Sarkozy, must agriculture pay the price?
Courtesy of someone whose camera didn't have dead batteries..
16 octobre 2009 (Day 46)
Today was cold. Really really really cold. I remembered to get on time to my classes today and kept on my coat and gloves. Madame Sanson said that it isn’t even “cold” yet. Annick had us run around in theatre to get warm. She also told us the building we have class in is one of the last to get heat, so don’t wish for much heat wise. I ate a rushed lunch with Nana (because I waited for Lea, a girl from the ward, but she didn’t show up.)
History was amazing as usual. Today Monsieur Touvron amused us with the writings of Voltaire You must cultivate your garden, or always be thinking. Voltaire was anti-clerical He wasn’t for a democracy because he thought that people should be lead by someone with lots of power (but not a tyrant). Voltaire felt that stupid people shouldn’t talk politics. This is why the US Constitution has the electoral college, so the “learned” can make sure the non-educated people don’t make a stupid mistake. We went on an interesting tanget about the rights of women in class too and how in 1945 they thought that women 1. Understand nothing [politically] and 2. Would vote like their husband, thus it wasn’t necessary to have women vote. Rousseau thought that men were inherently good but that society corrupted them. Montequieu was for the separation of powers, a real democracy. These great thinkers, the Lumiers, the financial situation of France, and the bourgeois are some of the origins of the French Revolution.
I was cold enough after class that I decided to go find another jacket. Part of the tram was closed because of a farmer’s manifestation. They decided to mow down the middle of the city by parking all their tractors in the street and on the tram line. This manifestation included, but was not limited to: bulls, hay being thrown everywhere, feathers, explosions, signs, white hats, screaming, John Deere tractors, breaking glass, knocking down ents, spray painting, burning things, pretend Sarkozy hangings, breaking glass, and throwing apples at policemen with clear shields. It was quite the scene. They do take their manifestations seriously. Luckily Steve Jobs knew just the music for the occasion. I had lovely classical music that fit trying to get through the crowd of people that were at the tram stop. The tram is the most popular mode of travel here (although biking is prevalent) so there were oodles of displaced people. As I first saw the manifestation “I wanna be a minority, I don’t need your authority” came on. I didn’t get very close, but I saw enough to get worried. This is when Jack Johnson came on singing a song saying, ‘Don’t worry.’ I found H&M and thought I died and went to heaven. They had a lot of awesome clothes. I bought some bright pink tights, an amazingly frenchie knit hat, and a bright blue sweater (which I will be taking back because…).
After I looked at everything about five times in H&M I headed back to the tram. After passing a Scottish bagpipe player I saw C&A and decided to go in. It was like H&M but cheaper and for motherly-people. Here I found some fantastic purple insulated hobo-mittens. I also found a navy blue jacket that I think I am going to keep. I ran into a funny lady at C&A. She recognized me from last month when I had helped some Chinese lady find the right bus. When she first saw me she said, “You’re the one who knows Chinese!” My thoughts, what the heck?! “No, I don’t speak Chinese. You must be mistaken.” “Oh no. I saw you, I know it was you. I remember. You were with a Chinese lady…” Eventually I remembered. We had a nice chit chat about this and that, if I liked school, France, if I needed help with my French writing, what other colors do they have that jacket in, where did I find those gloves, do you believe in God. I tried to do my member missionary work and tell her about our church. I also forced a pass along card on her. I tried to get her to read the Book of Mormon and I attempted to bear my testimony of it. She was trying to convert me to be a Jehovah’s Witness (or at least I think that is what she said in French). Needless to say, she now has a pass along card with the Salt Lake Temple, my phone number, the missionaries, and wants to talk Bible sometime. It should be interesting! She was a nice lady though. Her name was Catherine and she is probably in her late 30s or early 40s.
Once I got home with my fantastic purchases I cooked up all the rest of my carrots from the market and have some pasta and carrots. I somehow avoided doing all my homework. I wasn’t feeling very good so I actually went to bed early (or at least earlier than I have been).
