Before I start, I am safe, happy and healthy. No one has any need to worry.
As most of the world knows, France is on strike. The government is trying to raise the retirement age from 60 to a mandatory 62 years old. In response, the French people have been protesting for over a week now. It seems like almost all of the unions support the strike and therefore are involved. It's actually a really unique thing to witness... especially for an American who has no concept of nation-wide protest.
That being said, I'm kind of over it. I mean, I think it sucks that the bill will probably pass without the people voting on it (because you know, that's how democracy works). But, there is potential for France to come to a stand still like it did in 1968 with the student protests which ended up turning into, well the same situation we have now. I think the biggest problem is that the workers in the refineries have been on strike as well. So, there is no gas. In Les Herbiers there is one gas station (and its the only one for something like 50K) and it is entirely out of gas. A teacher told me yesterday that there might not be school on Friday because that way they can save the gas used from all of the buses students take to school. In Nantes, the tram system is working (sometimes) but will stop at random places on the line and say, this is the last stop. Which, I imagine makes getting to work quite a pain.
Along with all of this, the students are protesting too. I mean a good protesting attitude is inate for them, so they start early. At my school the protest was a couple houndred students sitting in the quad and parking lot not going to class and holding signs and chanting occasionally. In Nantes, its a different story. When Melissa and I left Monday morning from our friends' apartement we turned left, the way we usually walk towards the tram. When we were about half way down the block we noticed about 15 students lingering in the street. No biggie, there is a catholic school just around the corner. About 30 seconds later, a swarm of emotionally charged, angry at the world, teens came flying around the corner. Luckly for us, they stopped and started abusing a store front by kicking the windows. Needless to say we went the other direction and passed the Police on the way. Before we left at 12:20 we could hear small bombs going off (nothing crazy, like in trash cans... just to make a mess and noise).
All I could think the whole time was, this could never happen in America. I keep expecting parents to come drag their irrational adolecent children away by their ear or facial piercing but they never come. This behavior seems to be supported by the older generation. As if, its ok for the youngsters to do it so they don't have to. I wonder what happens to the rioting teens. A slap on the wrist? I'm sure the police are pissed that they have to work later into their lives too.
Ok, enough rambeling on about someting that has nothing to do with me. Except, maybe if I can't fly to Poland on monday because there is no gas. Then I'll be really upset.
One thing I am loving is that everyday I get to see something that is older or more historic than almost anything we have in the US. Keri Ann told me that in the school she works at in Nantes there is German written on the walls. She asked about it and the teacher told her it was from when the Nazi's used the school during WWII. Excuse me!? That is insane. In the US we would have whitewashed over that within a week. Also, there are beautiful buildings that have lost matching tower etc. due to bombs that dropped during the wars. I think its pretty cool to be able to see the effects of history shown on a city.
Here's to hoping that the bill doesn't pass tomorrow and that there are not riots in Paris this weekend!
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