More random facts and reflections about the French and French culture:

1. Protests and strikes are extremely common. So common, in fact, that it's a law to announce a strike at least 48 hours before it starts so that people are aware and ready. For example, my host mother has told me about instances where the dairy companies have gone on strike, so citizens stock up on milk and cheese a few days before it occurs. One recently seen strike from my time here- the post office. Note to self: when sending things from the US to France, or vice versa, ship via UPS or FedEx. The regular mail system is too unreliable. Today, an agriculture union decided to voice an incredibly aggresive protest by rolling in on at least 50 tractors and halting traffic for a good majority of the day. Straw, feathers, apples, and burning masses of a combination of those three were everywhere in the streets. The tractors were so obnoxiously placed as to keep the trams from working, line cars up on the streets for hours, and halt the bus system. Unfortunately, I learned about the cancelled bus routes the hard way and had to walk the 40 minute journey from downtown to my house. It made for quite the scenic walk though, as I witnessed first hand the long lines of tractors, banners protesting Sarkozy's opinions (he's the the French president) and smoke-filled air. They were protsting because they felt that the mark-ups within the grocery stores were only benefitting thegrocers, and the farmers weren't receiving enough wages for their hard work. Talk about freedom of speech in action. The 40 minute walk home didn't seem too long, as I reflected on the ability of citizens in liberal countries to express dissatisfaction with the system and the gratitude I felt for the ability to voice my human concerns.

2.Fashion is an extremely important form of expression. Adoscelents and young adults spend a great deal of time and energy on keeping up with latest fashions and making sure they look more than presentable every day. Let me reapt that. Every. Single. Day. Sweatpants are a no-no. First impressions are normally based on looks alone. I have also learned that even though I wear French clothing (ok I splurged a little) and wear my hair in the ever-popular messy bun, I still stick out. Maybe it's my blonde hair? Hard to say, but I know that no matter how hard I try, I don't think I could ever look as flaw-less as most of the people walking around this country. Even the guys dress better than I do. I think that going on a date here would stress me out to the max because of how I would know that no matter what I wore, I still wouldn't look at good as the skinny, tousled-haired, leather-boot-wearing man sitting across the table from me.

3. Home living centers around being together as a family. They eat all meals together (including lunch during the week), spend a good portion of the meal catching up and discussing the day, and generally enjoy being around each other as much as possible. Case in point: on Sundays all the stores close. NO one works on Sundays except for medical personnel, the transportation department, and the police department. I recently had a short debate in my grammar class which discussed the pros and cons of the culture here about not working on Sundays. At dinner that night, I asked my host family what they thought about the issue. They unanimously agreed that Sundays are a day meant for rest,relaxation, and most importantly (you guessed it), spending time with family. This struck me as interesting considering that they eat all meals together anyway. The concept of family time here is much more valued than back home. Granted, I'm blessed with an incredibly close family (both immediate and extended) so this isn't all to abnormal for me. But the fact that it's completely acceptable in the US for the family to eat independantly of one another or in front of the television exemplifies the culture differences.

Other updates from the week:
-This had to have been the longest week I've spent in France, but because of a personal issue but because I have finally learned that the phrase "study abroad" includes the word STUDY. The homework would be a breeze in any other context, but because it's entirely in French, it takes me about double (sometimes triple) the time to complete an assignment. This week I had a 1.5 page paper, a 3 page paper, packets of reading to complete, and an econ midterm. Although I know I'll miss france, I don't think I'll miss spending 12 hour-long days at the IES center. Needless to say, I slept very soundly (when I did get to bed) and will ned a catch-up this weekend.
-I met my host grandmother! I only spent one dinner with her, but she charmed the stuffing out of me. She was adorable.
-This weekend I'm hoping to get a head start on the 4 research papers I'll need to have due by the end of November. Tonight I have plans to go to a concert (although if the buses aren't running I may re-think that idea), so we'll see!

All in all, life is good. I hope you allhave a wonderful weeekend as well. More blog posts to come.

Love, Mols