In case I had forgotten that I was living in France, I got a rude awakening this morning--literally. At about 9 a.m., I woke up to the loud rackets of whistles blowing, chants, screams and cheers. I looked out the window and saw a ton of students not in class. Why of course, there was a protest.
Like in no other country, I'm sure, protests are a part of everyday life in France. Whether participating in them or being affected by them--in a good or bad way--they just are. The students were protesting the laying off of 14 teachers at the school. The cuts would be made for the next school year. One of the cuts would be made in the English department. So they blocked off all the entrances to the schools with shopping carts, tables and chairs, and then took to the streets. The cops had to step in and block off the road in front of the school because the students weren't letting any cars go by. Classes are pretty full as it is--I don't see the point in the administration laying off such a large amount of teachers. And neither did the students.
The students have even gone as far as fighting for me and Jess, the other English assistant. I don't know if I mentioned that we are going to Milan with the students at the end of February for Fashion Week (they study shoemaking and pursemaking). Well apparently, one of the teachers taking the students on the trip thought that me and Jess should pay more than everyone else. And the students were not going to have any of that. So they all marched into the principal's office to protest. I haven't even ever met these students, as I'm not their assistant, but it was touching that they would fight for me without knowing me. It's all about the principle of the matter.
And tomorrow, I'm praying to God that I am not affected by strikes. I have a flight to catch from Paris to Miami tomorrow morning and one of the teachers just informed me that the air traffic controllers are on strike. NOT good!
My friend Jeanne told me that yesterday, all the hair salon workers were on strike in Grenoble. Isn't that the funniest thing ever? I laughed. So yea, sometimes the whole strikes thing gets a bit ridiculous. But it's good to see that the citizens of this country take to heart their freedom of speech and assembly. They really do have democracy here. Vive la France!
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2 comments:
Yeah, my French roommates told me yesterday that the French air controllers are, in fact, on strike. Good luck on your way to Miami!
Ah, la grève -- which is really the national symbol of France and not the rooster. Good luck. Last time I was in France there was a transportation strike and I had to get someone to drive me from Nantes to Paris. Hope you manage OK.
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