extra) person she can rely on. 

GL: What are some of the health benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby?

There are innumerable health benefits for both moms and babies, from a decreased risk of allergies for the baby to a lower risk of breast cancer for the moms. That said, we don’t believe that formula feeding is evil – sometimes it’s necessary for a number of reasons. Our goal is not to push what some might call a Radical Breastfeeding Agenda. We believe in supporting moms and babies to find a breastfeeding relationship that works for them: from exclusive, long-term nursing, to pumping and bottle feeding, and everything in between.

GL:  In what ways do traditional views of breastfeeding in France differ to those in Anglophone countries?

France has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the European Union, although Isère is on par with the UK and the US with about 75% of new mothers choosing to breastfeed. Once women go home from the hospital after giving birth however, the percentage continuing to breastfeed at home drops to about 50% and there are very few women who continue to nurse their babies after about four months, when the average mom returns to work.

France also has, in my experience as an American, a very faithful membership in what I call the Cult of the Physician. I’ve found that French people (and I’m generalizing wildly here) tend to think that scientific things must be better than something that hasn’t passed through a laboratory, which to my mind explains why so many women here believe that Bottle is Best.

Women in the United States tend to breastfeed longer than in France; although the percentage of mothers who are still breastfeeding at six months (the minimum recommended by the American Medical Association) is higher than in France, the percentage of women in most developed countries who are still breastfeeding at two years (the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization) is still very, very low. I myself breastfed my three children for a combined length of time that was longer than the amount of time I spent in higher education.

GL: What support does the association receive from the medical establishment?

We have a list of doctors who support breastfeeding and to whom we refer people for any suspected medical question and we work with several certified lactation consultants. While our role is not to provide medical advice, we do have several nurses, midwives and doctors in our midst and we also organize and attend several trainings a year. We have set up a program for premature babies at the Hôpital Nord as well.

GL:  Can new mothers and fathers get support in English if needed?

There are a few native English speakers in the association (myself included) and several other people who speak English fluently. We also have German and Spanish speakers in the group.

GL:  How can people find out more and/or get involved?

Check out our website! You can also call the hotline at 04 76 33 30 81; leave a message sand somebody will get back to you. For help in English, feel free to call me: 06 67 33 74 91.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, 24 February, 2011, beginning at 10 am (and continuing till we get tired of chatting!). It will be held at the Café des Zébulons, 2 rue Sergent Bobilot, in Grenoble.

'Raquette nocturne' with Association France Etats-Unis

April Buchanan of Association France Etats-Uni talks to Grenoble Life about getting together with the “internationally-minded” for picnics, museum visits and full-moon raquette nocturne.

Grenoble Life: What is Association France Etats-Unis?

April Buchanan: Well, France-Etats Unis is many things to many people. It’s actually a national association, with almost 30 chapters in all different regions and cities all over France. It’s a social organization that is open to anyone who is interested in either American culture, or anyone interested in promoting friendship and understanding between France and the United States.

You don’t necessarily have to be American or French, and you don’t even have to speak English! We have members of all nationalities and ages, students and professionals. A lot of members are either American ex-pats and their families, or French people who have either lived or vacationed in the States and loved it! It’s also a great social setting for international couples or people new to France who are looking for a place to feel less like a stranger in a strange land.

GL: Tell us about the history of the Grenoble chapter – why here?

April: A lot of people are surprised to learn that the first France Etats-Unis was first started in Paris just after World War II, under the name ‘France USA’ back in September 1945. Ten years later the name was changed to the current one, and the association began to grow across the country.

The Grenoble chapter has a unique story, in that it began in the early 1950s, but it kind of lapsed in the 80s and 90s. It was in 2005 that Pierre Hermant relaunched the association in Grenoble, and it has been growing ever since. In 2010 we had 65 official members, but it seems like more since we often have a lot of friends and visitors who participate in the fun as well!

Grenoble is the perfect place to have a really dynamic and vibrant association since it is such an international city! With so many multi-national companies bringing employees from abroad, the University of Grenoble having exchange programs with many American universities, and the Grenoble Graduate School of Business with their many international masters study programs, there are a huge number of Americans and other ‘internationally-minded’ people living here either permanently or temporarily. France Etats-Unis is the perfect platform for these people to meet casually and feel welcome in a positive and friendly environment.

GL: The moto of the association is “For a better mutual acquaintance and understanding.” Can you elaborate on that?

April: I think one of the best quotes I’ve read about the association sums it up nicely. The second elected president of the association, André Maurois said in 1955, “… there is nothing more important for these two countries than to maintain a total and trusting friendship between them.” He goes on to say that the historical factual links between France and the United States, specifically each country helping the other in gaining its independence, is simply not enough to maintain this friendship … that it is a living reality, founded on mutual respect, constant collaboration, and a common culture of supporting peace and freedom.

While remaining independent and completely apolitical, the role of France Etats-Unis is to support this idea, and we can do that through cultural and social events, national holiday celebrations, and fun social exchanges between people of many nationalities and backgrounds, including but not limited to French and American.

GL: What sort of events do you organise?

April: We have quite a few events all year long, including the major national celebrations of both countries, as well as activities to explore the heritage and nature around the Isére region, so there’s always something to look forward to. And we always have a regular monthly “Hot Spot,” which is a casual get together held on the first Wednesday evening of each month. For the past year or so we’ve been having it upstairs at Café de la Table Ronde at 6:30, and anyone is welcome to come and hang out with us for an hour or two.

But this is in addition to our bigger planned events, which have become quite popular! With everything from Thanksgiving Dinner to nature hikes, from the traditional French Galette des Rois to museum visits and the Fourth of July picnic, there is always quite a variety of things happening in every season, and we are also open to new ideas for anything fun and interesting!

GL: What is your role and how you did you get involved?

April: Well, this is my first year being on the board of the association, and I’m really inspired and excited to help make the association grow and to spread the word to those who may not know about it!

I had lived in Grenoble for about five years when I became friends with two other American women, Jesse Bernstein and Emily Huschen, who were members and also on the board of FEU. They immediately convinced me to come to a Hot Spot on a Wednesday night, and there I met lots of interesting people, including other Americans living here that I had never met before, Franco-American couples, former French ex-pats who had lived and worked in the States, and even a retired French couple who spend half of the year in Florida! It was refreshing and reassuring to be among people who appreciated American culture and who wanted to share stories about their own experiences between the two countries.

GL: Tell us a bit about your background

April: I’m American, originally from Valparaiso, Indiana. After finishing my studies at Purdue University and working for some time in Chicago and in Austin, Texas, I came to Grenoble on holiday in 2003 to visit a friend who was working here. It was then that I realized I wanted to live abroad! Without speaking a word of French, I moved to Grenoble permanently in 2004, and it has been an incredible journey of self-discovery and world education ever since! I am currently teaching English in companies around Grenoble.

GL: Asides from events, what other advantages come from being a member of the association?

April: The events we organize in the association are always a lot of fun, but they are really a gateway to friendships and connections that can last a lifetime — I even know one person who met his wife at the Toulouse chapter of France Etats-Unis over 20 years ago! But aside from events, we have strong relationships with other associations in the area, such as Open House (an English-speaking association in Grenoble) and the American Club of Lyon to name two, but also organizations like the American Chamber of Commerce in Lyon, and the various ‘Sister City’ programs, which partner French cities and American cities to promote travel and exchange between the two.

We also have strong support from the American Consulate in Lyon, and the Mairie of Grenoble. All of these outlets, as well as the other chapters of France Etats-Unis, provide a vast network of people and places for everyone involved. This can lead to all kinds of partnerships and opportunities, which all stem from the commonly held interest in promoting multi-cultural friendship and understanding.

GL: What’s next on the calendar?

April: Our next big event is the full moon snowshoeing hike, or raquette nocturne! For those who have never gone snowshoeing, it is a great alternative to skiing to enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains here. And doing this at night under a full moon that lights up the white snow all around is a truly magical and unforgettable experience! And of course, no Alpine adventure would be complete without a traditional French Montagnard meal in a warm chalet-style restaurant to finish off the evening. It is one of our most popular annual events that we look forward to all year long!

Alliance Grenoble-Oxford

Grenoble Life talks to David Bailey of Alliance Grenoble-Oxford about the association’s history and events ahead of a debate in English it is hosting on campus, February 16.

Grenoble Life: What is Alliance Grenoble-Oxford?

David Bailey: AGO is the association that takes care of the twinning between Grenoble and Oxford in the UK.

GL: When was it founded and why?

David: Grenoble and Oxford were unofficially twinned in 1988 but the official ‘Friendship Agreement’ was actually signed in Oxford on 27 April 1989 by Alain Carignon, then mayor of Grenoble, and Queenie Whorley, mayor of Oxford. After a couple of short-lived attempts at forming a twinning committee, the AGO was founded in March 1993.

GL: What kinds of events do you organise?

David: There are two aspects to the AGO’s activity. The first is to foster exchanges between the two cities in all spheres (professional, educational, economic, artistic, sporting, social, linguistic, etc.) and to promote personal contacts between their residents. This we do with the support of Grenoble city council’s international relations department.

The second aspect of our activity is to promote Oxford and British culture in general here in Grenoble through an annual programme of events. These include play and poetry readings in English, lectures on a variety of topics, social events and outings, car rallies, debates and an annual Christmas Carols evening.

GL: What other kinds of services do you provide?

David: In the context of the actual twinning, we facilitate contacts between associations and individuals in liaison with the Oxford-Grenoble Association in Oxford, and we organise a trip to Oxford every other year, usually in the late spring. In years when we do not go to Oxford, we host a group from over there here in Grenoble.

We have in the past offered conversation classes and would be willing to do so if there is any demand. We publish a newsletter several times a year.

GL: Tell us a little about the organisers

David: Both the AGO and OGA in Oxford are entirely self-supporting, non-profit organisations run by volunteers. We have a mix of French and British people from a variety of backgrounds and professions on the committee. Our meetings are held once a month, in French.

GL: What events are coming up?

David: Our next event is a debate the traditional Oxford University style, which we are organising in conjunction with several departments of the University of Grenoble. This is the second of its kind and we hope it will become a regular event. We then have a talk in March by Thora van Male from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques on her latest book Liaisons généreuses. And over Easter we shall be welcoming the East Oxford Community Choir, which is twinned with Grenoble’s “Interlude” choir. They will be giving two performances of Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Saint Paul” with an orchestra consisting of musicians from both cities.

GL: How can people get more information and/or get involved?

David: We are always on the lookout for new members, and especially for people to help with the twinning. As our website is temporarily on hold, they should contact me (David Bailey : 04 76 40 31 34 or davidbailey@sfr.fr). Our brochure is usually available at the Maison de l’International, Parvis des Droits de l’Homme, Jardin de Ville, 1 rue Hector Berlioz, 38000 Grenoble.

Employment Opportunities. Photo: The Cleveland Kid

Rebecca Skillman talks to Nathalie Reynaud, career transitions consultant and guest speaker for the Working Women’s Network of Grenoble on February 17th.

Rebecca Skillman: What is “career sustainability”?

Nathalie Reynaud: For me it’s about keeping ourselves employable over a whole career – and not relying on one employer to look after us. Everyone’s different, of course, and it depends on our personality, constraints and environment. But we can all develop a sense of responsibility. So, rather than being the victim in a hire-and-fire culture, we are in control of our destiny, working when and how we want to.

Rebecca: Is career sustainability a recent, crisis-related trend?

Nathalie: Not for me! Right from when I left school I chose broad-based studies which allowed me to have a lot of opportunities. I had a scientific background in research – image processing – and enjoyed the work in that field. But I realized the job didn’t take account of what I needed in terms of people contact. I was behind a computer too much and it began to have an effect on my health. So I said ok, time to stop. Having a dual nationality I decided to go to Canada, to experience a different cultural perspective. I found that I really enjoyed tutoring and training – seeing the sparkle in people’s eyes when they understand how to move forward and get what they want.

From Canada I went to Mexico for two years, then returned to France as I wanted to work again in a francophone country. From there I decided to go for an MBA in change management, using previous skills and at the same time moving forward. But what really interests me is seeing where people are at, where they want to go, what their needs are and how to get there. Initially, I found a role in information systems consulting. But I felt I was losing sight of my target – people – so I changed tack and took a role in HR consulting in India.

Rebecca: You’ve worked in a huge range of contexts and countries. What’s the lesson from that?

That if you want something enough, you can have it. In each country I found the job I wanted, in my chosen environment, the way I wanted it. Even in India – where I was an ex-pat wife and everyone told me I’d never find a job, I was the only wife who had a job!

Rebecca: What would you say to someone who is having difficulty finding their own route through life?

Nathalie: You need to start from yourself. Think about what you want, what your needs and priorities are, and your skills – especially the transferable ones. Rather than sending CVs at random and focusing on what your needs are – a job – try to be pro-active, thinking about what companies need and matching this need to what you can offer. It’s a mutual process. And the global recession makes it even more important – because it can otherwise be so easy to get into a depressed “I just need a job” state.

Rebecca: What can people expect to get from your presentation to the WWNG?

Nathalie: We will share experiences – whether it’s about being unemployed, or adapting to a changing work environment, or adapting to the shifting work pattern of a husband. In all cases I want people to leave with hope of finding what they want and a better idea of themselves: where they’re at, where they want to go and how to get there.

We will talk about our personal and professional projects, and whether we are aware of the relevant values, skills, behaviour, environment and benefits. I will give some hints about how to always develop our competencies, even if we are unemployed; and how to find/create our own job, if necessary. We’ll consider possible marketing tools, how to make sure we have the right people around us, and a strategy/action plan in place. I like the metaphor of a sportsman who has to plan … one competition after the other. Which competition are you targeting? Which will be the one that will carry glory for you? The target? In the long and short term? Planning a career is no different. We have to prepare, physically and mentally, and have the right equipment to win those competitions that life throws our way.

Nathalie Reynaud of Reynaud Consulting will be speaking to the WWNG on 17 February 2011. For more information on attending this program, contact the association at www.wwng.net.

Nathalie Reynaud

"Danse" by Daniel Champhanet at Ristretto Café

Françoise Lerond talks to artist Daniel Champhanet – currently exhibiting at the Ristretto Café in Grenoble – about painting expresso-style … with coffee. 

As a lover of innovation, I was really amazed at Daniel Champhanet’s beautiful scenes, made just by playing with coffee. I decided to talk to him to know more … 

Françoise Lerond: Daniel, could you tell us how the idea of painting with coffee came to your mind? 

Daniel Champhanet: The story starts at the meal time with friends, a coffee drop leaving a stain on the white colored paper tablecloth … What a beautiful color and great transparency! My imagination immediately started to wander around, connecting very old and somehow hidden ideas. I got it! I could catch hold of any moment with minimum material; a unique medium available anywhere in the world … The solution was obvious: Coffee! 

I fully agree with Lisa Yuskavage when she says that painting is not an aesthetic orthodoxy, and that creative freedom relies on one’s will to give things a try. 

Painting expresso, just for a short coffee break! 

Françoise: What does coffee recall for you?  

Daniel: Well, after being a medicine for a long time, it became the Devil’s drink (Qahwa), and then the first foodstuff used for the purposes of speculation. Nowadays, it is one of the most widespread drinks; but I now see it as an amazing artistic medium. It’s a simple but unique material, carrying a long and vibrant history. 

I also associate it with rich imagery, from its provenance to its roasting to the way millions of people share it every day, at breakfast, or simply at a social occasion. I could also talk about smell, recalling travels, lazing around at a coffee store or just reminiscing of childhood when I was first allowed to taste this magical beverage. I think coffee reminds each of us of something different and very personal! 

Françoise: What does it allow you to do more or better than other techniques? 

Daniel: It allows me to seize the moment of an emotion, of a face, of an object. It also gives an emotional transparency, most particularly when painting eyes. When mixing it with markers or pastels, I can obtain a fantastic intensity. 

Françoise: How do you manage to get such different nuances of colors with only one substance? 

Daniel: Everything lies in transparency, a bit like watercolor. Diluted with more or less water, you obtain various nuances. Results can also be different depending on the paper you’re using. 

Françoise: That’s really great! What an amazing result! Anything else you would like to add for Grenoble Life readers? 

Daniel: Yes, I’ve been exhibiting at the Ristretto Café  in Grenoble almost since its opening. Jocelyn Glorieux has nicely welcomed my painting in his shop, allowing a great alchemy between the location, coffee and the art. 

If you want to see the exhibition, you can visit the Ristretto Café: 23, Rue de la Poste – 38000 Grenoble. I will also be there to welcome you on Saturday, February the 5^th from 1 to 3pm. 

Françoise: Thank you Daniel. We hope to see some of our Grenoble Life readers there! If any of you would like to encourage Daniel in his work or simply know more, feel free to send him an e-mail: daniel.art.fr@gmail.com. You can also see some of his coffee artwork on Youtube.

“How much further?” A map to Café Mari

Grenoble Life’s Shonah Kennedy talks to British restaurateur Steffan Edwards about setting up Café Mari, changing dining habits and serving machin anglais to the French.

Clip clopping down to the end of the small Rue d’Alembert on a cold Friday night, on the way to our office Christmas party, I couldn’t help but think “what restaurant could possibly be here?” and more importantly, “how much further?”! But then I saw the beacon of light emanating from Café Mari, which was the pre-arranged venue for the aforementioned event. Then I entered and began to drink in the cosy place, and THEN I commenced eating! What a gastronomical delight this little place has – it just needed to be shared!

Shonah: When did you come to France/ Grenoble?

Steffan Edwards: I arrived in France in 2003 just in time for the heat wave in Aix-en-Provence. I stayed there for almost two years. When my ex-girlfriend fell pregnant for the second time we decided that it would be wiser to be closer to her family (she was born here in Grenoble), so more than five years ago we arrived in Grenoble.

Shonah: What is your history in the food industry?

Steffan: My first job was when I was 14 washing up in a pub on Sundays when they had a carvery. The chef was the stereotypically fat and jovial who loved to cook almost as much as he liked to eat! From him I learnt the most important thing about cooking – you have to love to cook or you will end up hating your job and as a result your food will suffer. While I was still at school I had many summer jobs in London hotels and also an internship at the Hilton in New Orleans. At the age of 18 I knew that I was going to cook professionally.

After dropping out of university – because of foolishly taking a management course rather than a cooking course – I found my first full time job as a commis in a restaurant called Le Petit Max which, while I was there, won the Eros award from the London Evening Standard as one of the top 10 restaurants in London.

After leaving there I chose to change jobs frequently – sometimes as much as four times a year – to try to learn as much as possible about all aspects of cooking. I did stints in high class restaurants – 3 star Michelin – and also in local family restaurants. Each chosen because I thought I would benefit from them. When I thought I could learn more elsewhere I left and started looking for the next challenge.

After six years of working like this I decided to settle down and stick at a job, so I started working for Mark Hix at Le Caprice in central London. I stayed in the company for nearly three years working my way up to sous chef and also working in the two other restaurants in the group – The Ivy and J. Sheekies.

After leaving Le Caprice I was approached by a friend to help him in his new bakery – Flour Power City – to make the pastries, help with the baking and also to sell the produce at the now thriving Borough Market. After one and a half years of baking I was keen to get back into a kitchen, so I worked at the Drapers Arms – a gastro pub in Islington which was voted gastro pub of the year by the Evening Standard in 2003. That was when I arrived in France and to Antoine Cote Cours in Aix-en-Provence.

Leaving Aix in 2005 I took some time off to take care of my new born son and at the same time I started looking for a restaurant to buy.  After being let down two times for the sale of two different restaurants I went back to full time work at Le Flagrant Delice in Grenoble. While working there I heard about the sale of a small café which would become Café Mari where I have now been for more than two years!

Shonah: Since you have been working here have you noticed any changes in trends/ palates/ peoples habits in relation to eating out?

Steffan: Some of the restaurants I have worked in have really suffered because of the recession, however in the café I have not really noticed the change, mainly because my prices are reasonable and people still like to enjoy a good lunch.

There has, however been a change in people’s palates with people starting to think more about their health – looking for the healthy option which is reflected in the menus we now see.

The consumption of alcohol has also dramatically reduced in the seven years since I have lived here. Gone are the days of two hour lunches with lots of wine to help wash down the food!

Shonah: Did you find it difficult to break into the “exclusive” French café market as a foreigner?

Steffan: It has always been a bit difficult to be accepted as a chef in France. There is still the stereotype that the British cannot cook and to convince the French otherwise is not easy. A typical example of this was when I put sticky toffee pudding on the menu. I had to bargain with my clients just for them to try it, but now when the same customers come to the café the first thing they say is: is the “machin anglais” still on the menu? It is my best selling dessert. (note from Shonah – and well worth the try – AMAZING dessert!)

Shonah: What is a “typical” meal at café Mari?

Steffan: There is no typical meal here. The plat du jour changes every day with dishes coming from France, Italy, the UK, India, China and even Thailand. There is a small menu – three starters, three mains and four desserts – which changes seasonally and has its foundations in classic bistro cooking with a slightly modern edge.

Shonah: Why did you open café Mari?

Steffan: I had always wanted to run my own restaurant even from my first time in a kitchen but I wanted something small to start with, which I could run by myself and have relatively small charges. Café Mari fitted the bill perfectly.

Shonah: How can people find you/ contact you?

Steffan: I am at 116 rue d’Alembert, 38000 Grenoble. Telephone: 04.76.96.29.55. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 7.30am to 3.00pm.

I also have a facebook page for the café – Steff Cafemari. I will start updating this more frequently.

Shonah: Can people organise private parties to hold at the café?

Steffan: I cater private parties for 10 to 24 people. Normally I will meet with the host of the party beforehand and we will discuss the style of food they would like, the budget etc. Then I send off some propositions and they choose the menu that they want, at the price they want.

Shonah: Any future plans for the café or expansion?

For the moment I have no concrete plans, but I would love to introduce the French to the idea of gastro pubs. I think the French already like pubs, but I have yet to see a pub serving food here and I am convinced it would work. Watch this space!

John Evans

Shonah Kennedy interviews the eponymous founder of John Evans Anglais, Grenoble’s long-standing language school.

Who is John Evans? This was the question chorused at a TESOL event my collegues and I attended when we had to announce where we worked. This questioning of a company with such a positive reputation and which has been in the area for over 30 years surprised me, and prompted me to ask John to do an interview for Grenoble Life. It only took six months, but I am very happy that he finally said “yes”!  So, I’m extremely pleased to present the below interview with John Evans, of John Evans Anglais.

Shonah: How and when did John Evans get started?

John Evans: Everything got started in 1981 when I decided to resign from the school where I’d been working for four years  and simply set up in business as an independent, freelance teacher. It was only in 1991 that I hired my first full time teacher – who is still with me – and new teachers have been steadily joining us ever since and we now have a team of ten teachers.

Shonah: Why did you decide to go into business for yourself, rather than work for one of the other numerous schools in the area?

John: As I’d been working in a school for four years, I just felt that I’d gone as far as I could go and that the time was right for a change. I don’t remember having had a burning desire to be an entrepreneur but I did like the idea of being independent, choosing  the way I worked and the teaching methods I used and not having to be answerable to anybody – apart from my customers. On top of that, running a small business has given an extra dimension to my professional life and – as much as I enjoy teaching – I like the business side involving managing a team of teachers, maintaining our relationships with our customers and even the administrative side.

Shonah: Over the years you have been in business, what major changes have you seen in the industry?

John: In my opinion, the biggest change of all has been in the shift from working with private individuals to working more and more with professionals and companies. No language school today can survive if they don’t have a solid customer base among local industry and if they don’t provide the solutions that the professionals need.

Teaching English 30 years ago was very general and language based whereas today most courses have to be customized and adapted to the specific needs of each trainee or group of trainees. The result for the teacher is that they also need to understand how companies work.  However, it does provide for greater job interest when you find yourself working with people from all fields of industry and in different company departments.

The other major change on the teaching side has obviously been the arrival of new ways of language learning thanks to new or improved technology – telephone lessons, e-learning, computer based exercises and all the possibilities offered by the internet with podcasts etc.

On the purely business side of things, there has been a shift in power within companies themselves and we now find ourselves dealing more and more with purchasing departments rather than training departments. Purchasers are looking to find one language provider for their nationwide needs and that is why I’m now a member of Canspeak – a nationwide association of independent language schools. As a result we can provide our customers with a global solution while, at the same time, retaining our own identity.

Shonah: Who are your main clients?

John: We have very different clients ranging from large, international customers such as Becton Dickinson, Soitec, Avery Dennison, Rolls Royce and Alcan to medium-sized companies like Petzl and EFD or scientific research Institutes and also small companies or start ups like Spartoo.

Shonah: How can somebody contact you?

John: First of all, it’s easy enough to find out about us by looking at our website and anybody can get straight through to me at the office 04 76 48 22 35.  Whether they’re looking for training courses or a teaching post.

Shonah: What are the future plans for John Evans?

John: There are no predefined plans as such. We just try to keep on doing what we do best and to keep on giving our customers the best possible service. Until now, this has always proved to be a successful recipe.

Shonah: Do you have any advice for teachers starting out in the industry, or those that have been in the industry for some years, but need some inspiration?

John: I think the first thing I would tell any young teacher is to “be yourself”. Every teacher has a different personality and teaching style but I think it’s important to cultivate that rather than try to fit into a mould or do things that you are not comfortable with. Listen to your trainees and try to deliver what they want and expect and ask them for regular feedback so that you can constantly “fine-tune” your courses. Be interested in your trainees and try to motivate them as much as possible. You mustn’t forget that some trainees are not always happy to be having language lessons and the day somebody tells you that you are the one who has made language learning an enjoyable experience for them – it’s the best compliment anyone can pay you.

One final thing – don’t be afraid to make mistakes! We’ve all made them and we’ll all continue to make them but as long as we learn from them, that’s all that matters. It’s also important to remember that it’s impossible to make all of your customers happy all of the time and that your own teaching style will suit some people but not others.

Shonah: Any anecdotes to tell after so many years here and doing what you do?

John: When I look back on 30 years of teaching I think that the most rewarding part of it has been meeting people of all ages and from all walks of life. I’ve worked with people between 15 and 85, from every walk of life and with extremely diverse backgrounds. Many of the people I have worked with have become close, personal friends and it has meant that teaching is not just “a job” but a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.

A detail from The Crucible poster

We talk to David Simpson, producer of Upstage – an English theatre group comprising students at Cité Internationale Europole – ahead of their 2011 production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

Grenoble Life: Why did you choose Arthur Miller’s The Crucible for this year’s Upstage?

David Simpson: When you do one play a year, you want to do something good, something striking, something memorable. The Crucible is one of the most powerful and moving plays ever written, and is a very strong challenge for myself and my fellow directors, Therese Zanone and Claude Deladeuille, as well as the Upstage team as a whole.

GL: Arthur Miller’s work isn’t known for its comedy – does this mark a departure for Upstage? 

David: It’s true that we have a reputation for doing comedy, and there really is very little comic potential here. But very often, our comedies have had a serious thrust, and a couple of our plays could not really be classed as comedies at all. Top Girls, as one upstage girl said, ‘… made people laugh, and think, and cry.’ I had a lot of encouragement too, in choosing this play, from people who thought last year’s short Harold Pinter play Mountain Language was a brave and important performance, about the survival of human dignity in the face of totalitarian abuse, and the destruction of cultural identity.  

GL: What particular problems does The Crucible pose for cast and crew in terms of staging?

David: Of course, the emotional levels and the acting challenges involved are very demanding. But the intensity we’ve all been feeling already, in rehearsals, only seems to spur everyone on even more.

That’s the real area of difficulty, and everyone is coping well. Technically, in terms of the set or the lighting for example, this play is much easier to manage than many of those we’ve done in previous years. So the production team are able to focus on both subtlety and power of effect. The poster is a good example of this (see below).

GL: What makes The Crucible relevant today?

David: This year’s play is about collective hysteria and the persecution of individuals, people who could save themselves, save their lives, by confessing to something they haven’t done. As, such, it was relevant during the period of McCarthyism and witch-hunting when Miller wrote it. It’s just as relevant today.

The play is based on real events and real characters, settling their scores, their political, social or sexual rivalries in Salem, Massachusets in 1691. Who would say this doesn’t go on today? The Upstage team have taken to these issues and conflicts, and to the wide range of well-drawn and strongly contrasting characters, with great enthusiasm.

GL: How are rehearsals progressing?

David: There’s still lots to do, and two and a half months to go, but we all feel proud of what we’ve managed so far, and that this is a play that’s going places.

Watch this space for more info on performances and reflections from the cast

The Crucible poster

Ayurveda massage

Grenoble Life talks to Karl Di Foggia about Ayurveda massage, his international background and getting started as a small business owner in Grenoble. 

Grenoble Life: What is Ayurveda and how does it differ from other kinds of massage? 

Karl Di Foggia: Ayurveda is a traditional Indian healing system. It comes from the sanskrit word ayu, meaning life and veda, meaning science. So ayurveda means the science of life. It is considered to be a holistic medical system, recognized as such by the World Health Organisation. We encounter ayurvedic clinics in countries such as India, the UK, the USA and Mexico. 

This system is based on prevention and takes into consideration the patient as a whole person at the level of body, mind and spirit. There are ayurveda textbooks that are over 5000 years old, and it is commonly admitted to be the world’s most ancient healing system. 

Ayurveda massages vary: full body massages with hot oils;  revigorating hand massages; head massages with warm oil, for flushing away stress; foot massages for improving sleep quality; pranic massage using breathing and the properties of crystals and minerals; deep massage using reflexology points all over the body … and many others to discover. 

GL: What are the health benefits of such massage? 

Karl: For prevention or in treatment for curative purposes, massages are commonly used in ayurveda. They are adapted to fit the patient’s ayurvedic profile and symptoms. They are specially designed to stimulate circulation of blood and lymph, give energy, enliven muscle tensions, detoxify the body, joints and organs, harmonize the five elements, as well as transmit the medicinal properties of plants cooked in sesame oil (tailam). It’s an efficient way of treating the body, making oneself feel united in body mind spirit, that is to say alive and happy. 

GL: Why do people come to you? 

Karl: Nowadays many people are starting to have ayurvedic treatment to discover an exotic form of relaxation through massage, and many get into it and come back regularly to embrace the full benefits. 

The motivation comes from different sources: stress at work, back pain, sciatica, poor digestion, depression, headeaches, need for relaxation or simply to discover. It can also be part of a personally designed programme following a session to determine your ayurvedic constitution and offer personalized health and dietary advice. 

GL: Who are your clients? 

Karl: My clients are local and international, depending on the sites I am working for. At the Spa at Chateau de la Commanderie, I have both business and private clients from both France and Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and England. 

For Hewlett Packard it’s about the same mix, with a broad spectrum of people. And at my offices in Eybens or Meylan, mostly locals from Grenoble and around. 

GL: Tell us about your background – when and why did you come to Grenoble? 

Karl: I was actually born and raised in Grenoble and the Alps. Although I lived in Alpe d’Huez for my first seven years, my family later moved to Seyssinet and we stayed there throughout my childhood. I moved away later on to finish my studies in England, and graduated with an MBA in engineering management. After two years missing the sun, I then settled down in Spain for a couple of years for my first job as an export salesman. After four years abroad, I needed to come back to my family and friends and I changed my career in order to work with people, as a psycho-corporal therapist. I’ve been back in Grenoble for 10 years now. 

My first experience with ayurveda was in 1997 after a trek in Kashmir, we had a rest in a beautiful place in the Himalayas with hot termal water and ayurvedic massages, lovely! 

I graduated as an ayurvedic therapist in 2004, and constantly refine my understanding of it through books, training, and sharing with other practitioners. I’ve also been doing yoga, which is another part of ayurveda. Since last year I have been sharing my passion for ayurvedic massage through training sessions. 

GL: What can people do to learn more about Ayurvedic massage or train in this method? 

Karl: To learn more about ayurvedic massage you can start with web research, texts, books and videos. You could visit my website and find the links page with selected videos on ayurvedic massages.

I am also giving training sessions in the ayurvedic massage ‘Abyangha’ in Meylan, a 3-hour session all year long on a forthnightly basis. Or over a set of seven weekends divided into themes such as back, neck and arms; legs and feet; head and face … from November to July. More info on my website.

GL: How did you set up your own business? Which organisations did you find useful in helping you set up? 

Karl: I chose to be independent under the auto-entrepreneur status. To choose the best legal status I got advice from Chambre de Commerce de l’Isere and personnal sessions with a specialist in company-creation through Pole Emploi. 

I’ve also heard that ADIE would be helpful for small businesses needing finance. 

GL: What do you love about Grenoble? 

Karl: Not the city as itself – although it still remains at a human level (the flattest city in France, people say), you cross the centre in a 15-minute walk – but the surroundings. I mean the fact that you can escape to a lovely place in the mountains in a short car drive.

Robin Hood - a pantomime. A detail from this year's poster.

As the Junior High students at Cité Scolaire Internationale start rehearsals for the annual pantomime, Grenoble Life catches up with some of the cast.

Siobhan Coakley is playing ‘King Richard’, Jessica Vacheresse is playing ‘Lady Eleanor’, and is also Choir Director, and Matthew Lloyd is playing ‘Bobby, the Castle Guard’.

Grenoble Life: How old are you and what year are you in at the Cité Scolaire Internationale? 

Siobhan: I’m fourteen and I’m in troisième. 

Jessica: I’m fourteen and currently in troisième.

Matthew: I’m twelve and I am in cinqième. 

GL: Why did you decide to get involved with the school panto? 

Siobhan: I’ve seen previous pantomimes from the school when I first came to France. I love singing, dancing, acting and the idea of the audience taking part in the show so it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of. It’s also very different to the other types of theatre in France so it was also the excitement to be a part of something original to this country. 

Jessica: I decided to get involved in the school panto because I used to go and see it every year, and I always really enjoyed it. I also wanted to discover acting and making the public laugh. I’ve been acting in the panto for three years now. 

Matthew: I got involved in the panto because I thought it would be fun to take part.

GL: Have you ever performed on stage before? How do you feel about it – nervous, excited?  

Siobhan: Yes, when I lived in Ireland I was a part of a lot of dance, musical theatre and speech and drama clubs, so I had performed on stage before, I just wasn’t quite aware of all the people watching me at the time because I was a lot younger. However now I realize the “responsibility” of giving a good performance. Before going on stage I always feel anxious, excited and extremely nervous but once I get on stage (like many people performing in the pantomime) I don’t want to get off! 

Jessica: I’d performed on stage a couple of times before, in small singing concerts with the music school I went to. I think the memory of the fun I had on stage back then gave me confidence to walk on stage at panto. The feeling before the panto show is always tense, yet we can’t wait to start. It’s during the last couple of weeks before the show that the cast really gets close together and by the time we start the BIG week we feel like a giant family. 

Matthew: I’ve never performed on stage and I’m actually really looking forward to it.

GL: So you’ll be acting, singing and dancing? Which are you best at and which are the most difficult for you? Why? 

Siobhan: I’d say I’m probably best at dancing and acting, because they’re what I’m most experienced at. Although I’d say acting is harder because you really need to find a way to stay in character , especially during the embarrassing or intense parts. What embarrasses you usually doesn’t embarrass your character. 

Jessica: I, like most of the cast, act, dance and sing. To me singing and acting are the easiest. When I act I feel like myself (which is quite ironic as I’m not being myself!) I also love singing. Dancing isn’t my strongest point; some people feel like they’re flying when they dance. Personally I find it really difficult to coordinate my movements.

Matthew: I think I’m best at acting because I like it, whereas singing or dancing I don’t really like. 

GL: Did you all know about pantomimes before you got involved in this one? 

Siobhan: Yes, it was always a tradition when I lived in Ireland to go see a pantomime around Christmas time. So doing the pantomime at school brings back a lot of memories. 

Jessica: I don’t think many people in the cast knew much about pantomimes before watching our school panto or participating in it. One of the adults involved has sent us videos of pantomimes in the UK but most of us had never been to see one ‘live’, apart from our school panto!! 

Matthew: I’ve already been to a pantomime in England called ‘Peter Pan’. 

What interests you about the story of Robin Hood? 

Siobhan: What interests me about the story of Robin Hood is that it has never been done before as a pantomime. So the scriptwriters were able to create a completely new pantomime which we would be the first to put into production! 

Jessica: What I like about Robin Hood is that it’s not like the usual fairytales. It really might have happened! The prince has been replaced by an outlaw who wants to help, the princess has been replaced by a maid, and the “bad guy” rules the country! The roles have been exchanged and that’s what makes Robin Hood great. It also makes it an AMAZING panto! I can’t wait to see what people think about it when seeing it.

Matthew: The thing that interests me about the story of ‘Robin Hood’ is that he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. 

GL: When did you start rehearsing, and how many rehearsals do you have each week? 

Siobhan: We started rehearsing in the start of September and we have two hour rehearsals each Tuesday and Thursday, as well as occasional song and dance rehearsals at lunch time and on Saturday mornings. 

Jessica: We tried out for this year’s panto in May, just before the summer holidays. That’s when we were given our roles. But the actual rehearsals started at the beginning of our school year, in September. We have two permanent rehearsals: they take place every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5 pm to 7 pm, at the Cité Scolaire Internationale. (Thanks to our direction team who do a great job of helping us!) We also occasionally have singing and dancing rehearsals on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12pm to 2pm. (Thanks to song director and dance director who are there every time to encouraging us!) Some of the cast also participates in the panto choir. Their rehearsals take place at the same time as general rehearsals. All of these hours make our timetable heavier but we are prepared to take that on board to participate in this year’s Pantomime, Robin Hood.

Can’t wait to see you at the show!! 

Matthew: We started rehearsing the panto in early September and we have two rehearsals per week (if you not dancing or singing in it). 

Shows will happen at the Cité Scolaire Internationale (Terminus Tram B), 4 place de Sfax, in Grenoble, on Wednesday January 26th (2.30pm), Thursday January 27th (7.30pm), Friday January 28th (7.30pm), Saturday January 29th (10am), and Saturday January 29th (7.30pm). 

We highly recommend that you reserve tickets (over 18: 6 euros, 4-18: 3 euros, under 4: free).   

Send name, address, email address, date and time, and number of tickets (adult/child/under 4s) required to gregg.west@ac-grenoble.fr.  

A check, payable to Umbrella Association, is to be sent within a week to Gregg West, c/o Cité Scolaire Internationale, BP 1570, 4 place de Sfax, 38012 Grenoble Cedex 01.  Tickets will be held at the door for you. You will be asked for an ID. 

Lastly, you may see our sparkling poster up (see below) in some English speaking place, or in an English speaking website. Look for it! 

Robin Hood Poster

Sarah Setton

Grenoble Life talks to Sarah Setton about Feng Shui and Traditional Chinese Medicine ahead of an open evening at Les Sources wellness center in Meylan on Friday November 26.

Grenoble Life: Who are you and what do you do?

Sarah Setton: I’m an American who’s lived in France for the past 20 years. Professionally, I’m a practitioner of Feng Shui (a technique that improves and optimizes the impact of your environment on your quality of life) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), meaning I care for my patients using acupuncture, massage and herbal therapies. Globally, I help places and people heal.

GL: Where do you come from originally and why did you come to France.

Sarah: I’m from the east coast of the United States, I was born in New Jersey, grew up in Delaware and went to university in Virginia.  Most recently, I lived in Philadelphia before moving to France to follow my sweetheart, who was French.

GL: Tell us about Les Sources: what are the different services offered and how did it come into existence?

Sarah: Les Sources is a wellness center in Meylan that I helped create three and a half years ago with a few friends who also practice Chinese Medicine. We imagined a locale where different sorts of practitioners could share their passion for alternative therapies and practice their different techniques. When we undertook the project, there weren’t really any wellness centers in the region, but within six months or so, a few others had sprung up. 

At present we have around 30 practitioners and teachers at the center. There are a few ‘classic’ therapists including an orthoptiste (vision therapist), a kinestherapeute (physical therapist), psychotherapists and two nurses who specialize in wound management. There are also less well-known disciplines like lithotherapy (therapy with stones), reflexology plantaire (foot massage), kinesiology (working with the bodies subtle energies), shiatsu, naturopathy, sophrology and various sorts of well-being massage including Californian, Ayurvedic, and Balinese massage. Not to forget Traditional Chinese Medicine and Feng Shui!

I’m really excited that an esthetician recently joined us from a well know local spa. I think her presence is extremely complementary to the other services and opens up other possibilities for feeling good about oneself and moving toward improved physical and emotional health. 

In addition to the therapists practicing at Les Sources, there are weekly classes in our Great Room on the second floor.  This year the courses include Yoga, Tai Ji and Qi Gong (Have you seen images of lots Chinese all following the same choreography in a park?  That’s what we’re talking about here!), Do-in (auto-massage for relaxation), Ayurvedic massage, and MLC (Method de Liberation des Cuirasses, a very gentle and effective way of un-tying deep, chronic physical/emotional tensions.)

Starting in January, there will be monthly conferences on different health related topics. For instance on January 21st. I’m participating in a roundtable on nutrition and health with a naturopath and a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine. We’ll be discussing the impact of how we eat from the three different perspectives, and then we’ll be taking questions from the audience.  It should be very interesting, and perhaps useful after the holidays! 

Finally, there are evening and weekend workshops throughout the year. The topics are extremely varied, but to give a few examples, we’ve hosted workshops in Indian and African Dance, Meditation techniques, Yoga, therapeutic singing, astrology, sophrology, Tai Ji and Qi Gong, Tantra, Raising one’s personal energy level….the list goes on!

GL: When and where did you learn about Chinese medecine and Feng Shui?

Sarah: I did all my studies on ‘subjects Chinese’ here in France, at Feng Shui France in Paris, and at the CEDRE in Valance for the TCM. I was fortunate that when I moved to France. Those things I did professionally in the US were no longer open to me, and I had to recreate myself.  At the time it didn’t seem like much of a gift, but in retrospect, I realize how lucky I was! I was obliged to re-examine who I was and in doing so, I realized I wanted to help people in a very hands-on way. 

I ‘fell’ into the Feng Shui when my mother left me a book on the subject. I was intrigued by this technique that claimed to change the quality of ones’ life by ‘rearranging the furniture’ (It’s MUCH more complicated than that, but I didn’t realize that at the time!). After some experimentation, I realized it really worked  (I was amazed!) and I sought out a teacher to help me learn more. I was lucky to find a serious, three year long practitioner training course and I enrolled. 

After getting my practitioner diploma and practicing for a while, I realized the majority of my clients had health problems. With Feng Shui it’s possible to improve a global situation that leads to poor health and other difficulties, but it’s less effective than working directly with the person to improve their well-being. That’s when I decided to become a practitioner of TCM as well. I’ve now been practicing Feng Shui for 15 years now, and Traditional Chinese Medicine for seven. I’m very fortunate to wake up every morning and be excited about what the day holds in store for me!

GL: Tell us about your open evening on November 26th.

Sarah: The practitioners and teachers at Les Sources have organized an ‘Open House’ evening to give people the opportunity to meet everyone, see the center and perhaps learn about unfamiliar therapies. It starts at 17.00 on Friday November 26, and finishes at 21.00. There will even be a few mini-workshops offered in the great room from 18.00 to 20.00 to entice people to try the various techniques offered by the teachers! There will be ample time for people to meet the various practitioners and at the end of the evening there will be an informal moment with refreshments. The event is open to everyone and there is no set starting time, people can come and go as they please.

GL: What do you love about Grenoble?

Sarah: I love the museum of art, walking up to the Bastille, Cabaret Frappe!  Grenoble is a cozy city blessed with an extraordinary environment. It’s a pleasure just to look around when I’m in the tram and discover the lovely details in the buildings or to watch the mountains come alive at any given season as the light and shadows change the scenery.

GL: If there are questions about the Open House evening, how can our readers get more information?

Sarah: They can call me at 06 72 99 52 00. We are creating a website for the Les Sources, but it isn’t yet a reality. In a few month’s time though, if you look up Les Sources à Meylan on the internet, you should be able to read about all our activities!

Véronique Rostas. Photo: Gilles Galoyer, studio Jamaisvu

Véronique Rostas will be facilitating the Working Women’s Network of Grenoble (WWNG)’s upcoming seminar, Exploding the Myth of Cultural Stereotypes, on 27 November. She talks to Rebecca Skillman about her background in management development, and how the seminar is relevant for all of us who have chosen to live or work in another country.

Rebecca: Véronique, how did you first get into working with cultural awareness?

Véronique Rostas: Ever since my Masters – which I did in England – I have been aware of the cultural differences between countries. I arrived in the English university system and found that my French grande école background didn’t mean a thing to anyone. So I was left to my own devices, navigating the system. This gave me an opportunity to reflect on how every country has its own value system and it triggered my interest in how different cultures work.

In the 1990s cross-cultural awareness wasn’t high on the agenda for most companies. But I was lucky to work for a company that was an early adaptor. I was asked to run a series of two-day courses on doing business with the French, to help companies across the UK, US and Netherlands to understand better how the French operated – and hence to increase their motivation to do business with the French. Running the courses was a big eye opener. I started to understand just why the French operate the way they do.

Rebecca: Will any one individual be a focus in the seminar?

Véronique: Yes, Fons Trompenaars, the “guru” of cultural awareness. I met him just after starting the training courses and found his seven-dimensional model a superb way of analyzing interactions. It does justice to a whole culture and is completely non-judgmental – it’s absolutely not about which country is better than another. We’ll be using this model during the seminar.

Rebecca: “Dimension” – what’s that?

Véronique: For example, “universalism versus particularism.” Big words but in fact pretty simple. Universalism means “There is a rule and it applies to everybody regardless of whether you are the President of the US or a farm worker”. Particularism means “It depends”, a favourite of the French! In other words, it can be applied in different ways depending on the situation – there are more exceptions than rules. It’s a fascinating way of looking at the world and I’m looking forward to sharing it with people during the seminar.

Rebecca: What will participants be doing during the seminar?

Véronique: I’ll need to do a bit of talking – to explain the dimensions – but most of the time we’ll be in groups of five or six working on case studies for each dimension, to really understand them. Then we’ll do role plays based on three or four dimensions.  It’s a very good way to internalize the dimensions. And the seminar will also be about using participants’ own experiences to gain insights into behaviours and situations. The group will be from many different countries, with a mix of “old hands” and “new bees”, so there’ll be a rich inter-cultural environment.

Rebecca: Why is this seminar relevant?

Véronique: The common theme – regardless of the country – is frustration, because living in a country means having to deal with the administration. Most of us arrive with assumptions about how a system works, and we’re usually wrong! So we get mad when the Préfecture official won’t answer our question because it isn’t his job, or because something simple requires a sequence of forms that send us in ever-diminishing circles. And that’s before we try something more complicated like setting up as a freelancer or letting out a bedroom on a B&B basis…!

Rebecca: Why do you think it will be worthwhile coming to the seminar?

Véronique: First of all participants will gain a better understanding of their own culture and their own personal style – because it’s only when we understand these that we can look at what separates us from how the average French person operates. At that point we can look at how to flex our cultural style so as to make the most of being here and in order to perform better at a personal level.

Rebecca: “Performing” sounds as though the seminar will be most useful for people in work situations?

Véronique: Yes, it is definitely relevant there, but also for anyone experiencing difficulties or frustration due to cultural differences. It will be useful both for those who have just arrived, or who have been banging their heads against a wall for years and want to operate more effectively. Knowing about Système D – the Alpha and Omega of the French system (Débrouille or démerde!) – will save time, frustration, energy and money…! It’s all about finding shortcuts, going around the system. That’s why France doesn’t come to a standstill!

The seminar will help people make sense of what’s happening on a daily basis. You can then either say “I’ll play with the system”, or go around it because then I’ll get what I want. So rather than waste time arguing with the guy, you say “ok I’ll come back later” – and find another way.

Rebecca: When, where and how much is the seminar, and how can I book?

Véronique:  The seminar will take place on 27 November 2010 from 9h to 17h, at Novotel, Place Robert Schuman (next to the Grenoble Ecole de Management). It will cost €45 for WWNG members and €85 for non-members. This includes the full-day seminar, lunch with the group, and two coffee breaks. You can register and pay online here.

Véronique Rostas created Polaris Consulting in 2010. She now works as a coach, offering management and organizational development, and multicultural and performance management, to a variety of clients working with organizational change. 

Grenoble Life’s James Dalrymple talks to blogger-photographer extraordinaire Gaëlle Brunet about Grenoble Daily Photo, music photography and her upcoming exhibition at Musée Dauphinois.

Grenoble Life: How long has Grenoble Daily Photo blog been going and why did you start?

Gaëlle Brunet: I started the blog three and a half years ago, in February 2007, when I discovered the Daily Photo Blog community (www.citydailyphoto.com). At that time, there was only a handful of cities involved but now we are more than 1200 all over the world.

I was mainly aiming at helping people discover Grenoble and it was also a good way to share my pictures.

GL: What do you think makes Grenoble so photogenic – what are your sources of inspiration?

Gaëlle: One of the major assets of Grenoble is its diversity. You can easily take pictures of a brand new glass building and an hour later photograph a landscape with mountains in the background. But when it comes to photography, I must admit I’m usually more interested in modern buildings than nature!      

GL: I often hear people say that Grenoble is not a beautiful city. What do you say to them?

Gaëlle: I often tell them not to be so categorical, even if I can understand why they tend to say that. I’m originally from Grenoble but have lived in other cities and other countries as well and it’s true that my hometown may not be that appealing at first sight! But as soon as you take some time to explore it, you inevitably discover areas, streets, buildings, that are interesting and even beautiful sometimes!

Some people might not agree with me but I also think that the public works done over the past few years have contributed to improve the general appearance of Grenoble (I’m thinking about the stadium, the works on Boulevard Joseph Vallier, the surroundings of the train station and the whole Europole neighbourhood, the Mistral area etc…).

GL: You also specialise in music photography (concerts, festivals etc.). Tell us about that.

Gaëlle: I’ve always been interested in both music and photography. Before I became a photographer I was working in a record shop. When I made the transition between these two jobs music photography naturally came as a good option for me and I now work with a photo-agency exclusively specialised in that field.

Taking pictures during concerts is very different from taking pictures outside or in a studio. You have no control on what is happening on stage, or on the lights for example. It’s an endless challenge! And I like that because it’s very stimulating. 

GL: You’ll be exhibiting some photos at Musée Dauphinois soon – tell us more!

Gaëlle: Yes, I’ll be exhibiting some photos from the new black and white series I’ve been working on since last June.

It will be a collective exhibition, with works from artists living or working in the St Laurent/Right Bank area. The opening of the exhibition will take place during the European Heritage Days (September, 18) and our photos and videos will remain visible at Musée Dauphinois until the end of the month. You can find all the details on this website: www.quartierdesarts.org

GL: Do you have any tips for other amateur photographers in Grenoble: associations to join, galleries to visit etc.?

Gaëlle: Well I know that some photographers gather regularly and organise what they have called Grenoble Photo Walks all around town but I’ve never joined them.

I don’t think Grenoble’s got galleries specialised in photography (I might be wrong)  but if you’re hungry for art in general, there are a lot of places you can visit : Le Magasin, Spacejunk Gallery, CAB (Centre d’Art Bastille) among others. You can also find interesting exhibitions in a few cafés and restaurant like DiFérenT (4, place Sainte Claire).     

GL: Do you ever get tired of taking pictures of Grenoble?

Gaëlle: Sometimes, yes. But I’m not running out of subjects to photograph yet so it never lasts very long. And I also regularly take pictures in other cities and countries just for a pleasant change!  

GL: How have your pictures changed since you started the blog?

Gaëlle: Honestly, I can’t really tell. Some things haven’t changed. I’m still interested in architecture photography, I’m still hunting graffiti, stencils and all kinds of street art on the walls of the city for example. But I hope the quality of my pictures is better now!

Graines de Polyglottes

Grenoble Life editor James Dalrymple chatted to Elisabeth Malandrino, Directrice at Graines de Polyglottes, a new language centre for children in the city.

Grenoble Life: What do you do at Graines de Polyglottes?

Elisabeth Malandrino: Graines de Polyglottes is a language center that welcomes children from 3 to 11 years for them to learn foreign languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian.

In small groups of 5 up to 8 children organized by age and level, children come one hour per week. 

GL: How, when and why did get involved?

Elisabeth: Graines de Polyglottes was born naturally - coming myself from a multicultural family, the idea of speaking several languages has emerged very early.

My mother was born in Spain, my father was born in Italy, one of my sisters lives in the United States, I have a American nephew and a German one.

At my daughter’s birth, I thought that other parents would also like their own children to learn other languages.  Graines de Polyglottes was then born!

It’s a project which required several years of preparation and we welcomed our first students in September 2010.

GL: What is the Graines de Polyglottes philosophy and method?

Elisabeth: Our philosophy rests on the pleasure of learning through play.

In a child-friendly environment, children are happy to come and share these moments with their teachers and other children.

They learn without effort, having fun and, of course, they repeat words.

For this we use an active, structured and playful method.

We aim at awakening auditory, visual and gestural language for the youngest (3-6 years) by mobilizing all the sensory abilities of children. We use puppets, rhymes, songs, drawings …

For older children (7-11 years), we develop the understanding and expression, both oral and written skills by role playing, the media …

GL: What is the typical profile of the parents of children at Graines de Polyglottes?

Elisabeth: We have many different cases:

- French families, who understand the importance of foreign languages and want to give their child this advantage.

- Mixed families who speak one or more languages at home and want to improve achievement.

- Families coming back from abroad to France who want their children to continue speaking and writing their new language.

GL: What is the typical profile of a teacher at Graines de Polyglottes?

Elisabeth: The teaching team consists of language teachers with a proven track of several years of teaching experience with young children.

Their knowledge of the French educational system and the one of their countries of origin is a valuable asset in developing programs.

Our teachers bring their professionalism and enthusiasm in the centre.

GL: What is the ideal age for children to start learning a second language?

Elisabeth: The sooner the better, babies are able to distinguish the sounds of all languages.

A baby’s mother and entourage will make him or her familiar with the phonemes of the language spoken within the family and little by little, he will keep only the sounds that are part of that language.

That’s why the more a young child hears different languages, the more he/she retains more language skills, both for listening and speaking.

At Graines de Polyglottes, we welcome children from kindergarten age for practical reasons.

GL:  Why have you set up a Graines de Polyglottes particulary in Grenoble?

Elisabeth: First, for personal reasons because Grenoble is my hometown.

Then, for reasons peculiar to the city, Grenoble became multicultural and cosmopolitan. Many families around the world come to live for a year or more for professional reasons.

Increasingly, we hear other languages in the street.

I think Graines de Polyglottes responds to the requests of many parents.

GL: Will you have any recruitment opportunitues? What are the advantages of working at Graines de Polyglottes?

Elisabeth: We recruit motivated graduate teachers with experience of teaching young children.

We work in an atmosphere where everyone works together and exchange between cultures takes place naturally.

GL: How can people contact you?

Elisabeth: You can contact us by phone 04.76.87.37.01 or by email:  contact@grainesdepolyglottes.fr.

For more information, see the website www.grainesdepolyglottes.fr

Paul Waters at The Cake Shop

Grenoble Life meets Paul Waters, The Cake Shop‘s young British pâtissier, to ask him about leaving the UK to make British and American style cakes in France.

Grenoble Life: What’s your job at The Cake Shop?

Paul Waters: My job is a mixture of things – with there only being two other people that work at The Cake Shop and so many things to do the work gets shared around. I mainly design and create the cakes but I also help out in the shop front stocking the shelves and serving clients.

I also get to make the cupcakes and other tasty goodies that you see on display when you come to the store, as well as teaching people my skills and helping to organise events. But I mainly stick to designing and creating cakes. If it’s been made with sugar paste nine times out of 10 it will have been made by me. I literally eat and breathe sugar paste – it’s my life, and a tasty one at that!

GL: How were you recruited and where did you train? 

Paul: I trained at The National Bakery School at South Bank University in London. I intended to do a two-year course there but, due to government funding, it was cut to one year. Nevertheless I left with my Diploma in craft studies. I studied pretty much everything from bread to chocolate.

It was my mother who found the job at The Cake Shop. She was flicking through my Cake magazine when she saw there was a job going for a store in France. At the time I was happily making a mess in the kitchen making something tasty when she approached me with it. I was highly interested and desperate for an adventure, not thinking I would get anywhere because at the time I was only 16 and just starting college, although I have been baking and creating cakes for people since I was eight. But my parents assured me to go for it I distinctly remember them saying “if it doesn’t go anywhere it’s all good experience.”

After sending the email, the following day I received a phone call from the owner, Ariane Zenker, who gave me a mini-interview on the phone. After the call ended I was so excited, my imagination went into overtime as I began to dream of what could happen next. After lots of talk and conversation via email I arranged to go out and see her in February during half term with my mother. After that things just took off and one thing spiralled into another.

GL: Tell us a little bit about your background?

Paul: Well, I grew up in an area called Essex just outside of London, when I was about 11 my parents sold the house brought a smaller one and another one in the south of France. That sparked my love for France and from then on it has been a never-ending love affair, holidays spent with a wall paper scraper in one hand and a paint brush in the other, whilst trying to figure out what ‘plaster’ is in French.

GL: Why did you decide to move to France?

Paul: Well the fact my parents already have a holiday home in the south and they plan to move there permently next year was a big deciding factor. I knew what to expect from my time spent there I had a basic understanding of French life and language. There have also been a lot of problems in my family, a lot of upset; I wanted to get it away from it all as well. The English weather also leaves a lot to be desired.

GL: How have you adapted to life in France?

Paul: I have adapted very well mainly because of my parents having their holiday home in the south but also, because I was so desperate to leave the UK to see the world, determination has kept me going. My advice to anyone moving to this country is to relax, clear your mind and embrace the culture. Do not make comparisons with your home town don’t try to live your life like you normally do, change it to fit the environment.

When I first moved here I was just 17 a lot of people never took me very seriously at first, not to mention the fact that my parents had to sign everything for me as I had no signing power! I couldn’t even take out a phone contract or internet as a result but now at the age of 18 things are a lot better.

I also find the French attitude to being free/open and expressing your self very strange. Paris is a place of art, fashion, the weird, the wonderful, and is filled with some of the most beautiful things. Yet when you come to express yourself through fashion and art you raise a lot of eyebrows and get some very strange looks. It seems the rest of France has no desire to follow in the shadow of Paris; if this has anything to do with French people disliking the Parisians I have yet to find out. 

GL: Tell us about a typical day at The Cake Shop?

Paul: Well I usually arrive at 11:00, Ariane will brief me in on the plan for the day, she will say something along the lines of; “you have that wedding cake to start and the cookie class at 3:00”, “I also got an email from the woman that you did the Princess Cake for, she was very happy”. Then I make a start on my jobs for the day. I could have a long list of cakes to decorate or, if a delivery has just arrived from the UK, it needs unpacking, pricing and being put on display.

I may also get the chance to develop new products or create new classes. I may be teaching people in the evening or doing things on the computer. Every day is completely different – you never quite know what obstacles you will need to overcome or what you are doing. I usually finish about eight in the evening after shutting up the store for the night.

GL: What’s the best thing about your job?

Paul: I love what I do and so many people don’t get the chance nowadays to do what they love. The best thing about my job is it’s so different, I am never bored, never creating the same cake twice, or sat around with nothing do. Working at The Cake Shop can be fun, crazy, hectic and stressful but it’s all worth it in the end.

GL: What are some of the more difficult experiences you have had working at the cake shop?

Paul: Working at The Cake Shop can be very difficult at times – when you have a lot of work to do the pressure is on to meet your deadlines. When things go wrong everything seems to go wrong at once but, because of the nature of my job, some of my worst experiences are also some of my best. For example, you have a cake rapidly melting in the heat and it’s causing the icing to stretch and expand at the sides, you have to act quickly and work out why it went wrong and how to stop it. I will then learn from that and move on, turning it into a good experience.

GL: What do you love about Grenoble?

Paul: I love the way Grenoble is so small yet has lots of big name stores here and nice shops, it gives it a city feel but at heart it has the community of a town. It’s very hard to explain but it makes it a very nice place to be, surrounded by all the mountains. I also love Grenoble’s cosmopolitan feel, the mix of all different nationalities and the students.

GL: What are your plans for the future?

Paul: I would love to take The Cake Shop to Paris; I would love to get back to the buzz of the city, its pulse runs through my blood. I would definitely consider doing my own business in Paris – what would be really good is if I could set up a company in France that manufactures or imports all the products that you can’t get here, all the kinds of things we sell in The Cake Shop. That way people like Ariane wouldn’t be my competitor but my more like a colleague as I would be helping her keep her shop stocked with my products.

Guida Bulba: Corps & Voix

Grenoble Life’s Shonah Kennedy meets Guida Bulha of Corps et Voix, a trainer and consultant in oral communication.

As a teacher I have the privilege to meet a vast array of people.  I am constantly amazed, entertained and, more often than not, pleasantly surprised.  One of the people I had the pleasure of meeting was Guida Bulha of Corps et Voix.  Below Guida explains what she does, how she does it and what benefit it could be for you.

Shonah: How do you describe what you do?

Guida Bulha: Well, I am a trainer and a consultant in the oral communication area – working the body and the voice.

Shonah: What does the process do for people?

Guida: This helps people to speak with greater confidence and conviction, and communicate more effectively in both business and social environments.

Shonah: What have been some benefits for past clients?

Guida: To develop their self-esteem has permitted some of them to find new customers.  For some public speaking with more confidence and for others to find jobs, etc.

Put simply: to develop their skills in their professional field.

Shonah: How did you start in your business? What is your background?

Guida: I began my career as a language teacher and translator; after that, I worked in several companies. Today I bring together my experience in international business, communication and marketing, and my experience in the voice field.

Guida Bulha working with a client

Shonah: When did you start doing this line of work and why?

Guida: I started in April 2008. More than ten years ago, I participated in a vocal workshop. There, I discovered that the voice – my passion – was much more than a simple emission of sounds. The voice is “something” fragile and powerful. It was a great surprise for me. Therefore, I decided to push my discovery further and I undertook training in this area.

Shonah: What is the link with workshops or training sessions – such as public speaking, telephone interactions, front-line workers, sales, team building – and the body and the voice?

Guida: People who work in these areas use their voices to communicate.  You know, the most important part when you communicate is the non-verbal language, and that the voice is embodied in … the body. To equilibrate these three parts of communication. I mean; the body, the voice and the word, are fundamental. If you want to be heard and understood.

Shonah: How long have you been in Grenoble?

Guida: I have been here for 19 years. I saw the mountains and I fell in love.

Shonah: How do you help people to help themselves?

Guida: I help them to find – or to be conscious – that they have in themselves the resources to communicate. I accompany people to find the confidence in themselves.

Shonah: What are your plans for the future? 

Guida:  Well, I want to develop in other directions. I think particularly in the English speaking community. I want to propose to them workshops and training sessions to improve French or to improve their skills in public speaking or other themes. In French or in English. It is also possible to work the voice to sing or to speak. Just to find the pleasure to be confident.

Shonah: Thanks so much to Guida.  If you would like to contact Guida for further information you can do so through her website at Guida Bulha Corps et Voix.

Guida Bulha in action

Thierry Grange

Grenoble Life talked to Thierry Grange, Dean & Director of Grenoble Ecole de Management, about educational reform, shaping the future of Grenoble, and designing and building motorcycles.

Grenoble Life: What is your role at the Grenoble Ecole de Management and what does this involve?

Thierry Grange: My role is to provide human and financial resources to deploy properly our mission which is to contribute to companies’ performance by providing skills and knowledge. It implies structuring academic activity to set goals and to control their execution.

GL: Tell us about your experience in Africa and Asia . How did your time working in developing countries inform your later decision-making and career choices?

Thierry: I was working as a project manager for setting up industrial facilities – steel work, paper mills, and cement plants – in emerging and developing countries. This has given me good experience in human resource management and in creating a capacity to achieve goals.  I developed, in this first part of my professional career, my great interest for entrepreneurship. Probably, this is the reason why I accepted to work right from the start on the Grenoble Ecole de Management ‘project’.

GL: You once founded and ran a motorcycle manufacturer. What are some of the similarities between working in this environment and running a business school?

Thierry: The similarities are in the importance of the production process. A business school is about transforming brains from a student perspective to a professional perspective just as designing and producing motorcycles is a process of transformation – fortunately on a much less sophisticated ‘raw material’.

GL: In your opinion, how must the French higher education system develop to make itself more competitive?

Thierry: The French higher education system is undergoing a major reform which will transform its mission from public service towards contractual learning. This will involve carrying forward the universities’ contribution to the improvement of society and not only to the development of bright students.  

GL: What three professional achievements are you most proud of?

Thierry: I’m most proud to have contributed to the development of a business school that is now recognised as a European player. Another pride is to have had the chance to go to the end of my dream: designing and building motorcycles. Finally, I am very proud to have professionals that have worked with me for years and that still say hello to me every morning – human relations is the greatest achievement for me.

GL: How has the business environment changed in France since you co-founded Grenoble Ecole de Management, and how has the school contributed to this change?

Thierry: The business environment has definitely become more global, more competitive and offers more opportunities. Our school contributes to this evolution by accepting the rules of global competition and by teaching the necessary skills to create value within this new reality.

GL: How has the learning and training environment changed since the school was founded?

Thierry: The learning environment has changed by becoming more pro-active: students have good ideas on what they expect to learn and business schools have better knowledge of the specificities of corporate demand in terms of what professional profiles businesses require.

GL: How is the Grenoble Ecole de Management involved in changing the future of Grenoble ?

Thierry: Grenoble Ecole de Management is a leading institution in the world competition both in training and research and is contributing to the global visibility of the city. Grenoble Ecole de Management is one of the founders of the GIANT project, alongside Grenoble-INP, the CEA, ESRF, ILL and EMBL, that will greet an integrated campus combining industry, research and education in the Western part of the city. 

GL: What do you love about Grenoble ?

Thierry: The culture of proximity that helps anybody meet easily, if one is looking to improve professional achievements. It is a real collaborative spirit that is offered to everybody regardless of origin, position in hierarchy, age etc. You could call it natural diversity.

Judith Bouvard, Dean of Grenoble Graduate School of Business

Grenoble Life talks to Judith Bouvard, Dean of Grenoble Graduate School of Business, about her background, the changing business and training environment in France, and why students should consider coming to Grenoble.

Grenoble Life: Where do you come from originally?

Judith Bouvard: I was born in a small town near Manchester in the North of England. 

GL: Why did you come to Grenoble ?

Judith: When I left Manchester I went to live in Romans in the Drôme, to work in the luxury shoe industry. After a couple of years there I came to live in Grenoble to resume my studies.

GL: What kind of work did you first do on arrival in Grenoble ?

Judith: When I arrived in Grenoble at the same time as I was studying I was working part-time for a UK firm as a marketing consultant helping them to develop the market of protective clothing for building sites and road works. I then started to work in the training and continuing education business by doing some teaching and helping some French companies to set up in-house training courses.

Then I started working at ESC Grenoble – this was the name of the school before we became ‘Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM)’. I was involved with the school right from the day it was founded and I was even a member of the entrance juries for the Grande Ecole program before the building was finished.

I started teaching at the school and little by little I increased my contributions by developing the international relations. Then, in 1995, I created the Master in International Business (MIB), which was the first international program to be offered by GEM. I really felt there was a niche market for such an Master in Management program taught in English in Grenoble.

I gradually introduced more international degree programs taught through the medium of English and continued to develop the portfolio of international programs until GGSB became one of the schools of GEM.     

Parallel to that I continued my studies on the Henley DBA program and also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Consultancy.

GL: What three professional achievements are you most proud of?

Judith: Developing a whole new international school from nothing and setting up all the programs; putting Grenoble on the map in international rankings, such as those of the prestigious Financial Times. I am also very proud of the careers and success stories of our graduates further to qualifications that I designed.

GL: Apart from the quality of the course programmes on offer at GGSB, why should potential students consider coming to Grenoble?

Judith: They should certainly consider coming for the dynamic nature of the city. It is easy to get by in Grenoble for non-French speakers. There is not a day that goes by without me hearing English on the street. However, most of our students become quite fluent in French rather rapidly as they experience true French culture. Our students are also sure to build a large international network of friends they can rely on in the future due to the fantastic diversity of the student population at GGSB.

GL: You have created partnerships between GGSB and schools around the world, including those in Iran and Saudi Arabia. As a woman, did you face any challenges in this respect?

Judith: The challenge was for me to actually challenge the pre-conceived ideas of what people had warned me about in advance. In those countries, people actually respect you for your intellect, status and qualifications regardless of your gender. Qualifications come above anything else and with more and more women gaining higher education degrees, the challenge for them is lessening. The other challenge was the dress code, but only from a comfort point of view. Wearing a head scarf when it is 40 degrees outside can be quite uncomfortable when you are not used to that!

GL: How has the business environment changed since you arrived in France, and how has GGSB contributed to this change?

Judith: Over the past 30 years, I have seen more international exchanges – both academic and corporate – and better means to conduct these exchanges, thanks to technology. Technology has definitely changed the way people do business. We can now work with different parts of the world without feeling that it is far away. For example I can be talking to a colleague in China or Singapore in the morning and to another colleague in Mexico in the evening. Of course the result is that the working day can be quite long!

At GGSB, we train qualified managers capable of working beyond national borders with a multitude of cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Our graduates are increasingly working in virtual teams spread over different countries. The contact with colleagues all around the world definitely adds a different dimension to business. 

GL: How has the learning and training environment changed?

Judith: We now have access to more information, thanks to the internet. What used to be called a ‘correspondence course’ is now called a ‘distance learning course’; technology has made learning more user-friendly. Furthermore, whereas years ago classes were made of one single nationality, the learning environment has become highly international, offering numerous opportunities for students.

Also the faculty members have become more like facilitators than lecturers. At GGSB gone are the days of long monologues by a lecture standing in front of the students. Now there is far more interaction and exchange between the lecturer and the students. Also I think that business schools have realised that it is important to have a good blend of lecturers with a more academic approach and business professionals who bring their work experience to the classroom.

GL: What is next for you and the school?

Judith: I’m very excited about our new Global Executive MBA that will begin in January 2011. This new course will run in eight different locations: Grenoble – Geneva – Moscow – London – New York – Singapore – New Delhi – Beijing, and is aimed at top managers who will travel to each location for specific courses and country case-studies.

This Global EMBA is the result of all the knowledge I’ve acquired over the years, after observing how companies function and their different needs. I’m also an AMBA auditor, so I’ve got to examine various programs, their pluses and minus.

I’m also preparing the future of GGSB when I will no longer be there to ensure the continuity of GGSB. I’m busy getting the right people in so the school will keep the same prestige and have the possibility of progressing. I’m proud as I see the next generation come in to be trained by GGSB. Often, children of those who I taught come to seek advice and are keen to live the same enriching experience at GGSB as their parents did.

Radio Activity. Photo: Velocity kendall

In the final English Talk Radio before the summer break, guests include Kristine Minski, talking about global currency markets and Bertrand Tappaz, talking about the history of 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble.

Listen to the show: here

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. There are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

Listen to ETR in your car! 'Pump up the volume'. Photo: Travich

The June 13 English Talk Radio took place at Grenoble Graduate School of Business. The guests are: Thierry Grange, Dean of Grenoble Ecole de Management; Elizabeth Gorilla, Marketing and Admissions Manager; Michelle Mielly, Marketing Programme Director; graduates Beatriz Diez and Denis Coupe; students Ben Pawson, Jay Anandou and Timothée Bardet; and Pat Brans, writer, consultant and time-management guru.

Listen to the full show: here

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. There are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

Nicola Piroth at work and at play

Nicola Piroth is a play therapist with a private practice in Grenoble. She talks to Grenoble Life about creative approaches to psychotherapy, her international background and setting up a cabinet in France.

Grenoble Life: Tell us a little about your methodology.

Nicola Piroth: I practise as a play therapist, which means that I use a creative approach to psychotherapy. Play therapy recognises that children naturally use play as a creative form of self-expression and communication in order to grow and develop, as well as to address traumatic and painful issues from a safe distance. Children that are faced with distressing life events may not feel comfortable talking about their emotions, but through play therapy they can communicate and explore their feelings, learn skills and tools to heal their emotional pain.

In my cabinet, I mostly see children and adolescents in individual, regular play therapy sessions.  However, I also use another approach called filial therapy with some families. Using this alternative method I train parents to conduct individual play sessions – similar to play therapy but with their own children. This way of working can be so helpful when communication hasn’t been possible between parents and their children – for any number of reasons, but often simply because we don’t get any training to be parents even though it is quite possibly one of the hardest tasks we are faced with as adults. Children communicate through play – it is their innate language. By teaching parents the language of play, and how to use play therapeutically, the communication gap between parent and child can be closed.

Perhaps it is surprising, but I also use play therapy, and more specifically sandplay therapy, with adults. Using small trays of sand, clients sculpt the sand and position miniature objects and figurines to create scenes, worlds or designs that are expressions of their inner world. Sandplay therapy gives the client direct access to their internal self, allowing them to understand issues in a deeper way. As adults we often get stuck in certain situations or circular ways of thinking, and it is helpful to use a creative non-verbal tool to explore our inner workings, alongside more traditional dialogue.

GL: Does this methodology differ to established methods in France?

Nicola: As far as I know, traditionally, psychotherapy here has mostly been a verbal, intellectual process, perhaps based on a more medical model of psychiatry concerned with cause and effect. This relies mostly on talking things through. In play therapy we additionally use non-verbal, creative approaches that give space to the intuitive Self – the part of us that knows what it needs to heal, even if it can’t explain it. Experiencing our Self at this level allows us to integrate what we feel and what we know intellectually in order to move on.

Another aspect of the predominant model of psychotherapy in France is that it is still largely ‘adult’ led, with the doctor, psychiatrist or therapist seen as knowing more than the patient who is a passive recipient of the treatment.  In my own work, I believe it is essential to follow the client’s lead, to trust that – given a safe and accepting environment (as in child-centred play therapy) – children have within them the desire and strength to find their own way to heal and to grow.

This non-directive approach facilitates the development of self-responsibility, self-control, and appropriate self-esteem. It is my responsibility as the therapist to provide that safe and containing space in which the child can explore who they are, how they feel and ‘play out’ different solutions.  This also has larger implications regarding how I work with parents. I believe therapy must be a collaborative effort. For the child to have the safe space in my office is one thing, but regular meetings between the parents and I give parents the support they need in order to be able to accompany their child on the journey towards growth and change.

GL: Who comes to you and what are some of the reasons why?

Nicola: I see clients between one and 100 years of age … Traditionally play therapy was developed to work with the specific needs of 2–12 year olds, but I practise a more general creative psychotherapy that I feel applies to all of us…

Why do people seek psychotherapy for themselves or for their children? It’s a very big question that has as many answers as there are people in therapy… adults come to work on existential issues, difficult life experiences (such as divorce, a loss, or adapting to a new country), or to further their personal development. Children and adolescents are referred for equally diverse reasons, for example, their parents have noticed low self-esteem, depression, or the development of challenging behaviours at home or at school. Perhaps the family or child has recently undergone a traumatic experience – ranging from maltreatment to moving homes, the birth of a sibling, long-term illness and hospitalisation, adoption, bullying … to name but a few.

Yet other children have difficulties ‘fitting in’ (whatever that means!), struggle at school, or have been diagnosed with developmental difficulties that require a little extra help to develop their sometimes hidden potential.  Play therapy is useful for a whole range of emotionally-based problems of behaviour and adjustment.

GL: Are these reasons different in any way to those you have encountered working in other countries?

Nicola: Regarding my work with children, I would say that generally the reasons are the same here – parents come because they are worried about their children –  and though the way I work using play is unknown in France, it attracts a lot of people looking for a more child-centred approach. International families often come to the cabinet when they feel misunderstood or judged by more traditional French therapists who might be unfamiliar with different child rearing and cultural practises (for example long-term breastfeeding or co-sleeping), or the challenges facing  multi-cultural families.

I certainly do not pretend to understand the cultural background of all of the families I work with, but through my own personal experience, I am aware of some of the daily struggles one faces just trying to adapt to something as potentially stressful as a new school system …

GL: Where do you come from and where did you train as a therapist?

Nicola: That’s not such an easy question for me to answer… I was born in Germany to German parents, and have since lived in six different countries across four continents. I originally trained as a psychologist specialising in child development in the UK, but after a short career in a major child and adolescent psychiatry unit in London conducting psychological research I decided to train as a play therapist.

I think I realised that I am much better suited at playing Peter Pan with four year olds than at establishing a diagnosis or quantifying human experience in order to plug the results into a computer for analysis.  Don’t get me wrong, I respect and value psychometric testing when it’s necessary and well-carried out by a sensitive psychologist – but those are not my skills and no longer the approach I practise. My training as a psychologist remains extremely useful to me and it definitely informs my work, but I have tried to move away from ‘putting problems in boxes’ to working and thinking problems ‘out of the box’.

GL: What languages do you work in and why?

Nicola: I work using the languages I am fluent in – that is English, German and French.

GL: Why did you come to Grenoble?                   

Nicola: Our move from the USA to Grenoble was not an easy one for me – I loved living in California, but at that time it was necessary for our family to return to Europe. Luckily we were able to settle in Grenoble since it’s so central in this fantastic mix that is Europe.

GL: What difficulties, if any, did you have in setting up your cabinet in Grenoble?

Nicola: Perhaps the biggest hurdle for me was that play therapy didn’t exist here – at all. There wasn’t even a French translation for it, so I made up my own, la Thérapie par le Jeu. I am affiliated and registered with several international play therapy associations – but none of my foreign qualifications were recognised in France. Coupled with an attitude I frequently encounter here of “no one’s every done that before, so surely there is no point changing things by trying something new now….” I took a risk setting up my practise without any professional network.  And now, of course, that the cabinet is up and running, the French reaction is extremely positive and open minded with reactions such as “why don’t you train people here”!

GL: What advice would you give people setting up their own businesses/private practices in France?

Nicola: I’m not sure about giving advice, other than don’t be put off by all the scary looking forms and impressive civil servants. It does sometimes feel like everyone is trying to dissuade you from even trying, either by piling useless and endless paperwork at you or by sounding generally negative and complicated about relatively straightforward business. But if you have enough time to stand in queues and patiently rephrase your question for the third time, often that very same administration (like the URSSAF) can actually be a goldmine of information. France really is ready for some innovative business ideas, if you can just navigate and bully your way through the system.

A taste of Celtic Connection events

Maighread Gallagher, Secretary of the Celtic Connection in Grenoble, talks about the origins of the association, the events it organises, and celebrating St Patrick’s Day in style.

Grenoble Life: What is the Celtic Connection?

Maighread Gallagher: The Celtic Connection is an association loi 1901 which promotes Irish and Celtic culture in Grenoble and beyond.

GL: What sorts of activities do you organise?

Maighread: We organise cultural events and informal meetings, these include: film screenings, an annual picnic, something for Hallowe’en, something for Christmas, and of course we celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style! 

GL: What kind of services to do you offer?

Maighread: We don’t formally offer any services, but we are happy to help new arrivals with the administrative hurdles they will encounter in Grenoble, or even just to meet up because during those first months it can be lonely in a new city and country. Sometimes it’s nice just to be able to talk to someone who understands where you’re coming from. We can also put people in touch with an Anglophone doctor or dentist if they need it, and we have a few contacts at the embassy in Paris.   

GL: When was the Celtic Connection created and by whom?

Maighread: The Celtic Connection was set up in 1992 by a group of Irish people recently arrived in Grenoble. Most of them are still here almost 20 years on.

GL: What is your role in Celtic Connection and why did you come to Grenoble?

Maighread: I am the current secretary of the association, although this high-powered job was not my main reason to come to Grenoble! I originally came on Erasmus in 1994, to study biochemistry. Grenoble has an interesting effect on people, it’s hard to leave. So, despite having left several times, I am now here to stay.

GL: What events do you have coming up?

Maighread: The calendar is pretty full over the next few weekends. We will mark Bloomsday (June 16), which is a celebration of James Joyce and his epic work Ulysses, with readings and music. This is organised with the help of the Bookworm Café, and will be held there on Saturday June 19th. Our annual picnic is coming up on June 20th, and this year our sister association in Lyon will be joining us for that. We are hoping to make it a regular joint event. We are also in full swing for the organisation of our film event, which will be in mid-November this year – watch this space.

GL: Where are some of the best places to find Celtic culture and people in Grenoble?

Maighread: In the early days of the association, this would have been easy to answer – just check out the Irish pubs (The Shannon, O’Callaghan’s, Druid’s), we used to go there every Friday. Those are probably still good addresses for meeting Irish people, especially if there’s a match on. Other addresses are similar to where you’ll find many Anglophones – through the international schools, at Pilates, through The Library at Babel. And if you’re dying for a bit of brown bread or Cadbury’s chocolate, go to the Irish shop (Comptoir Irlandais). If you want to meet up with us on a regular basis, and participate in our activities, join our association, it’s easy – just come along to the picnic on June 20th, or to another event and we’ll put you on the list.

GL: Tell us about your members: who are they generally and why have they come to Grenoble?

Maighread: A lot of our members are Irish expatriates, although over the last couple of years the Scottish contingent has grown considerably. Some are second-generation emigrants, and of course we accept all nationalities! What unites us all is an interest in Irish or Celtic culture and sharing our experiences. Many of our members came to Grenoble to work for the microelectronics industry; there are also a lot of scientists among us. A lot of us came initially intending to stay only for a while, but as I said earlier, Grenoble can be a very hard place to leave once you’ve acquired the taste for the sun, the mountains and the quality of life!

Garvin on the sofa

Grenoble Life talks to Garvin, Grenoble’s premier Franco-Welsh-Scots rock band, about their musical background and development as a band; and streams two of their songs especially for you!

Garvin are Calumn Mackay, Vincent Thourigny and Gareth Powell. They were in conversation with James Dalrymple of Grenoble Life.

Listen to Spellbound confused by Garvin: here

Listen to Same Crusade by Garvin: here

Grenoble Life: On tracks like Spellbound Confused and Same Crusade I hear an emotive guitar-led pop that I associate with British alt-rock. However, tracks like Vocation seem to have a more reggae flavour, and there are occasional flutters of latin-sounding guitar in a number of your songs. Is there a ‘Garvin sound’?

Calumn: We like to experiment with different instruments, bringing different sounds to the table depending on the feel of the song. For instance, I sometimes use electronic Roland V-drums instead of, or as well as, my traditional acoustic drum kit. Also, as each of us dabbles with song writing in different ways, we are not fixed to a single approach.

Gareth: I think there is a certain Garvin ‘sound’ since vocal textures and playing styles are idiosyncratic. As far as our musical and composition style is concerned though, we have a consciously open-minded approach which is incredibly inspirational – no restrictions. Also, we like the surprise element in music.

I suppose we have to keep an eye on not going too far off the track, but we just aren’t thinking like that. We’re enjoying exploring and mixing up styles.

Vince: The group’s sound is moulded from each of the band member’s influences as we compose. The fact that we all participate collectively in the composition of the songs, as well as the inherent chemistry developed when we’re playing, means that the resulting sound tends to be one and our own. We like to experiment and explore new horizons, which undoubtedly add to the flavour of Garvin’s music.

GL: What are your musical backgrounds? What other bands have you been in and what kind of music did you play?

Calumn: I’ve played in bands since I was 14, starting on piano then moving quickly onto drums. After a few school/student bands, I joined a cult punk/new wave band called the Scars. After our first single Adultery/Horrorshow, we played regularly in London and toured with bands like The Human League, The Rezillos, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure. I took a year out of school to decide whether I wanted to be a full time musician. After three singles and with an imminent album looming, bizarrely, I decided to go to college instead.

In 2005 I met up again with the Scars to do a cameo spot with Lemon Jelly, who had sampled a big chunk of Horrorshow, on a single which charted in the UK. I took a cut-down V-drum kit in a suitcase on a plane to Edinburgh and then to London for the short five minute appearances. It was great to get up on a stage in front of 4000 people and the London concert was broadcast live on BBC radio. Paul from the Scars managed to purchase the rights of the Scars recordings back from EMI and released a limited edition CD. There are apparently still Scars fans out there!

While a student in Edinburgh I joined Blues n Trouble (amongst other bands) and connected with the blues for the first time. BnT went on to release tons of albums, tour extensively and are still going now. I’ll be doing a guest spot in a band with their original guitarist at the RockBeir festival in Venlo this summer.

Later I lived in London and answered an ad in Melody Maker for a blues band called the Pinetops Boogiemen. We had regular gigs in south east London pubs and also in a few nice venues like the Half Moon on Herne Hill. We still meet up every couple of years to record a CD, but we have had no commercial success. It was a fantastic experience though and we are all life long friends.

I moved to France in 1995 and met Gareth through a mutual friend. We played in various line ups, gigging now and again and recording occasionally. Our last group, XL5, was a 1970s-style British rock band.

I’ve also been playing in the King Billies blues band for a couple of years and am part of the Lou Pelaya Celtic association where I occasionally play drums and acoustic guitar (badly).

I joined the Garvin duo in summer 2009 after jamming at a couple of their pub gigs at the Druids bar in Grenoble. There’s great energy and stamina in the group as well as a comfortable chemistry. Very strong creativity too, and the door is always open to any new ideas and adventures – the way it should be!

Gareth: My first gig in Swansea Students Union was at age 16; a terrifying experience – lost a lot of weight in the three or four days leading up to it. Then played in cover bands and slogged at the original music scene in the UK. I got to do many gigs and European tours with a few semi-known rock bands when I lived in Wales, and even after coming to France to live. I am still in touch with the guys in my last UK band, and I get to play impromptu gigs with them from time to time. They currently have a band called the Storys from Swansea, who achieved some success and tour regularly with big names. While they played in Monaco last year, they asked me to replace their guitarist who’d had a bit of a nervous breakdown. I played a gig in the Globe in Monaco, and the day after in front of 50 thousand people opening for (cringe…) Celine Dion in Ajax stadium, Amsterdam. That was surreal – I had song notes and chords written on a piece of paper at my feet.

I’d love to do big shows like that with Garvin – that would be the “mutts”… though preferably supporting U2 or Kings of Leon instead of Celine!

Vince: I am basically self-taught. I could hardly play the guitar when I joined my first group at 16, but I’ve never stopped since. For the last few years I worked on solo projects and did many live shows using a loop-sampler to create multi-layered live song arrangements, but I can say that playing in a band is a real pleasure, especially given the high potential of this group. I’m not really interested in talking about what I used to do, instead I’m much more interested in talking about what we are going to do!

GL: Please can each member of the band name three bands/artists that have influenced them the most.

Calumn: Difficult to say. I like a large spectrum of music, although in my formative years I liked The Doors, original Ultravox, and I still like Carol King.

Gareth: I’d have to say people like Jeff Beck, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp are notable guitar influences; and David Sylvian, Cy Curnin, The Divine Comedy, as vocal influences. General music/composition influences are bands like The Cocteau Twins, Kings of Lyon, Jeff Buckley, Interpol, Bjork, Led Zeppelin, or anything new that comes along and blows me away.

Vince: I think my musical development and appreciation was deeply influenced by The Beatles. I learned to play, sing and compose listening to their music. I used to attempt to reproduce their techniques on my own recordings. King Crimson was also a revelation for me in my formative years. I have great admiration for a more recent discovery, Joseph Arthur, a New-York singer/songwriter and all-round artist.

GL: What facilities are there for new bands in Grenoble to get together and jam?

Gareth: There are rehearsal places and some associations that try to nurture this around the town, but we aren’t the best guys to ask since we are fortunate enough to have our own studio that is also adequate for rehearsing live sets. And we definitely jam a lot …

GL: In your view what are some of the best bars and pubs to watch live music in Grenoble?

Calumn: I’m not really sure there are any decent venues for groups. We tend to be squashed into corners in bars and I usually have to leave most of my drum kit behind most of the time. Salle EVE is pretty good.

Gareth: Le Bobine is gaining a good reputation. There does seem to be a response in progress to the local Grenoble musicians’ plight of having embarrassingly few venues for such a cosmopolitan city. It’s still difficult to play locally regularly enough for a new group to build a following. For a few months we played fortnightly residencies in Druids Pub, an Irish bar in Grenoble, which was good but a bit tight under the arms.

GL: For the British members of the band: how has living in France influenced your approach to music?

Calumn: I don’t think is has affected me really, although I’m probably more open to French music than I otherwise would’ve been. Media moves so fast these days so for the mainstream I’m probably listening to the same music here than I would be in the UK. Also we live in a bit of a bubble with access to UK TV and radio at home.

Gareth: There was an initial shock at going from a three to four night per week gig rate in the UK to zero – it was like going back to the bedroom to play guitar again, which was not what I’d imagined. I fortunately found an association who share-owned a recording studio (Studio 33) in town. After persuading them to let me join them I spent a long time writing and recording songs mainly on my own. It taught me about producing music and also allowed me to develop a few things, like singing, so I don’t consider it as wasted time, even if it was a bit of an implosion in some respects. The other good thing is it was how I met Calumn. The immediate accessibility of a studio has now become a luxury that I couldn’t live without.

GL: For the French member of the band: how has playing with Brits influenced your approach to music?

Vince: To be honest, I’ve never really listened to much French music or bands. I’ve always been more attentive and influenced by British or American bands since adolescence. That’s probably why I get on so well with Gareth and Calumn, as our common language is the music which I feel very at home with.

GL: Are there any other local bands that you can recommend to Grenoble Life readers?

Gareth: There are a few authentic Anglophone things like Barefoot Iano, an Australian multi-talent, and a guy called Neil Dixon from Chambery, that sound excellent, that Grenoble Life readers should try to check out.

Vince: Huh? No – just Garvin [laughs]! In fact, I’m not very aware about the local scene in Grenoble. I know there are many bands and quite a few good ones out there, but there are not many places to see band play…

GL: Any plans to record a full length CD or EP?

Calumn: Absolutely.

Gareth: Yes (sigh) – we are very productive so it’s hard to keep up with the creativity level in the studio, and completely finish everything – we have enough songs for at least three or four full albums already; all at different stages of completion. Vince hit on the idea recently of producing multiple mini-albums that we can continue to produce and sell at gigs or elsewhere. We have also a six-song CD recorded live in session at Radio Campus for English Talk Radio and Le Son de Garage programmes – this is one of the mini-albums.

GL: Where can we see you play next?

Gareth: We’re pretty busy all through June and July – more gigs coming in every week, so best to checkout the events section on our MySpace site or our facebook page if you’re that way inclined.

Vince: We’re doing three or four private concerts/fêtes that aren’t open to the general public in June, but we’ll be at Zélées Bar (Grenoble) on Thursday 17th June, and on the 21st we headline at Tullins for the music festival. Also, on July 1st we’re playing at the Magellan Bar (Voiron).

Garvin

L'art Qui Parle

Elizabeth Stone Matho is an American psychotherapist and art therapist with a private practice in Grenoble. She talks to Grenoble Life about an art therapy exhibit of the artwork of cancer patients she has organised for June 10–27.

Grenoble Life: What is the theme of this exhibition and who has organised it?

Elizabeth Stone Matho: The exhibit theme is L’Art Qui Parle, and it’s the artwork of cancer patients in art therapy with me at the CHU Grenoble or in an outreach program in St Ismier. 

It will take place at Ancien Musée de Peinture, Place de Verdun, Grenoble, June 10–27. To coincide with the exhibition there will also be a conference and discussion on art therapy, June 18. More details at the bottom of this article.

GL: What kind of illnesses have the artists involved had to cope with and how did this artistic process help them cope?

Elizabeth: All of the artists have had to cope with cancer. You’re asking such a great question when you ask how the artistic process helped them cope. I think that the answers to that question will become so much clearer than I could explain here in a few words, when you see the exhibit.

Each piece of artwork has a text or title, written by the artist, to help the viewer understand something about the internal processes involving the confluence of creativity, illness, experimentation, personal expression, hopes, fears, wishes and so much more.

Each patient in art therapy experiences the creative/therapeutic process a little differently. For some, it helps to bring solace, for others, it helps to forget, for yet others, it helps to recover one’s identity, femininity, integrate the body image that’s been ravaged by illness and its treatment so that one emerges stronger, more aware of one’s own needs, with more insight about oneself.

First and foremost, the artistic process is non-judgmental, without expectations of an aesthetic nature. It follows the path that seems to be right for each patient, each individual, whether in terms of materials used, content of imagery, form, personal themes expressed. I think that most patients emerge from the very first sessions feeling that in spite of the destructive forces of the illness and its often aggressive treatment, they tap into a vitality that is very much there, very much alive.

GL: In what different media are the artworks?

Elizabeth: Primarily, gouache, clay, and a variety of drawing materials such as pastels, oil pastels, colored pencils and the like comprise the basic materials we use. However, other materials can be added, depending upon what is requested by the patient, as their creative/therapeutic evolution unfolds. I have to add that AGARO (Association Grenobloise d’Aide à la Recherche en Oncologie) has been very generous in providing me with all the high quality materials I requested. 

GL: In what context where the artworks made: did you facilitate them?

Elizabeth: To answer your question, both yes and no. Yes, in the sens that I was always present, offering a climate of freedom and respect, with an understanding of the therapeutic and artistic processes that would be involved. I offer a broad spectrum of possible ways of working, whether from imagination or from even a postcard, which stimulates feelings and thoughts that are also present and need to be voiced.

At the same time, I have to say no in the sense that I usually don’t tell people what to draw or even start with a general theme. I resist the idea that what I might suggest will be correct for them; rather, I prefer that as they get to know the materials, they will generate their own creative and therapeutic processes.

I also believe that in spite of a climate of freedom, people have the right to defend against important feelings and unconscious material. Not every feeling or experience should be brought to light at once because people are often not yet ready psychologically. 

GL: Were any of the artists involved initially resistant to using art as a therapeutic process?

Elizabeth: Yes, in the sense that they didn’t imagine themselves using art as a therapeutic tool, however, generally they had a certain sense of curiosity about the process which mitigated their resistance, or, for some, a feeling that they had tried everything else (medically) so far to treat their cancer and that now, maybe art therapy could be of some help to them. 

GL: Are the artworks all very centred on the artists’ experience or are some more representational or abstract?

Elizabeth: There are all types of artwork, from personal feelings, representational, abstract, with meaning emerging in various ways. Some started out to express something specific; sometimes the result was that expression, or sometimes it changed. Sometimes the meaning emerged only afterwards. Sometimes the meaning of an earlier work became clearer only after other work was done. And, some were even created to forget. I don’t push people, but we do talk together about what the process was like, what the final result might say to them.

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Art therapy exhibit of the artwork of cancel patients: L’Art Qui Parle
Ancien Musée de Peinture (Place de Verdun, Grenoble)
June 10th to 27th • Wednesdays through Sundays • 1pm–7pm
Association Grenobloise d’Aide à la Recherche en Oncologie (AGARO)
Elizabeth Stone Matho, art therapist, psychoanalyst

Conference and discussion on art therapy: Art therapy: As a discipline in and of itself, and its role in cancer treatment. 
June 18th, 2010, 5pm
La Plateforme (Bibliothèque), Ancien Musée de Peinture (Place de Verdun, Grenoble)
Elizabeth Stone Matho, art therapist, psychoanalyst
Fabrice Chardon, music therapist
Seating limited to 100 people – reservations suggested:
06.12.17.27.11 or 04.76.87.17.60

Helen McEwan (left) with children joining in on English Talk Radio

The May 21 English Talk Radio show features Helen McEwan of ABC Anglais, and took place at Les Petits Bilingues, Grenoble.

Listen to the show: here

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. There are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

A map to Association Babel

Claire Bryars is President of Babel, a language and cultural exchange association in the centre of Grenoble. She tells us about the organisation, its activities and its history.

Babel is an association founded in 1978 by a handful of people who wanted to develop and promote language teaching and cultural exchanges in France and abroad.  

I was one of the founding members and have been President since 2003. As a teacher I have also organised intensive English courses and accompanied groups to England and Wales.

When we started we were extremely fortunate to be provided with a room in the heart of Grenoble, next to the Couvent des Minimes where we have been ever since.

The activities have been very varied over the years but from the very beginning we have given language lessons (English, French for foreigners, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish) and had conversation groups.

We have also organised seminars, intensive adult courses, children’s classes, teacher training sessions, trips to England, Wales and Italy, had play readings, cultural evenings and produced a monthly newspaper (The Newssheet) which eventually became Breakaway.

For a few months we also presented a weekly radio programme. There is also of course the Library, an important part of our association. It was created in 2000 with the aid of Alliance Grenoble Oxford and Open House and is housed in Babel.

All the above activities are available to members and their friends who may also attend the cultural evenings. We have an Open Day in September and a yearly Christmas party. A monthly letter informs members of the coming events and a website has recently been set up.

Coming up next at Babel there is an inter-cultural evening (Italian/Spanish) on the 27th May followed by a trip to Italy. The Open Day is the 11th September (14h–18h) and Babel will participate in the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine on the 18th and 19th September with other associations housed in the Quartier du Vieux Temple. We hope to see you there!

A permanent member of staff is present on Tuesdays (12h15–13h45) during the library opening hours. Otherwise anyone wishing to join can leave a telephone message (04 76 42 43 91) or send an e-mail (association.babel@ laposte.net).

Le Créarc - international theatre in Grenoble

The May 7 English Talk Radio show features Anne-Laure Dubois and Marco Andrello of Le Créarc – Centre de Création de Recherche et des Cultures - talking about international theatre in Grenoble.

Listen to the show: here

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. There are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

LEROY & SCARPA: neutral-toned, softly-chic faux-fur throws and pillows

Nearly one year on from their first meeting, Grenoble Life catches up with Kris Leroy, the American founder of Grenoble-based soft furnishings design company LEROY & SCARPA, France, previously Chic Throws.  

Grenoble Life: Why the name change? 

Kris Leroy: As Axelle and I are now associates, both managing the company and aiming to launch a luxury brand, we definitely needed to change the name for a fresh start. Chic Throws was also impossible to pronounce in French! I had originally had a direct e-commerce strategy for the business in place but realized that it was best to focus on my designs, our originality and leave the B2C to others more specialized. 

As most designers, it is important to keep your name in the frontlines and not hide behind a meaningless company name. We have invested in our new name/logo which I think reflects a more luxurious brand. 

GL: Who is Axelle? 

Kris: Axelle Scarpa and I used to work together at Ericsson Hewlett-Packard Telecommunications (EHPT) over 10 years ago. We have remained friends ever since and over lunch I’d told her my dream associate would be someone like her, an expert in supply chain management and purchasing. She was just finishing her tenth year at HP and was ready for a serious change in environment as well as an entrepreneurial challenge and quality of life improvement. She said, why don’t I come to work with you and I’d thought she’d had a bit too much wine at lunch …

Since April we’ve combined forces, and mutually thank each other for ‘our new life’. It’s great as we prioritize family time (i.e. working four days a week) however often meet online after hours to achieve our goals. We have moved our offices to a business park where our communications agency was located. It’s only 100m away from our last office but we have much better natural light (so I don’t have to go out on the roof to see the true fabric colors) and air conditioning! 

Kris Leroy and Axelle Scarpa

GL: What is there to do now that you’ve joined forces? 

Kris: We need to basically start all the business filings again in SARL format with the Chamber of Commerce and choose partners with whom we want to launch our new brand. (accountant, notaire, fabric suppliers, communications agency, etc.) You are only as good as your partners.

I am working on the new Winter 2010 collection for the first professional fair in Annecy in June. This will be the test for the B2B market where originality should prime over the traditional ‘mountain décor’ suppliers to ski areas in France, Switzerland and Italy. We are really targeting the chic boutiques in the ski areas in Megève, Chamonix, Courchevel, etc. and hope to ‘wow’ them with our new collection, for their international clients. I have spared no expense on the fabrics that come from top and unknown designers in France, Italy and the UK for the Courchevel Chic collection. 

Since the crise clients are craving color and that is what we will bring them as well as neutral-toned, softly-chic faux-fur throws and pillows (see top image).

GL: So you are ready to hit the market now? 

Kris: Now that Axelle is on board, I finally can focus on my added value which is sales and marketing. This past year has been spent getting our supply chain in place and prospecting both the B2B and B2C markets. I literally haven’t had a chance to really hit the pavement running with our collections. All sales have truly been through word of mouth. 

We just need to finish the website, the catalogue and the samples for each collection, photograph all and then I’m set to meet clients and take orders … Now that production is confirmed and we have about a two week lead time on production (better than our competitors who are importing from abroad), we can really stand out. 

Also, we need to perfect photography which is difficult to capture a large throw on a thumbnail-size photo and is quite a challenge for our internet resellers. We are currently testing photographers and have a great photo shoot in place that should all come together in May.

Leroy & Scarpa

GL: In terms of design are you comfortable in this new market? 

Kris: Axelle and I just came back from London where we attended the Kelly Hoppen school of design. This program really helped me fine-tune what I was designing to be in harmony with Kelly Hoppen’s style which caters to the same clientele. I have finally overcome my fear of neutral linens and can expertly decipher the difference in taupe and sand tones.

We have also joined forces with our communications agency and www.ateliermartinberger.com to create www.cocotte-design.com, which is a blog for girls who like to talk about girls in design. We are having loads of fun with this project that just launched last weekend and are meeting a lot of interesting people in design. 

GL: What has inspired the new collection? 

Kris: I have found three new fabric designers that are really in tune with my style and blend well with what we have already. I have also found a sculpture-designer that can make the buttons that I’ve been trying to find worldwide as a final touch to the collection. We will also be designing our own buttons as finishing touches with our new logo. 

As we are actively targeting the ski areas, we are using a lot of faux-fur in bright colors and neutral tones. We only use French and Belgian top-quality fabric and the result is an ultra-soft, emotional / sensual product. It’s not just a throw! 

We are also launching some furniture at the fair in June: plush, patchwork chairs and cube tables. 

We have been lucky as the press has sought us out and especially the new magazine ‘Cosy Mountain’ which is the first ski-area magazine for contemporary design. Once our packaging is complete with the new logo, we should have a four-page spread in their fall issue. 

GL: And then what? 

Kris: Once summer arrives, I need to start designing the Spring Collection for 2011 which will include outdoor fabrics (pillows, lounge covers, poufs, plush chairs). We also have lighter throws planned for cool evenings and brightly colored pillows to match. 

I am also working with a graffiti artist to design some eclectic throws for artsy and adolescent clients. I am inspired by Banksy’s wall art in the UK and hope to transfer others artists’ designs onto throws, headboards, etc. 

We are working on our first chic-boutique deal in London and then who know where outside of France … For the moment we will focus on our home-base and slowly branch out to Switzerland, Italy and other foreign markets. 

We do want to maintain a ‘boutique-brand’ and not sell to large department stores. The idea is to remain exclusive and maintain a smaller, very happy clientele.

Garvin at the Radio Campus studio

The April 25 English Talk Radio show features Garvin: a Franco-Welsh-Scots rock band from Grenoble.  After only a little over a year together and they are already finishing the recording of their first album. A mix of English pop-rock, progressive and folk, they play two songs live in the studio for you!

Listen to the full show: here

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. There are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

Speaker Grill. Photo: Chase Houston

The April 11 English Talk Radio show features Trudi Penkler, a psychologist, psychotherapist and ‘Intercultural Consultant’ with her own practice, Active Adaptation Counselling, in downtown Grenoble. The discussion is about third culture kids, particularly teenagers …

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. There are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

Listen to the show: here

Radio. Photo: stigwaage

The March 28 English Talk Radio show features guest Kate Daligault of Banque Rhône-Alpes in Grenoble talking about banking in France, and Mary Zaccai interviews Kristine Minski and Vivian Draper about five years doing the show.

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. We are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

Listen to the full show: here

Odyssey Intercultural

Michelle Mielly is MSc Marketing Program Director at Grenoble Graduate School of Business. She talks to Grenoble Life about her background, adapting to life in France and Odyssey Intercultural, the training consultancy she founded.

Grenoble Life: What is Odyssey Intercultural and who is it for?

Michelle Mielly: Odyssey Intercultural is a brand I created four years ago in my work as a consultant with Act’Rmc here in Grenoble. Its name reflects the long and multi-faceted journey that one experiences when working and living interculturally.

The training I have developed targets individuals, teams, and organizations wishing to acquire greater intercultural competency. They may be involved in an acculturation/expatriation process, working in a multicultural team environment, experiencing the ins and outs of a corporate merger or international joint venture, or managing any form of diversity in an organization. Any of these common situations requires intercultural competency.

GL: What are some of the dangers of poor intercultural understanding and management?

Michelle: Stated simply, failure is the biggest danger. Failure in business ventures is often attributed to incompatibilities in strategy, business models, operational technicalities, or management styles. However, when one looks at some of the most spectacular failures in international business, the hidden dimension of culture is often the origin.

The examples are multiple: Disney’s implantation strategy in France and in Hong Kong, the Daimler-Chrysler merger, Lucent-Alcatel’s missed mission, Schneider Electric’s difficulties with a number of its foreign subsidiaries, and many more. Some of these examples illustrate that cultural issues create great obstacles, but the good news is that you can overcome them with hard work and the investment of time.

Another danger is missed opportunities. Creating a bad first impression takes a long time to correct, so it’s better to go into international business with an open mind and conscientious preparation. Many opportunities are lost due to individual cultural differences that inhibited the establishment of a long lasting and productive relationship.

When people don’t feel respected, if they perceive a lack of interest on the part of the other, if they lack the fundamental trust at the foundations of the relationship, or if they think they are being stereotyped negatively, they go into defensive mode. Most of the time they actually start behaving in ways that may confirm the other’s stereotypes!

It must be stressed that in speaking of cultural differences in the corporate context, we are often talking about corporate, and not national or regional cultures. There are dozens of examples of mergers or acquisitions between the same national cultures, but the corporate cultures involved were profoundly imprinted and elusive to change.

GL: Odyssey Intercultural specializes in European-North American relations. Could you elaborate on how these relations can be complicated or sensitive and why Grenoble in particular might require such a service?

Michelle: Cultural differences exist between any two cultures: just looking at Western Europe’s dazzling diversity is overwhelming! Statistically speaking along national cultural dimensions, there are much greater differences between France and Denmark for example than there are between France and the US.

So why train people to work better with North Americans (Canadians and US)? Precisely because there is an incorrect perception, due to excessive and sustained commercial and popular culture exposure, that these cultures are familiar, superficial, and that there is not much more to know about them.

Upon closer examination, however, one finds differences of deep and significant import. It is one thing to watch American sitcoms, eat at McDonald’s, study the English language, visit Toronto or the Grand Canyon for two weeks. It is absolutely another to work, communicate, and negotiate with North Americans on a daily basis.

One example: the perception of time. First, is time a disposable resource? What is an acceptable turnaround time in responding to an email (reactivity levels)? What is the best way to organize time allocation for a project, or just for a meeting? How does one divide one’s personal time from professional time and is this necessary? Should people be available during vacation periods? How much vacation is necessary? What are the expected working hours in companies?

Grenoble’s high tech economy provides a stunning example of how globalization has simultaneously simplified and complicated our work environment. And this environment has an impact on our personal lives as well (increased travel, the need to work odd hours to accommodate conf calls internationally, etc.).

Managers now have teams working 24/7 on their global projects, so deep integration through collaborative technology is a reality today. An industrial project, for example, involves teams in multiple time zones with multiple local environments that contrast sharply from one site to another.

While technically we have the means to run long and short term projects across the globe, on a personal individual level, we often simply do not have the intercultural tools at our disposal to sustainably manage the complexity of the different cultural realities that each site and international counterpart presents throughout the project lifetime.

Partnerships in many forms between Grenoble-based organizations and North American organizations are extremely common and new ones are forming constantly. Due to the perceived similarity of our cultures, most of my clients do not see a need for my services at the start of the project, but usually begin to perceive the need once the challenges have begun to appear.

GL: Why and how did you set it up?

Michelle: I set up this activity to be able to develop trainings that had begun to be requested by local companies to whom I had been referred. As in any activity, a couple of companies ‘took a chance’ with me and offered me a first opportunity to develop a training on French-American intercultural communication.

Thanks to their confidence, I was able to get my grounding in this fascinating field and to develop and test my trainings on people directly working in the corporate environment. My work with people on both the French and American sites of these organizations has helped me see the importance of working with people on both sides of the fence.

GL: Tell us a little about your background

Michelle: Ethnographically speaking I fully identify myself as a southerner: born and raised in Texas to parents from Louisiana and Oklahoma. I grew up in a small town outside of Houston, where I spent a great deal of my time riding my horses and learning the value of simplicity and the happiness of being outdoors.

I started learning French when I was about 15 and then switched from the rodeo circuit to the international summer exchange circuit. I worked my way through undergraduate studies, three graduate programs including Pennsylvania State U and Harvard, and in between got some great experience working in the field.

Trained in linguistics, foreign language pedagogy, intercultural studies and anthropology, I’m politically progressive but culturally conservative. I am proud of my roots and the values I received from them and encourage my students and clients to never lose sight of those values, no matter how much adaptation they must do internationally.

GL: You’ve also worked in Africa and Central America, can you tell us a little about this and how it influenced your thinking.

Michelle: In my 20s I spent a lot of my time backpacking—Europe, Latin America, SE Asia, Africa. Studying comparative literature with a focus on contemporary Central American writers led me to Costa Rica where I had an exceptional experience. I wrote for the local English speaking paper in San José, translated the poetry of Ana Istaru, and had the chance to manage an ecotourism outfitter in the Northwestern pacific region of Guanacaste with 14 employees. This experience made it clear to me that development work was for me.

When I went on to study for the Ph.D. at Harvard, I focused on Francophone African civilizations with a focus on modern day cultural producers and how they contribute to economic and cultural development. I got to live and work with the extraordinary artist Werewere Liking in the Ki Yi Village, Ivory Coast.

These experiences involved huge amounts of negotiation, adaptation, and exhausting reappraisals of my priorities. I initiated as a part of my doctoral thesis for example a US tour of seven African artists in the US in 2004 involving 10 universities across the US, from New York all the way to Ohio.

I began to recognize that I had a certain ease in working with very different cultures and in coordinating among diverse partners in complex situations, constantly negotiating for the best compromise for all. I had in fact through these experiences developed my own working philosophy and own tools, but not until my work in intercultural management had I actually started thinking about them in terms of knowledge transmission.

GL: Concerning European-North American relations – as I’m British, where do I fit in? Do your clients ask for intercultural training on British working and cultural habits? How are we often perceived by others (wrongly or rightly)?

Michelle: Well, you and I have a lot in common in terms of cultural heritage. The US could be considered to simply be the most successful colony of the Commonwealth! And yes, I have actually been asked for help in companies working with the British, but I always involve a British colleague or graduate student in order to legitimize my work on that culture, to provide the most authentic training possible.

In terms of perceptions, the French have the perception that the British are not as trustworthy as the Americans. I think both cultures (French and English) perceive the other as ‘perfidious’, as traditionally both sides of the Channel have portrayed the other as capable of treason. Idiomatic expressions such as filer à l’anglais or ‘to take French leave’ illustrate the mistrust. And who can blame either? There is a lot of water under that bridge of collective memory.

Another perception that the French have is that the British have a more complex communication style with more ‘code’ and irony. And that is one that I fully agree with!

GL: What are some of the difficulties you have faced adapting to life in France and how have you overcome them?

Michelle: In terms of my greatest difficulties to adapting to France in particular, I think most of them were due to differing communication styles and my own unrealistic expectations. These created great obstacles for me here, and it took me some time to have close French friends.

I had learned from my southern American upbringing and values, what we call southern gentility, that there are certain things you just cannot do, for example:

It is impolite to confront or challenge others’ ideas in public, particularly if you do not know the person well. It is impolite to say provocative things about another country or civilization in front of the person representing that country. It is not kind to interrupt someone when they are speaking. It is not good manners to correct another person’s accent or pronunciation if they are learning your language. Finally, outside of communication issues, it is extremely rude to jump in front of someone in a line (or a queue as you say in the UK).

I progressively discovered to my astonishment that all of these behaviors were common in France, part of the way people operate here generally. It is perfectly fine to criticize others in order to spark a debate or discussion, to see whether you are capable of holding your own when it comes to rhetorical skills (of which the French have plenty).

It’s part of their philosophical heritage to critique other civilizations and to look upon the outside world as less attractive than France, but they actually want you to convince them otherwise. That’s why they provoke heated discussions which are in no way unfriendly. A sign of a strong relationship between two people here is to be able to argue heatedly and passionately with each other, often in public.

Frequent interruptions in France are normal and common in discussions, formal and informal. Correcting someone’s French is the only way to help that person avoid sounding ridiculous to others, and having someone else correct them later.

Last but not least, if you do not have a strong territorial strategy for defending your place in a queue, people will simply cut in front of you. It was me who needed to adapt my behaviors and expectations to this new environment, to shift from passive to active mode.

GL: Could you give Grenoble Life readers some tips on adapting to life in France?

Michelle: I think the above description could suffice: it’s all about changing your expectations and recognizing your cultural limitations in order to move on. If French people seem strange, rude, or complicated to you, they may be thinking the exact thing of you! You have to be a lot more flexible in another country than you are at home, you have to tolerate a lot more discomfort and sense of displacement.

It can really be frustrating at times and often discouraging. The movement from one place to another, literally translatio, requires a self-reflexive capacity for adapting to the new environment and to those with whom you are in contact. Yet more important than any of this is having a strong dose of empathy. In other words, forcing oneself into the uneasy position of the other, and trying at all times to imagine things from their perspective.

See www.odysseyintercultural.com for more info.

Trudi Penkler: Active Adaptation Counselling

Trudi Penkler is a psychologist, psychotherapist and ‘Intercultural Consultant’ with her own practice, Active Adaptation Counselling, in Grenoble. In the second of a two-part interview, she talks to Grenoble Life about the experiences families can have adapting to life in France.

Grenoble Life: What kind of difficulties can families have adapting to life in a new culture?

A lot has been written about culture shock, but in my experience few difficulties in adapting to a new culture can be attributed to this alone. Certainly there are some very real challenges to be faced in making our lives work in unfamiliar surroundings. Actually living day-to-day in a new country is very different from a holiday visit. Sometimes we can feel completely ‘outside’ of what is happening around us, disconnected, as if we’ll never understand or be part of where we are. There can be a sense of loss when nothing seems to be as it was before.

Although we have risen to the challenge of relocating to a new country and find the differences we encounter interesting and stimulating, we may not identify with anything within the culture around us to begin with and may feel that we are having to live in isolation, surrounded by a world we have no part in. The social support network of family, friends and people who shared our way of life before, is very much missed and it takes time to recreate this again.

We may feel robbed of the roles that gave meaning to our lives and defined our social identity before. Generally this proves to be temporary as we start forming new habits and patterns, new friendships and connections which bring meaningful structure to our lives again and also when we realize that the previous chapters of our lives are still important. If, however, sustained helplessness, anger or resignation emerge, with continued feelings of anxiety, disorientation, confusion and depression, this requires attention.

When we establish our homes in a new environment, we’ve stepped out of the rut of our own ‘normality’ for a while. Any day-to-day challenge we would have managed in familiar circumstances will require more of us in unfamiliar ones – more concentration, more energy more time. Being prepared for this and accepting it upfront as part of the adaptation process, rather than resisting it and hoping for things to feel the same as before, is helpful.

We also need to be aware that we take ‘ourselves’ with us wherever we go. This means that pre-existent problem areas like fragile marital situations or wobbly self esteem, parenting difficulties or dependency issues will not go away or magically be ‘fixed’ in the new situation. Not only will they re-emerge, but they will be amplified by the stresses of moving. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes being brought face-to-face with difficulties that we’ve been carrying with us for years, but can no longer ignore, pushes us to address them.

Education is usually a very important priority for globally mobile families and whereas younger children generally adapt relatively easily, moving older children may be more difficult. Adolescence is of itself a time of change during which young people begin identifying more with their peers than their parents. Resentment, disengagement, helplessness and unhappiness can set in, if these young people feel they have been uprooted against their will and they will need empathetic understanding rather than motivational lectures from their parents. It is important to keep communication lines with teenagers and younger children open, especially about choices concerning them, at all stages of the relocation process.

When couples move, one partner’s career has often been favoured and the other may have renounced their own professional development and feel that they have lost too much, particularly if they are unable to resume a professional activity in the new country, because of language, legal or family constraints.

Leaving parents who are aging or in ill health behind in our home countries may be difficult.

GL: What other advice would you give families considering making a move to a new culture?

We don’t only take our weakness with us when we move across cultures, we also take our strengths, sometimes strengths we didn’t even know we had. We all have the resources within us to adapt to change, if the conditions are there to allow access to those resources …

But we do need to be very clear on the reasons for a move like this. Each individual family member may not be equally enthusiastic or benefit as much from the change, but each will be happier to be part of it all if the reasons have been clearly discussed and they makes sense.  

When we’re going to embark on an adventure like this, preparation is indispensible, not only in terms of the logistics of the move, but in familiarising ourselves with information about the new culture. Knowing more about the documented “do’s and taboos” of another culture is not going to prevent us from encountering obstacles and making mistakes anyway though.

A very important aspect of good preparation will involve also thinking about how we’re going to deal with change. Our emotional reactions and personal experience of a new situation are so much more positive when we’ve considered this beforehand and are consciously prepared to develop a tolerance for difference and uncertainty.

Things will be new and exciting, but the ease with which we did things in a familiar environment will not be there to begin with, especially if acquisition of another language is part of the equation. Simple tasks that we did without thinking before will take more time and effort. Although this may be frustrating, this doesn’t mean we’ve become less effective.

Coming to grips with the language of the country we’ll be living in will be essential, but there is no rule book as to how best or how quickly this should happen – we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be bullied into feeling inferior, while we’re actively learning and not yet proficient in a new language. Adapting to a new culture is not an end-point or a destination. It is a process, a learning process. We’re on the path and we are continuously progressing as long as we keep going. The pace of our own individual progress should not be measured or dictated by self-appointed ‘experts’ we may meet.

We’ll need to be gentle with ourselves, set realistic (yet ambitious) goals and respect the values and protocols of our host culture, without compromising our own. For a while our judgement will be a little cloudy while we’re learning about a new culture. It is important to consciously switch on the ‘data gathering radar’ in our minds, observing curiously all the time and verifying our conclusions by asking questions, rather than assuming we’ve understood what we’ve experienced. Most people will not find our questions bothersome and on the contrary, will enjoy being considered wise enough to be consulted.

Everything is easier when we feel stronger, so looking after ourselves health-wise should be a priority. Children should be kept informed of family decisions all the way (they’ll the need reassurance that their parents are ok, if a little lost and confused, still ok and still in charge).

We shouldn’t give up on the things we love or do well, music or painting, football or throwing a frisbee, but we’ll need to put effort into finding how to continue these activities in a different way. We also shouldn’t push ourselves to do things we don’t really want to, even though everyone else seems to be doing them. Some people really don’t like skiing or really aren’t interested in discovering the wonderful French wines here – and that’s just fine!

Keeping regular and ongoing contact with faraway loved ones will be very important too. You won’t have ‘betrayed’ them by coming to France and the more part of your experience they remain, the easier the separation will be for everyone.

And we’ll need to take the time to have fun and enjoy being where we are. This is not a test of endurance but an adventure and an “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” (Amelia Earhart)  

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Please do not hesitate to contact me. My office is at 2 Rue de la République, in downtown Grenoble, just off of Place Grenette opposite Haagen-Dazs.

Tel: 04 76 98 93 85 e-mail: trudi@aac-intercultural.com website: www.aac-intercultural.com

Trudi Penkler

Trudi Penkler is a psychologist, psychotherapist and ‘Intercultural Consultant’ with her own practice, Active Adaptation Counselling, in Grenoble. In the first of a two-part interview, she talks to Grenoble Life about helping foreigners adapt to life in a new culture, going professional in France, and being a Ghostbuster!

Grenoble Life: What is an Intercultural Consultant?

Trudi Penkler: Our professions, education and social interactions are becoming more and more ‘globalised’. We can be based ‘at home’ but work with teams and organisations all over the world. We can also find ourselves living, learning and working in different cultural environments from the ones we’ve spent most of our lives in, sometimes for a short while, sometimes longer. This can mean trying to ‘belong’ in more than one place, or having children who do.

Intercultural consulting aims to provide information, awareness and skills, to help people be more effective in their work, pursue their research or studies comfortably and manage the demands of their daily lives with competence, in unfamiliar cultural contexts.

Active Adaptation Counselling was founded to serve this objective in 1998.  My work is about finding and emphasizing what works well in intercultural or multicultural situations, not what doesn’t. It’s about focusing on commonalities and strengths rather than differences and weaknesses. It’s about building bridges across the ravines that we imagine separate us from each other in terms of communication, understanding and interacting constructively. The experience of relocating across unfamiliar cultures myself provided the opportunity of looking closely into how to deal with diversity and developing expertise in this field, while continuing to practise as the psychologist and psychotherapist I was to begin with. 

Perhaps the best description of what I do was given to me by a young man of twelve who had come to see me, struggling to accept and settle into a new school system that at first seemed most alien to him and who was finally feeling more at ease … “You know what you are?” he said “you’re a ghostbuster.” I decided to keep the title!

GL: Tell us a little about your background

Trudi: Born in South Africa of parents and grandparents who were also born there, I never imagined living anywhere else. During the worst of the Apartheid years however, conditions became increasingly unbearable. It was inconceivable then, that Nelson Mandela would ever become the first president democratically elected by all the people of that country. ‘Broadening our horizons’ and trying to make our lives ‘elsewhere’ as parents of a young family, was a choice we felt constrained to make. Discovering a new culture and language were high on the ‘pro’ list when choosing to come to France. These were indeed to become great advantages, but naively we could not have imagined how hard won they would be!

Before coming to Grenoble, I had studied to work in both nursing and teaching biology, but a natural ability to deal well with crisis situations and to identify and redirect negative thinking and behaviour patterns towards more constructive ones, motivated more specific qualification in psychology, guidance and counselling. Experience in emergency situations with the South African Red Cross and responsibility for adolescent counselling in schools reinforced this choice.

GL: Why did you decide to develop a counselling service focusing on families moving to a new culture?

Trudi: The English speaking community was a lot smaller when I first came to Grenoble in 1986. Was it really more than two decades ago now?! Very little at the time, apart from house-hunting services and French lessons, was being provided by the companies and organisations that were relocating their employees, or students, even political refugees to the area. Interacting with other expatriates, I began to observe that wherever we’d come from, whatever the reasons for us being here, there seemed to be a pattern of common challenges and ways of coping with these – or not. It appeared that while some individuals embraced diversity and change easily, flourishing in a new cultural context and dealing well with situations and experiences very different from what they had known before, others managed less comfortably, sometimes very much less so.

What began as random observation and informal, voluntary help where appropriate, led to an avid interest in intercultural adaptation mechanisms, a need to understand these better and to establish the environment within which to contribute professionally. I spent a number of years reading and researching the thinking and behaviour patterns involved in cross-cultural adaptation, as well as studying the methodologies in cultural awareness training before beginning to work in this field.

GL: What challenges did you face in transferring your professional skills to France and set up your own practice here?

Trudi: Deciding to do something in France is one thing. Identifying the appropriate administrative processes and getting the paperwork right is another! Until I learned that “Non Madame, ce n’est pas possible,” were merely the opening words to further discussion, I would return defeated from the various offices that apply the regulations that govern self employment (trying to register my professional activity) or from the university (trying to obtain recognition of my qualifications).

Often when we’ve come from elsewhere, what we are trying to do in France doesn’t fit into any of the ‘boxes’ on the forms to fill in and much time is wasted in finding an alternative or solution. There is a cultural phenomenon that can work in one’s favour though and this is that unlike in our ‘bottom line’ Anglo Saxon cultures, negotiation can be a possibility, as long as one accepts the status quo to begin with and then looks at ways around obstacles from there.

Beginning almost as a ‘freelance consultant’, then establishing a practice and a small company concurrently, required carefully familiarising oneself with the details of ‘how things work’ officially, especially as in my case there are two distinct categories of services provided – i.e., Consulting in professional contexts as well as psychotherapy and counselling.

Balancing overhead costs and incoming revenue when we first start building up a client base can be daunting. I had the good fortune of sharing offices for financial reasons at first, with four wonderful French therapists, two of whom worked part-time for the government in judicial and social placement cases and also independently as therapists. Their input in terms of ideas, information and support was invaluable.

GL: What services do you offer?

Trudi: Although the services provided by Active Adaptation Counselling are two-fold – i.e., consulting in professional environments and personal counselling or therapy – the premise underlying both, is that active intervention can improve or repair our experience of a situation or event.

Intercultural consulting can involve any of the following: individual, management and team coaching; mediation and facilitation, which can be motivational, goal-directed or problem-solving; cultural awareness training programmes; workshops and lectures or presentations on specific topics or themes; independent screening for potential relocation; expatriation preparation, not only for those coming to France, but also for French expatriates moving elsewhere; preview visit interviews and ‘welcome’ talks; performance review and interview preparation; and repatriation or reintegration preparation for returnees.

Psychotherapy and counselling is provided for adults, adolescents and children, for couples and families. Problems and difficulties are addressed, but also aspirations and self development. What happens to us, as well as how we think and do things, all have an effect on how we personally experience of our lives, our work and our relationships. Psychotherapy and counselling can be useful when we are experiencing stress, emotional difficulties, psychological obstacles to learning, relationship problems, difficulties in adaptation to change, substance dependency, crisis situations, grief, difficulties in coping with physical difficulties or illness, post traumatic incident syndrome or simply when we need tools for going forward positively or improving a process rather than being stuck.

Lastly, my experience in the medical field has made it possible to provide medical interpreting services – i.e. the presence of an interpreter and counsellor during medical visits or hospitalisation.

GL: You work with international companies in the region – why do they approach you?

Trudi: Three main scenarios lead to requests for consulting to companies: Firstly, when intercultural awareness is important for individuals or teams working in multicultural or geographically diverse contexts and coaching, training programmes or workshops are required.

The second is when communication or motivation in multicultural teams needs to be stimulated and again, coaching services or workshops would be useful.

Thirdly, when cultural misunderstandings have led to errors in judgement or paralysis of a situation and external mediation or facilitation would get things moving forward again.

Smooth carrying forward of objectives can be hampered at various levels of management, by miscommunication or simple lack of awareness. This potentially becomes all the more complicated in diverse teams whose cultural filters are not all based in the same values and traditions. When we take the time to identify and focus on commonalities and the strengths to be drawn from diversity rather than differences and weaknesses – the most gridlocked of situations can gain momentum again.

Rarely, help can be required to defuse or get through a crisis situation, either the personal situation of an employee or group becoming critical in the workplace, or an external incident like a business travel accident, or hostage taking, which would require emergency support in handling the situation itself and for the employee’s family if necessary.

GL: What do your therapy sessions typically involve? (i.e., do you work with families, or in one-to-one sessions?)

Trudi: We find it appropriate to take responsibility for our own physical health. My sessions are about taking responsibility for our mental and emotional health too. Every case is different. Although most counselling is individual and face-to-face, couple, family or group counselling is often appropriate and constructive. Telephone counselling is also common for those living further afield and I’ve come to use this more often since consulting regularly by telephone for a company in America supporting French expatriates living there.

When the step of seeking help is taken, it is because something in our lives is not serving us well. As my clients often have to continue functioning effectively and in a ‘foreign’ environment to boot, my aim is always to actively begin the process of movement, from the present situation towards a more positively perceived one. When we look at our responses to others, to what happens to us, even to our own thoughts and fears, we also start reclaiming responsibility for ourselves and our own wellbeing, whatever the situation.

Endless digging about in the past without a clear intention or purpose does not make sense to me. Understanding where a difficulty may have its source is certainly important, but identifying and acting on what can be done about it from there, allows us to start leaving behind the ‘victim status’ we may be stuck in and become central actors in our own life stories again. This is what I help people do, through a structured method, like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I hold up a mirror of what I have gathered from what is expressed. This brings a life situation into perspective or provides a different angle of seeing things, which can affirm and reassure, provoke reaction or even motivate change.

Therapy is always an interactive process. It is not a random one however and requires structure and direction. Although Jungian and existentialist at heart, I draw on both CBT – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and NLP – Neuro-linguistic Programming methods.

It is essential to me that those who work with me, leave every session more fortified and have access to the strategies and tools we’ve explored together, that will help them to be able to cope better, even if only a little each time, with the demands their lives are making on them.

GL: Are there cases where you find you cannot help?

Trudi: There are severe pathologies and difficulties, that I would be neither qualified nor capable of taking on and in these cases I would suggest referral to medical professionals who would be better suited to the problem, accompanying the client all the way if necessary though.

In recent years, more English-speaking medical and paramedical professionals have set up in Grenoble and I have instigated an English Speaking Therapy Forum so that we are in contact with each other, share information and are better able to serve the needs of the community. The WWNG (Working Women’s Network of Grenoble) has also been most important in facilitating the exchange of information so that professionals in the field get to know about each other, what is available and how to find it.

In part II, coming soon, Trudi will be talking about the difficulties familes can face when moving to a new culture and offering some advice on how to manage this adaptation.

Upstage website

The March 10 English Talk Radio show was recorded at the Cité Scolaire Internationale de Grenoble, and includes an interview with the director, the cast and the crew of Upstage, which is putting on two plays: Loot by Joe Orton and Mountain Language by Harold Pinter, performing March 22–27 at 7:30 pm at the Théâtre Ste-Marie-d’en-Bas.

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. We are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

Listen to the full show: here

Microphone. Photo: hiddedevries

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. We are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

The February 24 English Talk Radio show took place at Université Stendhal with Caroline Schlenker and students of the English department acting class.  Listen to the full show: here

Mary Veale, "Borders, technique", 2007. Cast glass/tissue. Photo: Jean Pierre Angei

Mary Veale is an Irish artist based in Grenoble. She talks to Grenoble Life’s James Dalrymple about her new exhibition Mutations. 

Grenoble Life: Could you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to live in Grenoble. 

Mary Veale: I was born in Kilkenny, Ireland; I trained as a nurse and midwife and in neurology initially. After a brief working period in nursing I began my artistic training and completed my diploma foundation studies in Exeter College of Art in 1983. After that I moved to the north of England and completed my BA in design of glass and ceramics at the University of Sunderland where I was fortunate to work with the master of Swedish design Goran Warff. 

After graduation I worked in the setting-up of one of the first artists’ co-operatives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne at 36 Lime Street, Ouseburn Warehouse Workshops. We got awarded the Prince’s Trust Award for innovation in 1987. 

After setting up my first workshop I returned to study for my Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Northumberland. The theme of my final Master’s show was based on the Cleveland child abuse crisis. My first daughter was born during this period. 

I came to live in Grenoble initially for a sabbatical year in 1991, returning with my husband Daniel Veale working in medical research and respiratory medicine. 

GL: You say on the Un certain detachement (UCD) website that your works are inspired in part by “what it means to move cultures,” could you elaborate on this?  

Mary: The lack of opportunity to show local artists’ work in Grenoble caused us to set up the co-operative Un certain detachement in 2005. This group was set up by myself, Claude Gazengel and Alain Quercia. Claude Gazengel wrote a text based on her history about living abroad and crossing cultures (she had lived in Barcelona for three years). The group began with the idea of a mobile gallery and hence the Vending Machine Project was born. Now we have 30 international artists from five different countries involved in this international art project; and are using three vending machines. The concept is to make multiples in art and distribute them via a vending machine. The machines can be moved and shown in a variety of places. 

My multiple was based on the idea of “displacement“, which could be seen as a mental, physical or metaphysical state. As one moves cultures one has, in certain respects, to become detached from one’s origins. 

The idea of glass cast tongues (being cut off or dismembered) may be symbolic of the language problems that I have experienced - notions of fragility and breakability are present in my work.  While taking on a new language and culture can be a very enriching experience, it can also be very unsettling; thus the idea of fragility or moulding of glass can be very poignant. When speaking in a foreign tongue sometimes words and meanings get lost or remain unsaid. I like the idea of working on the spaces within the silences. I call these ‘silent spaces” where words are lost or unsaid or become mutated. I have tried to use this idea of lost words or silent spaces in my glass books; which are a work in progress started when I first arrived in Grenoble. 

GL: On the UCD website you state that glass can distort and protect. Some of your works feature scrawled or warped messages, while others enclose seemingly organic, even visceral matter. There is a vulnerability to certain works, but the shell or flower-like formations are made from hard materials. Likewise, your artworks seem to be personal, even intimate, but themes of liberty, borders and social exclusion are recurrent. Could you talk about the political dimension to your work and how it relates to the personal? 

Mary: I have worked on various themes over the past few years and a lot of my works are through ideas which may have been inspired by literature, poetry, music and current affairs. 

I am particularly interested in issues based on being an artist and the role of an artist today in society. Being a mother of three daughters and woman has also marked my work. 

Glass is often my chosen material as I can explore so many concepts and ideas through this material. 

Of course a lot of my art work is personal and when I am concerned about a particular issue but as the work develops a universal meaning can be traced also, I hope. 

My first work made in Grenoble was with the Ecole De La Paix. I worked on the concept of a glass book about peace entitled the Livre des larmes. This was in 1998 to commemorate the signing of the peace agreement in Northern Ireland. Since this date I continue to add pages, so it’s like a work in progress – as are peace processes in lots of places in the world. 

Most of my work is installation-based and may have many diverse media, including paintings, sculpture, light works, video and books. 

The theme of liberty is one that I have worked on. I organised a debate on this subject at the Fort Du Murier during the weekend of the Journée nationale du patrimoine in 2007. I invited guest speakers, local politicians and historians and opened the debate to the general public. The theme was: What does the concept of Liberty mean today? This debate was recorded and a video was also made during the debate and I made specific works after this debate. 

GL: Tell us about your new show Mutations. 

Mary: I like this word mutation as it can be so large in its meaning and connotations. It suits my work. 

To explore mutation in my work I start with genetic changes that happen in the body, as I interpret scientific images or concepts such as ageing and memory into a visual language. 

Mutation is a natural phenomenon in the creative process as marks and gestures constantly alter and change, becoming exposed, hidden or unstable. 

Mutable, changeable, unsteady: many of these words find resonance in my work through the use of particular materials such as glass, wax and paint. Through the creative process I am constantly bringing change, instability and alternating form and content through a complex process of looking and seeing. 

To be in a state of mutation is often felt by individuals who have become displaced or moved from their origins. Being outside one’s original culture could be a form of mutation particularly as one adapts and assumes another culture with its language and customs – as has been my experience. 

My works in this exhibition are from recent paintings and glass works and are based on the theme of mapping the inner body and “landscape”, or topography. I interpret the brain and its complex systems of neuronal pathways through looking and drawing, later to be defined into the language of paint or glass sculptures. The medical imagery I use as a starting point, which then leads to an exploration of wider issues to do with memory and loss. 

The philosophical dimension is also present as I try to understand our fears and emotions. The use of glass is a perfect metaphor for all that can be held within, frozen in time. The abstraction and reworking of medical imagery helps me to understand more about how our bodies work and how the inner landscape of our bodies is less of a mystery. 

Art can make visual many complex scientific concepts in a way which is less mysterious we as we understand the world around us through our actions emotions and reactions. Through this work I am not trying to show any answers but trying to understand for myself a little of how the body functions and changes in certain circumstances. 

I am interested in the idea of collaboration between different professions and therefore I worked in the Sleep Laboratories at the CHU Grenoble, looking at sleep studies and making a video recording of this procedure. Often the different areas of science and art have common grounds, especially in neurology. Medical imagery in recent times, such as the MRI scanner, brings a lot of new information to the scientist and also maybe to the artist. We as artists can contribute perhaps by having a different way of looking at a subject. I hope to commence a residency at the new neurological institute here in Grenoble working alongside scientists. 

I have works that explore the thought process, memory and memory loss, as my mother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. 

GL: You talked earlier about the lack of opportunity to show local artists’ work in Grenoble. Could you talk more about this? 

Mary: A lot of artists in Grenoble never get to show their work in the city as it lacks any professional body to help organize a database. Just recently Entre ‘Arts got closed down and it used such a database over 10 years. 

The lack of space for artists led me to set up the vending machine project with my colleagues here in Grenoble. There are no studios for artists in Grenoble as was the case in Newcastle. Therefore, the city and local artists lack a cohesive structure to help them continue in their professional careers. 

As I was involved in the setting up one of the original co-operatives with other artists in Newcastle, I carry on this idea that artists cannot work in isolation and do need to have proper studios with low rent, as being an artist does not bring a regular income. 

I spent three years working on a proposal with a group of artists and architects here in Grenoble to set up studios and a set of workshops for international artists designed for the Le Petit Hall at Bouchayer Viallet. However, commerce won the day and art was not seen as economically viable. I see this as a huge mistake for the city as we see in Lyon how the Biennale D’art brought 165,000 visitors to the city thus bringing a lot of commerce. Therefore art can be an economic venture for a city. 

GL: Where can people go to see more of your work at that of your fellow artists? 

Mary: One of UCD’s vending machines is presently in-situ at the parliament party office of Genevieve Fioraso, 7 rue Voltaire. This exhibition continues until 15^th March. 

The recycled vending machine is beautifully reconditioned by our sculpture Vincent Gontier and our graphic artist Céline Charles. 

The machine contains artists’ multiples made in a variety of media (paintings, video, sculpture, photographs, which are signed unique works from 30 international artists. All the works can be purchased for a very reasonable price.

You must also visit Restaurant Du Petit Lac in St Egreve where Jac the owner has invited 24 or more artists from Grenoble to design a table. All the tables are on display can be eaten off and are really great. This is a project worth seeing  and I have a table also there.

Mutations – an exhibition of recent paintings and glass works by Mary Veale – continues at Moulin Villancourt, Pont de Claix, until 20^th March.

Villeneuve d’Uriage

Rebecca Skillman talks to residents of the hamlet Villeneuve d’Uriage, near Grenoble. She shares with us her discoveries about issues of sustainability and community in Alpine village life.

Perched above the thermal spa town of Uriage, the idyllically located hamlet of Villeneuve d’Uriage is home to around 150 people. I was curious about what attracts people to live here; how people relate to each other in the village; and whether there is more to the hamlet than simply “Grenoble satellite”? 

I talked to three couples who have made the village their home. The interviews reveal the similarities and differences in how we view “nature”, our overall need to connect with each other and our search for sustainability in the 21^st century. 

Kelli (Project Manager, HP) and Olivier (Sales Manager, HP)  

Kelli: I was born and raised in Boise in the US. The decision to move to France wasn’t difficult – this was the right place to be at this time in our lives. What was hard was leaving family and friends. I told myself: part of my cost of living is getting back to the US as often as possible. That’s how I talked myself into making it work, and it has. 

People here have been very kind. At the same time I miss the feeling of community I had back home. In Boise, when you do something like running errands, you have a list of people you’re gonna do things for. You walk in and out your neighbours’ homes – you don’t knock – and it’s very informal. You garden together and you build your houses together. One time my mother’s basement was flooded and suddenly there’s a whole crowd of people fixing the problem and drinking beer, making a party out of it. If there’s an issue, you sort it but have a good time doing it. But here in the village it’s just the two of us. 

I’m very happy here but if I could change anything it would be the distance between Boise and France!  And, day to day, I wouldn’t choose again to work from home. Much as I love our place it’s one of the things that’s slowed me becoming part of the community. 

Olivier: I was looking for a balance between proximity to Grenoble, for my job, and a village that is really alive – people working here, farmers, tractors passing the house. Other mountain villages may be pretty but at 9am they are empty. When I see a tractor here, I’m happy. And it’s the first time in my life I feel content coming back home after work. 

Living in this area, I’m ideally placed for my outdoor passions. I love wild places and I like to spend my weekends rock climbing and skiing. What drives me is being challenged by nature, having the feeling that it’s stronger than me. The down side is that it means I’m rarely home at weekends, and that doesn’t help for integrating with the community. 

Pierre Yves (Research Scientist, CNRS) and Françoise (Research Engineer, CNRS) 

Françoise: My husband, Pierre Yves, discovered the village 15 years ago – and I wasn’t sure, because the road gets very iced up in winter. But the spirit of the village worked its charm on me – even though I didn’t know the place at that time – and I was captivated. 

What appeals to me is that the people who live here are very close to the natural elements, flora and fauna and this closeness expresses itself in the way they rear their animals, and gives the village a special kind of energy. I love being able to walk in the streets in the evening and having nothing but pleasant surprises, and smiles, in my encounters with the neighbours. 

With regard to village life, when we first lived here I was involved with a village association. We organised several events to help people meet each other. As time went by that stopped because we ran out of energy. But now something similar is happening around Alain and Yvette’s farm. 

The people who work on the farm have an attitude and philosophy that’s a little different from mainstream agriculture. For several years they have produced organic wheat using an ancient stone mill to create flour. From this they make bread, the main source of income. Around the farm, there is a small kernel of people who have created an association, Grains de beauté, whose main aim is to promote contact, and a meeting place in the widest sense of the word. This word “meeting” is a common theme in everything organised. For example, it could be a willow basket or bread-making workshop, or the regular choral events.

Pierre Yves: This hamlet is probably unique in the Grenoble area: it is small, isolated and surrounded by nature. The thing that struck me when I first arrived, well before I knew people here, was the timelessness of the place. When you go to Alain and Yvette’s farm, you enter another age; the place feels unchanged in centuries.

Referring to what Françoise said about how people relate to each other …  she mentioned that everyone is friendly. This didn’t happen as easily as that. What’s interesting to me is that on the one hand – of course – there are different factions. The other side of this coin is that there is no such thing as anonymity in the village. 

In Villeneuve there are three broad groups of people: those who have always been here (mostly former farmers), new arrivals such as us (one is a “new arrival” for a long time!), and farmers actively farming. The fact that most of the farming around the village is organic, and connected with nature, contributes to the atmosphere of the hamlet and the area around it. 

The smallness of the hamlet, surrounded by nature, resonates very strongly with me. We aren’t going to be able to forever extend the metropolitan areas; towns, in general, are located in the middle of the richest agricultural land. So at some point this urban expansion will have to stop. Villeneuve feels like a potential model of how we will need to live our lives in the future. 

The development of non-agricultural activities around the farm is, for me, very much linked with the question of how we make the transition to sustainable development. The farm, and the activities linked with it, represents a local approach that restores a sense of collaboration, whether material or artistic, on a human scale and in sync with the rhythms of nature. What happens around the farm seems to me to answer a need that isn’t met in the way we currently organise society in terms of how we connect with each other. It is one way in which people are trying to satisfy this need. 

Yvette (agricultrice) and Alain (agriculteur)

Yvette: I’ve always worked on the land and my life in Villeneuve began when I found a small farm to rent, way back when was 17. I arrived on my own and, at that time, there weren’t many women farming in that way. Suddenly everyone was giving me a helping hand. 

I started farming with some goats and, at the same time, Alain started the vegetable garden. From that, he developed into market gardening. Little by little, I wound down the goats and both of us worked in market gardening. We began to integrate ideas from bio-dynamic agriculture – an organic approach using an awareness of the energies that govern the land, the animals and nature in general. 

We lived through a period that was challenging, economically. At that time the local farmers were amused by our way of doing things. But, when we bought the house, that changed our relationship. They saw that we were managing to make a go of farming and we became the enemy by virtue of the fact that, as people working in agriculture, we blocked land that they wanted to develop. Overall, we had 10 years of good relations, 10 of bad and now we have had 10 years of neutrality – but at least no tension. Our closest links are with people who have moved here from elsewhere. 

In terms of the farm itself, there’s potentail for our level of activity to develop. My personal project is to develop animal rearing: in addition to the cows that we already have, introduce a few goats again, some hens and turkeys. 

Alain: This work may evolve through the support of the association ; it isn’t necessarily a profit-making activity. But you or I, or any of the people at Villeneuve realise that it’s important to have animals in a village and it’s also important to have people to look after them. That’s where I see the link between the farm association and the people of Villeneuve and around. People need to realise that animals bring a particular type of energy which helps us to live. It’s not just the responsibility of farm workers, it’s for all of us, for the future, to realise that we have a role and that it’s important to maintain farm animals. 

In today’s society 9 out of 10 people are doing a job that has nothing to do with our physical world. They live in a virtual world in terms of computers and IT, producing things that we don’t need. This may create employment but it isn’t real in the sense that if this work were to suddenly stop … where would we be? We’d still need to feed ourselves, somehow. This way of living and working leads us to completely disconnected lifestyles where we travel and lead our lives in a complex way when there is a far simpler way of nourishing ourselves. This “virtual world”, on the other hand, generates ridiculous ideas … like that it’s ok to take a plane to the other end of the world for 20 euros. For me that is completely unreal! People want to live in a “green” way but they think it’s ok to buy a plane ticket at such a low price?! There’s hard thinking is needed there.  

I believe people have a fundamental need to regenerate, to get together and do things with others. I see an alternative way forward that contacts what’s deeply important for all of us. I mean, what’s fundamental in order for society to develop. For this we need to make contact with each other, starting with those of us who are able to meet around a place and try to move towards something better, socially. 

I think that a farm is the ideal place to start rethinking how society can work. There’s already a structure, and a sense of birth and creativity – animals, the food we produce. From here we can begin, gradually, a project to develop our society.

For further information about the farm association, Grains de Beauté, and its activities, contact the association: beaute.des.graines (at) gmail.com

Looking For Sam, March 10-11, 2010

Caroline Schlenker instructs the acting class for students in the English department at Stendhal. She talks to Grenoble Life about staging plays with her students, teaching English through drama, and this year’s production, Looking For Sam, March 10-11.

Grenoble Life: What is your role in the Stendhal English department theatre workshop?

Caroline Schlenker: I am the instructor of this course. I teach the core acting class as part of the English Licence Degree for second year students, as an alternative class to the conversation module. I teach diction, pronunciation, basic drama techniques, and stage the students’ production each year. The workshop meets every week for two hours (but there are additional rehearsals for the play). 

GL: How often does the department put on a play?

Caroline: Last year, we exceptionally put on two plays (Once Upon A Time In A Screen/Stage Audience, a project between cinema and theatre, in partnership with the cinema le Club in Grenoble; and Macbeth, staged by third year students). This year, however, we will only put on the play Looking For Sam, although the third year students will present a short extract of their own work as a (surprise) opening to the Sam Shepard play. It is a play they have written (!) and staged. 

GL: What kinds of plays and themes do you normally tackle?

Caroline: It varies. We put on Harold Pinter sketches thanks to the chance meeting of Susan Blattes, then head of the English Department, and the actor/director Patrick Seyer at a Pinter play. Their encounter led to the idea of a joint venture on Pinter with the English Department. The project was then to work on Pinter through the specificity and rhythm of his language and the relationship between the characters that this language thus establishes. The students worked on the texts through the drama in the English class I was teaching, and shaped their characters through the staging by the professional director Mr Seyer.

This partnership was so interesting and stimulating in fact it led us to work together again on a project on cinema, Once Upon a time in a Screen/Stage audience, which I directed whilst he did the actor training (in English!). For this project, the idea of working on the different spaces of theatre and cinema was an idea I always wanted to tackle. Cinema has always fascinated me. 

The Macbeth project was an idea of the students, who asked to work on Shakespeare and studied the staging of The Winter’s Tale at the MC2 in Grenoble. This year we are working on Sam Shepard as a way to explore the sound and musicality of American English – a way for us to approach language differently, once again. Working with a musician helped me to have yet another approach to the language, and to the text!

GL: Who chooses the script?

Caroline: Setting aside the Pinter and the Macbeth projects, I choose the script!

GL: How long does it take to prepare and rehearse for one play? Tell us a little about what it involves.

Caroline: We have some basic drama classes between September and December (where we work on literary classics such as Pygmalion or the works of Oscar Wilde, or some other types of classics such as Monty Python and Rowan Atkinson’s stand up comedy drills) in order to practice pronunciation and intonation and learn some basic conversational techniques, such as how to make a point, or how to make the other person react in some way with words. We also learn voice and body integration, and we explore imagination through the English language (the only language spoken in class!).

When working on a text, we learn to think about a character’s goals, tactics, his relationship with the other characters and we write his curriculum vitae. In January, we get our texts for the final production (I write the transitions for our scenes, and our rehearsals start). Each group rehearses about four hours a week (each scene constitutes a group – there are four scenes). So I see them about 10 hours a week (two hours are with the whole class during our actual class time). We perform in March. A lot of commitment and motivation is involved in this process!

GL: Tell us more about this year’s production.

Caroline: It’s an exploration into Sam Shepard’s work. You see, Sam Shepard once told an interviewer: “I preferred a character that was constantly unidentifiable, shifting through the actor, so that the actor could play almost anything, and the audience was never expected to identify with the characters,” With his shifting vision of identity, the way in which he portrayed the characters in his plays, Shepard was giving away a bit of himself.

Our question then was: who is this Sam Shepard, and is he as a writer shying away from revealing his true self? Another component of his character that intrigued us was his love for music, and his failure to become a musician. Through the play Looking For Sam, we decided to make an imaginary investigation into how Sam Shepard wrote his plays. With the collaboration of a local songwriter/ singer Noel Belmondo, we invented the musical (and linguistic) scenery for the text. 

It is our fantasy, through the influences of rhythm and music we found in the language, of how the text came to be. We hope the audience will be driven to the special space created by an artist at work! The play includes excerpts of some of his most famous plays: True West, Curse of the Starving Class, La Turista (which is about, as its name so aptly suggests, Turista!) and Buried Child. The play is free of course and will be performed at 7.30pm on March 10^th and 11^th, 2010, at the Amphidice, the theatre in Stendhal University.

GL: Tell us about some highlights from previous years.

Caroline: All the projects and moments we shared in the drama workshop were equally wonderful thanks to the incredible involvement of the students – it’d be hard for me to pick!

GL: Tell us a little about your background and how you came to be involved with the Stendhal English department theatre workshop?

Caroline: I got hired as a Maître de Langue just as Mr Seyer got hired to work on his project – and it just happened that Ms Blattes, then head of the department, knew I had some background in acting. I accepted to take the workshop, which had been closed since the departure (retirement) of the last professor in charge of the workshop: Mr. Derioz.

GL: How effective are theatre and acting as a way to learn English?

Caroline: It is incredible. The students start off reluctant to speak English and end up speaking English to each other in the corridor – what can I add? Some no longer notice they’re switching between languages by the time we get to the final performance! Their confidence in their ability to speak is what impresses me most. They feel they are able to be actor of their world in another language. It would be too long to explain – why don’t you come to our Colloquium on the subject at the University on March 5th? It’s also at Amphidice!

GL: Tell us about your audience and some of the feedback you’ve had.

Caroline: We’ve had a large audience, ranging from acting professionals to families of the actors, fellow students, Cité Internationale teachers and students, and the English department professors (and other professors from the Drama and Languages departments!) and staff of course. Everyone is impressed with just how much the students get involved in this project, and it is so important for the students to have them there!

GL: How can we get tickets for the play?

Caroline: For any information or for reservations, please contact the service Culture de l’Université Stendhal: Tél: 04 76 82 41 05. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday : 10 am–12 am and 2pm – 4pm/ or by email: caroline.schlenker (at) u-grenoble3.fr

Radio. photo: morberg

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. We are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

The February 7 English Talk Radio show took place at The Bookworm Café in St Laurent, Grenoble. Listen to the full show here:

Pat Brans

Grenoble-based Pat Brans is founder of the Master the Moment time-management method, giving speeches and training sessions at companies and organisations around the region and beyond. He tells Grenoble Life about his work, his background, and how to get a higher return on your efforts.

Grenoble Life: Tell us a little about your background

Pat Brans: I started my career as a software engineer. I also did some management. This was for four different startups in the Washington D.C. area. I then got into business consulting, and was director of a team of business consultants with CSC in Cologne, Germany. After three years there, I moved to Grenoble to work with HP, where I got more involved in business development, and eventually took charge of a set of solutions where we applied mobile technology to optimize workforce effectiveness. I was in charge of these solutions world wide. We called these offerings “mobile field sales and services”, because we mostly applied our solutions to help our customers make their sales and service forces more efficient. During this time, I wrote my first book called Mobilize Your Enterprise: Achieving Competitive Advantage through Wireless Technology.

I got to know a lot of people in the industry, and was offered a job with Sybase to manage strategic alliances across Europe. The software we sold was used for mobile applications, mostly applications geared towards worker productivity. I frequently gave talks on this subject at events from Dubai to Lisbon. And in dealing with the partners I managed, sometimes I had to give them ideas on how technology can make people do their work better and faster.

In summary, starting from my arrival in Grenoble twelve-and-a-half years ago, it gradually became very natural for me to talk about productivity.

GL: In a nutshell – what is the Master the Moment method and how was it developed?

PB: I have always been interested in understanding why some people get so much more done than others, and why those who get more done are actually less tired. Throughout my career, I tried to note who I thought was more personally effective, and I tried to learn from them. I kept mental notes on things like how to best run meetings, how to best participate in meetings, how to delegate, and how to be delegated to.

Coincidentally, my work life over the last twelve years has involved thinking of ways of making people more productive through the use of technology. I say “coincidentally”, because these two sets of ideas run along separate dimensions. Giving people tools to make them more efficient is a good idea, but it won’t make the order-of-magnitude difference you’ll get through rethinking your attitude towards goals, making the right choices about priorities, and overcoming the tendancy to procrastinate.

I read tons of books on time management and I read lots of psychology research papers, but this was all theory. And I never saw any approach to time management that was based on emperical data – in other words, going out and asking high achievers what they think. So I picked the set of people I thought have the most to say about time management. And when I use the “term time management”, I’m refering to anything and everything you can do with your time to make you more effective. What can you do to emulate the people who get a lot done without breaking a sweat?

The category of people I selected were CEOs of large corporations. I talked to fifty different CEOs of organisations with revenue of $2 billion on average. These people are themselves very effective – and equally as important, they are perfectly positioned to observe hundreds of other people and develop a well-founded opinion on why some people achieve more satisfaction than others.

Over the last 18 months I synthesised what I learned from the CEOs, what I got from psychology research, and what I learned from other books on time management. The result is Master The Moment, which is my methodology on time management. One of favorite aspects of MTM is that it aims to help people change habits. All the good ideas I got from my research mean nothing until the readers of my book, and the people who attend my training or seminars, integrate the ideas and make them habit.

In order to integrate an idea, you have to understand it, and you have to take it on freely – it can’t be forced upon you. I checked my work by talking this over with leading psychologists, such as Ed Deci and Roy Baumeister.

To change habits, it helps to have a visual reminder. Also the ability to change habits is something you can develop. My approach to developing good time management habits is taken from Benjamin Franklin and his approach to developing Thirteen Virtues. As a young man, Franklin listed 13 areas in which he would like to develop better habits. Every week he would work on one, finishing the list after 13 weeks, then starting over. He would carry around a notebook in which he would mark everytime he reverted to a bad habit in any of the thirteen areas – not just the area of focus for that week.

I have six steps to better time management. Each step is a category of habits. I have sheets I give students to allow them to track progress in each area. I ask them to focus on one step every week. The sheet serves as a visual reminder, which is very important in habit forming. I follow up with a phone call to each participant around two months after the training.

You’ll never achieve perfection, but if you can change one or two habits, you’ll make a lot of progress.

GL: Why do you think time management is such a big issue in the modern workplace?

PB: I think time management has always been important. Our ancestors were up against a lot of pressure – in most cases, much more pressure than we have to deal with today. Few of us have to deal with war, the death of our children, or hunger. Life is really easy, if you think about it.

I don’t want to minimise the issues people face today. But part of my training is around checking your attitude, and I think a lot of people have the attitude that their situation is really bad and that external forces are making them unhappy. You have to take responsibility for your situation and focus on the things you can change. The fact is, most of us in developed countries are pretty comfortable compared to 95% of the people who have ever walked the earth. I’m not a positive thinker, I’m just being realistic.

In today’s work environment, I see two groups. The first group sees work as a way to make a living – for these people, work is a burden and no fun. The second group is looking for self actualisation. They want to be somebody through their work.

It’s important to feel a sense of choice in what you do. If you feel like you have been coerced into doing something, you aren’t going to do a very good job, and you’ll feel deflated and tired. I don’t deny that we all have obligations, but the more effective people look to understand the reasons behind the obligations and as a result, they are able to integrate the activity. People who don’t understand why they have to do something, only introject the activity – it’s like swallowing something, but not digesting it.

So if you find yourself in the first group, try to find some meaning in what you do. Managing your attitude is probably the most powerful time management tool, and it’s one that people need to employ in today’s work environment.

GL: Do you believe that modern technology really has made us more efficient workers?

PB: Yes, of course. One danger though is that we get distracted. Studies have shown that people who try to do several things at once experience a dip in IQ. One study demonstrated that multitasking accounted for a bigger drop in IQ than smoking marijuana. Another study showed that if you are working on something then get distracted by a text message or a phone call, it takes you 20 minutes to get back into what you were doing 100%.

Just as you with any other tool, you need to look for ways of improving how you use technology tools. There’s always something you can do better.

GL: What are some of the risks associated with poor time management?

PB: Dissatisfaction. If you do a lot, but don’t notice that you’ve accomplished things, you won’t enjoy the satisfaction. Or if you just don’t do much, you’ll also feel frustrated. In either case, good time management techniques can enhance your life.

I don’t think people should aim to always be busy or to always be efficient. I tell people to obey natural laws. The first law is that you are a human being and you need to have fun, you need rest, and you need time off. Trying to get around those things is like trying to get around gravity. You can’t do it. You’ll eventually fall hard.

GL: Who have you spoken for and what feedback have you received?

PB: I’ve given training around Grenoble in both French and English, I’ve spoken at seminars, and I have a website. The feedback I get is that my method is different because it is a nice mix of powerful ideas and practical technique.

GL: As you are based in France, what differences can you observe between French company culture and that of your own or other countries?

PB: I think hierarchy is too important in French organizations. There’s not enough emphasis on creativity. Follow orders or you won’t fit in. This is a broad generalisation of course.

GL: How do you think  France compares to other nations in terms of work-life balance?

PB: I like the work-life balance in France. I think it’s more healthy than in the United States where the balance of power leans heavily towards employers, and employees have very little weight. In the United States we recognize the need for consumer groups to compensate for the power companies have over consumers, but we don’t apply this idea to the employer-employee relationship as I think we should.

People wind up working more hours in the United States, but I don’t think they’re more efficient.

GL: Do you offer events in French and English and is there a difference to how people of different nationalities respond to the method?

PB: I sometimes hear from the French that CEOs don’t know anything about time management, because all they do is delegate. Of course they do, and delegating is an important time management technique. You need to delegate down, sideways, and even up. In all cases, you’re asking somebody else to do something for you. The more the other person trusts you and understands the reasons behind you request, the better he or she will integrate the activity. If the other person feels a sense of choice in doing what you ask, you’ll get a better result.

GL: Asides from your speaking engagements you write for a number of publications: tell us what you write about and for whom.

PB: I also write for technology magazines about how to use mobile technology for workforce productivity. I write for three different publications: Mainframe Executive, British Computer Society and Mobile Enterprise Magazine.

GL: Tell us about some forthcoming events

PB: I will be hitting the American Chambers of Commerce in Lyon, Toulouse, and Strasbourg. Seminar dates and locations will be posted on my website. I will also be doing training in French through the chambers of commerce of different cities around here. I’m developing that now.

Aside from that, I provide training within companies.

Dials. Photo: ericcomando89

English Talk Radio is a talk show in English on 90.8 Radio Campus Grenoble. We talk about film, theatre, finance, restaurants, travel, and have a variety of topical guests. We are four presenters: Kristine Minski talks about finance, Christina Menez talks about China, Mary Zaccai talks about student issues, and Vivian Draper – animatrice/rédactrice – hosts the show. Every Sunday at 12.30pm, and every Wednesday at 7pm on 90.8, Radio Campus Grenoble and live on www.campusgrenoble.org – and also here on Grenoble Life.

The January 22 English Talk Radio show features Trudi Penkler, psychologist and inter-cultural coach and trainer, talking about teenagers and moving. Listen to the full show here.