grève grave?

so this past thursday was a grève generale in france. yes, france. it was nationwide. what that amounts to is that everyone who feels like it goes on strike. teachers, students, train/metro workers, but not - as we discovered - retail franchises. not during precious, precious soldes season. we were anticipating some major demonstrations or disturbances. aside from some shouting we could hear from our window, there wasn't much. we decided to check out bellecour, the main square, which is normally busy for any kind of event. in that square i have seen everything from native american musicians to acrobats and baby tigers. we went over in the middle of the afternoon expecting some sort of activity, but there was nothing. the only remnants of any activity were some spray-painted sheets with typical slogans (see above). i guess all that not working really takes it out of you.

so, basically all the strike amounted to was a day off of work. no complaints here. hello, 5-day weekend!

fashion à la français

given my recent experiences and observations in close proximity with lots of french people, i thought i would give my advice on how to look, and dress, french. should you find yourself in need of such a skill. and if you think it's all scarves and pointy shoes.. well, you're 80% right but i'll explain anyway.

so you want to look like...

...a young french woman in her 20s
the key here is dark colors and neutrals. you'll need skinny jeans, naturally, to showcase your cute flats or tuck into your boots. boots are an absolute necessity, but the style is flexible. tall or short; black, brown, tan or gray. don't forget your lonchamp bag which you can buy in a range of colors - just make sure they have the impractically short handles. you'll need a nice heavy wool coat (black) for winter and a ridiculously long, thick scarf - preferably in a neutral shade, like a grayish brown - that you'll wrap around several times and bury your face into when it's cold. your hat should be a neutral black or white (purple if you're feeling daring) and should complement your short hair and sideswept bangs. even though the top of you's all bundled up, feel free to wear skirts and dark tights all through winter.

...a middle schooler
there's a lot more freedom with color and pattern here. plaids are acceptable, and the color of your tights can range widely. on a night out, you might even be able to swing a bright pair of leg warmers. your sneakers can be any color though chucks are of course preferable. the key here is the heavy eyeliner and loud talking on the metro.

...you're tough
we'll go with the typical marseille-inspired fashion here. you'll need a track suit, black or white is best though you might be able to get away with red if you've got it in you. the key here is - and i cannot stress this enough - you must tuck your pants into your socks. so as to better display your narrow european sneakers. pumas or asics are preferable. baseball hats are acceptable but they don't naturally showcase your haircut, close-shaved on the sides and a little thicker on top. if you're in middle school consider getting a design shaved into it. for the total effect, be sure to listen to your music without headphones on any public transport system.

...an elderly woman
here it's all about the accessories. your actual clothes won't matter much because you'll be wearing a long, warm coat over them. as for footwear, boots are of course still your best bet. when it's a little warmer, you can opt for sensible yet still stylish flats. you should keep your hair short but if you feel like expressing yourself, why not try some unnaturally red hair dye? and of course no elderly european woman would feel like herself without her wacky european glasses. make sure the shape is nice and angular and that the frames are a noticeably bright color. try for red or purple.

...and elderly man
don't even bother. with all these characters, nobody's looking at you.

paris pas pareil

i just returned from a much-needed excursion to paris for the weekend. maybe it was something in the water, but it seemed like everyone's students have been getting crazy (you know, two whole weeks without a vacation..) and we were ready for a change of scenery.

i left for paris with two fellow assistants, jean and vince, who were lovely company. we managed to see a lot in one weekend: montmartre, the institute du monde arabe, the holocaust memorial, pompidou (bookstore..), the arc de triomphe, my favorite crêperie (probably worthy of a post in and of itself), the seine/eiffel tower by night (never seems to get old), the grande arche, and of course the big picasso exhibit, which was the impetus for our trip.

and now, a few other random highlights..

i'd like to describe for you our "hotel". somehow i stumbled across this online. i should have been tipped off by the questionable tripod website and the fact that there were no sort of online reservations, but it was less than 20 euro and in the middle of town, so we went for it. we arrived to find our hotel - that would be the "hotel bed & breakfast" - with no one there. after a phone call, someone came to let us in. the place was a mess of colors, patterns (from faux brick to giant flowers), tiles (fruits in heavy relief), and giant movie posters (the golden compass?). truly something for everyone. other fun surprises: the key cost 2 euro, as did the showers. and the included breakfast consisted of sliced white bread (already offensive, considering we're in the land of fresh-baked bread), a packet of butter and jam, and sludgey hot cocoa. it was an experience. luckily we made the most of it by annexing our own room (the 'family' room?) and making fun of the hideous decorations and very strange owners.

we were also surprised by the parisian metro. don't get me wrong, it's a great system and very easy to follow. but the metro cars themselves seemed more narrow and cramped than we remember. and the ride itself is very jerky! we're just spoiled in lyon i guess. i will say one thing for the parisian metro though. the manual doors make it easier to jump off while the train's still moving. we got in the habit of doing this and we got pretty good at it, though i think it may have also raised some eyebrows. i guess we have to give the parisians something to look down on us for.

solde out

today marked the beginning of one of the best french innovations: the SOLDES! this refers to the twice-yearly time period when french stores have ridiculous markdowns in order to get rid of last season's merchendise and make room for the new stuff. everywhere you look there are store fronts plastered with signs for sales (usually in many languages.. they try to be accessible).

i decided to go to the mall today at lunchtime (dangerous) to see all the madness for myself. even approaching the metro stop for the mall you could tell the crowds were bigger than usual. the mall itself was pretty crowded, which is no small feat. by american standards, it's a pretty big mall. but by european standards.. well it's said to be the biggest downtown shopping mall in europe.

i made my way through several stores all with giant signs in the windows showcasing 30, 50, or even 70 percent off. every store had long lines at the dressing rooms and cash register but it was worth it. i came away with shirts for 5 and 7 euro, a dress for 14, earrings for 2 and a hat and scarf for 10. things brings me to one of my favorite french words: profiter! i don't think there's a proper english equivalent. the closest would be to make the most of or take advantage of. i learned it when i asked a little old woman where the park was and she advised me to profiter the nice weather.

it looks like january's going to be an expensive month (with travel expenses, sales, and weekends) but oh well. only 29 days of soldes left. il faut en profiter!

home for the holidays

i've just returned from a wonderful 10 days back in the US. it was a blur of seeing friends, family and trying to eat everything remotely american i could get my hands on. it felt very comfortable being back but there were a few clear american/european disparities i couldn't help noticing. which i will now attempt to elucidate in my favorite form of communication, bullet points.

things i missed about france:

• velov'ing! i swear, it felt like i hardly moved. except, you know, in a car.
  
• generally beautiful surroundings. or, failing that, old.
• open container laws - what do you mean we can't have a bottle of wine in the street?
  
• speaking french (yes, it's true)
• smoke-free bars. let's get with the times, virginia
  

things i did not miss about france:

• our pitiful shower
• spending all my precious euros on groceries
• cold toilet seats and equally frigid water
  
• having to think all the time (about, you know, speaking)
• commonplace public urination
• the awful, awful music.. though much of that is contributed by america
  

american things i think the french would be mystified - or amused - by:

• driving over the speed limit. and just driving everywhere in general.
• not greeting everyone you see
• hugs
  
• cheese in a can
• football everywhere
• portion sizes. and the snacking.. all the snacking
  

i must admit it's a little strange to be back after a relatively short relapse into my american lifestyle. so for now i'm just trying to readjust and keep warm.

oh well.. only one month until the next vacation!