I wonder if it's coincidence or perception, but the most magical moments always seem to take place when there's no concrete way to capture them. I've done a lot of walking and running lately, training for the Paris Half-Marathon in March and trying, at the same time, to clear my mind of recent anxieties. Yesterday I decided to take advantage of the recent snowfall to click some more pictures of my favourite long (12km) trail, thinking they'd be stunning. But the sky was gray, which rendered the scenery rather bleak.
Today, after a full day of cleaning house I jetted out for a quick walk on a nearby trail just to breathe some air, and was greeted by the most magnificent sights: tiny icicles hanging like prisms from tree branches, spikes of hoarfrost making ice-flowers on stems, a fluffy red fox, crunchy white snow, a cloudless blue sky illuminated by hazy sun. As I walked I tried to notice everything - the birds, the smells, sounds, the feeling of cold on my cheeks.
I try to file moments like that in my memory in the hopes that they'll come back to me unexpectedly some day and I can remember the sheer joy I experienced. Chances are I'll be in some other country doing something completely random when this clip comes back to me...the way memories about Mali occur in the middle of a jog through the village. I'm looking forward to the day I remember this walk in the fields, but sadly have nothing more to share than my description above.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Strike One
After complaining, mostly for the purposes of embellishing my last blog entry, about French bureaucracy, I have to admit I may have been a little harsh in my criticism. Actually, considering the pain it's been to get my Visa card back (still waiting 5 weeks later...) I think my critique was justified. But I would like to express my admiration for the solidarity shown by public sector workers during last Thursday's strike.
Living in my little country bubble, I've been happily exempt from the effects of the economic crisis going on in that big scary world out there. Juju and L-Daddy have expressed dismay about the state of the economy, but don't appear to have cut back on spending for groceries or household items. And as far as their entourage of friends is concerned, discussions continue to revolve around the latest motorbikes and ATVs, not about "l'économie".
Thus when government workers descended on Paris last week, halting public transit and keeping the kids home from school, I was not very sympathetic and a little annoyed at having to keep all three boys quiet so Juju could work from her home office undisturbed. Of course, I didn't really understand why people were striking, which was of much less interest to French media than the debate about whether it was a good idea or just a self-defeating waste of resources.
Chatting with my running partner, a public servant herself, yesterday brought me into their camp. As she explained their reasons for protesting I realized that they weren't so much advocating for themselves (this wasn't about getting a pay raise) but begging Mr. Sarkozy to stop making spending cuts to the programs they administer.
I doubt this applies to the police service as I'm not sure WHO they help, but it sounds like the French poor are being pretty hard done by these days. Apparently there have been cuts to all sorts of services including psychiatric care, handicap transportation and school lunches for poor kids to name just a few. In the end, it sounded like a great call for change to have millions (the number quoted by organizers of the strike but disputed by police) of people marching for a day.
Sadly, it seems their strike was doomed before it started, as "Sarko" doesn't appear to have the power to change his spending habits. But it was a noteworthy effort that made international news, and will definitely be something I remember about the power of the French people.
Living in my little country bubble, I've been happily exempt from the effects of the economic crisis going on in that big scary world out there. Juju and L-Daddy have expressed dismay about the state of the economy, but don't appear to have cut back on spending for groceries or household items. And as far as their entourage of friends is concerned, discussions continue to revolve around the latest motorbikes and ATVs, not about "l'économie".
Thus when government workers descended on Paris last week, halting public transit and keeping the kids home from school, I was not very sympathetic and a little annoyed at having to keep all three boys quiet so Juju could work from her home office undisturbed. Of course, I didn't really understand why people were striking, which was of much less interest to French media than the debate about whether it was a good idea or just a self-defeating waste of resources.
Chatting with my running partner, a public servant herself, yesterday brought me into their camp. As she explained their reasons for protesting I realized that they weren't so much advocating for themselves (this wasn't about getting a pay raise) but begging Mr. Sarkozy to stop making spending cuts to the programs they administer.
I doubt this applies to the police service as I'm not sure WHO they help, but it sounds like the French poor are being pretty hard done by these days. Apparently there have been cuts to all sorts of services including psychiatric care, handicap transportation and school lunches for poor kids to name just a few. In the end, it sounded like a great call for change to have millions (the number quoted by organizers of the strike but disputed by police) of people marching for a day.
Sadly, it seems their strike was doomed before it started, as "Sarko" doesn't appear to have the power to change his spending habits. But it was a noteworthy effort that made international news, and will definitely be something I remember about the power of the French people.
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