A great movie : Van Helsing Van Helsing is a Czech-American fantasy film directed by Stephen Sommers and released in 2004. After killing Mr Hyde on the roof of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, the famous monster hunter Prof. Van Helsing is sent by the Vatican to Transylvania. His mission: to counter the Count Dracula, who is using Dr. Frankenstein's research and a werewolf to carry out sinister plans. Assisted by Carl, a young monk assistant, Van Helsing meets the beautiful Anna Valerius, also chasing the Count who decimated her family. I've seen this movie a thousand times... It's 2 hours of pure pleasure where you will not get bored for a second! The acting is very good, the story is gripping and I fell in love with the soundtrack! Who wants to visit Transylvania with me? Count Dracula will be our host ~

Halloween~ Originally from the the British Isles, Halloween is celebrated on the evening of October 31. According to the most famous modern tradition, children dress up in scary costumes (ghosts, witches, monsters, vampires ...) and ring the door asking for candies to adults, with the formula: « Trick or treat! » From an old Irish tale, Jack-O'-Lantern is probably the most popular character associated with Halloween. Jack was a drunkard avaricious, wicked and selfish. One evening, while he was in a tavern, the Devil appeared to him and asked him for his soul. Jack asked the Devil to give him a last drink before going to hell. The Devil agreed and turned into six pence, that Jack grabbed and immediately placed in his purse. The latter had a lock in the shape of a cross, so the Devil could not escape. Finally, Jack agreed to liberate the Devil, provided that this latter gave him one more year to live. Twelve months later, Jack made another joke to the Devil, leaving him at the top of a tree (on which he had carved a cross with his knife) and made him promise that he would not pursue him anymore . When Jack died, his entry in heaven was refused, and the Devil also refused to let him enter into Hell. Nevertheless Jack succeeded in convince the Devil to give him a piece of burning coal to light his way in the dark. He placed the coal into a carved turnip to create a lantern and was condemned to wander aimlessly until the Day of Judgment. He was then known as Jack of the Lantern or Jack-o'-lantern. It is said that he reappears each year at Halloween, the day of his death. In France, Halloween is increasingly criticized. It is denounced as marketing aimed at making profit among young consumers (with candies, toys, masks and costumes ...) And you, are you celebrating Halloween? For my part, I'll probably cook on the halloween theme (perhaps a Pumpkin cake) and then I'll watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas" under my duvet. (Not very scary but it's my tradition and I hate horror movies !)

Los pequeños deshollinadores saboyanos En el siglo XIX, niños de Saboya se iban sobre los caminos de Francia para deshollinar las chimeneas en las ciudades y asi evitar la pobreza. La salida es el 7 de septiembre y la vuelta es el año siguiente, a la bella temporada, para enfrentarse con las faenas del campo con sus padres. Desde 6 años, los niños surcan los caminos de Francia, con su dueño deshollinador. Viajan a pie, incluso descalzos para ahorrar los zuecos, de 40 a 50 kilómetros al día, y los más fuertes son encargados de llevar las provisiones. Duermen en la campaña en un estable o en la ciudad en cámaras sucias y húmedas, pagando con un deshollinamiento por la mañana. La bolsa destinada a recoger el hollín sirve para ellos de cobertura y, a menudo, caminan por la noche para escapar de la policía. Escalan dentro del conducto de chimenea para rascarla gracias a una escala, una cuerda y con un raspador para retirar el hollín. Es un trabajo peligroso, penoso y muy mal pagado pero los niños permanecen de buen humor cantando:" ¡ Ohé! ¡ Allí! Deshollina aquí, deshollina allí, la chimenea, de arriba hacia abajo." El hollín, recuperado en bolsas, es revendido a fábricas. El dueño deshollinador impone 14 horas de trabajo al día cada semana. Los pequeños deshollinadores no conocen ni el domingo, ni los días feriados. ¡ Si quieren ir a la iglesia el domingo, deben comprarle este derecho a su dueño con un puñado de céntimos! Ademas, Insuficientemente alimentados, se contentan con pan duro y con sopa o con papilla de maíz. La mayoría de las veces, los dueños deshollinadores son antiguos deshollinadores demasiado grandes para subir a las chimeneas y son responsables de un grupo de 3 hasta 6 niños. El dinero cosechado es recuperado íntegramente por el dueño deshollinador y a menudo, bate a los niños para tomar también sus propinas. Es encargado de abastecer ropas nuevas, de darles una vivienda, un par de zapatos y el material de trabajo. Los pequeños deshollinadores son vestidos de un gorro rojo ennegrecido, de una chaqueta y de andrajos. Cuando vuelven en sus casas, en mayo, el dueño les paga a las familias una cantidad de dinero, equivalente al precio de un ternero. Los pequeños deshollinadores corren peligro de morir de frío o se rompen la cabeza a causa de una caída en la chimenea. A menudo, tienen dolor de respirar y se vuelven alérgicos al polvo o ciegos a causa del hollín. Hoy, es el aspecto alegre de los pequeños deshollinadores que los ascendió al rango de amuleto de la suerte.

A treasure from our mountains This morning, opening my shutters, I saw that the first snowflakes had fallen during the night. The snowy peaks reminded me of a story my grandmother used to tell me : Once upon a time in Savoy, a young prince who spent his nights contemplating the celestial vault. He never left his observatory without saying goodnight to a tiny white star, which was shining like no other. He was in love. At the same time, An old shepherd lived at the foot of the Aiguilles d'Arves. The old man was very familiar with the sky and could talk to the stars. Learning that, the young prince went to see him and asked to tell the little star that he loved her. Once done, the star turned into a beautiful princess, joined her prince and both lived happily. Some time later, the queen of heaven asked the star to take its place back, up there in the sky but the princess refused. The angry queen threw a flash of light on the castle, turning the princess into a bunch of small white stars which were scattered on the highest mountains of the Alps. Thus was born this mythical flower: the edelweiss. Simply wearing a beautiful dress of white wool, it blooms a few days, at the border of heaven and earth…

Stop the waste ! On October 13, 5000 plates of vegetable curry have been distributed for free in Paris. Producers have donated 800 kilos of vegetables that would normally be discarded. The reason? A damaged lettuce leaf ... A cauliflower too small ... We can say that the selection is rigorous! This is worse than in the modeling world ... Fruits and vegetables must meet very specific criteria to have the chance to be on the shelves. In addition, 400 kilos of twisted vegetables and uncalibrated apple juice were also distributed to the Parisians. This kind of Events, where giant meals are served to the population, have been successful in London and Berlin and will even increase in the coming months. The goal: raising awareness and alert on a massive and global problem. It's a good innitiative, don't you think ?

Un debate sobre la tarea El sistema escolar francés se divide en varios niveles : - Kindergarten: Pequeña sección / sección media / alta sección - La escuela primaria: CP / CE1 / CE2 / CM1 / CM2 - La escuela secundaria: 6 º / 5 º / 4 º / 3 º - High School: 2nde / 1ere / Terminal Después de eso, podemos continuar nuestros estudios en una universidad, en escuelas especializadas… Actualmente, hay un verdadero debate en Francia sobre la supresión de la tarea (o 'los deberes' ??) en la educación primaria. Como siempre, algunos están a favor y otros no. Cuanto a mí, no puedo elegir mi campamento! Dar unas tareas a los alumnos tiene efectos positivos pero también negativos : Ventajas de la tarea en casa : - Verificar que hemos comprendido la lección. - Tener la oportunidad de corregir el ejercicio en clase y aprender de sus errores. - Tarea impecable motiva a los alumnos a continuar sus esfuerzos. - En función de la tasa de éxito de los alumnos, el profesor puede volver a explicar la lección o pasar a la siguiente. - Si el niño puede beneficiar de la ayuda de su familia, la hora de la tarea puede llegar a ser privilegiada. - La tarea desarrolla una capacidad de organización y prepara al alumno para manejar la carga de trabajo que tendrá en sus futuros estudios. - Los años pasan... Abrimos nuestros viejos cuadernos... Y recuerdamos... Inconvenientes de la tarea en casa : - La tarea toma tiempo que el alumno podría dedicar a actividades extracurriculares. - Puede llegar a ser un castigo si el niño queda pegado a un ejercicio sin ayuda (la familia no siempre tiene el tiempo para dedicarse a la tarea). - Demasiada tarea rápidamente desalienta a los estudiantes que prefieren no hacerla. Tenemos que encontrar un equilibrio para que siga siendo un placer. - El tiempo de corrección en la clase es a veces demasiado largo y retarda el progreso del programa de estudios. - Algunos padres no están en capacidad de ayudar a sus hijos, quienes se sienten desvalorizados y desmotivados. ¿Qué te parece? ¿Debemos suprimir la tarea de los alumnos de primaria, o no?

Watching a movie ... To forget the bad weather ! When I like a movie, I can watch it again and again without ever getting tired of it, and until knowing each speech by heart! Yesterday I watched for the umpteenth time an old movie to make me feel better (I hate the rain!) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen At the head of a terrorist group, a man known as The Phantom seeks to pit the European nations against each other to sell his weapons. Faced with the imminent threat of a major conflict, Queen Victoria decides to form the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, composed of unusual characters. Led by the famous adventurer Allan Quatermain, we also find Tom Sawyer, a member of the U.S. Secret Service, the chemist Mina Harker, Rodney Skinner (The Invisible Man), the immortal Dorian Gray, Dr. Henry Jekyll (and his double Hyde) and Captain Nemo. Embarking on the Nautilus to Venice, they must thwart the dark plans of the Phantom … Dracula, Dorian Gray, Captain Nemo ... All these characters from unavoidable literary works, these characters that I love and with whom I escaped whole nights ... What a great idea to have them together! I always spend a good time watching this adventure. Fantasy with a touch of humor and romance... In my opinion it's the perfect recipe! What is your favorite movie ? =)

Tales and legends I love reading tales and legends. Fairies, elves, mermaids and other fantastic creatures: it's fascinating! I've found a very good book with legends from each region of France. In Bretagne there are many interesting stories but yesterday night I read one from the region called « Poitou-charentes ». I will try to make a short summary, hoping my mistakes won't spoiled this nice legend ! Melusine the Fairy The fairy Melusine lived in the Forest of Colombiers, spending her days near the fountain of the Fairies. One day, she met Raymondin, son of a rich count, wandering in the forest. As soon as he saw Melusine, Raymondin fell deeply in love and begged her to marry him. The beautiful fairy accepted, provided that Raymondin swears to give her the free disposition of her Saturdays for bathing, and never tries to see her that day. She insisted on the fact that, if he transgresses this rule, she would have to leave him immediatly. Raymondin promised and they got married. As a wedding gift, Raymondin asked his father to give him lands, where Melusine built wonderful castles, the most beautiful being the one of Lusignan. She also gave birth to ten son. Raymondin's brother, jealous of their happiness, swore to sow discord between the couple. One Saturday he went to Lusignan and asked to see Melusine. Raymondin explained that it was impossible to see her that day because she was taking a bath at the top of the tower. The brother burst out laughing and made fun of the credulity of Raymondin. If Melusine was hiding from him every Saturday, it must be not to swim, but to meet her lovers! From that day, Raymondin was plagued by doubt and curiosity. Was Melusine unfaithful? Finally, out of patience, he climbed the tower and made a small hole in the door. What he saw terrified him: Melusine was plunged into a large bath, combing her long hair. From the navel to the top of her head, she had a wonderful woman's body, but from the navel to the feet, she had a serpent's tail! Knowing that she was discovered, Melusine wept over the betrayal of her husband and turned into a winged serpent. She fled through the window, leaving the poor Raymondin in despair. Unable to forget the loss of his wife, he became a hermit and retired to the mountains. Nowadays we say that, during windy nights, you can hear at the top of the towers of Lusignan the shrieks of Melusine, crying on her fate, her children and hor lost love. Does someone have a nice legend to share? ^^

Introducing myself... Under the rain ! I send you a 'hello' quite wet from the mountains of France. The sun is capricious these days ... I hope the rain will stop soon! Feeling the sunlight on our skin is so much nicer than a cold shower... Don't you think? Before being booed by all the little frogs among you, let me introduce myself: My name is marion, I'm 20 and if I don't go to prepare a hot cup of tea in the next second, you will call me 'ice cube' ! What? My presentation is too short? (I will only speak under torture!) Well, I can make a little effort... I just got my degree in International Business and I don't know yet if I will continue my studies or enter the workforce. I am tempted by a 1-year license in university, but it depends on the opportunities I will have. For the moment I am looking for a job, knowing that I am open to many areas! (Trade, tourism, administration, social …) In my free time, I love wandering in the nature, daydreaming about everything and anything far from the city noises and the crowd! In short quiet activities attract me, such as reading or doing puzzles! (Unsociable? Me? .......) In fact, I'm rather shy with strangers but once I feel confident my sense of humor wakes up ~ Finally, if I registered on italki it's because I would like to discuss everything and anything in English or Spanish not to lose the education I received so far at school and make less mistakes day after day ! Of course, I'd be happy to help you in French ~ My presentation ends here... I wish you a wonderful day! Oh, one last thing: Does anyone could send me a little ray of sun ?!