The migrant crisis hits home.

It was a typical Monday afternoon.  I was waiting to catch my train after teaching English at the local management school.  I registered the group of young black men gathered at the end of the platform, talking loudly in a foreign tongue, but decided they were just local kids.  They seemed well dressed and didn't appear lost.  In addition the city has a large migrant population; it is not unusual to hear different languages being spoken.  When the train pulled in to the station, I made sure to not sit too close.  There are lots of gangs in Grenoble particularly among immigrant communities.  Growing up in London has taught me to be discrete, better safe than sorry.

Then came the announcement, the train was going to be late.  They were waiting for police officers to come and remove some non -fare paying travellers.  As a group of ticket inspectors gathered on the platform, it quickly became apparent that the group of young people were the target.  I began to wonder if things were about to get ugly.  The group seemed unconcerned and chatted away as if nothing was going on.  Typical, the arrogance of them, I thought.

Finally the police arrived.  They boarded the train and asked the young men for identity papers.  The boys didn't seem to understand, but I heard the word "Calais" a number of times.  They were peacefully taken off the train on to the platform.  More police arrived with tear gas spray at the ready. 

I felt powerless as the penny dropped and I realised these were migrants, probably heading north.   Suddenly my frustration at the delay faded as I realised a global drama was playing out before my eyes.  Up until now it had appeared distant, on television and news websites.  Now here it was on my doorstep.

I approached the ticket inspector who told me they were Sudanese.  I offered my help as a translator, if they spoke English but was told I wasn't necessary.  As the train pulled away I saw the young boys being frisked, a resigned look in their eyes as though they had done this many times before.  Brexit, Trump, the rise of Marine Le Pen, my moral compass has been thrown off.  I once believed I could change the world now I just seem to stand by and watch it get more and more unfair.  It seems that even if you try to help you get hauled into court, like some French people in the South.  They have been accused of aiding illegal immigrants, by offering a warm place to sleep and some food.  Surely this is basic human decency, we are expected to stand by and watch them suffer.  We have come along way from the pogroms of the Nazis but we seem to have forgotten the lessons of history.  I hope that next time I am able to do more and stand up and be counted, rather than stand aside and watch.

A sporting deviation

I am not the world's greatest athlete.  I never really enjoyed playing football on frozen pitches at school, watching as the school superstar dribbled the ball past me.  So it was somewhat of a surprise to find myself roped into becoming a rugby coach for the local children's rugby team.  My son had decided he wanted to play rugby, and as I was going to have to take him every week, I thought I might as well make myself useful.  I attended a training course and learnt to talk the talk, and walk the walk.  I have always preferred watching rugby to watching football so it was not too hard.

One result of my volunteering is that I am mercilessly ribbed every time there is an international tournament.  The French people, like their symbol the cockerel, like to crow loudly.  During these sessions I remain non-committal and wait to see what happens at the actual game.  Unfortunately the premature English team exit from the last World cup was a significant low point.  I am not completely innocent though as my son and I sport English jerseys whenever possible.  I also play on my Irish and Welsh ancestry to ensure that I have three chances of supporting the winning side.  So I was most pleased this weekend when Scotland beat the French team, even I cannot claim any Scottish blood.  The Scottish victory was particularly faced with the over confidence of the French before the game.  Now even if the French beat England this weekend, and I hope they do not, England has won the six nations.   However the French will do all they can to win, since beating England would be compensation for them, and for some would even be better than winning the six nations.

One thing I find interesting in all this is the nationalities of the different coaches.  The best performing sides have Southern hemisphere coaches, while Italy and France both have French coaches.  I am not proud of this; England's dismal performance in the World cup was under an English coach.  Is there, as the All Black's coach suggested, something wrong in Northern hemisphere rugby?

Personally I find the French style of aggressive contact rugby, concentrating on big, heavy players problematic.  During the last World cup both Australia and New Zealand combined speed and strength.  Both these nations play a lot of touch rugby, to develop speed and agility.  Touch rugby is not popular in France and my local team scoffs at any suggestion we play it.  Watching a big New Zealand forward break through the French defence and score a try seemed to suggest that working on speed and agility is just as important as impact.

There is another problem however and that is the popularity of foreign players in national leagues.  Racing Metro recently recruited Dan Carter, the All Blacks fly half star, with an annual salary of £1.3 million.  Dan Carter, at 34, is not a young man and this move is clearly financial, the problem is that he takes the place that could be used by a young French player.  This situation is not rare in France.  Some years ago Grenoble rugby club shook things up, firing French players and bringing in Southern hemisphere players.  This means that young players do not get the opportunity to play high-level rugby.  This in turn damages the International side who has to choose from a smaller pool of experienced players, and keeps bringing out players like Mathieu Bastareaud who isn't getting any younger.  In the Southern hemisphere league sides play national players providing a strong talent base for their international sides.   There is little opportunity or financial incentive for European players to play in the Southern hemisphere and push out local players.

In my humble opinion European rugby needs to take a leaf out of the Southern hemispheres book.  Train all-rounders who can combine speed, power and fitness, and give priority to local players coming up through rugby schools.

President Hollande attacked at the Salon d'Agriculture

Poor old President Hollande he cannot seem to do anything right.  This week he visited the 'Salon d'Agriculture'.  Traditionally the Presidential visit has big symbolic implications showing support for the powerful farming lobby.  President Chirac was a master at wooing the farmers.  He spent hours comfortably shaking dirt encrusted hands, admiring the livestock and seemed completely at ease with this world away from the ornate Elysée Palace.  President Sarkozy was much less comfortable when his turn came.  His visits were rapid, and awkward photo-shoots with livestock did not help his already low popularity.
However President Hollande has managed to outdo his predecessor.  He was greeted by booing farmers, some of whom shouted out 'resign'.  He looked small, nervous and out of his element as his ministers and bodyguards tried to push through the angry crowds.  The farmers, like many in France today, are not happy.  The supermarket chains are using their monopoly power to reduce the price they pay for farm produce, and thereby squeezing farmers profit margins.  At the same time government taxes on employers remain high, as for every other sector in the French economy.  Farms, in this country so proud of its "terroir", are going out of business and some farmers have even committed suicide.  The government, and more particularly President Hollande, are being accused of doing nothing.
To be fair there is a law going through Parliament concerning pricing in supermarkets, but we do not know the details and nobody is convinced it will change things.  President Hollande has also promised to reduce government taxes on employers, but here again we lack details.  There is, however, another problem that governments, and not just in France, can do little about.  This is the problem of consumer demand, consumers want cheap food.  If French people really supported their farmers they would be prepared to pay that bit extra for good quality, local food.  In reality everybody wants a good deal and we do not really care if it comes from Spain and is sprayed with pesticides, as long as the price is right.  If government legislates to put food prices up they will commit political suicide.
What can poor old President Holland do?

Britexit

I was very disappointed to discover that if one has lived outside the UK for more than fifteen years you are ineligible to vote in the referendum on British exit of the European Union.  February was my fifteenth anniversary of living in France. 
What would I vote, if given the opportunity?  Probably against Britain leaving Europe.  I have personally benefited from the European Union and would feel like a hypocrite voting to leave.  As a student I had the opportunity to study in Europe under the Erasmus program.  Later when my studies were over,  I Interrailed around Europe passing national borders without difficulty.  Then I met a French woman and moved to France in 2001.  I was able to quickly and, fairly, easily start work and set up home.  All this thanks to British membership (with numerous opt outs) of the European Union.  How could I vote for Britain to leave Europe and deny the same opportunities to future generations?
In my opinion too much emphasis has been put on the economic consequences of European Union at the expense of the cultural and social benefits, but then again I have never really understood Economics.  I think that the European Union is a brave experiment.  Of course it is never going to be easy getting diverse cultures and languages to live together.  But surely trying to live and work together is better than the centuries of war that raged in Europe before. 
So I am disappointed that I can not vote in this referendum, but I console myself with the feeling that the presence of Britain in Europe is so important that the British people will vote to stay.  And anyway nothing will change for me personally.  A few years ago I took French nationality, careful to ensure I could also keep my British nationality.  I also registered my childrens' births in the UK, giving them the chance to choose their nationality later.  I did this partly to enable me to vote in French national elections, but also partly because I always suspected that Britain might try to leave the European Union.  At least with dual nationality I might avoid any bureaucratic problems of being a foreign national living in France.

Language changes

There is a lot of press at the moment about plans to change the spelling of certain words, and the dropping of the circumflex accent.  Or as I have always politically incorrectly called them the 'chapeau chinoise', because of its resemblance to a Chinese coolies hat.  I must admit to being a very lazy writer in French, so any simplification of the system is good for me.  However the debate has given rise to some reflections about French education.
I have two kids in the French state system and I have also had some professional experience of how things work.  My first eye opener was working for a technical school that trained young people destined for a career in logistics.  Beyond the fact that the students had no interest in learning English, there was the problem of marking.  Every term the different subject teachers had a meeting to discuss the students’ marks.  Naturally in line with France's democratic principals two student representatives were present at this meeting.  Students are routinely marked out of twenty in France and I had mistakenly given zero to a student I had never even met.  My colleagues were most shocked by this.  It seems that in the French system you can never give zero.  I don't remember what mark was eventually given.  
Later I was asked to examine candidates for the oral part of the Baccalaureate exam.  I had finished with my list of candidates when a colleague asked me to help her with a candidate.  The candidate in question was a giant, Malian who when asked to present the article he had read, as per exam procedure, was able to say 'basketball' and little else in English.  I tried to extract more English from him but quickly realised we weren't going to get anywhere.  The candidate was thanked and left.  Now we had to decide on a mark.  I felt that given his limited oral comprehension and expression we couldn't give more than four or even five, and that was generous.  My colleague, an American who had been living in France for a number of years and clearly knew how things work, didn't agree.  She felt that if we gave him less than nine he would be discouraged.  
After these two experiences I have developed a rule of thumb.  Anything above twelve out of twenty is good and students are generally happy, ten or lower is a disaster and should be used with caution.  We never give less than five and twenty is impossible.
Now at this point you may think I am exaggerating but read on.  Fast-forward fifteen years and my daughter has started college.  She is bilingual having been exposed to English since she was a baby.  Recently she had to make a weather report.  We coached her a little at home but there was really no point.  Then she came home with her mark eighteen point two five out of twenty.  Now this is an excellent mark and any French parent would be over the moon.  But I was curious about the one point seven five that she had lost.  Where did this come from?  She was word perfect at home and would have made a respectable weather girl for the BBC.  Well the explanation was simple, she seemed nervous when she stood up in front of her twenty five adolescent class mates to present the weather.  Of course how silly of me to assume that an English lesson was designed to teach and test your English level.  A could give more examples of strange marking of my daughter's work; like the point lost for naming Ireland as a country when it is in fact the Republic of Ireland, this was in English and not Geography.  However I do not wish to appear a pushy parent.
Now this brings me back to simplifying the French language and the storm that this has created.  In my opinion the French Education system needs deeper reform than just making the spelling of some words easier.  They need to stop measuring students on a scale out of twenty.  Most students are more worried about getting a good mark than actually learning, understanding or even, God forbid, enjoying the subject.  All that changing the spelling will do is lower the overall level, and improve some student’s mark without tackling the real problem of reforming the system.

New Year, new life?

Life can be surprising at times.  As every New Year I have been having a crisis about my life.  I have taught English for 14 years now.  I started teaching by default, as it was an easy way to get a job and start making money.  In recent years I have become tired of endlessly trying to convince the French that they can learn English.  The French know they need to speak English for professional reasons, and for travel; but the global dominance of the language of their historic enemies obliges them to resist any attempts to teach it.  So every year, and sometimes more often, I anguish over what else I could do.  Inevitably I find a reason why I can not do anything but teach.
Then on the second day of the New Year I opened my letter box and unexpectedly found a card from my local mason.  This is not unusual.  French people traditionally send New Year cards rather than Christmas cards; a fact I exploit as an excuse not to send any Christmas cards.  Often tradesmen such as electricians or plumbers send cards to their clients.  What was surprising about the card I received from our mason was the quote over the photograph of a bridge.

"La volonté est un pont qui permet d'aller d'un monde imaginaire vers le monde réel"

Roughly translated: "Willpower is the bridge from the imaginary to the real world."
Sometimes I find motivational quotes pretentious but this one struck a cord with my mood.  It was also curious as I had not imagined my down to earth mason being someone who went in for this type of profound sayings.  Which just goes to show you can never judge people.
Anyway the quote spoke to me and helped shake me out of my holiday stupor.  I already have one ambitious target for this year to train for, and run a 47km Trail race in the mountains.  Now I just need to pin down how I can make a living away from English teaching.  I enjoy writing, reading, spending time in the mountains or in my garden, but none of these seem a realistic way to make a living.  A good friend has been pushing me for a number of years to learn a programming language so maybe this is the way to go.   Whatever happens I will be pinning the mason's New Year card up in my office as a source of inspiration to do something I enjoy.

Regional elections

We have just had the regional elections.  I must admit to being a little confused about the different layers of French government.  I am an elected representative (unpaid) in the town council.  Last year we voted in elections for our departmental representatives.  This year it is for the region ones, then in a few years time it will be the national elections again.  Not forgetting of course the European elections.  So many representatives with different powers that are not always easy to understand.
Anyway these latest elections were seen as a test of popularity of the ruling central government and our President.  Many people are angered by his governments economic failings, while he tries to reinvent himself as a world leader in the fight against terrorism and climate change.  The vote has two rounds as the number of parties is whittled down.  This time the first round saw a surge in support for the Front National (FN), France's far right.  There was a sudden effervescence by the other parties and the second round saw the FN kicked back into third place.  I remember the same thing some years ago during a Presidential race.
In my little village, traditionally left leaning, the FN led after the first round of voting to the shock and dismay of many.  Then to a collective sigh of relief the left wing won the second round.  But the worm is still there at the core of the apple.  Questions need to be asked as to why people are turning away from the mainstream parties to more radical alternatives.  We breath a sigh of relief again but the rot is still there growing slowly and gaining strength at each new test.
Personally as a citizen I feel ignored and forgotten by the powers that be.  While as an elected town councillor I feel powerless to make any meaningful change or have the voice of my neighbours heard.  I hope never to vote for the extremes but I do feel more and more compelled not to participate.  However we are told this plays in to the hands of the extremes.  So I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, if I vote for one of the mainstream parties nothing will change, but if I do not vote the extremists will win.  I wonder how many feel as I do?

A busy weekend of volunteering

The concept of "benevolate" is very strong here in France.  It translate as volunteering.  Many French people undertake some sort of "benevolate", giving their time for free to train kids in a sports club or run an "association" (club).
This weekend there were two big events in my local area.  The first was a "vide grenier" (car boot sale) to raise funds for the local primary school.  The "Parents d'eleve", litterally "pupils' parents", organise fundraising events throughout the year.  The autumn "vide grenier" is one of these, I wrote about it in 2012.  This year I helped out with setting up the tables before and clearing up after.
Unfortunately the event was scheduled at the same time as the annual "Virade de l'espoir", thereby stretching the volunteer resources.  The "Virade de l'espoir" is an annual, national event that raises money for Cystic fibrosis, or "Mucoviscidose" as it is called in France.  In our village the event takes place next to a local lake.  There is the obligatory "buvette" (tea stand), there was also one of these at the "Vide grenier", where drinks and snacks can be purchased.  Crepes spread with Nutella are an essential ingredient of any self respecting "buvette".  Then there are various stands offering prizes, a tombola, a book stall, a trampoline, and finally artistic displays by various dance and sport associations.  My particular favourite is the country dancing club.  The members are usually very serious and complain about not being able to dance in optimal conditions.  Apparently a wooden floor is essential to any self respecting country dancer.  The music often leaves me perplexed as a large part is more celtic than country, and the dance moves seem the same whatever the music.  Finally no display is complete without a few 'yeehas' randomly thrown in.  But it is all in a good cause and everyone present gives their time for free.
Since school went back in September (the rentree) every weekend has some type of event or activity that calls for volunteers.

Trail running

In recent years running seems to have exploded in popularity.  More and more of my fellow villagers drag themselves out of bed at the weekend to pound around our local reservoir.  Last year my wife decided to set a target for her approaching fortieth.  She set her mind on a marathon.  I tried to train with her but a torn meniscus in my knee gave me a good excuse to sit it out.  Despite not being an enthusiastic runner, my wife stuck to her training plan and in early 2015 completed the Geneva marathon.  I was there at the start and the atmosphere of anticipation and adrenaline was infectious.  Once all the runners had left I felt empty and very lonely.  Then at the finish I felt jealous and envious of all the successful finishers.

A few months later these feelings returned as we volunteered to help out with an Ultra Trail near our home in the Belledonne.  The Echappe Belle is not for the faint hearted, 144km and over 10, 000 metres of altitude during three days of trail running.  The race has the reputation of being very demanding.  We were at the finish line and saw the first and last runners come in.  The general atmosphere of good humour and the sense of achievement on the faces of the runners motivated me even more.   I decided that I would try and train for a race.

I picked trail running because of my love of the mountains.  Our family walks a lot, often from our own doorstep.  We have the advantage; some might say inconvenience, of living in the mountains.  So going off road and uphill is pretty much obligatory.  I had heard that trail running is less violent for the articulations than road running.  We are also very luck to have a trail station in the vicinity.

The concept of Trail station was launched a few years ago in the Chartreuse by the company Raidlight, maker of trail equipment.  Each station offers running routes of varying lengths and distances for trail runners.  So great training opportunities.

So with the lazy over indulgent summer ended and the kids headed back to school I have started running.  Just small runs of 6 - 10 kms, three times a week for the moment but I will intensify things from October.  And my goal?  Well I am undecided but the Echappe belle offers a shorter 47km run in a years time so who knows.  In any case I will be charting my trials and tribulations through my blog Time to trail train.

Changing career

For some time now I have been disenchanted with teaching English.  When I arrived in France some thirteen years ago, I hoped to find some work in tourism.  I naively believed that my four years experience managing a small museum in London would make me a good candidate.  Unfortunately I came up against the "diploma" barrier.  In France if you don't have a qualification in a particular field it is very difficult to work in that field.  I was advised to go back to school and study for a BTS in tourism.  However I had neither the money, time, nor inclination to return to study.  So I took the easy option and used my TEFL certificate to start teaching English to adults.  Teaching is an easy option as there is plenty of work and it is relatively well paid.  Despite this teaching has become a chore for me.  Dealing with French people's cultural hang ups about having to learn English bores me.  I would be a rich man if I had a euro for every new students who has started their first lesson with,
"Je suis nul en anglais" (I'm rubbish at English)
before going on to speak passably well, or telling me,
"J'ai un accent épouvantable en anglais" (I have a terrible accent)
before speaking with a slight accent that would be a miracle to eliminate.  Then they sneer at any French public figure with the courage to speak in English.  No it's time for me to move on and leave the battle to younger more motivated teachers.
So the question is what to do?  I have far too many interests.  A couple of years ago I undertook a 10 day course in "Permaculture", and since then have tried to promote it in my local community.  At the same time I was invited to sit on the local council.  I also found myself volunteering my kids local primary school; accompanying outings and giving short English lessons.  All this required time which was difficult while teaching.  Over the years various clients have asked me to translate documents for them so I decided to try my hand as a translator.  This frees me to indulge in my other activities.
Then out of the blue the headmaster of the local primary school asked if I would be willing to accompany the school trip to the sea, "La classe de mer".  I would be going as one of the four parent volunteers who accompany the trip.  I also learnt that there would be four "BAFA animateurs".  BAFA animateurs are people who have passed a certificate to look after children in after school clubs and during school holidays.  The experience of accompanying the school trip was very positive and I enjoyed it so much that it set me to thinking about working with children.
I decided to complete the BAFA training.  The training involves a first 7 day initial training course, followed by a 14 day work experience, and finally a 7 day final training course.  On my initial course I was the oldest participant, even counting the trainers.  During my evaluation I was asked why I was there.  Very often the BAFA is used by young people for a summer job to earn pocket money.  I patiently explained, as I have had to many times since, that it was to have a qualification which enabled me to work with kids.  The BAFA is a quick and cheap qualification to have.
My 14 day work experience was undertaken with my local "centre des vacances", run by the town hall for the village kids.  We organised daytime activites for children aged between 3 and 17, in three age groupings.  I was lucky enough to work across all age groups.  Again this was a positive expereince even if some of my young colleagues were lacking in motivation and dynamism.
My final BAFA course was a little different, the participants were older and I chose a specialisation in nature.  Everything went well and I obtained my diploma.  Over Christmas and the new year I found a job running a "Kids club" in an holiday centre in the Alps not far from my house.  With two other colleagues I was looking after kids while their parents skied.  It was a good opportunity to test my new skills but also to meet and discuss with people working in tourism.
Now I am wondering what is my next step.  I have applied to some summer camps but committing to two months away from home is difficult.  The idea of being a nature guide is appealing but I lack a biology or ecology degree which most employers would demand.  What is certain is I really do not want to go back to teaching.  Changing career in France is not easy but if you are determined enough it is possible.

Is France going down the drain?

I once had an idea for a book titled, "How France made me a capitalist?".  Recent news stories on the BBC; "France's Macron faces baptism of fire over economy reforms" and "French 'mess' threatens real civil strife" seem to suggest that I should write that book.

The present socialist government is trying to push through reforms that they hope will reboot our failing economy.  Unfortunately as always when a French government tries to introduce a reform self-interested groups are protesting to protect their "acquis".  These "acquis" are work benefits, such as early retirement for TGV train drivers, and cheap or even free electricity for EDF staff.

The main objection to the current reform is that it will allow extended Sunday opening for shops.  Today shops can open five Sundays a year with the permission of the "Prefect" in each region.  The reform proposes to raise this number to twelve.  The opponents believe Sunday is sacred and should be spent with families, ignoring the fact that many people work on Sundays already, and few people spend their Sundays in church or with their families.   Sunday opening would create jobs and perhaps raise consumption.  Personally I think the opponents are missing the real problem with the reform seven days of extra shopping is not going to save the French economy.  This reform is minor tinkering with a system that needs a major overhaul.

One aspect of this major overhaul was in the reform but has been pushed aside faced with opposition of Pharmacists.  It is the liberalisation of Pharmacies, unlike in the United Kingdom; supermarkets in France cannot sell over-the-counter medicine.  The monopoly is held by Pharmacists who often overprice these medicines, knowing that there is no competition and they are likely to be reimbursed by customer’s health insurance.   If this reform was passed over-the-counter medicines would become cheaper and this would save the indebted health service money.  Pharmacists are not the only monopoly and the reform seeks to open up other professions.  However it faces strong opposition from the members of all these professions.

I have been in France 13 years now and as my children grow up I really wonder whether it is a good idea to stay.  Many young educated people I meet are planning to go overseas after their studies, I wonder if they will come back, and what the France that they come back to will be like.  The most frightening aspect of France's present situation is that the only politician with the courage to make major changes is Marine Le Pen of the Front National.   I foresee a bleak economic future for France and a FN presidency if someone does not step up to the plate and pass reforms that will make them deeply unpopular but might just save France from itself.

Banque alimentaire and charity at Christmas time.

This weekend was the annual national collection for the "banque alimentaire".  The food bank collects food and toiletries which are then distributed to people in financial difficulty.  In my village the local councillors and CCAS (Centre communal d'action sociale) volunteers collect donations.  The collection takes place at the end of November in local supermarkets.
It was my first time, and I was interested to see how people reacted to be asked for charity in a time of crisis.  So I donned my orange vest and took my place at the entrance handing out leaflets with a smile and a "Bonjour".  As the collection is an annual event and well publicised people weren't surprised to see us and almost everybody donated something.  Nobody challenged our right to be there and solidarity still seems to exist, at least in my corner of the world.  However a number of people asked where the food was distributed, and were satisfied when informed that it was given to people in the immediate locality.  Suggesting charity still begins at home.
We filled supermarket trollies with the cans of food, pasta, rice, biscuits, etc. that people donated.  Once these were filled they were ferried to a garage that is used as a food store.   By the end of the weekend we had filled a garage lined with shelves, and my colleagues told me that we had collected more than the previous year.  This food is then distributed to people who request help over the following year.
This generosity is all the more impressive when you know that the annual "Restos du coeur" winter campaign has started.  The "Restos du coeur" was created by the legendary French comedian "Coluche".  It aims to provide assistance to homeless and poor people during the hard winter months. So we are asked to donate to them.  Then this weekend is the annual "Téléthon" event which raises money to fund research into, and treatment for Neuromuscular diseases.  So we will be expected to donate to them as well.  At the same time my two kids are selling their school and sports club calendars.  Any day now the "Pompiers" will ring my door bell to sell their calendar.  All these demands at Christmas time, it is a wonder there is any money left over for presents.
Mind you I would rather donate money than fight over discounted Televisions on Black Friday, something which has happily not yet arrived in France where solidarity is more important than consumption.