Le Jour St. Valentin

I'm not the most romantic person, meaning I am not won over by flowers or chocolates, nor am I the type to cry over sappy movies.  I am a girl of logic and plans, if there is no logic it doesn't fit into my life.  The most romantic thing Bri ever did for me was to buy me a Le Creuset frying pan for Christmas.  This personality trait is constantly questioned with my life in France, as France is supposed to be one of the most romantic places in the world.  People always want me to recount the romantic outings with my French boyfriend; when closing our eyes and envisioning romance, we see a beautiful french couple canoodling on a park bench.  We don't see the wasps zipping around their head, or the pile of dog crap just 4 feet away nor the group of angry hoodlums throwing themselves around like they are kings.  We see only the kisses, the grand gestures, acclaimations of love and undying devotion.

While France is typically idealized and romanticized, le jour de St. Valentin falls right into my spectrum of thinking.  In America, Valentine's day is marked with piles of red and pink corporatism; bundling and stuffed with cheap manufactured chocolate and silly little cards with stupid phrases.  In France, St. Valentin is the day to remember the guy that was tortured to death... right along my stream of realism.

St. Valentine, or during his time just Valentine, was a priest who would marry Christian couples under the radar of Roman rule.  When Claudius caught on he had him captured, tried to convert him, when he refused he was killed and thus became a martyr.  Somehow this day became a day to celebrate love and amour that can triumph despite ordeals and, well, Roman rule.

A great tradition that used to exist in France, is something called a lotterie d'amour.  It was a strange custom that basically OK'd some swinging around with your neighbors and a chance to burn pictures of people that emotionally damaged you, while shouting offensive things.  Now outlawed, apparently because the concept of random-pairing and obscenity-shouting was not such a good idea, the custom resembles closer to the American customs.

Of course, as I may be a realist, I still love history- and as a young girl my mother loved to tell me all the stories of great love.  My favorite story is actually from a French couple in late 12th century.. Abelard and Heloise.  Brought together through education, they fell in love immediately and secretly had a child.  The uncle of Heloise was very unhappy with this situation and through a series of events it led to Abelard being castrated.  Even the inability to express physical love couldn't keep them apart, as they both took place in an Abbey and took vows to God; they remained great lovers.  The ultimate long distance relationship, they wrote extensive amounts of letters, proving that love can be beyond the physical.

So, on this day of love and capitalism, think of Abelard and Heloise; or the martyr Valentine.  It doesn't have to be one of those days we spend too much money on candy- it can simply be a day where we celebrate life.

 "I will still love you with all the tenderness of my soul till the last moment of my life." - Heloise to Abelard, 12th century, after the separation to their abbeys.

Frustrations at the French System

I thought i was over the whole culture shock thing, i was feeling good with my frenchy french friends and my collection of european buddies. Everything felt right and in place- until i received the schedule for our exams. Right there in front of my face, on the friday I am leaving for a mini vacation to amsterdam: tests on Friday. See normally I'd plan ahead of all this, but, i don't have any classes on friday! No logic in this. Worse they didn't even tell me there would be these tests.

I immediately sent an email to the secretary and spoke with my professor. My professor informed me that, according to the 'method they follow' they can't give it earlier or later. Sorry. Has to be at that exact time. I asked then if "i missed the exams, what does that mean?" Considering that because of my above A grades, three missed tests would still equal passing.

Nope. More 'regulations and methods'. If i don't take the tests, my entire term will not be validated, meaning, all the tests, all the 1000 euro i spent will equal nothing.  All for regulations.

I looked at trying to change my flight, but it's a non changeable flight.  So my choice is:  miss a weekend to Amsterdam where I already paid for everything, and pass my class... or miss the class and potentially be forced to stay back once again in a below-my-level class.

And so, I've decided.. if they truly won't be lenient on me for this one time, I'm going to Amsterdam and I will have to take the DELF B2 in January separate from the CIEF, hopefully receiving 50/100 and receiving the diploma.  With this I can push up into a level C1; which is more difficult and a challenge.


My mother always said things happen for a reason, but for today I feel especially bitter towards the CIEF program and in general for the culture here.  Too many regulations, too many tests, too many papers.  It's a culture shock I may never get used to.

Now, I gotta go make a pizza.

a+

Culture Shock: French Grading System

It's that dreaded week in Lyon where all the students are getting back tests that count for 50% of our grades.  These difficult tests that comprise of written and even oral examinations based on information that is supposed to be memorized and regurgitated exactly as said.

The teacher begins by describing how some of us really sucked at the test and failed with a really awful note.  He continues to rant on about the abilities we have to do better, some of us truly shined and many are in the middle.  He is disappointed and he is proud.

In America we sweat it out, and receive it.  The highest note a person can get is 100%; if a test, for example, is worth 20 points, a student could receive 20/20.  Sometimes even more.  This sets up American Expatriates- such as myself- to be shocked at the French system.  It even led a fellow American friend of mine to cry at her 'awful horrible grade'.

The Middle
The middle in the French Grading system is always based on 20- so the middle, AKA passing is 10/20.  There are no letter grade "A" or "B".  Simply a number out of 20.  10/20 means you are passing, but maybe just sliding by.  (C)

Failure
Failure comes in under 10... if you received 9/20 or below.. you have failed.  (F)

Good Grade
Good grade is 10/20 to 15/20.  15 is on the edge of a very good grade- an American equivalent to B to A-.

My poor friend cried when she saw 11/20; she didn't understand the culture and worse she couldn't.  We are so conditioned to our 20/20's that we can't get a 11/20 being a good thing.

Awesome
An AWESOME grade would be anything 16/20 and above.  This is a solid A in American standards.

You Cannot Get 20
No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to get 20.  It's the whole French paradoxical rating system... they set the bar so high so it will always be a little under.  If you tell a French person you want a 20/20, they will laugh, then say, 'bon chance' and laugh some more.

So.  To sum it up:

9/20 and below:  F
10/20 to 12/20: C
13/20 to 15/20: B
16/20 and up: A

Betcha you're wondering how I did?

I'm averaging 17/20 on my tests.. which is very very good.  Most of this is due to the fact that my level n the CIEF is a little below my tasting.  Either way that makes for lots of French practice and easy As!

Culture Shock: Where'd Halloween GO!?

Yesterday was Halloween... my first in France and the first time I didn't have a fun costume to celebrate.  It was strange.

France is a culture rich in diverse events- she has lots of celebrations for different kinds of saints.  She is full of openness for all different religions and many different shops that celebrate that.  Halal butcheries line the streets with the typical French 'charcuteries' packed with pork-specialized products... but France does not take Halloween very seriously.

This was proven as I piled into the car with my French family to go to the wine expo (fourre des vins, a big event in Lyon that has free wine tasting and cheap rates from local wine producers).  As we drove down the street in the evening I looked out the window, searching for the familiar costumed children parading down the street with their candy buckets.  Not one child was outside.

I looked for the shops with their doors open and the synthetic spider webs clinging to the windows.  Not one shop was decorated.

It was such a weird phenomenon.

When I explained to my family that my mom dressed up as a pregnant zebra before I was born, they laughed, but asked why she wasn't dressed as a ghost or a mummy?  Apparently in France if you do dress up, it's only the typical costumes (witches, vampires, devils and ghosts) and none of the little princesses or fairies, no giant toilet bowls.

I did a little research...

Halloween in France only goes back about 10 years.  The people knew about the holiday but never celebrated it in our way... children just started 'trick or treating' around the city... and it still hasn't caught on 100%.  Bri has never even been trick or treating as he was too old when the tradition was introduced!!

The stores don't have the sacks of mini candies, so I couldn't gain my obligatory 2 lbs of Halloween candy (because I always bought too much to hand out).  No pumpkins for my apartment.  No decorations, as I usually did at my parents every year.  No cute children knocking on my door begging for candy.

So, I spent my Halloween at the expo, drinking my worries away with free samples of some of the best wine in France.  I felt bitter as I saw babies and families around buying a 6 month supply of wine and not one of them disguised.  I swigged a taste of a cognac and decided that I would be French for this time... no Halloween costumes and I would accept it.

Instead I gorged myself on Raclette with Bri and then we watched the original 'Halloween.'.  Sometimes you have to accept a culture to live in it.

a+

Culture Shock: Capitalism in France

Capitalism is such a complex thing- in America it's over run our streets with red-headed clowns screaming out for you to buy sugar laden food.  In America it's raided our radio stations with the same music.. because it's owned and bought by a huge investor of Universal Music and Timer Warner (which are actually owned by the same.)  In America, capitalism has flooded our television with images of a glorified Tea Party candidate who would actually end up destroying our freedoms and taking away our choices in a pseudo fascist regime.

Captalism is something I am really bothered by but yet feed into.  France has started to open her arms to allow it to roam in the streets... unfortunately.  What are the signs?

Super Markets:  From Carrefour to Marché U, this way of food shopping has only existed for the last 40 years.  In the 1950's when American housewives had fake plastered smiles and perfect hair, shopping in the frozen food aisles and kissing her husband good night with a brandy in the hand... France was still heading to their marchés, buying their daily bread and vegetables.  Making extravagent home-made meals from the things they bought from the marché.. that's why their food is so diverse; they didn't destroy gastronomy with frozen replacements.  If you ever want to learn about why our food in America is 50% on average.. look into these key words:  slotting fee, distributor handling.  They pretty much mark up a cheaper produce.. if there were marchés in America (not the Farmer's Market, which is just glorified and overpriced) then the produce would be cheaper.

Fast Food:  McDonalds, or 'MacDo' as we lovingly call it here.  They are really making a profit of the people of France, with the same sickeningly quality and ingredients as we all remember in 'Supersize Me',  but packaged much smaller so it's more 'European'... and worse, marked up about 50%.  In France, you can buy a tomato for .10, but a medium sized chicken nugget meal costs €6; or $8.20 for those who are counting.  To put it in perspective, this meal costs the same price as 3 crêpes in the street... or in America as an entree at a restaurant.

Clothes:  Abercrombie & Fitch recently made their move into France, July 2010.  Not sure how their controversial employment practices are fitting into the highly protected French employee... needless to say, a great market to 'mark up' the clothes and turn a profit... because in France, anything American is 'fancy'.

American Way:  Big cars, American music, MTV.. television shows.  This is such a big industry here, the voice-over actors for movies and television shows are popular and well known. It was strange to me when I was watching 'Le Grand Journal' and a voice actor was the guest.. I was confused and thought he was the actor- until I saw a familiar American actor and I realized... French voice over.

English:  Now it is becoming a universal language.  Everyone needs to speak it, and most everyone does.  Lucky for me, the French often have notorious accents- so I don't feel so 'American caught in public' when speaking.  It's still strange to speak a language EVERYONE speaks, but to be learning a language only a few speak... of course Italian would be more unique.


It's sad, much like how Julia Child described in her memoirs, to see a culture becoming uniformed and losing her beautiful identity.  The France we see in the films is the France from 1950's and 1960's.  Now it's slowly decaying into the culture we so often embrace in America.

I think I'll be the last generation to see France as a unique culture... which is why I write to remember.

a+

Solutions for Problems..

I've delegated with myself on some of the issues that I've experienced around Lyon.  I've already understood that customer service is something that will not be changed- unless prepackaged with MacDo or Starbucks (even then, no smile, no 'have a nice day').

I think it's best to say that a majority of people I see are bitter; with rightful reason.  France has a long complicated history full of angry mobs and destructive behaviors to change things.  Right now everyone wants change to happen, but they are afraid to do anything about it.

I can't go too deeply into the topic suffice to say a 10 minute walk alone as a girl showed me the disrespect for people, especially the French people, in France.  This contempt has led to other attitude issues that I will brief on:

Old Man Seller in the Market
His leathery skin and set back eyes told me he was around 70 years of age.  I could not imagine what events he had seen, but I could tell it was his family's wellbeing to be a produce farmer.  He was used to haggling, bartering, people stealing, destruction.  I am positive he had experienced the Algerian crisis in the late 50's, and then saw France drag into a new generation with Westernization and Capitalism.  Tourists who snap pictures of his façade and his fruit cart, angry poor youth coming to harass and potentially steal what is the equivalent to his week's profit.  Once a week at Place Carnot his family and himself pull out their pickings, set it out, sell it and hope people will continue to cruise the markets; despite the higher prices- he assured himself people would see the difference.

My own personal experience was one that was close to disaster.  Via representation of Julia Child in the film Julie and Julia I smiled as I cruised the market.  I walked with a slight bounce in my step, delirious with both heat and joy for the market.  I glanced over the peaches, picked a ripe one and he swooped in with a plastic bag.  I placed it in the bag and began gently touching other peaches to decide which I wanted- except I was stopped after I touched the next one.

'Faut pas touché, c'est pas une supermarché.  Si tu la touche, tu l'achete.'

Don't touch because it's not a supermarket.  Contempt.  He obviously lost some business to super markets.  If I touch it I buy it?  It was strange for me after reading glorious reviews of French markets and the delights in bartering and shopping to hit this wall.  It's not the old man's fault, you see, it's the fault of the past 40 years of changing France and the onslaught of consumerism and capitalism.  He's just as bitter as I am that things aren't the way they were, because they were once that way.

As I continue on my journey through life in France, I realize much of the portraits and dreams painted by Francophiles and capitalistic travel books are false.  It's as if France has been airbrushed and all the disgusting pieces are hidden behind the paint brush.  My intent is to be as honest as possible as to show "current France", for I am not naïve, nor do I want to falsify and glorify.

More later.

Customer Service Woes..

One of the biggest things that I miss about Portland and the United States is smiling waiters and happy customer service representatives.

In France it feels that everyone is scowling, angry or wanting to be somewhere else.  I find it ironic that in a country where healthcare is free, education is cheap and the government offers public aid as needed anyone could be unhappy.

Maybe it's the high heels that cause the scowl?  Even little old wrinkled ladies in France strap on their skin-colored high heels to trek through the park.

Servers in France are among the angriest people I've come across.  Every restaurant or grocery store I go to I receive a scowl, a simple and brief statement of the cost and a "bonne soirée".  Bri and I even got crap from a sushi restaurant just yesterday for wanting to split a menu together- because as the server said, "it's abnormal" and "he's never heard that" and the best, "next time come in and eat normal,"

My goodness, I mean, we go to your restaurant to eat and we should have the freedom to eat as we wish!

I only found one restaurant called, "Le Caveau" that has a smiling server.  It's almost worth it to pay 13 € to sit and enjoy the smiles and jokes of a server for once.  I wonder when France became a place of sadness or anger instead of an idealized place of beauty?

I notice also the fact that the 1950's France that everyone idealizes and paints in books is disappearing at a rapid rate.  The streets are losing the typical boulangeries and fromageries and are being replaced with "American Fast Food", Starbucks, Halal butcheries and lots of Kebab shops.  The sides of buildings built in the late 18th century are marked with french graffiti like:  "fuck the police", or, "fuck your mother".

Hostility in France in growing at an alarming rate and sometimes I turn down a road and am led to ask myself, Am I Still In France?

I was shocked to see the following events during the last few weeks:

July 17th:  Riot in a small French town near Grenoble after an armed robber shoots at Police.  In the end the police had to shoot the suspect because he would not cease firing at the police (it's rare Police are violent in France).  Link to Article Here  After the suspect was shot entire groups of people rose up and began a series of destruction.  60 cars were burned, innocent people on tramways were terrorized... it's hard not to hold a grudge against people that act like that.  I mean, look at the video, it doesn't even LOOK like France.

Just outside of my own home a car was burnt following July 14th... and it was shocking.  Video of Car Burning outside our Apartment

Romanticized France is slowly disappearing.  The only place I could find that made me feel like I was in a beautiful countryside was near Bri's parents in Genas.  We hiked up about 20 minutes into the local woods and found ruins that were left from 700 years ago...

I'm in the center of the ruins in supposedly what is the entrance.

I am still waiting for the France I grew up learning about.