Bonjour,

Je souhaite, à tous ceux avec qui j’ai partagé de petites ou grandes aventures ici et là, un Joyeux Noël et une bonne Année!

Aux plaisirs. Bien à vous et bons Réveillons ! Je pense très fort à vous !

Marco

Dear everybody,

May the joys and wonders of Christmas be yours throughout the year. I’m glad I’ve met you and shared all these great moments with you.

I hope to hang out with you soon. Enjoy your holidays. I’m missing you. Let’s stay in touch.

Cheers

Marco.

« You can’t believe in a Dream until you can believe in Yourself » !

·        Joyeux Noël et Bonne année (Français)

·        Jwaïeu Nwel bonanné (Créole)

·        Zwayé Noèl (Créole Réunionnais)

·        Merry Christmas  and Happy New Year (Anglais)

·        Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo (Espagnol)

·        Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een gelukkig Nieuwjaar (Néerlandais)

·        Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig Nieuwjaar (Belgique Flamand)

·         Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo (Italien)

·        Feliz Natal e um Prospero Ano Novo (Portugais)

·        Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku (Polonais)

·        Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr! (Allemand)

·        Schöni Wienecht und es guets Nöis (Suisse)

·        Sung Tan Chuk Ha (Coréen)

·         Sing Dan Fae Lok. Gung Hai Fat Choi, Shen dan kuai le Xin Nian yu kuai (Chinois)

·        Idah saidan wa sanah jadidah (Arabe)

·        Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Soorp Janunt (Arménie)

·        E gueti Wïnâchte/ E gleckika Wïnachta - E glecklichs Nej Johr! (Alsacien)

·        Meri Kurisumasu soshite Akemashite Omedeto (Japonais)

·        Eydet mobârak (Persan)

·        Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom (Russe)

·        Suksan Wan Christmas lae Sawadee Pee Mai (Thaï)

·        Noeliniz ve yeni yılınız kutlu olsun (Turc)

·        Z Novym Rokom ta s rizdvom Hrystovym! (Ukranien)

·        Nien Mừng Chúa Giáng Sinh (Vietnamien)

·        Bon Nadal i feliç Any Nou! (Catalan)

·        Boldog Karácsonyt (Hongrois)

·        Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo (Brésilien)

·        Colo sana wintom tiebeen (Egyptian)

·        Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr! (Allemand)

·        Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon (Filipino)

CHRISTMAS A LA CREOLE IN MARTINIQUE:

A Season for Caroling and Festivals in the Sun

Christmas in that colorful little corner of in the West Indies called Martinique is every bit as festive as in Paris or Provence, but here the year-end holidays are celebrated with a distinctively Caribbean touch.

Private homes and public buildings and squares are gaily decorated, often with twinkling lights on the sapin de Noël, as the traditional Christmas tree is called throughout . But in Martinique, the tree most likely will be a filao instead of a fir, and during the holidays, it often sparkles as much as the sun, sand and sea. It is not unusual to come upon one of these Caribbean evergreens, its boughs decorated with tinsel, even on the most remote beach.

The typically French crèche, or manger scene, is re-created either in miniature or, on December 24 and 25, alive in village squares or churches, with human figures and real animals. While traditional French carols are sung at Mass, at home spirited local folk songs are accompanied sometimes by the beat of Caribbean steel drums, and sometimes by old-fashioned violins and accordions. Sugarplums no doubt dance the biguine in the heads of Martinican youngsters as they await the arrival of Père Noël. The biguine, after all, was born here; and Father Christmas arrives promptly at midnight.

Holiday Begins with Carol Singing

Christmas events, however, begin several weeks before the actual holiday. In 1999, for example, a “Festival de Cantiques de Noël,” scheduled from November 27 through 29, will kick off the joy of carol singing in the inland town of Saint-Joseph. Started some seven years ago by the Association Mazincouin, a group of 120 local singers, the festival begins with an open-air concert on Friday, November 27, at 7 p.m. in the town’s Place des Fêtes. The following day is celebrated with a daylong market for produce and local culinary specialties and highlighted with an evening concert by three of Martinique’s leading carol singing groups: the Mazincouin from Saint-Joseph; Ravine Plate from Vauclin, and La Fammi’ from Gros Morne. The weekend concludes with singing by regional church choirs, a parade, and similar outdoor activities.

Other pre-Christmas events this year include the “Fête du Rhum” on December 12 at the Saint

James Rum Museum, with music, dance, exhibits, and a sale of local products, and the “Fête du Cochon” in Vauclin from December 19 to 24, devoted to pork specialities.

From December 24 through January 1, every town and village in Martinique is in a holiday mood. There are picnics, dances, fashion shows, and much merry-making. On Christmas Eve itself the family stays together, usually attending Midnight Mass, which is accompanied by glorious choral singing. The church service is followed by a late night feast known as le réveillon. On Christmas day, families frequently go from home to home, singing, dancing and sampling each other’s specialties. Menus blend classic French fare with a hint of Creole spices and usually center around a roast pork, a smoked ham soaked in advance for five or six days, a turkey or other fowl, garnished with exotic fruits. Accompaniments include raw oysters, warm pâtés, yams, boudin créole (a spicy West Indian sausage), and pork ragout with peas, all topped off with the Bûche de Noël, or Christmas log, for dessert.

Another specialty in Martinique at Christmas, when oranges and tangerines are in great abundance, is shrubb, a delicious and very fine liqueur made from the dried peels of the fruit, sugarcane syrup, and white rum. Still other festive drinks include Creole rum punches and spirits flavored with licorice, coconut or cocoa.

A Champagne Welcome to Y2K

Throughout Martinique, as in most parts of the world, New Year’s celebrations tend to be a bit more tuned to adults. Incorporating noisemakers, balloons, and the traditional hoopla associated with this holiday, the New Year’s Eve réveillon also includes a meal much like that at Christmas, without the Bûche, but with, of course, Champagne. And this being Y2K, there will be bubbly galore! While the partying on both holidays may begin with the biguine, in no time flat the dancing is to zouk, a more recent musical genre that blends French Caribbean rhythms with African tempos and uses Creole as the language of expression for its lyrics. Zouk is hot the year round, but at the Christmas and New Year réveillons it becomes a sizzling invitation to sing, dance and party, to shake, rattle and roll.

Visitors can enjoy the holiday réveillons at most hotels, wining and dining the night away. Large hotels also present special entertainment with live orchestras and combos, fashion shows, and often a Père Noël. Discos, both in hotels and in cities such as Fort-de-France, Martinique’s capital, are

busy every night. And, on Christmas Eve, visitors are, of course, welcome at the Midnight Mass.

Shopping is livelier than ever at holiday time. This year there will be a two-week celebration in Fort-de-France from December 15 to 31 called “Capitale en Fête,” with special displays of apparel, gifts, gold jewelry, French perfumes, and other luxury items filling the windows and stores. A special weekend for children is planned for the Place de la Savane, the capital’s main square, from December 20 through 23. Called “Savanoël,” is will include music, dance, exhibits, a traditional chouval bwa, or merry-go-round, and a visit from Santa Claus.

Visitors, caught up in the whirl, find wonderful presents to bring back home, including a variety of locally made rums. There’ll be no blanket of snow at Christmastime in Martinique, but a tropical sun and moonlit nights make a delightful background for holiday fun.

For more details on the special cachet of Christmas vacations in Martinique, contact the Martinique Promotion Bureau, 444 Madison Ave., NY 10022, Tel: (800) 391-4909, Fax: (212) 838-7855.

Source : http://www.martinique.org

By e-mail: Martinique@nyo.com.

# # #

December 1999

Christmas on this beautiful Caribbean island is the vibrant blend of religion and celebration that you'd imagine.

A piece of in the Atlantic Ocean, Martinique combines the relaxed feel of the Caribbean with a certain French je ne sais quoi. Christmas on the island reflects this blend, as a traditional Midnight Mass gives way to a reveillon (literally, seeing in the celebration) of truly Creole spirit.

In Martinique, the traditional festive meal is a riot of colours and flavours (usually spicy). The traditional boudin créole (spiced black pudding) is served alongside pork stew and seafood. All this, of course, liberally hosed down with Martinique's world-famous rum, served in the national drink of ti ponch.

From : Student Travel Information & Discounts - Destinations: Martinique

Livia; Ismaël; Matthieu; Mylène; Elsa; Loïck:

On December 25th, we celebrate Christmas with our families. For this celebration, we use garlands and a Christmas tree but our Christmas tree is called “filao”, because there are no pine trees in Martinique. We also make a crib which represents the birth of Jesus Christ. Santa Claus isn’t very important on our island. However, during the month of December, people get together to sing carols. These meeting are called “Chanté Noël”. They are amusing and warm.

We eat small meat pies (pasties), black pudding, “ peas”, “Christmas ham”, chocolates, local delicacies and sweets.

We drink champagne and various liqueurs (coconut, chilli, banana, pineapple, peanut).

This celebration is very important to us. It is celebrated all around the world  

by the students

2 de E, Lycée la Jetée, Le François

Teacher : Laurence Bernard

2003-2004

-          mon premier Thanksgiving

-          fin du 1^er trimestre à UCLA

-          mes activités avec mes ami(e)s

J’ai eu la chance de célébrer mon premier Thanksgiving avec Rose et ses ami(e)s dans une magnifique maison située dans les hauteurs de Hacieda Heights. Quel fut ma joie de partager cette nouvelle expérience remplie de traditions culinaires (philippine et américaine), de musique (le célèbre Karaoké), de chaleur, d’amitié et de sport (le football Américain à la télévision : un must aux Etats-Unis). Au menu des traditions culinaires : turkey, green bean casserole (un must de la tradition), stuffing, rice, sweet potato, mashed potato, cakes (apple pie, pumkin pie etc.) etc. L’idée générale de la tradition de Thanksgiving est de se retrouver en famille (famille étendue et ami(e)s) pour un long moment convivial autour de mets, musiques, de discussions et d’histoires. Cette fête est certainement la tradition la plus importante pour les Américains. Tout Américain où qu’il soit, cherche à retrouver sa famille pour cet événement (cf la comédie Planes, Trains and Automobiles). A l’issue de ma rencontre, je retiendrais trois choses : chaleur, amitié & famille et partage.

En savoir plus sur quelques plats de Thanksgiving :

Green bean casserole

Do You Do What 20 million Others Do for Thanksgiving Dinner?

More than 20 million households will serve green bean casserole as part of their Thanksgiving feats this year. The popular side dish was invented in 1955 by Doris Reilly, head of the Campbell Soup Co.’s test kitchen. Reilly wanted to create a recipe out of the tow ingredients most Americans kept in their cupboard during the 1950s: canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup. She added some milk, canned fried onion rings, a little soy sauce and black pepper and – bingo! – a classic was born. In 2002, Reilly presented her original recipe card to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. According to Campbell Soup Co, about 40 percent of its annual sales of cream of mushroom are used to make green bean casserole.

More Thanksgiving facts:

1. 1-The Guiness Book of Records states that the largest dressed weight (cooked, with dressing) recorded for a turkey is 39,09 kg (86 lb) on December 12, 1989
2. 
   
3. 2- In 1999, about 273 million turkeys were waised in the . An estimated 276 million turkeys were raised in 2000.
5. 3- More than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten during Thanksgiving.
6. Californians are the biggest turkey eaters in the country. They eat three pounds more turkey than the average American consumer.
8. 4- Ninety percent of American homes eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
10. 5- The good old fashioned turkey sandwich is the most popular way for Americans to prepare turkey, accounting for 44 percent of consumption.
12. 6- There were 269 million turkeys raised in the last year, nearly one for every American. The turkey industry grosses $2.7 billion a year. Minnesota and North Carolina are the top tow producers.

Source: Food for Thoughts. Café 50’s Newsletter 11623 Santa Monica Blv. (ce café se situe à 2 minutes de chez moi).

Cafe 50's is smartly attired in red vinyl, white Formica and chrome. The walls are plastered with B-movie posters and ads of a bygone era, and a quarter buys three tunes on the 1957 jukebox. Sizzling burgers and crispy fries are standards, and the soda fountain is unparalleled, replete with favorites like egg creams and vanilla Cokes. Have a Norman Rockwell moment sipping any one of the three dozen super-thick malts and milk shakes.

Look Good

Come dressed in PJs on the last Wednesday of every month and get a dreamy deal: Pay for a drink, and your dinner is free.

Save Money

To win free food and prizes, sign up for Cafe 50's Frequent Diner Program. The card entitles guests to discounts and goodies.

Autres recettes :

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,pumkin_pie,FF.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuffing

http://southernfood.about.com/library/holiday/bltgstuffing.htm

http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacienda_Heights

http://www.city-data.com/city/Hacienda-Heights-California.html

Cette semaine, j’ai achevé mon premier trimestre d’anglais à UCLA dans la joie, la bonne humeur et la nostalgie (au départ de certaines personnes). Vendredi dernier a eu lieu la cérémonie de remise des diplômes, la séance photos et les derniers échanges avec les professeurs (j’ai obtenu 3 positives lettres de recommandation de mes professeurs). Cette première expérience à UCLA a été enrichissante, constructive et structurante. Au détour des mes rencontres, j’ai pu améliorer mon anglais, structurer mes projets à LA et surtout m’enrichir à travers ces multiples nationalités. Quelques indicateurs utiles (concernant The Academic Intensive English Program (AIEP)) :

• - 295 étudiants (158 femmes, 137 hommes)
• - Nationalités par ordre d’importance (Corée, Thaïlande, Japon, Turquie, France, Arabie Saoudite, Argentine, Bolivie, Brésil, Chili, Indonésie, Koweït, Russie, Katar, Espagne, Lichtenstein)

Photos de la cérémonie :

Enfin, je profite de quelques pauses pour découvrir de nouveaux endroits avec mes ami(e)s. Par exemple : Olvera Street, Santa Monica, les ventes de charité de UCLA (UCLA Thrift Shop : 112), petit déjeuner entre amis (Laura, Rose, mon colocataire Jay) etc.

http://www.olvera-street.com/

http://www.uclathriftshop.com/

Olvera Street est une petite rue (100 mètres) située dans la partie la plus ancienne du Downtown Los Angeles, en Californie, aux États-Unis et qui est considérée aujourd'hui comme le cœur historique de Los Angeles. Olvera Street est très touristique : elle aligne plusieurs boutiques, des restaurants, des cafés et des étals de produits mexicains. Au n°10, se trouve la plus ancienne maison de Los Angeles, « Avila Adobe ». Elle a été construite en 1818 par Don Francisco Avila. Elle fait partie de El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, un Los Angeles State Historic Park.

Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is otherwise known as the birthplace of the City of Angels or El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument and is a department within the city. Many Latinos refer to it as 'La Placita Olvera'. Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town.

Having started as a short lane, Wine Street, it was extended and renamed in honour of Agustin Olvera, a prominent local judge, in 1877. There are 27 historic buildings lining Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe, the Pelanconi House and the Sepulveda House. In 1930, it was converted to a colorful Mexican marketplace. It is also the setting for Mexican style music and dancing and holiday celebrations, such as Cinco de Mayo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olvera_Street

Quelques photos en témoignage :

Une visite à Olvera Street : (avec Laura et Rose)

Un petit tour à Santa Monica : (avec Laura)

Petit déjeuner chez moi :

Hier, j’ai eu le plaisir d’accompagner Rose et un de ses amis dans une charmante soirée. J’ai eu le plaisir de découvrir une autre ville appelé Rancho Cucamonga. Cette charmante se situe au pied de « San Gabriel Mountains » dont certains sommets sont enneigés (c’est incroyable cette variété de paysage à 1h30 de LA).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Cucamonga,_California

Quelques photos de la soirée.