All About: Deauville, France

Lexington's First Sister City - Deauville, France

About Deauville

Deauville became Lexington’s first Sister City in 1957.  

 

Lexington and Deauville are both recognized as centers of the thoroughbred industry in their countries, and both feel their communities derive from the Sister City relationship’s mutual benefit on culture, economic, and education levels.

Located on the channel coast near the port of LeHarve in the Calvados department of the Basse-Normandie region of France, Deauville is only about 100 miles from the capital city of Paris.  

Deauville holds a population of 8,000 through the winter; in the summer however, the population swells to over 100,000.  With its beautiful beaches, horse racing, the casino, tourists flock to this quaint town to experience truly a world of elegance and leisure. 

Deauville is home to two racecourses – La Touques and Clairefontaine.  Because of their status as the center of the horse industry in France, Deauville was one of the host cities during the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy.  

The three most important races held in Deauville each year are: Le Maurice de Gheest, Le Jacques le Marois, and Le Morny.  In recent years, Le Prix d’Astarte and Le Prix Romanet have gained more status in the racing world.  Deauville is also Sister Cities with County Kildare, Ireland – a Sister City to Lexington – creating a triangle relationship promoting the horse industries in each country. 

To further promote tourism in Deauville during the summer season, the Deauville American Film Festival was created in 1975.  The festival has provided an opportunity for American and European stars to travel to Normandy. 

Deauville is a popular location in popular culture.  In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, Deauville is mentioned as a place Tom Buchanan and Daisy visit on their honeymoon.  It is also the location of the screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Links”.  Deauville is also the birthplace of Coco Chanel’s clothing career, as it was in her second shop located in Deauville where she took the step from hat making to clothing. 

Sister Cities Programs between Lexington and Deauville

High School Student Exchange: 

Each year, Lexington Sister Cities and the Deauville Jumelage provide a high school student exchange program for students in Lexington and Deauville.  The purpose of this exchange is to provide a genuine family experience in another country for the students of Central Kentucky and Deauville, France, as well as providing a language learning opportunity.  

To be selected for our program, students should exhibit maturity, flexibility, and a genuince interest in the French language and culture.  They should have qualities that would make them a good ambassador for their city, state and country.  

The exchange is 6 weeks long total: Lexington students spend 3 weeks in Deauville living with their counterpart and host family; and then the Deauville students spend 3 weeks in Lexington living with their counterpart and host family.  

Students must be at least 15 by June 1, 2017 to participate in the 2017 exchange and must currently be taking French II or above.  Students over the age of 18 before August 1, 2017 will not be considered for this program.  

Applications are due to the Lexington Sister Cities office by Friday, November 4th, 2016.  

To read a first hand experience from a participant of the 2016 exchange, read her blog post here.  

For more information, you can find a FAQ in our application here.  

SCAPA-Deauville Skype Exchange

Each year, 4th and 5th grade students from SCAPA in Lexington and Ecole Fracasse School in Deauville participated in a Skype Exchange.  

Students introduce themselves in French and English, share a presentation about "A Day in the Life of an American/French Student", and ask questions about the different cultures.  

If you are a teacher and interested in participating in a Skype Exchange, contact Sarah Martin at smartin@lexingtonky.gov.  

Deauville Teaching Assistantship

The purpose of the Deauville Teaching Assistantship Program is to provide the opportunity for professional experience abroad and improvement in linguistic knowledge by offering students from Lexington a year-long job placement in Deauville, France.

Recent graduates are selected to teach elementary age students in Deauville, France for one school year.  Participants in the Deauville Teaching Assistantship program will: 

• Be provided housing
• Teachers will live in a house near the schools with the other teaching assistants.  There will be two TA's from Lexington and two from Nashville.  
• Be provided payment
• The TA's will be paid by the city of Deauville during their internship.  
• Be provided one car for the TA's to share
• Be expected to arrive in Deauville by the end of August and plan to stay until mid-June. 

Students are encouraged to be creative in engaging their students!

Teaching will not be the only responsibility of the TA's.  They will also be expected to help with after school activities, lunch break activities, tutoring for students and adults learning English, and other school functions. 

For more information on our Teaching Assistantship Program, read our Deauville TA blog here. 

You can find the application for the 2017-2018 program here.  

University of Kentucky - Deauville/Caen University Scholarship

The purpose of the Caen Scholarship Program is to provide the opportunity for an education abroad experience at the University of Caen, allowing students the chance to improve in linguistic knowledge and gain international experience by studying for a semester at the University of Caen.  

Participants in the Caen Scholarship program will receive:

• Tuition
• Housing
• Excluding housing deposit (refunded at end of semester if room in good condition and key returned)
• UK tuition and fees waiver
• Tuition and housing provided to the students by the Deauville Twinning Committee.  

Lexington Sister Cities and the Deauville Jumelage awards a Fall scholarship and Spring scholarship to UK students to study abroad at Caen.  Up to two students are selected from Deauville to come study at UK for the entire school year.  

For more information on this program, you can find the application for the 2017-2018 scholarships here.  

Deauville Internship Program

The purpose of the Deauville Internship Program is to provide the opportunity for professional experience abroad and improvement in linguistic knowledge by offering students from Lexington an internship in France.

Lexington Sister Cities and/or the Deauville Jumelage will: 

• Locate an internship site
• Paid or Unpaid
• Local living arrangements
• Provided by internship or located by Deauville Jumelage
• Internship will either be paid or housing will be provided.
• Orientation(s) for students in Lexington

Students will have the opportunity to work in many different areas, including, but not limited to, tourism, museums, and youth services.

To read a first hand experience from a participant of the 2016 Deauville Internship, read his blog post here.  

For more information, you can find a FAQ in our application here.  

Adult Tourism Mission

Every four years, Lexington Sister Cities Tourism Mission takes a delegation from Lexington to Deauville.  

Philippe Beheut, right, is the President of the Deauville Jumelage.  

These trips help to promote travel and tourism to Deauville and the Normandy region, as well as maintain ties of friendship between the two cities.  

Side trips are also planned to visit another country or another region of France.  In 2014, the group traveled to Italy as part of their trip.  

The next trip to Deauville, France will be in 2017 to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Lexington and Deauville being Sister Cities. 

Vive la France!

Guest Post: 8 Years and Counting...

Enjoy our guest post from Aurore Dary, a French student who participated in 3 Lexington Sister Cities Programs!

8 years and counting...

As I first stepped out of the plane at Lexington Bluegrass airport in July 2008, never would I have thought that this would be the start of a long, beautiful journey.

In the summer of July 2008, when I was only 15 years old, I participated in the Deauville-Lexington exchange program. I welcomed an American high school student, Amanda, into my home in Normandy, France, for a month, and then spent the same amount of time with her and her family in Lexington. Although I was feeling a bit homesick and nervous, I enjoyed my time thoroughly and had an eye-opening experience. I was immersed in a new culture and had to speak English daily. My host family was incredible and took me to visit various places in Kentucky, including Frankfort and Mammoth Cave, while Lexington Sister Cities took all of us students around Lexington’s landmarks such as the Kentucky Horse Park. This exchange shaped my love for the English language and the American culture. It was the birthplace of my wanderlust.

Frankfort, July 2008

Little did I know back then that five years later I would get to go back to Kentucky, this time for a much longer period of time.

As my little sister was getting interested in going on the same exchange program I did when I was her age, I went to a Sister Cities meeting with her and found out about their partnership with the University of Kentucky which allows two to three Deauville students to study at UK tuition-free each year. I immediately applied for it. After many months of preparation, a thorough English test and many hours spent stressing over the visa process, I moved to Kentucky for the 2013-2014 academic year. It was the perfect time for me to “study abroad” as I had just obtained my bachelor’s degree in English as a foreign language. Settling in was not easy at first, but my host family from my previous exchange was of valuable help and I don’t know how I would have been able to do this without their constant support.

Although my grades did not matter regarding my French university curriculum, I tried to do my best in each class I had taken. I was able to choose from a large variety of subjects, which was very helpful in deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I studied world politics, communications, and geography.  Each class strengthened my English writing, reading and understanding skills. As for my spoken skills, I owe them all to my peers at UK. Living in the dorms, being surrounded by, and being friends with American students, I was finally able to speak English with fluency and confidence, thus giving more value to my bachelor’s degree. I also became more and more acquainted with the American culture, but with a lot of other cultures too. Indeed, one of my most favorite aspects of UK is its diverse student population. I became friends with people from all over the world. Each of them taught me something about their country, culture, language, religion. It broadened my horizons in many ways and made me a more tolerant and culturally aware person. Being out of my comfort zone was empowering.

My life at UK did not just revolve around campus, although my time spent there was nothing short of amazing as I went to as many student events and sports games as I could in order to learn more about the American culture. I was also able to travel around Kentucky again and to other states. I went to Wisconsin over Thanksgiving break. I met up with a friend from France in Las Vegas. I travelled with another friend to Florida and rode the scariest roller coasters. I made one of my life-long dreams come true by going to New York City.

When the time had come to go home, it was heart-wrenching. As much as I had missed my friends and family back in Normandy, Kentucky had become home. I knew that this experience had helped me become the adult I am now. I went back to France with the confidence I was previously lacking, with life-long friendships, with more knowledge of the world than I had dared to imagine, with English speaking skills that I knew would make a difference on the job market, and with the determination to find a career that would suit me. I left Kentucky with the feeling that I could accomplish anything I set my heart to.

My host sister, Amanda, and I at a Kentucky football game. 

After another year and a second bachelor’s degree (why stop at two?), guess who was back in Kentucky for another three months?

Lexington Sister Cities gave me the opportunity to use another one of their amazing programs by granting me an internship with the Lexington Global Engagement Center (Global Lex) whose opening I participated in. During summer 2015, I had the privilege of working with this incredible institution which provides help to the refugee and immigrant population of Lexington, while promoting cultural diversity. This internship made me understand that I wanted to give an international dimension to my future career. It also gifted me with the opportunity to meet new people and get reacquainted with the people in Kentucky whom I had come to cherish over the years.

Me and Nanina.  Both of us were interning in Lexington.  This was taken in Frankfort, KY on one of the day trips organized by Lexington Sister Cities.  

As I am now starting my second and last year in graduate school, I reflect on my experiences through the Lexington Sister Cities exchange programs, and I feel grateful. I’m grateful for these opportunities that have given me not only academic and professional skills, but also human experiences that have shaped the person I am today. I’m grateful for my host family and for all the people I have met in Kentucky. Their kindness and generosity take my breath away.

I am not sure where my life will take me, but I am currently studying something I am passionate about and I know Lexington had a role to play in that as it is the place where I found myself. I’m aware that speaking another language, having studied and having worked abroad will be valuable on the job market once I graduate.

I would like to take a moment to remember my friend Shabika who sadly passed away in August 2016. My experience at UK would not have been the same without her, and I know a lot of people can say the same. You are dearly missed, Bee.

Until next time, My Old Kentucky Home. 

Guest Post: Deauville Summer Internship 2017

Aaron Botts, a rising junior at Transylvania University, participated in the 2017 Deauville Internship Program.  Read about his experience working in Villers-sur-mer, France this summer.

2017 Deauville Internship - As told by Aaron Botts

When someone asks me where I come from it is often a difficult question to answer. My parents met in Nouakchott, Mauritania – a country on the west coast of Africa – where my father was an embassy guard through the Marine Corps and my mother taught English at a local university through the Peace Corps. When they returned and wed in the United States my father was still in the marines and, due to his job, we moved around very frequently never settling down in a place for more than 3 or 4 years. As a result of this nomadic or military lifestyle, I have become accustomed to living in various cultures and states across the United States. When my parents decided to settle down in my father’s hometown of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, it might have been the biggest culture shock of all. I would, and still do, spend most of my time, close to eight years now, in the central Kentucky area but that has never stopped my desire to see the world.

Before being apart of the Lexington Sister Cities Deauville Internship Program, I had traveled to Europe once on a quick 10 day trip through London, Paris, Florence, Assisi, and Rome after graduating from high school. The trip was an eye opening experience and really challenged the way I perceived the world. I had learned Spanish in high school but I never had a fulfilling moment while learning or using it. It was on the trip to Europe where I saw a variety of cultures and languages and I knew I needed to learn another language. There were many languages to choose from but it was Paris which dazzled me with culture and I had been blown away by the life that existed in the city. I was in awe of the people, the architecture, and the lifestyle so when I enrolled in college I immediately decided to enroll in a French class. I had a natural calling to go back and return with some knowledge of the French language but this time as a “local.”

                I had been vaguely familiar with what a Sister City was when I looked at study abroad programs during my college application process. I planned on studying abroad but I never thought a Sister City program would actually place me overseas somewhere.  It was two fraternity brothers who had previously participated in the Sister Cities Deauville Internship Program who reached out, guided me, and encouraged me to take part in the program.  When I opened my email one day and found I had an opportunity to work abroad I enthusiastically replied “yes”. And little did I know what to expect.

Stepping off the plane was the first big culture shock I experienced. Just thinking, “Holy crap, I’m actually halfway across the world right now…” really put things into perspective. I was in a whole new culture with a language I sort of had a grasp of, and now I had to make it to a rural village without knowing how to use the rail system. However, despite all of this – the numerous “repetez, si vous plait”s and “excusez moi, où est-ce que je vais?”’s I made it to Villers-sur-Mer and found myself in bed alone wondering, quite literally, what in the world I had gotten myself into.

The first week was hard, as it would be on anyone, but I decided to take small steps towards a stable life in France. I had to eat, so I bought groceries and survived. I had to do laundry, so I spent an hour learning how to work both the washer and dryer in French, and with semi damp cloths (the dryers don’t actually dry they just lessen the wetness) I survived. I needed to mail some post cards, so I found out how much it cost to send to the U.S. After all of these seemingly insignificant journeys and accomplishments, I realized I had gotten groceries, cooked meals, and learned how to mail things. I found out how to live. These small victories of learning how to live have helped overcome all major setbacks. They taught me there is no major revelation into a language, it is a smaller step by step process of becoming adjusted to living that everyone has to experience.

My French certainly has improved, but, more importantly, my implementation of French has increased drastically. I find myself using the actual French expression and connotation rather than just the English denotative equivalent. It has been hard to wrap a mind around a “new language” but that is exactly what it is. A new language. A new way of thinking, and quite literally a new way to think about the world. While my understanding certainly has improved one should know the regional dialects play a big part into languages in France just as they do in the U.S. That may perhaps be the biggest improvement as well as setback – learning to think locally but communicate globally.

You have moments of profound brilliance upon learning a new language and you are easily able to tell people follow what you are talking about.  Then you’ll have profound moments of stupidity where you can see the expression on their face goes to one of, “What the heck is he talking about?” Someone will always be there to help you, but the greatest victory and learning in the language comes through immersion.

I work at a museum called Paléospace l’Odyssée - a paleontology museum exhibiting a wide range of scientific topics. Throughout time, Villers-sur-Mer has been submerged in the ocean, covered by a marsh, and the cliffs are testaments to the ancient aquatic life that used to live here. The museum holds exhibitions on Mammoths, the Greenwhich Meridian (which runs through Villers-sur-Mer), fossils and plant life, and dinosaurs that were all once native to the Normandy region. Additionally, they hosts workshops such as mini rocket ship building and a presentation on satellites in the night sky. My job at Paléospace is fairly simple; most of the time I work on translating documents. The translations are fairly simple - take this in French and turn it into English - but I have been working on translating videos, brochures, informational pamphlets, and I’ve occasionally helped an English shopper. During my “down time” I participate in guided tours for the general public and assist children in educational workshops on dinosaurs and flora and fauna life in the marsh.

However, there have been times where travel has been a part of my work, like going to Cherbourg to collect microscopes or participating in educational workshops along the Vaches-Noires Cliffs next to Villers-sur-Mer. But it is more than the work that makes this place enjoyable. The people, the conversation, and the enthusiasm is rare to find anywhere else, a place like this can make one content; where else can you call taking a walk through a preserved habitat or helping launch mini rockets work?

One of the original aspects of the internships here was supposed to be translating for a ferry service from the United Kingdom to France but I found out recently the program had been terminated. “Porqoui est le program terminé?” I had asked my boss. He shrugged unknowingly, “Brexit.”

  

I have been fortunate enough to meet a variety of people while in Villers-sur-Mer. All the people I work with have adopted me as their own and made it a point that I feel included as well as taken care of while I live here. Where I reside, there are numerous people who have made this place feel like a home with a warm compassion that some so seldom find. And, more importantly, Philippe Behuet of the Deauville Sister Cities program has generously loaned me his bike for the summer to travel, to work, and to become accustomed to life while in France.

There is a considerable amount of free time. Most often, the weekends are the laziest and slowest days, but this makes travel all the more appealing. I have been able to travel frequently during my time here by using a bike and the train system in France.  

Biking through the Normandy region is quite pleasant, drivers cautiously avoid those riding bikes and there are many paths just for cyclists all through the Normandy region. On a weekend in June, I attempted to take my bike from Villers-Sur-Mer to Omaha beach and through the Normandy countryside for a unique trip but was ran off the road by a car close to Port-en-Bessin-Huppain. With a flat tire, I then had to walk (with the bike) to Bayeux where I waited on a train back to Deauville. Then, once back in Deauville, I had to walk back to Villers-sur-Mer (yes, I biked and walked close to 90km that day).

After repairing the bike I waited a few weeks before I again embarked on a return journey to Omaha beach. I decided to go the same way – by bike – and this time I luckily made it. Visiting the grave site and beach was a very touching journey. It is definitely a trip everyone visiting the region should make because words cannot describe the serene grave site juxtaposed by the scars of war and concrete bunkers that are still visible today. 

I’ve visited London for 3 days to visit a family and personal friend. I saw, “The Woman in Black,” on the West End, met someone who works on visual effects for all of Christopher Nolan’s films and a famous acting teacher, went to a pub crawl and had a roast (a typical event and dining experience Brits do on Sunday’s), and listened to some music at a pub. The weekend was jam packed but I feel like I saw so much of London in one weekend. I even met someone who has a really good friend who lives in Mt. Sterling. Seeing the non-tourist side of London was extremely different but I think I enjoyed it all the more. I saw the true London, the non-tourist side of London open for those who actually live there and like living in Villers-sur-Mer, it is only after you live in an area do you truly appreciate the livelihood it has to offer.

There have been many other places I’ve visited but one of the places that stands out the most is Mont Canisy, an old German artillery battery overlooking the bay of Houlgate, the Villers-sur-Mer area, Deauville, and Le Havre. The view from atop the hill is simply extraordinary.

I’ve also happened to venture into Paris fairly frequently from time to time and just walk around the city and take in its rich culture. I’ve walked to the top of Montmartre to the Notre Dame and stopped everywhere in between taking in the sights and sounds of such a unique city. I’ve even gotten my portrait drawn and bought some local artwork.

In addition to travel, the people you live and work with will most likely got out of their way to make you feel comfortable. There have been numerous times I have come home from work to find some housemates drinking wine to which they’ll say, “Come join us!” One night they even asked if I would play my guitar for them and they loved it. Then, they asked me to learn a song – Champs Elyséeys by Joe Dessin. The next night, when I sang the song they all joined in (it turns out the song was one the French adore about as much as Americans adore Don’t Stop Believing). There have also been times at work where the workers will ask me, “What are you doing for this evening?” and when I say nothing their reply is, “Well, come to beach and picnic with us and watch the sunset!”

I have been grateful for all the “free time” I have had, but what you do with your free time is your choice and you certainly choose what you make of it.

If you have to think twice about going somewhere with someone you are familiar with, the best choice is to just go. I personally use the phrase, “Porqoui pas?/Why not?” It just might lead to you being out and about at 3:28 A.M. in Deauville on a Monday night…

Never hesitate to say, “Repetez, si vous plait?” if you don’t understand something the first time.  Just be sure ask the phrase with a warm smile. More often than not you’ll meet someone in France who speaks French as well as English. While it may be easier for both of you to just talk through it in English, nothing feels better than learning how to do something or where to go in a foreign language. Work for it, strive to become better, and try to become fluent – you can only get there if you try. It is a difficult but rewarding road.

One unique aspect I have noticed while speaking French is that they don’t have a concept word for home - or at least not one used similarly in English. Back home the word encompasses a variety of connotations and denotations that work in many circumstances but we seldom realize what it really means. A home is a place you live, a place you work, a place you study, a place where you grow, a place where you make friends, a place where you make memories, a place where you feel an innate feeling of comfortability, a place of trial, a place of error, a place where you overcome many of life’s obstacles, a place where the difficulty of living melts away, a place where the food you eat and air you breath tastes as good as sleep you get on any given night, and a place where an image and feeling is forever ingrained in your memory and soul because it is your own – an image and feeling not often duplicated. And I am grateful to now have and be able to call Villers-sur-Mer a home.

The view of sunrise and sunset from my room ~home~.

   I encourage anyone wanting to apply for Sister Cities Deauville Internship Program to do so. Why would you not? You have a chance to grow, learn a new language, and delve into your own sense of self to become who you are so few others get to do. It is not a typical study abroad experience, but a living abroad experience that shapes who you are for the rest of your life.