Romy News - 23 February 2024

Hi, it’s Romy! It’s the weekend! Maybe it’s even the start of your vacation! So, to celebrate, I’ve prepared a great episode for you today! We start with a visit to the 2024 Agricultural Fair in Paris, a magical place where animals and regional delicacies take center stage. Then, I’ll answer a question about the Pantheon from the “Les Pandas” class in Bezannes. And to finish, we’ll embark with Captain James Cook on a journey to discover the Pacific. What a program! Let’s go!!!

Let’s start with the Agricultural Fair in Paris, an annual event that brings together everything related to the farm, food, and our farmers. Every year, in February or March, this fair opens its doors for an entire week, and this year, it is taking place from February 24 to March 4. It’s like a huge exhibition park dedicated to nature and food! Imagine this: over 4,000 animals are gathered in one place! Wow! What a smell! It’s an incredible opportunity to see up close cows, goats, sheep, and many other animals. Each year, nearly 600,000 people come to visit this gigantic fair to discover, learn, and taste everything our countryside has to offer. Yum Yum! If there’s cheese, count me in!

The fair is divided into four main areas. You have the animal area, where you can meet and learn about all kinds of farm animals. Then, there’s the regional products corner, filled with cheeses, cakes, and other specialties to taste. There’s also a space dedicated to plant cultivation, where you can see how the food we eat grows. And finally, you’ll discover the agricultural professions and maybe even find your calling!

This year, the fair is a bit different. Remember when I talked about the farmers who were a little upset? Well, they come to the fair to share their concerns and discuss the future of agriculture. It’s a unique opportunity to understand the challenges they face and see how we can all support them.

Among the stars of the fair, you will meet… Not Kylian Mbappé! No no, you will meet… Oreillette, a very special Norman cow, presented by Lucie and François, her breeders. Oh, did you know there’s a contest for the most beautiful cow at the fair? They all doll up for the occasion! The Agricultural Fair is an opportunity to learn everything about farm life directly from those who work there.

It would be a great outing idea for this weekend, especially if it’s the beginning of the holidays! Don’t hesitate to talk to your parents about it.

After our visit to the Agricultural Fair, let’s change scenery to answer a super interesting question from the CM1 class “Les Pandas” in Bezannes who are listening to us. Thank you for following us!

The Pantheon is a majestic place located in Paris, and it welcomes, after their death, the heroes of the nation, those who have done remarkable things for society, science, culture, or freedom.

Originally, the Pantheon was a church dedicated to Sainte-Geneviève. But, during the French Revolution, in 1791, the decision was made to transform this place into a mausoleum for the great men and women of the nation. Good idea!

So how do you end up in the Pantheon? Entry to the Pantheon is reserved for those who have left a mark on the history of France, whether through actions, books, or revolutionary discoveries. Let’s just say not everyone can go there! Usually, it’s the President of the Republic who proposes a name, after discussing it with historians. It’s also necessary for the person’s family to agree, of course.

Personalities like Victor Hugo, who entered in 1885, and Marie Curie, the first woman to enter in 1995, rest there. Jean Jaurès, a very important politician, was transferred there in 1924. Joséphine Baker, an artist and resistance fighter, made her entrance in 2021, a well-deserved tribute to this great lady of France.

Other great figures have found their place there, such as Emile Zola, who entered in 1908, Alexandre Dumas in 2002, and Voltaire and Rousseau, both entered in 1791. Jean Moulin, a hero of the Resistance during World War II, was transferred there in 1964, and Simone Veil, a great female politician and defender of women’s rights, in 2018. Wow, that’s a lot of great names!

Mirabeau, a politician who had entered the Pantheon, was removed from the monument when embarrassing information about him was discovered later on. Ouch!

If it were up to you to choose, who would deserve to be honored in this exceptional place? Tell me on my Instagram account!

A big bravo to the students of the “Les Pandas” class for this excellent question. You’re the best! Don’t hesitate to mention me to your teacher to be like the pandas, listening to Romy’s news is great in a group too!

After our visit to the Pantheon and its stories of great figures, let’s change course and dive into an exciting maritime adventure. For our Friday history rendezvous, we’re going to travel back in time and navigate alongside a very famous captain: James Cook, a super courageous explorer who sailed on immense oceans to discover unknown lands.

James Cook was an truly amazing British navigator. In 1768, he set sail on his ship, the Endeavour, with a very special mission: to explore the Pacific Ocean. He had a nearly blank map in hand and a ton of curiosity.

Imagine, as soon as he touched the water, it was adventure with a capital “A”. Cook discovered places that no one in Europe knew. He visited islands in Polynesia, you know, those small pieces of land lost in the vast ocean, like Tahiti. Then, he discovered New Zealand in 1769, and he was one of the first Europeans to set foot on the east coast of Australia in 1770.

This event was super important for England. James Cook said that Australia would become a British colony. This means that Australia became an English territory and people from England came to settle in Australia, forever changing the fate of its original inhabitants, the Aborigines. But we’ll talk about that in another topic.

During his travels, he met the Polynesian peoples and was fascinated by their tattooing practices. Thanks to him, the word “tattoo”, derived from the Tahitian word “tatau”, entered the English language. Cook and his crew even adopted this custom, bringing back tattoos as souvenirs of their distant travels.

Unfortunately, Cook’s story ended tragically. In 1779, during his third voyage, he met his death in a confrontation with the people of Hawaii. Cook remains in memory as a bold explorer whose thirst for discovery pushed the boundaries of the known world.

And now, why not let your imagination run wild by drawing your own mysterious island, as if you were an explorer like Cook? Oh, and between us, after all these exploration stories, I must admit that the idea of setting sail for a sunny island like Australia wouldn’t displease me. Who’s up for an adventure under the sun?

And there you have it, our episode comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed discovering all these stories as much as I enjoyed telling them to you.

If you have ideas or questions, like the pandas, or if you just want to talk about what you would like to discover in the upcoming episodes, ask your parents to send a message to Romy on Instagram. I’m always listening to your great ideas!

And remember: “curiosity doesn’t wait!” See you soon!