Thursday, November 15, 2007

Grève Paris



I don't really want to complain. I think nothing is going to change. But I have to throw out my frustration.
Arrived in the class at 9h 10, happily thought I was the earliest one being there. 20 mins later, the prof came, and we were silent for about 10 mins, then our master's "responsable" entered the room and surprisedly said that there was only one student (which is me)! THen two of them started to speak about the difficulties staying in Paris if one is married with kids.
Logically, the couple would need a car if they have kids, Paris included. However, the parking fees in the city center is too high, if one has to pay the rentals or home load installment, tha's like nothing much left behind. And there are worse problem: not enough parking space! You could easily turn around 2 hrs to hunt for one. People rather pay the fine sometimes. THe police are busy handing over the summon. The car owners here are the best I have ever seen this far: the distance between the cars in front and behind one's car could be as small as 5cm!! THis truly impressed me!
Fed up with cars? One can ride a motorbike. THey can turn any direction they want, even riding on the pedestrian path. The Prof this morning said that she once saw a motorcyclist caused an elderly lady to fall on the ground with all her stuffs, including bottles of wines, spreading all over the path, the red liquid quickly stained the path and scaring everyone as nobody could tell if it was blood or wine! Greatest thing is, the culprit just ran away.
Well one can still choose other means of transportation, bicycle for example. Ecologically friendly. During these 2 days of strike, everyone seemed to grab the bikes ASAP. If you are lucky, youll find the last one at the parking. The show doesn't end here. You might be spending half an hour around your destination to find a bike parking. If ur taking the public bike, be prepared to pay more for nothing.
So I opted for the safest mode of transport: Walking. I put on the thickest clothes I have before stepping out of the apartment. And yet, the chill is tearing me apart. Coming from a sunny land, I don't stand the cold as well as others. How far could I possibly walk?
Great life in Paris!! You love me so much by the way you torture me.

No comments: