Since I have nothing better to do...

Today is Wednesday, October 13.
Aujourd'hui c'est le 13 octobre 2010.

In France there is a huge issue with the government-retirement age, taxes, etc and people here take it into their own hands. Although I don't know much about it, since I've been here there have been numerous "grèves". Grèves are strikes. There are student and adult graves and today happens to be one. Along with a couple weeks before, yesterday, and probably tomorrow. Grèves cause HUGE chaos.
1) ALL public transportation is CLOSED. 2) Teachers at public schools tend to NOT be there. 3) Traffic is ridiculous because there is no other way to get anywhere-except by car. 4) There are huge riots-people and police. 5) And students and adults, even if they're not taking part in the grèves, they usually don't go to school. Like me, today.

To school everyday I take the train. Home from school everyday, I take the train. With the grèves there is NO train. So that means NO way to get to school..Except for my host parents. My host dad isn't working now because of health problems. And my host mom doesn't work on Wednesdays-meaning I have no way of getting to school. I'm not sure if it is an excused absence or not, but I haven't gone to school two Wednesdays because of grèves. Some of my other friends within CIEE who live here, in France, go to a public school (The school placing was random. On the application it says private, public, I don't care. I chose I don't care and ended up at a private school-no extra cost! hey! haha). My friends who are at public schools are lucky-and unlucky at the same time.

Lucky: A majority of public school teachers participate in the grèves because they are paid from the government, like in the US-except they are federally paid. SO grève day, means no school practically. Also, in France everyone eats at the canteen for lunch unless you go home-usually. In public schools, there is a week where the canteen is CLOSED. Meaning no way to eat lunch-problem. Way to solve it? Don't got to school.

Unlucky: In public schools they're really strict about piercings (NO facial piercings-so i'm out) and NO dying your hair.

I'm not really sure why the trains and all public things close, but they do. (it PISSES my host parents off-and my host sister, because she had a Bac "sport" test today...) Pretty much everything being closed is really inconvenient for everyone. But when you're sitting in class and you hear helicopters and people screaming and loud music and sirens, it's rather entertaining.