La Greve in Real Life

Today was the day that La Greve affected me, personally.  I had heard various rumors circling around that Le Fac de Lettre (my university) was going to be barricaded last night, but this wasn't the first rumor that had circulated about blockades.  So today I woke up with every intention of going to class and learning.  My first clue that the rumors may have been true was that the typical stream of students that flow towards the university in the morning, was surprisingly light.  It was myself and about five others, and once we reached the gate, we realized that last night's rumors had been fact.  The gate entrance was shut and locked and the doors to the buildings were blocked as well.  

Its an interesting experience standing outside a locked gate, looking onto the barricaded university, holding your books and papers, and just staring.  It usually took about a minute for the students to walk up to the gates, stare at the locks and fences, and then turn and walk away, most likely going to find something else to fill their day.  I stood there a few minutes longer than most because it was hard for me to accept the concept of being locked out of my university, when I had every intention of attending all my classes, like the good American student that I am.  Its hard to know that students in America pray for snow days or cancelled classes or just decide to skip anyway, but students in France, pray that they can get their undergraduate in four years, instead of having it drawn out into four and a half or five years because of all the strikes.  

Some of my friends from Denmark were explaining to me their fears of La Greve because one of their friends was here last year and had to take an extra semester of classes to make up for the semester he lost during another strike.  Last year!  It hasn't even been a calendar year since the last time they barricaded the doors.  I am lucky enough to still have professors willing to teach but that hardly makes a difference when we can't get into the building.  

On the bright side, the weather is fantastic and barricaded doors could mean that the end is in sight.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Elise