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Quoi de neuf / Infolettre
Bastille Festival at Portland Art Museum  
The Alliance's annual Bastille Day celebration will take place on Saturday, July 11, 2015 from noon-6 pm. New this year: the festival will move from Director Park to the Portland Art Museum's grounds, in conjunction with the museum's exhibit of Gods and Heroes. The Saturday festival on the museum grounds will be free and open to the public. Look for fun activities for the whole family, including music, art projects, street performers, le marché (market), and French cuisine. Even better, July 11 is the museum's Miller Family Free Day, when families enjoy free admission to the museum itself. 
One-of-a-Kind "Gods & Heroes" Exhibit   
The "Gods and Heroes" exhibit is unique in that many of the 140 paintings, sculptures and drawings have never been seen in the United States. Also, the exhibit shows how many of the world's most accomplished artists progressed in their craft. Imagine seeing the artist's "entry" piece ("morceau de réception," for acceptance to study at the institute) and then seeing the prize-winning masterpiece created by the artist after years of training. Think you can catch these masterpieces in France if you miss them here? No - l'École des Beaux Arts is not open for tours. So catch the world-class exhibit in Portland while you can. Shown here: Self-Portrait, ca. 1820, by Julie Duvidal de Montferrier, who was Victor Hugo's sister-in-law.   
Summer Term and Immersion Options Too!
The full summer term at the Alliance starts the week of June 22. The program includes 10-week and 5-week classes for adults and children, as well as summer Accents camps for children and intensive immersion programs for adults. Visit the website for all the options and call the office with questions at 503 223.8388. Remember, too, that private lessons are always available, whether as one-on-one lessons or in small groups. Finally, students at the intermediate level (A2/B1) will be interested to know there are openings in the Immersion Weekend to be held June 27 and June 28. Running 9am to 5:15pm each day with all new materials mixed with informal conversation over meals, this is a good value and a great work-out for your French.       
What Not to Do in Paris
We evaluate many potential links and articles for this newsletter. One that caught the editor's eye recently was a list of what not to do in Paris, originally published by Condé Nast Travel and republished on MSN. The article is short and direct. Though a couple of its conclusions are surprising, by and large our editing staff agrees with the article's recommendations. Remember that for each thing that the article advises readers NOT to do, there is immediately a counter-suggestion of what to do instead. Click here for the article and be sure to click through to the final slides, which can make the travel experience a lot more enjoyable. 
New "Fête de la Musique" June 21   
Celebrate the summer solstice with a new citywide celebration, Make Music PDX. This coordinated effort of free concerts all over Portland is an outgrowth of the Fête de la Musique, which originated in France in 1982. The event began as a call to musicians in Paris to get out in the streets on June 21 and play their music. It has since spread and has a large footprint, particularly in Europe and parts of Africa, but also in a handful of cities in the U.S. Visit the event website for a list of venues. Amateur and professional musicians alike can apply online to play during the festival.   
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All Events

 Enrolling now for the summer. Call 503.223.8388.    

  

Conversation

Groups

Some are hosted by Alliance staff, board members or other volunteers. Drop-ins welcome; membership is encouraged but not required.

NW, N, or Central   

St Honoré on NW Thurman on

Wed., 6pm, June 17        

Philippe's Bread on N. Williams on Sat., July 4, 11am, for B2/C1 levels (advanced) 

SE Portland

At Chez Machin, Mon., July 13, at 7p.m.

  At Vie de Bohème weekly on Sundays, 4-5:30 p.m.

Vancouver

At Gustav's -  on break for the summer; will next meet on Sept. 8, 2015.

 

Merci  

 

 

 Perrier

 

 

   

PClogo
 
Jobs, Hiring Surge in NY, Retailer News
and Awards

Current Job Postings in the region, where French is an asset or required: 1) Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is seeking a French teacher for the 2015-2016 school year - click here. 2) Southridge High School in Beaverton School District is looking for an IB French teacher - click here. 3) Kent High School (south of Seattle) is also looking to hire a French teacher - click here. 4) Trade Compliance Manager at Esterline (Aerospace) in Bellevue -  click here. 5)  Portland company seeks an Investigative Analyst to deal with cyber-crime - candidates speaking German and French - click here.

  Hiring Surge in New York: Interestingly, ten schools in New York are in need of French teachers for this coming fall. Click here for info on that hiring surge. 

  Accents Can Challenge! This totally cute 1-minute video clip shows a Frenchman seeking directions from a Québécoise, illustrating the challenges of communication. Listen once through, then read the dialogue (under the clip) which contains helpful vocab notes (just hover over the highlighted words). After reading the transcript, watch the video again. Much easier! Click here.
   French Retailer Expands: Luxury retailer HERMES is expanding their presence in Bellevue, Washington. Click here for the story of booming sales right in our own backyard and be sure to check out the store on your next trip up north. Note that HERMES is currently selling a limited edition scarf (image at left) where the proceeds will aid in the restoration of the Château of Versailles. Click here for more info.

  Awards and Recognition: Pix Pâtisserie was just awarded Best Champagne and Sparkling Wine List in the World by London's World of Fine Wine magazine for the second year in a row. Click here for the article.   

  Changes Ahead: French Morning published a recent article of interest to French nationals, entitled "Démarches d'état civil: ce qui va changer pour vous cet été." Click here for the overview and for details, check with the consulate.

  Cercle Français on Summer Break: Marie-Pierre Cercle title Wolfe, who coordinates the Cercle's noontime presentations in French, informs: "La réunion prévue le 25 juin prochain à First Congregational Church on Park Avenue de 12h à 13h est annulée pour cause de santé. Nous espérons vous voir nombreux à la première réunion de l'année 2015-2016 le jeudi 24 septembre. Le programme et les dates des rêunions seront publiés dans Quoi de Neuf ainsi que sur le site de l'Alliance."

   French Thriller: The Connection movie we mentioned in a recent bulletin is now playing at Regal Fox Tower and was reviewed by Marc Mohan of the Oregonian - click here for the review. Says editor Linda Witt, "With its run time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, your French gets a real work-out. Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche are both great in it." 

  Vancouver Conversation Group: The conversation group that meets monthly at Gustav's in Vancouver will break for the summer. Merci to Alliance member Sheryl Meservey for leading the group, which draws 10-15 participants; she looks forward to welcoming everyone back on September 8, 2015. 

  Lose Yourself in Rules: A young Frenchman studying at Sciences Po in Paris has taken it upon himself to create a list of 40 "règles de base" of spelling in the French language. Lose yourself in his work - he is quite passionate about language and does a nice job of presenting his findings - click here. It's also fascinating to read the comments and questions at the end of the listing.  

  The Photography of Robert Doisneau: Doisneau, known for his soulful portraits of Paris from the 1950's, is featured in a recent article in France Today. Click here for the epic black-and-white photos of Paris, accompanied by thoughtful text. A few hardback and paperback copies of his book (the publisher is Taschen) are available on Amazon.com - click here (the site also includes a selection of photos from the book).   

 

        

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