March 11, 2012
Bonjour Printemps 2012,
Winter Term is coming to an end. Purple, yellow, and white crocuses are lining the pathway to our house. Some students are suffering from “Printemps-it is”. With the unpredictability of spring weather, it is always nice to have a good French film tucked away for viewing. This season, I discovered Monsieur Lazhar, a French Canadian film nominated for an Oscar and part of Portland’s International Film Festival. It is the poignant story of an Algerian immigrant who steps in to help young children at a school where one of the teachers has committed suicide. Poignant and inspiring, the movie reminds us that adults are truly capable of helping kids cope with the difficulties of life. “The Hedgehog” based on the French best seller “ L’Elégance du Herisson” by Muriel Barbery transforms itself into a stunning film, wise and sensitive, based on two main characters a surprising concierge and an usual little girl. I won’t say more about it except I found it to be one of the best French films I have ever seen. The Beaverton and Lake Oswego are two local libraries that have excellent collections of French DVDs.
Finally, a Grand Merci to all my students, as I realized more and more how lucky I have been to do something I love and meet so many delightful people.
Bon Printemps!
Giselle Bawnik
January 7, 2012
Bonjour mes amis,
I hope you are finding light and beauty during this time of year.
New York turned out to be a fabulous trip with just one enthusiastic student. I promise to give more notice next year for a possible Bonjour New York trip in October 2012. We saw Picasso’s sketches at the Frick Museum, ate at two French and one Senegalese restaurants, strolled through both Central and Prospect Parks on a glorious fall day, took in a provocative Broadway show, Venus in Fur, and hung out with my family and friends whom amazingly all speak French! Our base was my son’s coffee shop, Daily Press – Bed Stuy where we could de-compress from all the hustle and bustle around us while drinking good coffee.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012.
Giselle Bawnik
Recommended Picks:
Cooking Programs
French Cooking at home on the Cooking Channel
Recreational Reading
Into a Paris Quartier by Diane Johnson
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaert
L'elegance du herisson by Muriel Barbery
Malaussene Saga by Daniel Pennac
• Au bonheur des ogres
• La fée carabine
• La Petite Marchande de Prose
• Monsieur Malaussène
• Aux Fruits de la Passion
Cooking
Nuts in the Kitchen by Susan Hermann Loomis
Gorgeously written new cook book by one of our favorite cooks living in France. How to add nuts and nut oils to your cooking in delicious creative ways.
Grammar
Practice Makes Perfect Series includes books on French Vocabulary, French Pronouns and Prepositions, and French Grammar
Dictionaries
The Firefly Mini French/English Visual Dictionary
French Films
Monsieur Ibrahim
Les Choristes
Please send us your favorites and your recommendations and we will include them!
