All posts by Schools Liaison

UNIQ 2025 – APPLY NOW!

Applications are now OPEN for UNIQ 2025! Will UNIQ help shape your future? 

What is UNIQ?
The UNIQ programme helps UK state school students with good GCSE grades or equivalent make a more successful application to Oxford, with a sustained contact programme and in-person residential. UNIQ is there to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds at Oxford explore new subjects, speak to current students and learn first-hand about the application process and what life might be like at Oxford.

If you take part in UNIQ, you’ll have access to a range of activities to support your preparation for university applications. This includes help with admissions tests, the interview process and getting to grips with student life once you’re at university. Not only will you be able to experience student life at Oxford whilst receiving support with your university application, you’ll also have the opportunity to make new friends whilst exploring new and exciting subjects. 

What Modern Languages courses are available?   
 For Modern Languages, there will be courses available for SpanishFrench, and German. Each varied course allows you to explore several exciting elements of degree-level language studies, such as language, literature, theatre, film, and linguistics, and gives you the opportunity to have a taster of two other European languages at beginners’ level.

How do I apply?
Applying is quick and simple – just register and fill out the form on the UNIQ website. It shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes or so. Before you apply you should check that you meet our eligibility requirements and browse our courses for a first and second choice.  

Applications close on 23 January. You can find out more about the programme and selection criteria on the UNIQ website (www.uniq.ox.ac.uk) and by following us on Instagram (@OxfordUNIQ). If you have any queries about the applications process, you can check out our FAQs or contact us at uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk.   

The Year Abroad: Practicalities

On the blog this week, final year German and Portuguese student, Aaron, reflects on some of the practical elements of organising and preparing for his year abroad…

My name’s Aaron, I study German and Portuguese at Wadham, and as I’m writing this blog post, I’ve been back at Oxford for one term since my year abroad. For the first half of my year abroad, which is the time I’ll mostly be focusing on here, I was based in Berlin. Before my year abroad, I had to take some time away from my studies due to some personal issues, so I hadn’t been in Oxford for two years before I went to Berlin, meaning I also hadn’t really spoken much German! As you can imagine, I was definitely nervous to go. I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity for the odd visit to Germany before, but living on my own so far from home was this strange mix of nerves and excitement… The thing is, the one thing I think everyone comes to agree over their time at uni (whether at Oxford or not) is that you absolutely have to love what you do, and I really do love speaking German, so I’d been looking forward to the year abroad for a long time.

For a year abroad as an Oxford student, you agree what you’re going to do with your college tutor (often called your organising tutor – you may have two if you do two languages), with the general options being: teaching in a school via the British Council, studying at a university, or finding some form of internship. That said, I was doing a virtual internship with a company based in Hamburg, because I had a couple of friends in Berlin and wanted to be able to find other opportunities while I was out there.

Finding accommodation can seem super daunting, but it’s one of those things that always kind of works itself out – in my case, I found an apartment through a private renting website that was pretty central, but the great thing about Berlin (and most of Germany, to be honest) is that the transport links are much better than I’m used to, coming from Newcastle, so you could get to just about any part of the city within an hour. A lot of people tend to use something like AirBnB to find a temporary place to stay, then find a more permanent place after a couple of weeks. This is a great tip for saving money as you can usually find better deals locally.

The other biggest hurdle to tackle is visas – this is definitely something you need to research well before you arrive in your chosen country, around the same time as searching for internships and study places. Lots of countries require visas to be dealt with before you arrive in the country, and this can require sending your passport off too, so it’s vital to get this sorted in good time. There are also often requirements for what you need to do once you arrive in the country; for example, in Germany, you usually have to register at an address when you’re staying for over a certain amount of time.

Having said all of this, one of the great things about the year abroad is the flexibility of it all. For example, lots of people will get a study placement that lasts maybe three months, but book their accommodation for an extra three months and either travel around the country (especially with trains in continental Europe generally being drastically cheaper than in the UK) or try to find an internship, etc. I personally found a lot of time for this outside of my internship hours, but obviously this depends on exactly what your placement requires.

In terms of staying connected to Oxford, it was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, societies and student groups on the whole have moved a lot of their stuff online, making it really easy to get involved with from afar. I wrote articles for R:Ed, Africa’s largest lifelong learning and mentoring resource, edited for a number of student publications and managed to set up my own student-led project, all from the comfort of my Berlin flat. This meant it was really easy to keep my finger on the pulse of the student community in Oxford and still feel connected.

That’s all from me for now – next time, I’m going to talk a bit more about my specific experience in Berlin and what sort of things you can do on the year abroad once you’ve dealt with all the admin!  

A Year Abroad in Paris: A time of study, theatre, and film

On the blog this week, former student and student ambassador, Elise, reflects on her year abroad. Despite logistical challenges, Elise managed to tailor her year to align with both her academic goals and professional aspirations.

My year abroad was over 2021-2022 and, as I think pretty much every languages student will tell you, ended up being wonderfully not to plan! Thankfully, having an EU passport meant I avoided the visa and administration challenges that many others experienced. Covid was the first spanner in the works. The pandemic meant that many organisations in France were not actively hiring, and consequently university partnership places were wildly oversubscribed. When someone dropped out of the Erasmus programme over summer 2021, I managed to secure their spot for the 2022 summer semester at the Sorbonne.

The summer semester goes from January to May. The teaching experience was very different to my first two years at Oxford. Classes came in two forms: CMs (cours magistral) which are large-scale lectures in amphitheatres; and TDs (travail dirigé) which are seminar-like classes often with about 30 students – bigger than typical Oxford class sizes which makes for a different participation dynamic. The CMs typically lasted 1hr-1h15 but the TDs were often 2hrs with a 5-minute break. From a concentration perspective, 2hr TDs took a little getting used to! Classes were also located all over Paris – definite metro distances, rather than Oxford’s walking distances. The Sorbonne has 29 different campuses over the city and I moved between two: the original site in the 5ieme arrondissement which is informally called ‘La Sorbonne Mère’, and the ‘Campus Clignancourt’ which is the 18ieme arrondissement, the final stop on metro line 4.

Subject choices determine the campus you are taught at. As a French and Philosophy student looking to work in theatre and film after graduation, my priorities were picking anything which would sustain my Oxford studies, particularly for philosophy, and allow me to expand my knowledge of French theatre and cinema. I kept up my language work by choosing translation classes (English to French and French to English) and then fought for places on the oversubscribed Philosophy courses: ‘Histoire de la Philosophie Antique’ and ‘Textes Philosophiques en Anglais: Hume’. My favourite classes by far were ‘Initiation à l’histoire et à l’analyse de l’image’ in which we traced the history of cinema through a series of film case studies from the 1820s to 2008; and ‘Littérature et cinéma’, a class dedicated to the work of Eric Rohmer and the relationship between his films and literature.

The Erasmus community often bonded quickly in classes, but it was trickier to meet French students. I met the French friends I am still in contact with two years later through the extra-curricular opportunities. I jumped at the chance to get involved in student theatre. Extracurriculars are run more centrally at the Sorbonne than at Oxford. Student theatre is run by the university itself and they invite external practitioners to work with students and direct pieces over the term. I workshopped and performed two French-language devised productions.

The first, ‘Mère(s)’, explored motherhood and the figure of the mother, sewing together pieces in French, Spanish, Arabic and English. I was introduced to the work of Pierre Notte and Guillaume Gallienne and given the chance to perform extracts in French from their respective works ‘Moi aussi je suis Catherine Deneuve’ and ‘Les garçons et Guillaume, à table!’. The devising process also involved me translating moments from Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know To Be True into French as well as constructing a version of Act 3 Scene 4 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in which I, as Gertrude, performed the original English text in conversation with a French-speaking Hamlet, whose lines were taken from a French translation of the play.

The second project, ‘Bienvenue chez nous!’, was a forum theatre improvisation-based show of conversations about ecology in different household settings. This piece was particularly terrifying to build as we were improvising on stage in French. It forced me to be quick on my feet, listen carefully to what was said by others and be brave in my responses before my peers and the later audience. By being willing to risk making vocab and grammar mistakes, I inevitably expanded my vocabulary and strengthened my confidence in my spoken fluency. With trust and risk taking at the core of an improvisation project, we also grew close as a cast. I am still friends with the girls I worked with and we have continued to reunite in London or in Paris over the subsequent two years.

The other way I made wonderful French friends, especially ones with shared interests, was through culture trips offered by the Sorbonne. Through an online portal, they organise free visits to theatre and dance shows, music concerts and museum exhibitions. A group of us started booking onto the same events and regularly going together. You often had an afternoon workshop about the event, and then the visit itself. It was a great way to see shows that I would not have realised were on in the city, might not have thought to book myself or would not have been able to afford. My favourite was Boxe Boxe Brasil a dance piece by Mourad Merzouki’s company käfig in which Brazilian dancers performed a blend of hip-hop and boxing to the classical accompaniment of the Debussy Quartet, on at the Cité de la Musique.

After the Sorbonne term ended in May, I turned my attention to professional development opportunities. I had long wanted to train at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a drama school specialising in physical theatre and mime. I was accepted onto their ‘Le Masque Neutre’ course, over which we learnt and played with the ‘journey of the masked man’. Through mask and mime, we experimented with how our bodies interact with various different natural environments: sea, forest, rocky mountains, stepping stones over a river, grassy fields and desert sand. This was an incredible experience both professionally and personally, consolidating for me the importance of awareness of breath, active presence and specificity of movement when performing.

I also enrolled on a screen acting course at the Cours Florent, another French drama school. This was a brilliant learning opportunity, and fascinating to compare with my experience at Lecoq: there was an important overlap in the foundational need for active presence and grounded emotion for both mediums. These two experiences gave me first-hand exposure to drama training in France and allowed me to network within the theatre community in Europe. I am immensely grateful for the generous financial support of St Hilda’s College and the Liz Daplyn Travel Bursary as well as the Cameron Mackintosh Drama Fund through the University Drama Officer, which helped me afford both courses. Like the Sorbonne student theatre, the training was not only beneficial for my professional development in the performing arts, but also hugely advantageous for my French language abilities. Speaking and acting fully in the French language, enabled me to broaden my vocabulary and hone my fluency ahead of my return to Oxford. All that remained was a wonderful final summer month fully dedicated to touristing around the city. July was a final adventure of ticking things off my Paris bucket list in the sun and seeing as much French theatre and film as possible, before coming back for fourth year and finals.

Merci, Elise!

Free Online CPD Programme for Teachers

Exclusively for state schoolteachers and colleagues with responsibility for progression, join Trinity College for its programme which aims to provide up-to-date practical information and guidance relating to the Oxford application process and the purpose of each stage, for example, the admissions tests and interviews. ​ 

Trinity also has the broader aim of providing teachers and colleagues with guidance that will help them to support their pupils in all higher education applications, as well as those who may have the potential to apply to Oxford. 

They particularly welcome colleagues from non-selective state schools who have little or no experience of the University of Oxford, pupil progression to the Russell Group or Higher Education in general.

The programme takes place online and is made up of six 1.5hr live sessions each taking place after the school day. Whilst the programme begins in January each year, teachers are encouraged to join at any point or just for those sessions they would find most helpful. As part of this programme, a free Teacher Enrichment Residential (details below) is offered, which is also completely optional. 

A completion certificate is offered for those attending all six online sessions, however there is no requirement to do so. Colleagues are welcome to register and then join for just the preferred sessions. 

Teacher CPD programme of sessions in 2025: 

SessionTitleDate
S1  Introduction to OxfordMonday 13th January 16:15 or Thursday 16th January 17:00
S2  Enrichment and raising attainmentMonday 3rd February 16:15 or Thursday 6th February 17:00
S3Personal StatementsMonday 31st March 16:15 or Thursday 3rd April at 17:00
S4Oxford Admissions TestsMonday 12th May 16:15 or Thursday 15th May 17:00
S5Teacher Reference WritingMonday 9th June 16:15 or Thursday 12th June 17:00
S6Oxford Academic InterviewsMonday 16th June 16:15 or Thursday 16th October 16:15
ResidentialTeacher enrichment: fully funded 3-night residential for colleagues to explore any particular topic of personal interest in their subject area or some aspect of their teaching practice or pedagogy, using the University of Oxford’s library collections.Easter Vacation 2026 date TBC

SIGN UP HERE and the team at Trinity will be in touch closer to January 13th with joining details. 

If you have already taken part in this programme, you are very welcome to sign up for refresher support. 

Please could you also share this email with other school colleagues who may like to take part and, of course, do not hesitate to get in touch with the Hannah Rolley (Head of Access, Trinity College) hannah.rolley@trinity.ox.ac.uk should you have any questions.  

The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators 2024-25!

Last month, The Queen’s Translation Exchange (QTE) launched the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators for 2024-25. They sent out poetry teaching resource packs to over 1800 teachers to mark European Day of Languages (26 September) and International Translation Day (30 September). 

Last year’s Anthea Bell Prize reached over 16,000 young people across the UK. This year, they’re aiming even higher! The competition window opens in February 2025, so there is still plenty of time to register and explore their excellent creative translation teaching resources. 

For this year, the Translation Exchange has launched a new Russian-language strand of the Prize. The Russian-language teaching resources include an ab-initio resource designed for use by students and teachers with no previous experience of Russian. Read more about the launch of the Russian-language strand here

QTE would love to hear from any Russian teachers interested to help them develop this strand across the year, as well as from any teachers who have used the new ab-initio resources and would be willing to share their experience. Feedback on any of the resources is also hugely appreciated. Please get in touch with the team at translation.exchange@queens.ox.ac.uk.

OXFORD GERMAN OLYMPIAD 2025

The Oxford German Network have launched the 13th edition of its annual German Olympiad! The competition will run between now and March 2025 with winners being announced in the summer.

This year’s topic is “Spiel und Sport”

Photo by Dave Photoz on Unsplash

There are a variety of different challenges aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6 all the way to Years 12 and 13. Some are for individuals to enter, others are aimed at groups. There is even a taster competition for pupils who have never studied German before! From drawing to creating board games, puzzles, and video games, there’s something for everyone! Take a look at the Olympiad website for more details.

Pupils should:

  • Choose one of the tasks appropriate for their age group.
  • Complete all tasks in German, unless indicated otherwise.
  • Refer to the full competition details and guidelines for word count guidance.

Please note:

  • All entries must be submitted via the online entry form
  • Each participant may only enter for one task within their age group as an individual entrant. We will only accept group entries (2-4 participants) for the “Open Competition for Groups” category. 
  • We require a consent form for under-13 participants. Click here to download the form.

Note to teachers: Teachers will be able to submit their students´ entries in bulk. Please contact olympiad@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk for instructions.

The closing date for all entries is Thursday, 6 March 2025 at 12 noon.

If you have any questions, please contact the Olympiad Coordinator, Eva, at: olympiad@mod-langs-ox.ac.uk

We look forward to receiving lots of entries!

Inspire Critical Thinking online programme

Registration for St John’s College’s ‘Inspire Critical Thinking’ programme is now open! This is a free online programme made up of 4 workshops, that will be released each month between January- April 2025. This year’s theme is Why is language so powerful? All students who attend a non-selective state school in the UK in Years 9-12 are invited to register. You can register by scanning the QR code or clicking this link.

Each workshop is filled with articles and videos from University of Oxford researchers and teachers, exploring each question from a range of subjects and perspectives, many of which include a super challenge with opportunities to win prizes. There is something for everyone, from Computer Science to Art! There are also opportunities for students to cast their vote and share their opinions in our online forum to questions posed throughout the programme.  In addition to learning about the power of language, there are also self-guided critical thinking skills activities, helping students to develop their communication, problem-solving, creative thinking and evaluation skills.

Once students have registered, they will receive a confirmation email (after the closing date of 7th November) to confirm their place on the programme. The links and passwords will be emailed to students directly once the workshops launch from January.

SPANISH FLASH FICTION 2024: The Highly Commended Entries (Y12-13)

Following the publication of the winning and runner up entries, we are excited to present the highly commended entries for the Year 12-13 category of this year’s Spanish Flash Fiction competition!

A huge well done to all our highly commended entrants! Without further ado, ¡venga, vamos!

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Eclipse

Espera sola; los momentos que pasan juntos son pocos.

Espera sola sin hablar; ellos duermen cuando ella llega y se despiertan en su presencia.

Sus ojos se miran en su dirección y pronto observan la luz que calienta el mundo.

Luz que siempre consuela su corazón lastimado.

Ella hace piruetas y baila en frente de él, el mundo es un testigo en su historia.

Ella le abraza, un momento rápido de misericordia robada.

Él la suelta, suelta al amor de su vida y están solos una vez más.

Porque el sol y la luna están destinados a estar separados.

– Maria-Magdalena Covasa, Year 12

El sonido de sus pasos resonaba las paredes desnudas. Si pudiera, Amelia hubiera reconstruido El Teatro De Reyes, como era hace veinte años. Caminó hacia el piano, que estaba más cubierta de polvo que el suelo. Una nota, luego tres, y estaba soltándose, la música la consumía sin resistencia. Se prometió que nunca olvidaría de esta sensación durante su vida entera. En el escenario, se sentía como un pez en agua; para ella, fue un lugar donde todo lo que siempre había soñado fuera por fin posible. ‘Estoy lista ahora,’ susurró Amelia. ‘Sígueme,’ dice La Parca.

– Nihika Koranne, Year 12

Andrómeda

En la profundidad de sus ojos se refleja la noche, y guarda con ternura el resplandor de la luna en su bolsillo, alma de diamante, una joya única, su luminiscencia con nadie la comparte. Ella, tan distinta al resto de mujeres, parece perfecta, tan única que sus imperfecciones parecen hermosos cráteres lunares en su delicado rostro, sonrisa de cristal, su piel envuelta en una atmósfera creada por ella misma.La calidez de su abrazo me hace desafiar la gravedad, tan bella, tan tierna, tan agradable, con su ardiente cuerpo celestial… nada más se me aparece delante, causa un eclipse solar.

– Noor Ullah, Year 12

Desapareciendo

Era curioso, pensó, cómo se le arrebataban las palabras, inasibles como las hojas rojizas que bailaban en la acera, arrojando el mundo a la deriva. Al principio se le escapaban desapercibidas, abandonando objetos, el aroma de la sopa, rostros familiares, dejándolos indefinidos, como acuarelas que se desvanecen en la página. Su enfermera intentaba en silencio fijar las palabras en el papel. Pero cada día se alejaban de su alcance, negándose a asentarse en la brisa otoñal. Así que se aferró fuertemente a la nota manuscrita, con la esperanza de que él también pudiera dejarse llevar por el aire del atardecer.

– Oliver John, Year 12
In memory of Oliver’s Grandfather who recently died of Alzheimer’s.

Darwin

Adentro, las criaturas se volvían encorvadas, sus ojos pegados a los colores moviéndose en las pantallas. Con los años, sus músculos se habían endurecido como hormigón, convirtiéndolas en casi estatuas, congeladas en un estado de lentitud… Aún no les importa: tiempo atrás perdieron interés en el mundo exterior – demasiado opaco para mantener la atención de estas criaturas, hasta que sus retinas empezaron a debilitarse, dejando el mundo en un borrón de grises. La estimulación constante los hizo dependientes de las luces destellando en las pantallas, atemorizados por la abstinencia. Hace tiempo estas criaturas eran conocidas como humanidad.

– Rabia Chowdhury, Year 13

Buscanos el la playa

Dijeron que siempre podía encontrarlos en la playa. Mi padre dijo que siempre podía buscarlo en el mar. Pude encontrar el reconfortante azul de sus ojos en el agua. Mi madre dijo que podía escucharla en el viento. Podía escuchar su voz suave, silbando en al aire, cantando dulces canciones de cuna. Dijeron que podía encontrarlos en la playa. El lugar que más quisieron. El lugar donde siempre estarán, pero solo yo puedo verlo.

– Sadie Greenwood, Year 12

Ansiedad

¿Estás bien?
Me aprieta el pecho un puño de hierro mientras mis manos tiemblan incontrolablemente. Me arde la cara. Mis ojos nublados ven el mundo girando a mi alrededor. Una sensación permanente de terror se ha instalado en mi estómago. Hace semanas que no duermo bien. Estoy inquieta, pero paralizada. Todas las palabras que quiero decir están atascadas en mi garganta y me cuesta respirar. Oigo un millón de voces gritando en la cabeza, ninguna de ellas es mía. Me siento mal, como si estuviera bajo un foco, pero aún así perdida en oscuridad total.
Estoy bien, te digo.

– Sophie Welberry-Smith, Year 13

Lunes

Es el día más inexistente, demasiado lejos del domingo pero tan cerca a la vez, excesivamente lejos del viernes para traer esperanza y algo de felicidad. La vuelta al colegio es lo más duro y frustrante, aunque valdrá la pena al final cuando me gradué y pueda trabajar de algo que me encante. Son las 6:00 am, agotadamente corro la cortina de mi ventana. El cielo gris en el que hasta el sol se esconde. Otra vez la rutina, el despertarse pronto, el desayuno que no sabe a nada porque no soy el yo del fin de semana.

– Valentino Ordonez Imafidon, Year 12

Paso a Paso

Mediate de los susurros silenciosos y los aplausos resonantes, ella se paró al borde de la pista de hielo, su corazón late más fuerte que el público rugiente. Los recuerdos de su última ruina persistieron, una fantasma inquietante. Empujando, se deslizó sobre el hielo, cada movimiento fue un testimonio de su resistencia.
El aire frío le mordió las mejillas a medida que obtenía velocidad, el ritmo de sus cuchillas cortando el hielo se hacía eco de su determinación. Con cada giro elegante y salto temerario, la Olímpica recuperó su pasión, conquistando sus miedos un paso intrépido a la vez.

– Velislava Koleva, Year 12

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¡Felicidades a todos!

FRENCH FLASH FICTION 2024: The Highly Commended Entries (Y12-13)

Following the publication of the winning and runner up entries, we are excited to present the highly commended entries for the Year 12-13 category of this year’s French Flash Fiction competition!

A huge well done to all our highly commended entrants! Without further ado, allez, on y va!

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Un poète abîmé 

Ne faisant qu’un avec la solitude et la mélancolie, le poète s’abîmait dans le vide de son esprit. Les mots se perdaient dans un brouillard opaque, cherchant en vain la lueur de l’inspiration. Les rues qu’il parcourait étaient des labyrinthes désolés, bordés de souvenirs éteints et de regrets amers. Les étoiles, hier sources d’émerveillement, étaient devenues des témoins froids d’une existence misérable. Sa plume, vacillante, déversant des vers creux et dépourvus de vie. Chaque mot, chaque syllabe semblait peser sur son cœur meurtri, et chaque poème était une triste complainte, renvoyant l’écho de son âme appauvrie.

– Nigelle Niyodusenga, Year 12

Réflexions

Pleuvait-il ce soir? je ne saurais dire. Selon un coup d’oeil d’une horloge dans un taxi, je crois qu’il est presque deux heures du matin. En évitant les flaques, je trébuche avec pertes et fracas sur le sombre R. Frochot. “Etes-vous soûl?”, dit une voix que j’entends à peine, je ne sais pas, probablement. “Où allez-vous?”Je viens de La Bise. Dans quelle direction je dois aller, ça me dépasse. Ce que je sais bien, l’amour de ma vie joue double jeu. Je lutte pour m’empêcher de tomber en panne. J’aimerais hurler. D’ailleurs, une autre “dernière” bouteille pourrait me soigner.

– Massimo Mitchell, Year 12

Le Cambrioleur

Il y a un homme dans ma maison. Il est en bas. Chaque pas en dessous de moi accélère mon rythme cardiaque; chaque pas secoue ma chambre. J’entends le bruit de son sac alors qu’il vole mes choses précieuses. Je doute qu’il sache que je me suis réveillée, donc je quitte lentement ma chambre et marche vers le haut de l’escalier – je veux pouvoir le décrire à la police plus tard. Soudainement, les lumières sur le sapin de Noël m’illuminent et il me regarde dans les yeux.

Un grand sourire surmonte son visage et je ris.

– Rain Kaur, Year 12

Pourquoi je cache?

Quand je suis arrivée, ils m’ont dit « tu seras libérée », mais pourquoi je dois me cacher?

Nous cachons des bonbons et des télécommandes comme une blague entre frères et soeurs.

Nous cachons nos émotions quand nous sommes blessés.

Nous cachons notre colère quand nous sommes frustrés.

Nous nous cachons des secrets.

Nous cachons notre acné avec du maquillage.

Nous nous cachons dans des jeux de cache-cache.

Autant que je sache, nous nous cachons tout le temps. Il faut dire que nous ne sommes jamais nous-mêmes.

Cela est la raison pour laquelle je dois cacher mon hijab à l’école?

– Grace Dobson, Year 12

Chère Céline,
J’espère que tu ne m’as pas oublié, mais maintenant que la France est libérée, je peux t’écrire!
Tu m’as manqué ces dernières années: je me rappelle quand nous jouions ensemble, avant qu’ils ne soient arrivés et que ta mère a dit que nous ne pouvions plus nous voir. Après que je suis partie, on m’a envoyée en Suisse, avec d’autres enfants qui parlaient des langues différentes. Au début ils s’étaient cachés en France jusqu’à ce qu’ils n’y fussent plus sûrs.
J’espère bientôt pouvoir retourner chez moi, mais je comprends que les choses seront changées.
Bisous, Salomé
Juillet, 1944

– Harriet Palfreyman, Year 12

S’éveiller Dans Une Langue

Je me réveille, mais où?
Pas là, où j’étais avant,
Je sens la saleté inconnue
Et je vois le paysage blanc.

Puis je le remarque, enfin,
Ce qui a changé ici.
Mon esprit est vide; je ne sais rien;
Je ne parle qu’une langue d’autrui.

Je me sens comme un enfant,
Mais sans la grande ignorance.
Je me noie dans une vague de mots divagants;
Mon âme est morte, je pense.

Il faut que je recommence
À construire mon monde brisé.
Pour que je puisse parler comme je m’attends-
Une identité, je vais forger.

– Aaron Butters, Year 12

Le Flétrissement

Lentement, je m’étiole.

J’erre à travers ton esprit, te bénissant à chaque minute qui passe. Bientôt, lorsque les ténèbres de la mort s’abattent, je serai métamorphosée, méconnaissable à toi. Puis, tu te rendras compte que mes mœurs, qui t’ont étouffé, t’ont donné du sens.

Tu peux te battre, mais, en vain. Tu ne gagneras aucune guerre, car vous êtes tous les mêmes: la même chair tendre et le même sang chaud.

Ce regret lourd t’alourdira jusqu’à la fin; les défunts sont éternellement jaloux de cette vitalité gaspillée.

Tu dois me saisir, puisque je suis éphémère, la vie éphémère qui s’étiole.

– Eleanor McQuinn, Year 12

Loin de ma maison, je suis bloquée, debout. Une main tenu haut au-dessus ma tête, mon bras secoue avec la torche émeraude qui brûle toujours, immobile. Les touristes recueillent à mes pieds, regardant le ciel et moi, qui suis debout dedans. Maintenant, je suis verte avec le temps et la rouille. Autrefois, j’étais brune brillante, mon cuivre luisant. Je suis debout, grande et muette devant les foules. Mon autre bras saisit une tablette près de moi. Ici, je suis un etranger. Le ciel est loin, mais chaque jour je cherche sa liberté. Loin de ma maison, je suis bloquée, debout.

– Caitlin Graeff, Year 12

La Rencontre de Tu et Vous

Tu et Vous s’évitent. Il faut qu’ils se rencontrent une fois pour toutes.

Blagueur de nature, Tu est toujours facile à vivre. Vous, par contre, est un personnage très sérieux, souvent vantard.

Lorsque les deux mots se rencontrent, ils ne s’entendent pas bien. Tu s’ennuie; Vous se fâche. Il semble que les mots n’aient rien en commun, mais bientôt ils se rendent compte qu’ils sont tous les deux des mots incompris. Il faut qu’ils s’aident.

Tu et Vous se regardent silencieusement et puis, d’une seule voix:

«On se tutoie?»

– Sally Codling, Year 12

Les dernières paroles d’une madeleine

Je fixe sa luette du regard alors qu’il me rapproche à sa bouche bée; qu’est-ce que mon plissage sévère deviendra après qu’il se dissout dans ces postillons menaçants, pourquoi mon corps sucré doit-il périr dans l’intérêt de ce rêveur fou? Regardez ces miettes sur sa moustache comme des fleurs qui ornent les piques d’aubépine alors qu’il se perd dans ses souvenirs – pourquoi mon parfum de vanille doit-il s’estomper alors que ses souvenirs le ramènent à Combray, est-il juste que je meure pour que son passé lointain, endormi pour les autres, puisse prendre vie en lui?

– Jovian Yann, Year 12

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Félicitations tout le monde!

My time at a workaway in Southwest France!

On the blog this week, current French & Philosophy student, Laurence, talks about his adventures in the south west of France over the summer.

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For three weeks in July, I worked at La Giraudière, a volunteering and cultural immersion project run by a mixture of Anglophones and Francophones in Charente, Southwest France. This provided a brilliant opportunity to use French in a rural setting with both locals and French SNU (Service National Universel) volunteers. We also had the opportunity to mix with such a variety of people – including fellows students, retirees, and holidaymakers. Alongside French people, we met others from Romania, Ireland, Australia, and Iran. Meals were a communal affair and we each would take turns cooking – with both positive and negative results!

A meal shared with all the volunteers at the Workaway

My girlfriend – for whom I had to translate quite a lot! – and I would work three days each week on the restoration of a house dating from 1902. We sanded wood, painted doors, and bleached floors atop stepladders. For the remainder of the week, we would cycle to the nearest lake and go swimming or take day trips to regional points of interest. These included the towns and cities of Bordeaux, Angoulême, and Libourne.

In Bordeaux, we enjoyed visiting the Cité du Vin – the city is, after all, noted for its expertise in winemaking. This museum contained high-tech exhibits across seven floors, including one which recounted the history of champagne. Its bubbles discovered by mistake during a tempestuous voyage across the Channel, French merchants realised that the English enjoyed the novelty of the champagne wine’s fizz. They contained the fizz with the invention of the cork (for too much gas would smash the glass bottles) and profiteered off this happy accident! Alongside fascinating nuggets of information like this, our museum visit ended with a free glass of local red or rosé from the rooftop terrace.

We especially enjoyed Angoulême for its murals. With the help of an art trail map, we saw over thirty murals across both the new and old towns in this student city that is the French capital of stop-motion animation and the bande dessinée. A statue on our arrival into the train station lauded this “neuvième art” and locals were happy to direct us (in their rapid Charentais dialect!) to some of the most impressive works of public art.

Laurence’s painting of where he stayed in France

In Libourne, I was able to stock up on books for my degree! With prices for novels set by the French state, the cashier explained to me, independent bookshops are not undercut by big chain stores. This allows for a thriving book trade in French towns like Libourne. We saw similar literary trends in Paris (where we visited for a few days before heading South), as well as in bookshops along the sea front in the blustery beach town of Royan, whose concrete modernist cathedral make me think of home – Coventry.

A handy baguette dispenser!

Despite all this, perhaps the ‘Frenchest’ moment of the trip occurred during a visit to our nearest village, Brossac, where we discovered an automatic baguette dispenser (pictured). For just 70 cent, one could purchase a fresh baguette (somehow still hot!) which slid from a chute in the machine. Modern technology clearly finds a way.

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Merci, Laurence!