Or, rather, étudiants. For the last month or so, the French university system has been thrown into chaos, with many professors and students going on strike to protest certain reforms to the status of enseignant-chercheurs (research professors). I'm not 100% clear on what the proposed changes are or why this has provoked so many strong reactions. Nor have I really been affected by the strike because my fac, Lyon 3, is one of the more conservative ones, and hardly any of the professors are participating.
As the general grève seems to have had little effect, the angry students and teachers have taken on a different strategy. Almost daily, there are manifestations in Lyon's public squares, especially Place des Terreaux outside city hall. And today, when I was walking by the Lyon 2 campus, the buildings were actually blockaded -- tables and chairs from classrooms had been piled up against every entrance, and there were banners bearing angry slogans hanging out of many classroom windows. I regret not having my camera on me, because it really is a site to see. As my study abroad adviser from home wrote to me, I am really quite lucky to be experiencing this from afar. Apparently, several American universities are scrambling to put together programs for their students currently in France so that they can gain credit for the semester.
On a completely different note, I continued my Lyonnais theater tour with "Le jeu de l'amour et du hasard", a classic 18th century comedy by Marivaux. The theater was up on the hill of Fourvière in a very cute neighborhood that I've never explored before. And the theater itself was very pleasant, with a bustling bar in the lobby and affiches from former productions hanging on the walls. I say all this to put off my thoughts on the production itself, which I found horrendous. While the story itself was quite funny and entertaining, there was far too much over-acting and strange "artistic" choices to make it enjoyable.
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