Strike Diary

Lundi (monday): When I left home this morning, my parents warned me to take my identification with me because there were police all around dealing with the especially active manifestation. The neighborhood was a little chaotic and the nearby school was locked down today because la manifestation (this time it was a large group of 2000 students from high schools further north in Nantes) flipped over two cars and burned another car near le lycee livet (my host brother's highschool around the corner). They took to the streets, tore down metal public trashcans in their path, and invaded the Monoprix (similar to Target). Other workers (including truck drivers who recently joined le greve) lit fires near the tram tracks, physically blocked the tracks with construction barriers, and decorated the tracks and some buildings with "en greve" (on strike). Most greves in France usually start with transportation, then education, then resource availability. The teachers at Paul's highschool will be en greve tomorrow again, and more than 1000 supermarket fill-up stations in France have already run out of fuel because of the go-slow protests by truck drivers. Apparently it is especially strong in western France (quel chance pour moi!) where they are physically blocking fuel stations.

Mardi (Tuesday): The trams were scarce today because of the continued blockages across the tracks. The Nantais marched through town by the thousands like always with flags, drums, and united chants. I had to walk from the University (all classes were cancelled, and the gates to the highschools were baracaded with dozens of trash cans and shopping carts) to IES in le centre-ville which took a good hour. This is the first week where le greve is starting to get on my nerves. I really enjoyed the quick tram rides and now walking everywhere seems to be taking up much of my day. In the centre-ville, we walked toward an intersection filled with smoke, screaming whistles and chanting, and miles worth of grevers marching ensemble in the streets. It was difficult to pass through the thick crowd, but we squeezed our way across to continue on to our destination. In Paris, la manifestation is getting more wild as the streets are constantly filled with mobs blocking all activity and general mobilization. In Lyon, la manifestation is leaning more toward a riot because there is increased violence (objects being thrown at blockaded buildings) and even masked looting. Airports in France have been cancelling half of their flights some days, and people are stuck either in or out of their city because there is no gasoline to keep traveling. Thursday there is supposed to be a vote of whether to increase the retirement age from 60 to 62 or not (and although much of the country will be upset, the amendment is predicted to pass by Sarkozy). I do not understand how Sarkozy can function when his entire country is en greve. C'est folle, la France.

Mercredi (Wednesday): La manifestation took a break today, but le greve is still going strong. From looking and smelling around town, I think that the trash pickup is currently en greve also. There are boxes piled high, dumpsters stacked and filled to the brim, and trashcans teeming with a week's worth of rubbish. Every week the stores in le centre-ville leave huge stacks of cardboard boxes in the sidewalks to be picked up (a SDF's haven), but as of now they are just taking up large sections of every sidewalk and making the town look a little rugged. Apparently the French Army cleaned up the trash in Marseilles, so hopefully they march on over soon.

Jeudi (Thursday): Although the streets were relatively empty today (only one big crowd was manifesting in front of the Prefecture), the trams are still blocked and only running between limited stops. By now, le greve is just another aspect of la vie en France that I have become accustomed to. I begin my day knowing that I will have to walk a few extra stops after the short tram ride to and from town and that my final destination is probably blocked so I will have to walk there too (fortunately, it was a beautiful day so I took advantage of the weather to run a six mile path along the Erdre river through the woods and past un chateau). As always, the walking is not so bad (there is beaucoup to enjoy since I am in FRANCE) so I am not really complaining, but I do love a nice reliable tram ride.

For those who have a tendancy to worry, you do not need to for me. Nantes is very safe and calm compared to other parts of France (I do not even feel a tiny bit anxious about my safety here right now), and the news coverage in the States seems to only be showing the worst of la manifestation. I will let you know when worrying is necessary.

I do not know what will happen after the vote is taken and a decision is made. There are already two dates set for la manifestation in the future. Perhaps the french will settle down, or perhaps that is just wishful thinking.