Vive La Grève!

So, it's Grève Week here at Université Paul-Valéry.  That is the official name we American students have given this crazy crazy week!  What is a grève some of you may wonder?  A grève is a strike.  As in the students here blockaded the entrance to campus as well as all the entrances to classrooms and buildings.  As in I sometimes wonder if I am currently living in a civilized country or not....  I never got to see the students outside the campus striking (grèving, as I like to call it), but apparently it was something else.  I did, however, see the artwork of the blocked doorways.  There is an outdoor staircase which was blocked with many chairs and desks and how they got them to stay in place is beyond me.  It took some skill.

Grève Week was officially declared earlier in the week.  On Tuesday, the students went on grève, then decided to grève the rest of the week as well.  So as to lower the amount of damage to school property, the school officials decided it would be in their best interests to close campus for the rest of the week.  Now hopefully this doesn't continue into next week, or I have to figure something out.  Apparently, the International Relations office emailed all of our professors to tell them that if this continues they have to email us our assignments so we still get grades and credits this semester.  This is important, as Paul-Valéry students apparently enjoy grèving, even when it lasts a whole semester....so we shall see how this pans out!

The grève is all thanks to the French government trying to raise the retirement age from 60-62.  SIXTY TO SIXTY-TWO!!!!  And people are lighting cars on fire and blocking oil refineries for this?!?!  Do you now see why I feel like I'm living in an uncivilized country sometimes?!  First, I can't buy decent coffee in a grocery store, now people go ballistic because of 2 extra years of work!  TWO YEARS!!!!  Grow up and deal with it!  Oh my gosh!!  Trains are only running about 50%, theres no gas to be found, people are losing their minds, high schoolers are getting themselves involved (violently sometimes) just because they can get out of school....  Will I be living in a dangerous 3rd-world-esque country soon, I wonder? 

At least planes are still landing and taking off (knock on wood).  Air France announced that it will keep  running 100% of its flights.  Most planes are just asked to refuel before landing in France, or have to stop somewhere right outside of France to refuel on it's way somewhere else.  Crazy crazy craziness.  All over 2 extra years of work. 

Such has been my life recently.  Gotta love France.  At least I really get to see what French culture is really like: there's the grève and my Anthropology memoire, which I don't technically have to do except that I've pinned myself into a corner....  I honestly can't wait for some Buff State classes next semester!