October update/Fall Break plans

What? Another update? Mais oui! I thought I’d share a little more about life in Dijon as well as my plans for fall break.

Let’s start with the academics (after all, this is a STUDY abroad program…) After September’s language review course, the semester language courses began when we got back from our Paris/Loire valley excursion. I am much more content with my language course now than I was back in September, because we have less class hours and our learning is more structured. Within my language course I am working on written expression, oral expression, written comprehension, oral comprehension, and grammar. I have different professors for the different sections of my language course and I love all of them. I am also enjoying my art history, history, and literature courses. I’ve seen a fair amount of Dijon that I might not have explored otherwise because of my art history course – I love walking around the city and it’s interesting to see in person the art and architecture we’re learning about in class. My history professor, Jacques, is very outgoing and kind of crazy…note one of his catchphrases: “Is bad joke, yes?” Lastly, my French literature course has been going pretty well – so far we’ve read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which was downright depressing - clearly not the book for me - despite Flaubert’s interesting writing style. Now we’re moving onto Un amour de Swann by Proust, which I think will be challenging but we will see how it goes.

Moving right along…I’ve noticed myself finally adjusting to life in Dijon. September was long and difficult, but now that we’re nearing the end of October, I feel much more comfortable here. I can ask people on the street for directions. I walk down the side streets. I no longer dread making conversation at the dinner table. I like taking baths. I crave yogurt for dessert (no worries, my love for chocolate remains). I can eat strong cheeses without grimacing. I don’t totally freak out when someone is speaking rapidly. Time is passing by more quickly than before.

As for a little actualité (news), you may have heard about the strikes going on in France. As I discussed in my first Dijon post, some of the French people are enraged that President Sarkozy is raising the retirement age from 60 to 62, as well as preventing them from getting their full pension until age 67. This new retirement plan has caused such uproar throughout France that it has not only caused millions of people to demonstrate in the streets, but has also caused countless flight/train/bus delays and cancellations, petrol shortages, and even violence leading to burning vehicles. What is going on?! (You can check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11520220 for more info.) Luckily Dijon has not been that crazy. Strikes here mostly involve people walking up the main road (Rue de la Liberté) and, at most, sometimes tear gas has been used by the police. I thankfully have learned enough of the layout of Dijon to avoid this road of protest during the strike days. Though, one day I decided to stand on the sidewalk in the midst of a strike and even managed to take a few photos. I think what has interested me the most about this strike is the participation of young people – high schoolers – in the manifestations. The Socialist party is very eager to have teenagers get politically involved so that they can have a greater impact in number and noise as they walk down the streets. I believe all citizens have the right to participate in the strike; however, I am worried about the consequences for the young teenagers. It’s clear that some of these strikes are putting the protesters in danger, and these kids need to stay away from the chaotic mess that has deviated from the once-civil strike. In addition, these kids need to be going to school every day. Some of the French lycées (high schools) are being shut down on strike days, which is unacceptable. They cannot sacrifice their education for walking in the streets. It’s in their best interest to stay in school, and maybe even learn about population demographics and the social and financial issues facing the government. I am not sure these teenagers who are protesting in the streets truly understand the problems that the new retirement plan is trying to fix. Now, I am not saying that these high schoolers aren’t mature enough to have founded political opinions; but I doubt that they have received detailed, objective explanations of France’s current situation to make a well-educated decision. I just think this is a very complicated problem that people are not thinking through and the strike is almost becoming a fad for the high schoolers. Let’s think about this for a second: you’re allowing a teenager to skip school in order to parade down the street with flags and horns in rebellion of the government. Sound like fun? However this is just my opinion. I should probably spend more time reading up on the strike and how it’s being handled, but frankly the mayhem here just frustrates me.

I digress…to finish this post on a lighter note, I want to tell you all about what I have planned for fall break (the first week of November). My friend Hannah (another junior on the Dijon program) and I are travelling together for the entire trip, which has made me feel a lot more at ease. First, we are going to be in London this weekend, where we’ll meet more Colby people. Then we will travel to Cork, Ireland, where we will stay with our Colby friends (Kristin and Chelsea) on their study abroad program. Finally, we will spend the last few days in Amsterdam with my friend Megan, also on her study abroad program. I am beyond excited for this trip!!!!! Planning it was kind of a nightmare, I had never really dealt with booking buses/trains/planes before, and coordinating everything was pretty stressful. I am preparing myself to deal with issues as they come, as things never go perfectly, and I am crossing my fingers for working transportation. But I CANNOT WAIT to have a break, go to some English speaking countries, and see my friends. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to travel through 4 countries in 1 week!!!

All my love,
Caroline