Vacation cont'd. cont'd.

Just a little update: Laetitia kindly took me to IKEA yesterday where I purchased two lamps, two tables, and a clothes rack. Today, everything is fully assembled and organized, so I feel like I'm home now! Pictures will come from Sunday's Halloween party, I promise ;)

More strikes predicted... Boo!!! And that's a sad boo, not a scary one! Laetitia said that she doubted students will show up back to class on Wednesday..

I started reading the French paper Le Monde to keep myself educated. Here are President Sarkozy's recent words on the retirement age issue, followed by a rough translation by me:

Interrogé sur le recours que le Parti socialiste veut déposer contre le projet de loi sur les retraites, M. Sarkozy a répondu : "Attendons que le recours soit déposé, attendons sereinement que le Conseil constitutionnel se prononce". 

[Questioned about the appeal that the Socialist Party wants to present against the bill on retirement, M. Sarkozy responded: “Let’s wait for the appeal to be presented, let’s wait serenely for the Constitutional Council to rule.”]

"Dans cette affaire, il n'y a qu'un seul vainqueur, la sécurité sociale", a estimé le président français. "Ce sont les Français, qui, une fois la loi promulguée, sauront que leurs retraites seront financées, que la solidarité ne sera pas un vain mot, que les retraités pourront compter sur leurs pensions de retraite."

 
[“In this affair, there is only one winner, social security,” assessed the French President. “These are the French, who, once the law is in place, will know that their retirement will be financed, that solidarity will not be a vain word, that the retired will be able to count on their retirement pensions.”] 

"Tous ceux qui partiront à la retraite dans les années qui viennent sauront que le système français de sécurité sociale, fondée sur la solidarité entre les générations, fonctionne. C'est tout", a insisté M. Sarkozy. "Pour le reste, des inquiétudes, souvent légitimes, ont été exprimées. Je les ai entendues, j'y ai réfléchi et je prendrai le moment venu des initiatives pour y répondre."

[“All those who are retiring in the coming years will know that the French system of social security, founded on the solidarity between generations, functions. That’s all,” insisted M. Sarkozy. “For the rest, the worries, often legitimate, have been expressed. I heard them, I reflected on them, and I will take the coming time of initiatives in order to respond to them.”]