We're in strike-mode here in France at the moment. Kade and I had to attend an assistants meeting in Lille yesterday, which is normally about an hours train ride away. No big deal, 4 euros each way, they usually leave once per hour. Since Wednesday however, we have had a transit strike (a "grève") in France, meaning for every 10 scheduled trains only one actually departs; and it's not even a train- they bring in buses to leave from the train station- so what's normally a short and comfortable ride on a charming French train becomes an extended period stuck on an overcrowded bus while they play imported Ludacris songs on the radio and everyone gets carsick from the traffic. Ok, not everyone. Just me.
Legally transit strikes are not allowed to completely shut down the country, at least 1 in 10 regional trains have to run, and 90 out of 770 high-speed trains have to run; but in Paris I think the subways are down, the inter-Paris train is down, and traffic is too bad as a result to go anywhere by car. While Parisians seem to be up-river sans paddle, we are OK here in our little town. We go everywhere by tramway normally, so aside from yesterday's jaunt to Lille, we are unaffected (although some students can't make it to class- I'm beside myself with distress over it). The scroll at the tramway stop warns that they might start striking Monday, but it is the French way not to worry about it until it happens.
The transit workers are in a huff because the President wants to change their retirement age from 50 to 60. To us this seems obvious, why would they get to retire at 50? But the last time a president threatened to do this in 1995, the entire country was stuck for 3 weeks without any public transportation, Frenchies love their retirement, although from what I can tell, they would prefer to go ahead and retire at 30 and spend their days smoking in pubs- but the smoking ban takes effect in January-can we expect more strikes? One can only hope.
As for me, I'm waiting for the teacher's strike.
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6 comments:
A smoking ban? In France?!? I never would have thought such a thing were possible.
I thought the same thing as Matt. I am in total shock that they are trying to even discourage smoking let alone ban it. That would be like trying to ban fast food in the states.
Dr. Lecaque wants to know if you know of any other Truman students doing the assistantship that he doesn't know about.
And I must say, I am as completely shocked as Matt & Sally that there would ever be a smoking ban in France!
You are so funny, you make me laugh out loud! Sorry about the car sickness (bus sickness) you have always been that way. Maybe you could ask the bus driver to let you drive! Sorry the socialists are getting you down. Chin up! The smoking ban should unleash a whole new kind of social unrest. Can't wait to see how it all turns out. Love, MOM
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