So I know I haven’t checked in for awhile but I will be sure to get caught up. I am half way done with my program and time is FLYING by. Also, my french has improved so much it’s crazy. Anyway, this story comes from anger and frustration.
Today I took the bus home from the center of town. There are three busses that use my stop so there are always a lot of people there. Today, actually a few minutes ago, I was waiting at my bus stop and all was normal. All the sudden I see a lot of people moving towards my direction. I also see a man stumbling around. I think, ok drunk man annoying people for money, like usual. But no this man was probably 60 or 70 years old and has literally fallen on the ground, lost his glasses, and isn’t getting up.
Everyone around me just watches him lay there. Now, in america if you see a stranger pass out or something, most everyone goes and tries to help. In france, no one did anything. It was RIDICULOUS! So, I go over and get this mans glasses and give them to him. He looks at me still in a haze from the fall and says thank you. I ask if he is ok and help him get up. Finally, I ask if he is sick or drunk or what happened and he tells me he didn’t eat lunch today and is on the way to a friends house for dinner. Now, I said my french improved but I’m still not perfect so, with my grammatically incorrect phrase I ask if he needs help getting to his friends house or going to the hospital. He tells me no and that his bus is arriving now. By this time most everyone else is making a line for the bus completely apethetic towards this poor man.
ANyway, I help him onto the bus, and luckly two other girls about my age tell me they will help him get to his friend’s house.
This really shocked me becasue I was thinking, if this was my father or grand father, I would hope someone would help him but everyone was so pre-occupied with their own lives and they were so apethetic. It was shameful. I, probably the only person there who doesn’t speak french well, was the only one willing to approach this man and try and help. I am not proud of the french people right now and very frustrated that they were not willing to do anything for this man.
Hopefully something good will happen soon so the french can redeem themselves but don’t hold your breath.