On Thursday, September 26, Secondary students in the Lycée’s World Languages Program ventured out into the richness of New York City. German students went uptown to the Neue Galerie in Yorkville, while Italian students went in the opposite direction: down to Little Italy. Spanish classes saw the play, El Quijote. And of course, Arabic and Mandarin students went to the MET, where ancient arts, texts and objects from the Middle East and East Asia are on display.
Here are their reports:
There is so much to study about East Asia. China has a very rich culture. For example, in the bamboo garden at the MET, you can sense how much tranquility there is in the Chinese aesthetic. Gardens are well-tended sanctuaries, and these gardens often have bamboo. In China, bamboo is a symbol for moral uprightness because bamboo reeds grow so tall, straight, and resilient. Our culture is full of myths and idioms like this. Also at the MET, for example, you can see this beautiful glass sculpture of a deer. Deers are thought to bring longevity and wealth. And over here, you can see many statues of the Buddha. Buddhism is a beautiful religion to study. You could spend a lifetime studying Buddhism. In another room, there are scrolls of ancient calligraphy. The literature of China is vast and magical.
At the same time, social hierarchy in China is very rigid. Families who have a lot of stature present their fortune to the world by raising the steps that lead up to the front doors of their houses. When I take students to China, I try to make them understand the rigidity of the social status. I always take them to the Imperial Gardens because these are so impressive, but common people’s gardens are nice, too. On a future trip, I also hope to take students to a panda sanctuary. So far, organizing this has been difficult, but I hope that it can work because the pandas are a vulnerable species, and the bamboo forests that they live in must be protected. I want students to see the pandas.
— Susan Wei (Mandarin teacher, as told to Communications)
On the occasion of the Day of Languages celebrated by the Lycée every year on September 26th, 8th grade, 9th grade and 10th grade students who learn Chinese as a second language had the opportunity to share a traditional Chinese lunch in a cantonese style restaurant with their friends, classmates and some of their teachers.
After this nice and friendly moment, the group went to the MET to visit the Buddhist Art Gallery and the Asian Art Gallery. There, every student was asked to choose a piece of art and to prepare a short presentation about it. Everybody has a great time visiting MET’s wonderful and priceless collection of Chinese antique artifacts and centuries old paintings.
— Maxime Venturin (Mandarin teacher)
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Pour fêter la Journée des Langues, les élèves arabisants du Lycée ont fait deux voyages culinaires et culturels dans le monde arabe. Une première escale, chez Naya, leur a permis d’apprécier les délicieuses spécialités libanaises avant de se diriger vers le MET pour un voyage parmi des chefs-d’oeuvres qui retracent l’histoire de l’art islamique à travers les siècles, les différentes dynasties mais aussi les différentes cultures avec lesquelles les Arabes ont échangé ou celles dont ils ont hérité (la culture grecque, byzantine, persane ou indienne).
La calligraphie qui est apparue avec le besoin de mettre par écrit le texte sacré des musulmans, est rapidement devenue une des constantes et des caractéristiques de l’art islamique jusqu’à nos jours. Elle orne les mosquées, les palais, les vases, les assiettes, les lanternes des mosquées, le cou de ce géant encensoir sous forme animale – que Tarek a l’air d’apprécier particulièrement -, ainsi que ce superbe Mihrâb qui date du 8ème siècle et qui vient d’une mosquée de la ville d’Ispahan en Iran.
Les élèves ont aussi vu une collection de très beaux astrolabes que les Arabes, grands connaisseurs en astrologie et en astronomie, utilisaient pour mesurer la hauteur des astres et, entre autres, déterminer – en plein désert – l’heure exacte. Les Grecs anciens avaient découvert cet instrument que les Arabes ont perfectionné et ont transmis, des siècles après, aux Européens.
Il en est de même pour ce jeu d’échec que les élèves ont pu admirer. Si vous vous demandez que vient faire un jeu d’échec dans une visite sur l’art islamique, sachez que si les Arabes n’avaient pas transmis, dans leurs cours andalouses, ce jeu d’origine indienne, on ne l’aurait jamais connu en Occident. Pensez à demander aux élèves qui étudient l’arabe au Lycée la triste histoire qui se cache derrière la naissance de ce jeu.
— Rime Abdel Nabi (Arabic teacher)
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On Thursday September 26, the Italian program celebrated the Day of Languages with a hands-on pizza workshop in Eataly, the famed Italian food hall in the Flatiron district. Sonia Rocca and Portia Morrell accompanied 16 ninth and tenth graders to speak ‘eataliano’ in an authentic culinary and linguistic immersion. Their arrival was greeted by a freshly-baked still hot pizza alla pala, a Roman-style pizza served on a wooden paddle. As a side dish, a delicate seasonal caprese salad that had squash instead of tomatoes. After Chef Leonardo Palazzo and Sonia Rocca demonstrated how to prepare a pizza napoletana, students put on an apron and created their own pizza. They stretched the dough on a baking sheet and decorated it with classic fresh pizza toppings, such as passata, burrata and basilico. A gelato al tiramisu to die for crowned this unique unforgettable culinary and cultural experience.
— Sonia Rocca (Italian teacher)
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On September 26, the 183 students of Y8, Y9, Y10 and Literature option in Y12, gathered in the auditorium at 1:15pm to attend a modern version of El Quijote, played by the Repertorio español. It was a fun, spectacular moment for students, teachers and staff who had the opportunity to be there. According to Backstage, “ ‘El Quijote’ stresses the absurdities of Don Quijote’s quest, as he attempts to right wrongs and rescue damsels in distress… Don Quijote and Sancho stumble through a series of adventures (or misadventures, as Sancho calls them). Company members never falter, never miss a step. At the same time, the director’s creativity is unbounded.” We agreed!
— Vaitea Grand (Spanish teacher)
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German students went on a German Heritage tour of Yorkville, in order to discover the important German life that existed in our neighborhood many years ago. We saw an old german church, where they still show a german movie once a month in order to keep the german heritage alive. We saw the german supermarket ‘Schaller&Weber’, where you can buy many german delicious products, and we picked up sausages to go. We sat down in the Carl-Schurz-Park (a parc named after the first German American to be elected to the US senate), and enjoyed our picnic in the sun. Our German guide Geradline told us more about the german life in Yorckville, showing us pictures of how German life used to look like in Yorkville. We then walked to the Neue Galerie, a museum of German and Austrian art, and contemplated the beautiful ‘Women in Gold’ painted by Gustav Klimt, and learned a little more about German Art history.
— Laurine Kleitz (German teacher)
