First post of my Paris 2010 blog! Can't believe the journey has finally begun...
Just arrived in Newark, NJ at 5:30 and the flight to Paris doesn't leave until 9:30 pm. Supposed to arrive at 11:05 am tomorrow in Paris! Only a few more hours...
Figured I'd give my immersion into French life a head start by checking out what the hot topics in France are today. One glance at the New York Times homepage produced two articles that, in my opinion, could not embody more quintessentially the issues France faces today.
Does it come as a surprise that one of the articles was about French Union workers striking yet again? The other issue, not as widely-recognized by most non-French citizens, is the growing role of Muslims in the composition of the French populace.
The first article, titled "Halal Foods Expand Reach in France" describes just that--how the European country with the highest number of Muslim citizens is dealing with the social adjustments that come with welcoming a minority into the general population. The problem, it seems, is that the majority of French citizens and the French government aren't ready to accept the fact that Muslims, in the very near future, will no longer be a minority. There are six million people practicing Islam in France today and the number is growing exponentially. For the past three decades, immigration rates to France have been on the rise, and the number of immigrants originating from Africa has been the most steadily increasing contribution to the population of France as a whole. According to an article I found online (http://www.focus-migration.de/France.1231.0.html?&L=1) the countries with the most significant numbers of immigrants have been Algeria, Morocco, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Turkey, Algeria having the highest and Turkey having the lowest. And because of this, "increased control of admissions and the integration of second- and third-generation descendants of immigrants represent the most important challenges for immigration policy-making in France in the near future." In the 90s, the Minister of the Interior, Charles Pasqua, even pursued "immigration zéro," a zero immigration policy. Seems a bit backward to me with the inevitable globalization that is occurring every day.
Having been to Tunisia and gotten a taste for what the relationship is between Tunisians and the French, it will definitely be interesting to observe the other point of view. And hopefully I'll be able to retain my Arabic skills should it be necessary/convenient for me to use them....
The other article touches on a sensitive area of U.S.-French relations in terms of one country's perception of the other. The French may view Americans as crass, fat, and obnoxious, but Americans tend to view the French as snobbish and a bit detached from reality thanks to the French Union's high-scoring record of strikes over the past few decades. I can't tell you the number of times that I've heard someone respond to news about France with "Doesn't surprise me" or "Oh, those French...striking AGAIN?"
So much to take in in 4 months, and I can't wait....
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