Le blog d'Inflexyon

On May 14 starting with 18 o'clock and ending with 1 o'clock in the morning most museums in Europe will be free, Lyonnaise museums not being the exception. Therefore, one wil be able to choose from a large list of museums including:

Le Musée des Beaux Arts Le Musée d'Art Contemporaine Le Musée Lumière Le Musée Galo-Romain Fourviere and not only etc.

For more information, don't hesitate to visit the official website of the event: http://nuitdesmusees.culture.fr and for those who wish to discover more of the French culture and pursue their studies in a French Language School check out the website of Inflexyon.

Partager

Humanity in Action France is calling for candidates for its summer program "The Republic and its diversity" held in Paris from 1st to June 29th, 2011 and in Berlin from June 30 to July 3, 2011. The official language of the program is English.

The fifth edition of this program of study and discussion will bring together students from all over France and the United States to discuss and debate topics such as: rights, equal opportunities, diversity, etc. . For a month, participants will exchange with academic experts, stakeholders and institutional actors about the complexity of these subjects in the French context.

Your participation also provides access to internship programs Humanity in Action at the European Parliament, the U.S. Congress, in NGO's in San Francisco, as well as individual courses at the Holocaust Memorial, at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, and more. These internship programs in San Francisco, Brussels and Washington are programs of 3 to 5 months.

The program fees (transportation, accommodation, group meals) will be supported by Humanity in Action France. The costs of transportation to the program (to Paris) and to return (from Berlin) will not be insured. A modest financial contribution will be distributed for meals outside the group, but students should plan to have pocket money for their evening meals and extracurricular activities. The electronic application form is available by clicking on the tab "Apply Now" and should be completed April 10, 2011 at the latest.

For more information about cultural events in France and French courses, don't hesitate to contact the staff of Inflexyon: http://www.inflexyon.com

Partager

Inflexyon is growing bigger and bigger! It is now possible to take language courses at Lyon Langues, the new Department of Foreign Languages of Inflexyon.

If you dream of learning Japanese, it is now possible, whatever your level is! At Lyon Langues the emphasis is put on intercultural exchange, flexibility and proximity: you can choose from evening classes throughout the week between 18h and 21h, classes on Saturdays from 10am to 12pm or internships during summer. In addition, you can chat and exchange with Japanese students from Inflexyon daily between 17h and 18h. It is therefore beneficial for all to chat in a friendly and warm environment while learning together even outside class.

Benefiting from the experience and know-how of Inflexyon, Lyon Langues has committed to offering quality courses in small groups, tailored to your needs and taught by teachers prepared by graduates of Japanese universities. Moreover, studying languages at Lyon Langues, you are followed by all the administrative team of Inflexyon.

Whatever the length and type of courses of your choice, Lyon Langues will make your learning experience even more rewarding.

Langues Lyon will diversify its language offering with Korean, English, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. classes.

To learn more, visit: http://japonais.lyon-langues.com

Sorédéwa mata at Lyon Langues!

Partager

The meaning of New Year:

In different cultures, the traditions and the meaning of New Year are diverse:

for the Japanese: it is mainly a celebration for the family, people go to the temple and the bells ring between December 31 and January 1. One must also make a wish upon the transition into the New Year the Japanese are preparing special dishes that represent happiness, prosperity ... ;

for the French: Everyone needs to kiss everyone at midnight, drink champagne and go out with friends. The French are real « gourmands », they like foie gras, snails and oysters;

for Moldovans: New Years' is time to share with friends unique moments, people watch TV especially the festivals of other countries and prepare many dishes. At midnight they make wishes for the New Years'; On January 1st, Moldovans make visits to family members they could not see on December 31;

for some African countries: The New Year is celebrated according to the customs imposed by the colonizing countries; in fact, before the New Years' celebration did not exist, people share with family and friends dishes prepared for the occasion .

If you want to see and experience more about the traditions, culture and learn French in France don't hesitate to take a look at our website www.inflexyon.com. Besides French classes, we also offer free cultural visits around Lyon and various cooking classes/cultural activities at our French School.

Partager

The nineteenth edition of the football world cup will be on your screens very soon. I twill take place in South Africa, country chosen in 2004 to host the event, from the 11th of June to the 11th of July. 32 national teams qualified for the cup will be participating.

The FIFA world cup is an international football competition, which takes place every four years. This competition was created in 1928 by the ex FIFA president Jules Rimet. The first ever world cup took place in 1930 in Uruguay whose national team became world champion that year.

The world cup is the most watched sporting event throughout the world along with the Olympic games. This worldwide event is also a moment of communion and encounter as it incarnates values such as peace, union and brotherhood.

To follow your favorite team closely (dates, times and results of the games) check out the FIFA official website.

For information about the school, you can connect to the webpage of Inflexyon or download the studentguide.

Partager

Lyon is a great place to study french and at the same time experience the french culture. It is the second largest city in France, and has several places and buildings that are listed on Unesco’s World Heritage list. Lyon is also the capital of gastronomy in France.

Learn french at Inflexyon and meet other students from all over the world! We have classes from beginner to advanced levels. The culture and cooking class are very popular among our students. There you learn about the french culture and history, and make the most delicious french meals in our kitchen. We arrange cultural visits for the students twice per month where we do different things like visit museums, or try a french activity, like playing the petanque.

New courses start in the beginning of each month. What about taking french classes during your holiday? Study for one, two or three weeks, and get our special summer rate. (july and august)

Inflexyon can also offer accommadation service. We cooperate with many host families and student recidences, we can search and book a place for you.

For more information about the courses, go to the homepage of Inflexyon or download our studentguide.

Partager

Auguste and Louis Lumière were among the earliest filmmakers in history. They were born in Besançon, France, in 1862 and 1864. In 1870 they moved to Lyon, where both attended La Martiniere, the largest technical school in the city. Their father ran a photographic firm and both brothers worked for him. Louis made some improvements to the still-photograph process, which was a major step towards moving images.

It was not until their father retired in 1892 that the brothers began to create moving pictures. They patented a number of significant processes leading up to their film camera - most notably film perforations as a means of advancing the film through the camera and projector. The cinématographe itself was patented in 1895. Their first public screening of films was held in December 1895 in Paris. This history-making presentation featured ten short films, including their first film, Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon (Workers leaving the Lumière Factory). In 1896, the Lumière brothers went on tour with the cinématographe- visiting Bombay, London, New York and Buenos Aires.

The former Lumiére family residence is now called Institut Lumière. It is a museum dedicated to the lives of the Lumiére family and the world of cinema. It also has a cinema theatre, a library and a gift shop.

To get information about the school, you can connect to the website of Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.Partager

In the 18th century, Lyon was the centre of silk manufacture in Europe. Throughout the century, many weavers settled on the hill The Croix-Rousse (The red cross). It is called The Croix-Rousse because of the reddish-brown cross of stone that the Christians put there in the 1500s.

At first the weavers were located in the old part of the city, but they lacked of space and light. From 1812, people started building at the Croix Rousse area, with very caracteristic blocks. These buildings were constructed especially for the silk weaving business; with many big windows to bring in as much light as possible, and high ceilings (up to 4m), to house the large weaving looms invented by the frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard.

At the end of the 19th century, the silk trade represented 3/4 of the economic activity of the city, whereas the textile industry was 25 % of the national wealth. You can see an authentic silk worker's atelier at the Soierie Vivante.

To get information about the school, you can connect to the website of Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.Partager

Church Bells are a typical symbol for the easter and an important part of the traditions. It is being said that on the evening of Holy Thursday all the church bells in France fly to the Vatican in Rome. They carry with them the misery and grief of those who mourn Jesus' crucifixion on that day. These flying bells return on Easter Sunday morning and bring with them lots of chocolate that they drop into the gardens of the French towns. In keeping with the tradition, French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter morning. When they have returned, all the bells ring again to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. When people hear the bells, they kiss and hug eachother.

Another French Easter symbol is the 'Poisson d'Avril' - April fish. The fish makes his appearance on the 1st of April, April fools day. The tradition is that children play a trick on as many adults as possible by sticking paper fish onto their backs and running away. In most shops in France you will find chocolate fish and bells. A traditional french feast on Easter day is roast lamb with the seasonal vegetables. For dessert they have a cake called ‘La Gâche de Pâques’, which is a very rich bread mixture, like a brioche.

To get information about the school, you can connect to the website of Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.

Joyeuses Pâques! – Happy Easter!Partager

Lugdunum, the capital of Gaul was founded in 43 B.C as, and is now known by the name Lyon. The Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilization are situated on Fourvière Hill, which was formerly the center of Lugdunum. Two of the city's major monuments were erected here : the Theatre and the Odeon, which have been classified among UNESCO's World Heritage sites. Enriched by nearly five centuries of discovery, the museum's collections cover every chapter of the public and private life of a Roman Empire capital. The collections come primarily from discoveries made in Lyon and throughout the region. They are one of the richest archaeological collections in France. A few highlights are a 2,700-year-old four-wheeled vehicle and the Claudius Tablet, which transcribes a speech made by Emperor Claudius in 48 A.D.

The Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilization now has an exhibition of funeral rites in Lugdunum. The exhibition shows the Roman funeral rites from death until burial, the ceremony later and, ultimately, the modern rediscovery and excavation of tombs. The exhibition is at the museum until May 30th.

To get information about the school, you can connect to the website of the French school Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.

Partager

Guignol is a french marionette created in Lyon by Laurent Mourguet. Since its creation in 1808, Guignol has become a symbol of the town Lyon. However, in the beginning, Guignol were entirely practical. Laurent Mourguet was one of the many silk workers made unemployed by the Revolution. He started working as a dentist, pulling teeth at county fairs, and to lure in the crowds he came up with the idea of a puppet show. The main character was Gnafron, a boisterous drunkard , and Guignol was his friend, engaged to Gnafron’s daughter. Created for adults – some of the early plays had some pretty strident political satire, and were censored. Eventually the puppets became “true” child’s play, with Guignol as the hero.

Guignol belongs to the second generation of marionettes: his ancestors are the Italian Pulchinello and the English Punch and Judy. You can see them in the Gadagne Museum in Lyon amongst 2000 other marionettes from all over the world. To learn more about Guignol you can visit the museum and theater “La Maison de Guignol“, in the old part of Lyon. There you can also see spectacles for adults.

To get information about the school, you can connect to the website of the French school Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.

Partager

Valentine's Day, on 14 February, is a day to celebrate the relationships between lovers, friends and family members. It is the perfect time to remind your loved ones just how much you love them.

It is said that in France Valentine's day originally came to be held in mid February because this was the time of year that birds and animals started pairing off and mating. Eventually it became popular to exchange small tokens and love letters and so the day was born. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards.

Here are some french key words for Valentine's day: I love you: Je t'aime. I love you too: Moi aussi, je t'aime. I adore you: Je t'adore. To date: Sortir avec.

Happy Valentine's day! Bonne Saint Valentin!

To learn more about the french language contact Inflexyon.

Partager

With 1.5 million visitors each year, Fourvière is one of the most popular tourist sites in France. The Basilica of Fourvière was built between 1872 and 1896 and is a typical and outstanding example of the 19th century religious architecture. Perched on top of the Fourvière hill, the basilica looms impressively over the city of Lyon, where it can be seen from many vantage points. At certain times, members of the public may access the basilica's north tower for a spectacular view of Lyon and its suburbs.

Fourvière actually contains two churches, one on top of the other. The upper sanctuary is very ornate, while the lower has a much simpler design. Fourvière is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who is said to have saved the city of Lyon from the plague in 1643. Next to the basilica a small church was erected in gratitude, to which the gilded statue of the Virgin was added in the mid-nineteenth century. Each year in early December, the people in Lyon thanks the Virgin by lighting candles throughout the city.

To get further information about the school, you can connect to the website of the French school Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.

Partager

Inflexyon offers various cultural visits in Lyon twice a month. The next cultural visit for the students is Lyons City Archives.

The City Archives in Lyon is a public office that holds original and printed records of historical significance, mainly produced by the local public offices and related to the city of Lyon. The archives collect and preserve the documents, facilitate their use by creating search tools, distribute them and make them accessible for exhibitions, publishing and school visits. These records mainly deal with Lyons area and take account of the activities accomplished by the local governement of the city, from 1294 to nowadays. Lyons City Archives also hold valuable private records from institutions, families, societies, architects and photographers, which enrich the historical heritage. The photographic records are numerous and valuable; over 100.000 photographs among which 10.000 postcards, 30.000 posters, over 100.000 maps and drawings and some miniature works.

By visiting Lyons City Archive you will get a good look in to Lyons history.

To get further information about the school, you can connect to the website of the French school Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.

Partager

One local and famous speciality of Lyon is frescoes, mural painting. There are more than 150 giant frescoes all over Lyon. Most of them are depicting historical events and famous french people.

The most famous is “La fresque des Lyonnais“, painted by artists of the Cite de la creation. This frescoe covers an entire building- more than 600 square meters. La fresque des Lyonnais depicts 31 famous people through times from in and around Lyon: The Little Prince and Antoine de Saint Exupéry, the Lumière brothers, Paul Bocuse + +.

La fresque des Lyonnais - At the corner of 2 rue de la Martinière and 49 quai Saint Vincent.

For more information about the frescoes of Lyon.

To get further information about the school, you can connect to the website of the French school Inflexyon and to the forum of the French courses.

Partager