Let's Talk Politics.

I am from Berkeley, California. The people who know it either know it for the university or for it's political reputation. Berkeley, and the whole San Francisco bay area are known for our discontent with the way things in America are run. The home of the hippie movement and the black panthers, the place where "Columbus Day" is known as "Indigenous Peoples Day." We are "always" protesting wars and raising our voices. We are nothing compared to La France. A few months ago, I thought being Obama would be the hardest job in the world because no one can agree and no one is satisfied with anything he does. The left thinks he's not doing enough and the right thinks he's doing too much. Well, after almost two months in this country, I think I have to say that being the president of France would be harder. In the US, people may be unhappy, but they don't act upon their unhappiness all that much. In France, they act.

Things are getting scary here. I know I have mentioned in almost all my blogs a strike or a protest that has resulted in fewer classes. There protest marches are continuing and becoming more frequent. In the cities they can be even riot-like, with people who break shop windows and jump on cars. They are now adding different forms of protest into the mix as well. There is a gas shortage because people "blocked" the oil refinery which means they put up a ton of barriers so that no one can get in and work. They are also doing this at schools, my school being a participent. What this means is every morning before it is light out the more political students search for anything to keep the gate closed, be that planks of wood or trash cans or chairs or tables. Then the other students arrive and, much to their disappointment, can't get to class. So I haven't had school since last thursday (the...14th I believe).

A couple days ago the national news channel featured my school as an example of this type of protest, called a "blocus". There was also another example of a school in a bigger city and things were getting a bit rowdier over there. What left the biggest impression on me was footage of a high school kid being shot by a police man with a paralyzer. It was ment to just stun him, which to me is bad enough because in the footage this kid didn't appear to be way out of line, but it hit him in the eye and disfigured his face. I turned, shocked, to my host mother and asked if it was legal for police to do that sort of thing. She responded that the police can get very violent in France. I believe her. I always wonder in these situations what the police man is thinking. Why doesn't he sympathize with the cause? The reform affects him too. How did he feel when he pulled the trigger with the goal of stunning a young kid that could be his child?

I said in one blog post that I didn't know if I thought the reform was that big of a deal. I have to admit, my opinion has changed a bit. The minimum age for retirement is 62, but it also depends on the number of years you've worked. So if you go to college and don't start working until your late 20s, you'll end up still working by the age of 70. That does seem unfair to me. At the same time, I still have my doubts. Is it worth disfigured faces? I don't know. Is there no other way to protest than by destroying shops windows? I still don't know every detail of French politics of course, so I am probably missing a piece of the puzzle.

Being here during all this is exciting. It scares me a bit, but it is fascinating to see the way other countries are run. What is considered radical in the USA, protests and riots, is normal here. People are shocked when I say that I have only been to a few protest marches in my life. It just illustrates how arbitrary social and cultural norms are and how different countries can interpret things in very different ways. It is fascinating. And, it does mean that I get two weeks of vacation, whether I agree with the cause or not.

With that extra week of no school, my host sister and I went to stay in Caen (the biggest city in Normandy) with my host brother and his girlfriend. They have an appartement there and attend one of the universities. We stayed from Sunday night to Wednesday morning, and it was great. It made me want to go to college and have my own appartement and do my own grocery shopping and choose what I am going to do all day. Like I said last week, I like independence. Alice and I went shopping on Monday where I succeeded in finding a jacket that is both warm and fashionable, but I failed to find a sweater that met those requirements. I'm actually terrified of winter; if there is snow I don't know what I will do. They told us to pack light and not bring too much stuff. They should have told us to bring every warm item in every closet in the house. I definitely feel a bit underprepared. That night we went out to a movie, "Despicable Me", which was dubbed in French. I understood it! Yay! I think cartoons are good teachers because they exaggerate everything so much that you can follow the story and learn some new vocabulary. Tuesday was a relaxed day but we went out in the afternoon to the French version of Best Buy, and afterwords to get crepes and coffee. I felt French.

I think I'm going to Paris tomorrow! I'm really excited to see more of the city and of course see the family friends who invited me. I just hope I don't run into one of those mean police men...

Also, I'm still shy, but I'm trying to talk more. I really am. It has been difficult with no school because I'm not around everyone as much so I don't have as many opportunities. I will keep trying! And I've started watching friends in French. Sometimes I turn off the english subtitles, and I do understand the plot, but I miss a lot of the jokes so it's not as fun. I'll know I'm speaking good French when I turn of the subtitles and am still laughing my head off.

Miss you all so so so much.