Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Assez! Assez!
My parents are the most paranoid people on earth. Mom and Pops tell me, my sister and my brother all the time that while in the USofA we should lay low, keep our mouth shut about politics and not mention that we live in the Arab world. I like the way they make our lives so exciting by making it seem like we are in the Witness Protection Program.
By now, probably everyone knows that Paris has a big problem with the rioters and their burning habits. I keep thinking of all the pollution that this is causing and I am truly worried about our Ozone layer. However, other kids tell me that I should really be thinking about the people who may die from these crazy acts instead. I keep forgetting that there are other people in the world.
Anyway, I had no idea that riots were going on until everyone from America to Timbuktu sent me emails about the protests. At first, I was pretty shocked because in Paris nothing really ever happens. Everyone seems like they are pissed. Or are pissing. Whichever one you see first on the metro. Because I had no access to television, radio, my laptop was down so I only ever checked email and I'm just plain lazy , I wasn't aware of what was going on with my next door neighbour , let alone what was happening in the world. So, the riots were a big surprise.
Later in the week, I finally got online to check some yahoo news (I was more interested to read the Dear Abby page) and I 'ooohhed' and 'ahhed' over the, now, very late news. Soon, Mom and Pops called me to warn me not to take the metro, not to go out after dark and bascially walk everywhere, even if it meant I would die from exhaustion, so that I wouldn't get burnt to death.
I reassured everyone that in Paris nothing was happening and that no one has any idea of the riots because they were (and still are, I think) taking place in the suburbs which are really far away. However, Mom insisted on calling me at 6AM just to tell me "so how is it?" to which I usually replied, "MOM IT's 6AM! NOTHING IS HAPPENING because I"M SLEEPING!" Yes, I do feel guilty after I throw my cellphone 6 metres into the wall.
But all this history do lead to a very good thing because tonight I witnessed my very first protest. While on my laptop talking about boyfriends and drool with Nafisah, I heard people shouting. Earlier that evening I had seen a huge butt-load of cops lined on Boulevard Saint-Michel and knew something was up. So, I ran out with my friend An onto the terrace of my dorm and saw a PILE of people out on the street. So we ran to get our cameras. She on the second floor and me in the basement. However, because I am a moron I forget my key in the computer room so I run all the way up and then had to go all the way down to my room to retrieve my camera. Finally, I run out into the street where the protest has gone past. So I run some more and thanked God that protests move slowly. I found An , we snapped some photos and then got too cold to stay. We had no idea what they were shouting about because our french is so limited. Although, I did get "assez!assez!" (enough! enough!) and Sarkozy (french interrior minister) getting called a pig or so I think. Unfortunately, I run out of film and while walking up there were a bunch of cops and police cars following the protestors. They were the best looking men in uniform I had ever seen! An, with her wonderful digicam, took photos of them while we gushed together and I begged her to send them to me. She promised she would.
Sitting here, I now am thinking up ways of telling my parents about this rather peaceful and uneventual protest story with as much twisted gore as possible while including the beauty of the french police force. I relish in the fact that they will probably faint but then, I feel so blessed.
My parents are the most paranoid people on earth. Mom and Pops tell me, my sister and my brother all the time that while in the USofA we should lay low, keep our mouth shut about politics and not mention that we live in the Arab world. I like the way they make our lives so exciting by making it seem like we are in the Witness Protection Program.
By now, probably everyone knows that Paris has a big problem with the rioters and their burning habits. I keep thinking of all the pollution that this is causing and I am truly worried about our Ozone layer. However, other kids tell me that I should really be thinking about the people who may die from these crazy acts instead. I keep forgetting that there are other people in the world.
Anyway, I had no idea that riots were going on until everyone from America to Timbuktu sent me emails about the protests. At first, I was pretty shocked because in Paris nothing really ever happens. Everyone seems like they are pissed. Or are pissing. Whichever one you see first on the metro. Because I had no access to television, radio, my laptop was down so I only ever checked email and I'm just plain lazy , I wasn't aware of what was going on with my next door neighbour , let alone what was happening in the world. So, the riots were a big surprise.
Later in the week, I finally got online to check some yahoo news (I was more interested to read the Dear Abby page) and I 'ooohhed' and 'ahhed' over the, now, very late news. Soon, Mom and Pops called me to warn me not to take the metro, not to go out after dark and bascially walk everywhere, even if it meant I would die from exhaustion, so that I wouldn't get burnt to death.
I reassured everyone that in Paris nothing was happening and that no one has any idea of the riots because they were (and still are, I think) taking place in the suburbs which are really far away. However, Mom insisted on calling me at 6AM just to tell me "so how is it?" to which I usually replied, "MOM IT's 6AM! NOTHING IS HAPPENING because I"M SLEEPING!" Yes, I do feel guilty after I throw my cellphone 6 metres into the wall.
But all this history do lead to a very good thing because tonight I witnessed my very first protest. While on my laptop talking about boyfriends and drool with Nafisah, I heard people shouting. Earlier that evening I had seen a huge butt-load of cops lined on Boulevard Saint-Michel and knew something was up. So, I ran out with my friend An onto the terrace of my dorm and saw a PILE of people out on the street. So we ran to get our cameras. She on the second floor and me in the basement. However, because I am a moron I forget my key in the computer room so I run all the way up and then had to go all the way down to my room to retrieve my camera. Finally, I run out into the street where the protest has gone past. So I run some more and thanked God that protests move slowly. I found An , we snapped some photos and then got too cold to stay. We had no idea what they were shouting about because our french is so limited. Although, I did get "assez!assez!" (enough! enough!) and Sarkozy (french interrior minister) getting called a pig or so I think. Unfortunately, I run out of film and while walking up there were a bunch of cops and police cars following the protestors. They were the best looking men in uniform I had ever seen! An, with her wonderful digicam, took photos of them while we gushed together and I begged her to send them to me. She promised she would.
Sitting here, I now am thinking up ways of telling my parents about this rather peaceful and uneventual protest story with as much twisted gore as possible while including the beauty of the french police force. I relish in the fact that they will probably faint but then, I feel so blessed.
# posted by Mare @ 12:10 PM 
