anaroundtheworld

I love presidential election time. It's a time when hearing the news you can see all the media tricks the candidate are playing on us.

Appart from the image marketing: Ségolène with her white jacket and Sarko with his white shirt, there's the lobbying on what should journalists say, how to influence the audience by auto-realising prophecies.

The most blatant example is the fact that Ségolène is a poor public speaker. Sarkozy being a very good one, just like me you might think "he's going to eat her up during the very first debate". Logical! I would think that having no charisma on meeting and be unable to formulate one's idea clearly is kind of a low point for a candidate.

But it might turn up very differently! Our left-side newspaper are praising this unability to speak in public, saying Ségolène is such a good example of what French people are today. Personally, most French being poor bad public speaker I would expect my future president to be a little bit above average. But what remains is that is not in the interest of Sarkozy to eat her up anymore, he'll look like the elitist bad guy.

Won't this level down the poltical debate? Should our president be an average Joe/Jane? Is it so bad to be part of an elite that you should hide it by anyway you can?

Today I wonder...

Is she a politician who can actually admit that she doesn't know everything and that opinion can evolve? That she doesn't always have the one and only solution just because she tought about it while cooking diner. That other people's opinion can contribute in finding better solutions?

Or she is just a would-be idol, as some Socialist Party's member said "with ségolène it's Pop Idol every day, we never know if she is not going to tell a blunder and be voted out of the island"

Well to decide I have only one question : yesterday night, was it possible to vote by sms?

Last week an Economics Nobel Prize winner was invited on the Le Monde chat room to discuss on the matter of inequalities.

As the chat was entertain by French people, the US were held as the perfect example of inequalities in the world.

Is that true? I mean I always considered the US as a land of opportunities! Had it changed so much?

And as our economist quoted his ex-teacher If I knew the answer to this tricky question, I would already be in New-York making money it tickled me: it seems natural this guy wasn't going to Paris with a good idea. No way he could make money there!

So here we have the average French Joe, holding the US as THE land of inequalities, thinking only about what we call in France "poor workers", the Mexican immigrant who has to put up with 2 jobs to live.

And on the other side a teacher who thinks of the US as THE land of opportunities and relate much more to the wealthy self-made business man driving his Ferrari to get to his house in Santa Monica.

Should we see a direct relation between inequalities and opportunities?

Here is my insight and please feel free to give me yours.

French are not ready to accept low-paid job or workers with 2 jobs. It remains something we should all unite against. Why? Because the poor guy has no hope here. What he is doing today is what he is going to do for the rest of his live. At least it is how we see it and that IN FACT makes it unbearable.

As in the US there is a way out. Why is it so much more accepted? Because it is not seen as fate.

And this thought, that there is no hope here, is what makes me a sad example of one of our French problem: la fuite des cerveaux (brain-drain).

I am no genius but a well-educated 23-year old girl. I am motivated and willing to work hard and become wealthy. I feel I have no unbreakable link with France and that the world is a 10-hour flight away. So what should I do? Stay and work in a country were the world liberalism is considered an insult? Were even with a wonderful work of imagination there is no way I will ever drive a Ferrari to my house on the beach.

Well, no! It's a shame but I see no opportunities here of making my ambitions come true and I'll be in line very soon among my classmates to sell this valuable education France gave me to another country.

Maybe we found a way of reducing the opportunities: letting ambitious ones go!

It striked me as I was talking to one of my school friends "I might go to Shanghai for a few days, see some friends..." Then I heard myself talking... Whao!!!!
I always try to keep in mind that I am a privileged girl whenever I talk, and yet this sentence seemed so harmless.

Explanation. My family and I live in a VERY little town in the French countryside (which we will call PV). You know, ugly-industrial-2000-inhabitants city.
Population: The grant parents used to be farmers (chicken is our thing), the parents are chain workers and the children are whether chain worker, baker, or unemployed. The girls who were in my class now have at least 2 children (often from 2 different men otherwise no fun), they are not working but receiving our beloved French Allocations. They haven't got farer than Lyon, which IS the 2nd biggest city in France but also only 100km far from PV.
And I am here talking about my future exchange program in Taiwan and how it would be nice to see my Shanghainese friends and how I am going to organise my 1 month bacpacking trip through Asia before I start working.

The world is my hometown, this could me my motto, and I am very aware I am lucky to be able to say that. So please, if you are not a 23-year old single mother stuck in PV, take this motto as yours, travel around the world, see all the beautiful things and people who won't stay this way eternally (Mc Donalds coming fast).

Go out and see the world : The world is your hometown!!!

As I will be going in Taiwan as an exchange student, I started wondering what exactly was the status of this island.

I knew that the People's Republic of China (PRC) considered Taiwan as a province and that Taiwan considered itself as an independant country.

But today I visited the Taipei city Government's site. And here is the 1st sentence : Taipei is the capital of the Republic of China WHAT??? Did I miss something?

It so appears that Taiwan considers itself as a country : The Republic of China (ROC). Where does that come from?

Here is a little bit if history : Taiwan has been populated bu successive wave of chinese immigration. In 1949 the Guomindang (Chinese nationalists) fled continental China as the Communists are gaining power. So if you're interested, Taiwan is the best place to see the remainings of Chinese traditions as there was no Cultural Revolution.

The Guomindang then claimed that they are the right representants of all China (continental included) which was not so hard as Mao didn't make Continental China take any place in the diplomatic world (no seat at the UN).

Then in 1971 as continental China reappeared in the Diplomatic world, Taiwan got ejected from its seat.

Taiwan's very modern army and the support of the US following the Taiwan Act has ensure Taiwan's autonomy's in the facts.

But should they claim their independance? The taiwanese are not so hot about it (there are the Green ones for Independance and the Blue ones for Reunification). They are independant in the facts and the PRC asserts that one of the main things that could lead to an armed conflict would be if Taiwan declared its Independance.

By whom is Taiwan recognised as an independant country? Some 25 small countries has recognised the ROC. Since 1971, when Taiwan lost its seat at the UN, a prerequisite to any diplomatic relationship with the PRC is the acknowledgement of the "Unity of china".

Today the status-quo still seems to be the best option for everybody. Except for me... Where the hell should I be going to get my visa? Chinese Consulate, Taipei's Paris Office? Anyway, in February I will be going in (People's) republic of China...

We have a contest among my family and some of my brother’s friends. Who will be able to bring back the most Kitsch picture from his trip?
As I couldn’t find the translation in English for kitsch, let me translate our definition: Tacky, provocatively exhibiting bad taste. I might add: therefore funny.

Up to this summer, my family hold the record with a picture of my father holding the Taj-Mahal with his two fingers and smiling this way: “I am so happy to be halfwitted”. Apparently some friends tried to do the same looking just a little bit more stupid.

The guy who I think should win this contest didn’t actually know there was one, that’s the beauty of it. My friend E. has gone to India for an exchange student program and was so happy and proud when displaying this fantastic picture. Of course I forwarded it instantly to my brother to let the world know we had a winner.

What makes this picture so good for us? You might have noticed the Taj-Mahal is THE best spot for kitsch pictures. So we were all playing “I’m holding it with 2 fingers”, “I smile like a dumb guy”… Etc. E. found out that what would make the difference at the Taj-Mahal was not how you were holding it but actually what you were wearing. Thank you E. for this fantastic Green & Pink striped T-Shirt, it allowed me to have the opportunity of claiming a finder’s fee.

Note: I wrote this post as I thought only my brother and E. had this address. I mean how could anybody find my blog, I am not advertising. Then I received a comment from Melissa. 2 questions then:
1) How come a girl from Australia finds me and leaves me a very nice post as my brother and my friend E. _ to whom I gave the blog’s address on my first day on-line_ didn’t even come and see?
2) The blog being visited _ apparently _ should I cancel this post and spare my friend shame-on-line?
As you can see I decided to half-spare him. I thought with this T-shirt he really didn’t need icing!

Back in Lyon I had the occasion of visiting my favorite bar once again. L'harmonie des vins, the best and original wines by the glass, fantastic cheese or home-made charcuterie.

Unfortunately it seems that the word has spread (I am regretting their RPPP) and it is now crouded every night. You even have to book a table for a drink at 6PM.

Anyway if it is Frenchness you're looking for, this bar really lives up to the stereotype!

The summer Palace of Beijing (Yihehuan)

This was my first trip out of Beijing (where I was spending 1 week holiday)
Not only did I discover the monuments (which are worth the trip) but that is also where I discover the US adoption trips. Scarry thing really.

It all started as I was wondering why there were so many people travelling with baby-carriage. I mean I gathered that there was some travelling agency specialising in burping infant with 10 pounds diaper bags, wouldn't you? At this instant I was feeling very sorry for the pour guys sharing their plane all the way from the US to Beijing with screaming babies.

Then, as a group passed by I realised all these American parents had somehow very Asian infant. It was Group Adoption Tour. You know, "As we are in china getting a child we might as well visit the place and make new friends who also adopted".

Do you find it strange too? I mean don't you think the adopting process and infertility (or other) problems carry something intimate that does not go well with Group travel?

Hi,

This is my 1st post, I am kind of a blog-virgin. Please be nice...

So what's the idea? In a few month I'll be once again out of the country (mine being France) for quite a long time. I hope that by visiting the blog my friends and family can keep in touch.

Also I realised that I have been lucky enough to travel quite a lot around the world, as a tourist but also as an expatriate. I hope I can share that and may be give some people the will to travel around.

So this is it! I'll start with some pictures and might then be bold enough to edit some opinions... you'll see.

Oh another thing : why in English? Well I do tend to speak English a lot during my trips (sorry Mum and Dad but is has to be said... German doesn't help so much) and let's face it : It does reach so much more people.

I hope you'll enjoy this little blog...