More news from France

French Unions Try to Figure Out Next Move
"In the meantime, Julliard [head of France's main student association] added, students plan to diversify their protest tactics by stepping up efforts to blockade public transport centers such as airports and train stations."

French Unions Call for New Strikes

Mass protests disrupt France

Over million demonstrators take to streets across France

CPE : polémique autour de l’évacuation des lycées bloqués

Le front anti-CPE prend date

Montlucon was very quiet yesterday. I went running in the morning and saw that there were people gathered in the main plaza downtown, but when I walked back to get lunch at Pat a Pain, no one was out protesting. Rather, there was quite a line of people wearing anti-CPE stickers in the restaurant.

Only a few trains were running out of our train station and the public buses were absent from the streets. I believe that the post office, electricity and gas companies were closed, but I'm not sure. Several schools (mostly secondary schools and universities) were closed, and some only had a fraction of teachers present. My school was indeed open.

Other than the long line for lunch, however, my day was largely unaffected. According to the news, another strike will occur next Tuesday.

Week twelve

M - 8 miles
T - 4
W - 13
R - 3.5 morning / 9.5 evening (workout)
F - 4.5
S - 10.5 morning (workout) / 4 evening
S - 9

Total: 66
Year to date: 663

P.S. Does anyone else fall victim to the delusional belief that writing workout splits on your hand automatically means you'll hit every single one?

Silly kids...

I have a few funny stories from a couple classes this week.

I always begin class with "Good afternoon (morning). How are you?" Thursday one of my students (an endearing troublemaker, if you can imagine the type) demonstrated that he has been learning English from other sources besides my class. "I'm sexy!" he announced.

The topic of the day was parts of the body. He continuously begged me to teach them how to say "butt," pointing just in case after almost 7 months in France I hadn't figured out the word "fesse." Then everyone giggled when I taught them "face" - because it sounds awfully similar to "fesse."

My mistake du jour was teaching them how to say "lungs." No, that's not quite accurate. The real mistake was not thoroughly demonstrating lungs (by breathing and pointing - I refuse to teach them words by simply giving the French equivalent) before drawing a picture on the chalkboard. The kids started giggling as I tried to figure out which of the five body part word-drawing pairs had a silly equivalent in French. Then I realized that my lung illustration bore a striking resemblance to strangely shaped breasts.

Manifestation

My morning class was cancelled today so I slept in. I was awakened by students parading against the CPE down my street.

Yesterday was the 'official' day for the anti-CPE demonstrations, but all I saw here was a small gatheriing of maybe 20-25 people downtown. Their banner identified them as EDF/GDF (the national electricity and gas company) workers, but they weren't doing much except milling around and forcing traffic to be rerouted.

Last night's news showed some of the protests in Paris, Bordeaux and other cities. Evidently there has been a fair amount of violence. Many universities, including the Sorbonne, are not holding classes right now because the students are striking.

On my way to one of my schools I pass by a high school which has a sign outside declaring a greve (strike) to protest the CPE, but it's not clear whether the students or the teachers or both are striking. There seemed to be too many people hanging out around the school for a strike to be happening, however.

This cominig Tuesday is the 'official' day for unions across France to strike. The teachers at one of Meredith's schools are participating, but the school where he teaches in the afternoon will be in session. I need to find out what the teachers at Balzac are planning.

I only have a basic understanding of what they're protesting so I'll leave some news links for those who are interested:

French labour law talks deadlock

France set for new student unrest

France's Chirac stands firm on youth job law

French Student Protests Turn Violent

France's political musketeer, Villepin plays high stakes in jobs row

Villepin veut croire à une reprise du dialogue autour du CPE

Next destination...

Turkey! We just bought plane tickets to Istanbul for the next two-week break.

Week eleven + Vichy 10k

M - 7 miles
T - 5 morning / 7 evening
W - 11
R - 9.5 (workout)
F - 5
S - 6.5
S - 13 (Vichy 10k)

Total: 64
Year to date: 497

I raced a 10k in Vichy yesterday. After battling the flu last weekend, I developed a cough. I didn't think it would really affect me, but I think my body has been weakened by whatever bug this is.

The short story is that I struggled right from the gun. My first 2k were a decent pace (3:56, 4:00) but after that every kilometer was slower than the last. It didn't help that we ran a long stretch into a stiff headwind.

Meredith ran with me the whole time and, in addition to the wind and his own cough, he had to battle my bad attitude, encouraging me the whole way. We finished together in 42:12 -- a two second PR -- but still disappointing. I was the 5th woman overall, and the second senior.

My next race will be a half marathon in Riom. Until then I will be drinking massive amounts of water, eating lots of vegetables, and sleeping much better than I have been.

More protests in France

...including Clermont-Ferrand, where I spent Friday night.

When Meredith and I arrived back in Montlucon on Saturday, we took the long way home because there is some sort of carnival going on here. Just around the corner from our apartment, we came across a huge group of people parading. They weren't young college students like the main protesters right now, but they were clearly protesting something.

Suddenly, and old man was thrown down into the street in front of us. His hat came off and his head started to bleed. He pushed himself back up onto his knees and then onto his feet, looking stunned and starting to walk away. The man who pushed him and two others grabbed him and forced him up against the wall of a nearby restaurant, pushing his face into the window glass and twisting his arms behind his back as if they were arresting him.

A policeman strode over and -- instead of dealing with the three men who were treating this old man quite roughly -- handcuffed the old man. Two of the guys (not police officers) took him by the elbows and ran with him across the street, continuing to run, even when the old man stumbled and scraped his knee on the ground. They stuffed him into the backseat of a hatchback car (with no police markings) and drive away.

As far as we could tell, this old man had done nothing, except perhaps shout something negative at the protestors. It was a really bizarre and disturbing scene to witness, especially because he appeared nonviolent, yet was treated so roughly.

Bird flu

Today I worked on body parts with a CM2 class. After a sort of 'Simon says' game I told them that once we got through body parts we'd learn illnesses. The kids got really excited. "How do you say grippe aviaire in English?" one kid wanted to know.

"Bird flu," I told them, and wrote it on the blank chalkboard. They enthusiastically copied the phrase into their notebooks.

At this moment their teacher (who speaks English) and the other half of the class walked in. The first thing she saw was "bird flu" printed in big block letters alone on the chalkboard. "Bird flu!" she said, and just started to laugh.

I felt compelled to explain why I had written "bird flu" on the chalkboard, and to justify that it actually had to do with the day's lesson.

This of course got the second half of the class excited about learning diseases soon and -- after they had copied down "bird flu" in their notebooks -- they began asking me to translate all sorts of obscure illnesses into English.

Week ten

M - 5 miles
T - 4.5 morning / 8 (workout) evening
W - 5.5
R - 7
F - 0
S - 4
S - 11

Total: 45
Year to date: 533 miles

Travel anecdote #1

Uncle Jim and I only spent an afternoon in Venice because, although it's a beautiful city, it's uncomfortably crowded. Still, in that small period of time, we managed to get ourselves thoroughly lost. Without a map (not a smart idea) the only option was to ask for directions back to the train station. I can understand bits of Italian and decided that I'd just try to figure out the first couple instructions someone gave me and then ask someone else, so I fake some Italian with the only person in sight.

Me: Prego, stazione Santa Lucia?

The random man responds in rapid Italian, indicating that we are indeed quite lost. I understand the basics of the beginning of his instructions ('follow that road...') but soon it becomes evident to him that I don't actually speak Italian.

Man: Ahhh, français?

Me: (Relieved and proud to be able to speak French with him.) Oui, ça marche.

He begins giving me the directions in French, but after a minute or so, pauses and asks, "Parlez-vous anglais?"

Me: Oui, je suis américaine.

Man: Comment dit-on 'bridge' en français? (How do you say 'bridge in French?)

Me: Pont.

And he proceeded to finish the directions in French.

Sick

I think I have the flu. I am tired and achy, and I keep coughing -- so I am spending the evening watching TV en lieu of anything more interesting.

I came home early from teaching today because of a very frustrating mix-up so I was able to see the entirety of New York: police judiciare (Law and Order). I've become quite a critic of voice-dubbing, and this show is an excellent example of good dubbing. You can tell when a TV show or a movie is dubbed well if you can listen to it (without watching) and still be able to follow the plot; it is essential to be able to distinguish each individual's voice. In addition, all of the actors with very distinctive voices have similar voices in the French version.

After New York: police judiciare comes Las Vegas, which depends so much on the unnatural prettiness of its characters that the plot is less important. After that is Cresus, a game show at such a low level that even I (barely speaking French) can answer the trivia questions. It is really not very entertaining and if I weren't sick, I would not bother to sit in front of the TV for this program, not even for the French practice.

Finally, I am now watching my favorite show on French TV, and it's going to sound incredibly silly! It's a game show called A prendre ou a laisser (Take it or leave it) where there is one contestant from each region of France and each is given a numbered and sealed box. The boxes contain from .01E to E100,000, or gag prizes like a windshield wiper, a crutch, or a baseball cap. One contestant is chosen to join the host and have the opportunity to win whatever is in his own box.

The game progresses as the contestant chooses which of the others' boxes to open, therefore eliminating possibilities of what is in his own box. At dramatic intervals (with dramatic music and sometimes a dramatic dimming of the lights) the 'bank' calls the host and offers the contestant a sum of money if he quits. Rarely does anyone quit, but people do talk at length about their families, hug the other contestants, kiss the other contestants, and cry.

Warsaw (March 1-4)

Krakow (February 25-March 1)

Bratislava (February 23-24)

Ljubljana (February 21-22)

Zagreb (February 20-21)

Milan and Venice (February 18-19)

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II






Il Duomo

Weeks seven, eight, and nine

February 13-19
M - 9 miles
T - 9 morning / 4.5 evening
W - 7.5
R - 8
F - 9
S - 5 (Milan)
S - 8

Total: 60 miles

February 20-26
M - 7 miles (Zagreb)
T - 3.5
W - 0
R - 8 (Bratislava)
F - 10.5
S - 10 morning / 4 evening (Krakow)
S - 11

Total: 54 miles

February 27-March 5
M - 0
T - 9 morning / 4.5 evening
W - 7
R - 13.5 (Warsaw)
F - 8 morning / 4 evening
S - 5
S - 17 (Montlucon!)

Total: 68
Year to date: 488 miles