New Zealand National Public Holidays (and Valentine's for those)

I predict, yes, I predict, New Zealand will be dealing with omicron for a while. Maybe until June is a bit over the top, but April is plausible.

So I say prepare for "covid public holidays".

Waitangi Day: Sunday 6 February or Monday 7 February

(Valentine's: 14 February)

Easter: Friday 15 April, Monday 18 April

Anzac: Monday 25 April

Queen's Birthday: Monday 6 June

Matariki: Friday 24 June

- A.M.

Source:

https://www.govt.nz/browse/work/public-holidays-and-work/public-holidays-and-anniversary-dates/

Instagram

I've sold out to Instagram and, by extension Facebook (yeah, Meta... not).

But it will be the one and only social media platform I use. No Facebook, no Twitter, no TikTik, no Snapchat.

Fucking Instagram, I originally signed up and in the process I made a mistake and it disabled my account.

Why? Because. Do I hate Instagram and Facebook? Yes.

Is that contradictory? Yes.

Judge me? Ok. You can.

But in my defence, or rather a poignant point I bet you use Google or Amazon or whatever it may be even if you don't agree with it having more personal data than it should or the rich getting rich.

I was going to have it set up and ready to go for 1st Jan but then Instagram/Facebook fucked me over. I know the embedding means it looks ugly, but I'll try to sort it out.

Instagram will not be a direct connection to highonlifeandtravel.com, that is to say the posts, but rather a visual realization of the concept of 'High on Life and Travel'. You'll get a different angle through my eyes.

* had to re-write this post as I basically lost the original.

- A.M.

Jacinda Ardern self-isolation update

The 8 am RNZ news said Ardern will be tested today, 30th January, and isolated until Tuesday.

I wonder if she will go out physically and get tested or have it brought to her?

I will update this post with developments, as opposed to create another post (and as many until the situation ends).

For ... sake, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/460503/prime-minister-and-governor-general-in-isolation-after-possible-covid-exposure is relevant, but to stay on topic as it contains a lot of useful information, the below is not exactly clear to understand, possibly because of how they ordered it in the article:

"Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is in isolation until Tuesday and has had a Covid-19 test today after being deemed to be a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case."

"Ardern undertook a PCR test this morning. A statement from her office said she remained asymptomatic and continued to feel well. Results for the test are expected later today or tomorrow."

"The prime minister is asymptomatic and is feeling well and will be tested today and isolate until Tuesday, the statement said."

Speculation, wondering, guessing, worrying will not help: let's just wait and see the results of the test.

----------

Monday 31st January

Cindy Kiro's negative covid test was announced on RNZ's 11 am news. The link with Jacinda Ardern is she was also on the same flight as her.

Jacinda's negative covid test was announced at fives minutes past midday.

Whilst the news is good, it doesn't mean they won't get a positive test. So hold on to your hats.

-----------

Jacinda Ardern has not returned a positive covid test so she didn't get infected.

- A.M.

"Jacinda Ardern isolating after becoming close contact of Covid case", RNZ

Daaamn Sister. Taken down, so to speak.

One of the few people who govern a country/SAR/overseas territory etc. to - . Sorry, that is wrong. You/She has not been confirmed as positive.

I wonder if she has taken a covid test? I wouldn't be surprised if she has. Same goes for Dame Cindy Kiro, who recently enough became the Governor-General and not just that, the first Māori Governor-General.

Not that it necessarily matters, but Jacinda Ardern's managing of covid-19 in the New Zealand context has been on point (of course Dr Ashley Bloomfield has a huge contribution and she has stated this herself). She has not denied the existence of covid, she has not put the economy first, she has not continually put the population in and out of restrictions etc. She has been super competent. She is a working mother who is a female Prime Minister: four salient points there.

Maybe I am ignorant, but it sounds like she went on a 'normal' flight, ie not a chartered/private jet - a noteworthy point in terms of covid and a general context.

Another thought, presumably she lives with Clarke Gayford and her daughter Neve, so I wonder how her self-isolation impacts them.

She got her booster on 17 January - 12 days later is today, 29th. You are immunized at 14 days - statement of a fact. 

Also, again I will say: vaccines do not stop you getting infected. If anything, if Jacinda is infected with covid and if the people in the general population who find out/know she is infected and are vaccinated themselves and they believe they are safe, this is a great example close to home proving the vaccine, specifically Pfizer-BioNTech, is not the one and only solution. The one and only piece of knowledge you can takeaway from this piece of information can be the latter. And if Pfizer-BioNTech is the same as Oxford-AstraZeneca in terms of why the vaccine does not protect against infection, then you will not be surprised (go fucking inform yourselves if you are surprised).

If Ardern is infected and it impacts her badly, that will not be positive for her or the trust in the vaccine by the general population (which is a faulty belief in any case), or in general.

Fact: life does not stop

Fact: covid does not stop, it is 24/7

Possible fact: the only criteria to be infected with covid is to be a human being

- A.M.

Sources:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/460498/jacinda-ardern-isolating-after-becoming-close-contact-of-covid-case

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018817602/dame-cindy-kiro-the-first-female-maori-governor-general

Takeaway(s) from covid-19?

On an individual level, what is one thing you will take away forever from the covid-19 pandemic? Will it be seeing your loved ones more often? Accepting you can't control everything? Washing your hands after you go to the toilet and before eating? Realizing there are not enough nurses and teachers who have always been underpaid and overworked?

I don't know what I would or will take away on an individual level. I pretty much accepted mask-wearing and the other measures to contain covid; I wash my hands when I should; being thousands of kms away from loved ones is normal for me and the reality of nurses and teaching is not new to me. Not having the possibility to travel internationally like pre-covid is starting to get to me I think. I think it's a direct consequence of covid as opposed to a symptom of something else.

Travelling is part of my fabric and flying, the actual act of flying, feels great. It's so familiar. I don't get homesick, I am not scared of going to places I have never been before. When you live in a place as tiny as this and travelling is in your blood, it would be nice to know you have the possibility to leave and return like before covid. But I don't.

On a global level, covid has just proven by being in your face facts I already knew - inequality is everywhere, incompetency is everywhere, economy seems to be more important than health for some governments (hey, idiot governments, how do you have a domestic and/or global economy with sick or dead people? It takes at least 18 years until you can contribute to society fully) and more.

I think WHO, whilst not perfect should be able to not just advise/recommend on a global scale: it should be able to implement and enforce legally on a global scale; impose fines on a global scale and the like. It is still the global voice on health expertise but it doesn't have the power to practically contain covid via the governments. For example it cannot stop the rich governments from buying all the available vaccines that the poorer or poor governments need.

Of course, I have no knowledge but this is also why I am not in government or am not an employee of WHO or any other powerful authority. No way do I have the knowledge nor skill to make decisions like that.

Then again, as for travel, technically I can, I just need enough time and money, excluding if I end up staying in a place longer than planned. You can save money and time for tickets, quarantine/isolation, accommodation but not for changes with an indefinite time-frame due to covid.

- A.M.

Un, deux, trois people and places

Hong Kong government employees

Clarke Gayford

Boris Johnson

What do they all have in common?

They think they deserve(d) preferential treatment and/or broke covid regulations/advice.

Johnson's was on 20 May 2020, but it's front page news now. I've never forgotten what my secondary school teacher said (and I don't know it if was original): Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others.

Situations like these have come up before I think, or if they haven't, in any case, this time around the reaction seems fierce.

Hong Kong has omicron in the community, but has basically got delta under control and, more generally, covid. Government employees had a large party and this was after criticism from Carrie Lam about Cathay Pacific, specifically one of the aircrew not abiding by regulations, which is the reason omicron is in the community.

Clarke Gayford, Jacinda Ardern's fiancée, tried to get Rapid Antigen Tests for his musicians friends after DJ Dimension revealed he was positive with omicron, NZ's first case of it ever*. This was when that wasn't the Ministry of Health NZ's advice.

Boris Johnson attended a party at 10 Downing Street which went against covid regulations.

Whatever you think about all the strings involved that form your reaction, it seems the news has broken, and it's been taken hard, from three places at the same time for basically/essentially the same reason. Possibly one explanation for the intensity is because in Hong Kong and New Zealand's cases, omicron is recently present or recently potentially present. As for England, it was in lockdown.

I could say a lot, but possibly one of the issues at the most basic level is: regardless of your status, if you are seen to be hypocritical, you have to work hard from the time your behaviour triggers this.

* correction: first related community exposure

Source:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/459492/pm-tight-lipped-on-clarke-gayford-s-apology-over-rapid-antigen-tests

- A.M.

WHO: omicron vaccine or ccines

I just read an article about WHO stating a or more specific vaccines are needed for omicron. This seems to be a self-contradiction when they said current vaccines should work, which is understandable given what experts don't know about omicron but their tone was one that was more certain.

I do agree with them wanting prevention against infection as none of the Western-made ones stop infection. They also want ones that last longer, which I'm not against.

Their criteria for this or these new vaccines is demanding, reading them made me think if there was pressure before, fuck there is no doubt about there being pressure now. It seems WHO are trying to solve inequity and strict restrictions in our daily lives via the vaccines with the criteria because governments, specifically rich ones, are taking all the vaccines. Not that they might not for future covid vaccines, but maybe if you create fairness at the source, the vaccine, there are more chances.

331 specific vaccine candidates are in the pipeline with this WHO criteria. Likely, like the current vaccines, only a small amount will be actually used.

The only factor stopping me from getting my booster is enough time between the second and booster shot. I wonder if a 'better' vaccine will be available by the time I'm eligible or if I will wait if it's confirmed by the government to be available. Of course, I'll take the local covid, specifically omicron, situation into account.

- A.M.

Wellington, a location of interest

So I said it seemed NZ had contained Omicron. Ah, I correct myself. Covid-19. So maybe this post is completely and utterly irrelevant.

It seems covid may have spread. Wellington is the new potential populated location. And if it's omicron, not only might it spread faster than in a rural location but it's where a lot of the government operates out of. And of course Rotorua, Waikato, Mount Maunganui among others. Auckland: the situation seems to be under control. But of course, the number of people flying in seems to have increased: places of origin that frequently pop up are the USA, UK, Aus and that needs to be carefully monitored.

Delta spread fast in Auckland, omicron likely will too. And being vaccinated does not matter in terms of transmission because you can be asymptomatic or not realize you have covid so spread seems much easier too. For the individual, less negative impact is good but containing covid is also important.

Interesting NZ is considered a developed country, maybe even rich. But it has not copped any flak for rolling out boosters. Yes, they help the Pacific Islands and donate to them too, but they are still boosting. They are also going to vaccinate kids. They've also bought pills to fight covid.

Maybe in this respect NZ is a 'little' country, not much economic nor political clout like the US and the UK and/or a leader who attracts attention like Macron or Bolsonaro.

Yes, NZ has by and large been praised for handling covid well, but that comes at a certain price - Delta introduced itself and NZ made international headlines for going to their level 4 alert level because of 1 case.

...

- A.M.

Source:

https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/wellington-cases-linked-tauranga-drum-and-bass-festival

The little things. As a result of covid-19?

I bought a can of tinned food that was slightly rusty. I've noticed rust for a while and the only reason I can come up with is if it's been sitting on a container ship longer than is ideal, before covid-19 existed and because of it. I generally try to stay away from cans with rust/dents but for some reason I bought it.

I also noticed a bottle of juice I bought tasted off. It had that 'off fizz' but I drank it. Not the whole bottle all at once. I will say I didn't have any bad side-effects. The juice was ok, but it would have been better if it didn't have that fizz. The seal wasn't broken either.

Maybe its taste was impacted by covid too, because it had been sitting somewhere for too long, possibly not in a refrigerator.

As a related digression, I've ordered products online and had them delivered because I trust the retailer/company/merchant etc. and/or I can't buy the product here. I have received all packages in the standard frame, 7-14 days, sometimes less than 7 days. It has to travel internationally very far too. Maybe I am lucky and I do not doubt there are people who wait weeks for a package that would have previously taken 7-14 days to be delivered, I just have no experience of it.

I did send my passport to be renewed and it took three months but that was sent off in the first quarter of 2020 when most places were getting to grips with covid-19. Then I had to re-apply to renew my passport because their system is fucked.

Anyway, it's interesting because you wonder if some details are due to the pandemic or not.

- A.M.

One of a kind and of the few that has my heart, if not the only one

I think I'm going through a 'phase' so my posts are addressing you. I don't usually address you directly.

Do you have a constant? By 'constant' I mean a song/film/band/person etc who has been in your life since you were a child and/or as far back as you can remember? That's a want that's become a need?

I do. As soon as I experienced it as a child I have never let it go. I was a fully-fledged supporter and I have paid every time I can experience Them. They are international, they are truly one of a kind and as close to perfection as you can get.

No one who hasn't seen them understands. And you can't really describe them.

Every time, every single time their quality is top-notch and they never disappoint me. They manage everything in-house and it's an immense team effort.

Whenever I see them I do not skimp, I pay top dollar for the best experience and by God it is worth it.

They are about the only constant I feel so deeply about that I have in my life. I don't think I will ever feel or have another like it.

Even if I can never experience them again, I think the biggest problem right now is covid-19, they will always always be a part of me and they will always have my heart.

I am lucky enough to have been exposed to them in the nicest way and introduced to them because not everyone has the means.

I forgot, one time I wasn't organized enough so I missed them one time. But that is the only time.

I actually put time, money and effort in to see them. I've flown domestically because of my love for them. I always have time, money and effort for them.

Je t'adore.

- A.M.

Covid-19 is indiscriminate

So NZ welcomed the New Year with Omicron in their minds and so far, the government seem to have contained omicron, which is in the community by the way.

We did not welcome 2022 with omicron, but now we have started the year with it and the government have reacted. They did make an announcement they would not put in a restriction and 24 hours later they have. Whatever you make of it, it is now the case.

Although we are one of the safest places to be during the covid-19 pandemic and we have the money, infrastructure and manpower to contain covid, we have more omicron cases than NZ, not many more, but silent transmission might be a fact. It's not just the government of course, it's covid, specifically omicron. You're at least one step behind it, regardless of how competent your government is.

I might have to work from home, which I just said I had only done once since January 2020. This time it seems to be because of the transmission speed of omicron, not because we didn't exactly know about covid-19. The continuation of restrictions already in place and new ones, in addition to possibly working from home, has me a little worried and that is saying something.

I know I shouldn't react too negatively about working from home, I actually have no reason to really, especially considering other places like the USA, France, Australia and the like have confirmed cases and deaths far higher than ours. I suppose it's that immediate emotional response without rational thought. Nowhere near the panic I feel for Aotearoa in relation to covid-19 as I've mentioned before. And it's not panic that I feel for Aotearoa and only Aotearoa.

Though I will say here and now:

1. Covid vaccines are not the one and only solution: they help the individual who has the vaccine and they help contain the spread of covid. They do not stop you getting infected.

2. Covid does not take into account:

Race

Sex

Sexuality

Young or old

Health ie if you have a or any medical conditions/diseases/are immunocompromised or a clean bill of health

Vaccinated or unvaccinated

Rich or poor

Fit or unfit

Tall or short

Underweight, a normal/healthy weight, overweight, obese or morbidly obese

Believe in conspiracy theories or don't believe in conspiracy theories

Well-known or not well-known

Pregnant or not pregnant

Good or bad

The only criteria seems to be that you're a human being.

This continually shocks/surprises/worries/outrages etc. you? This is covid-19.

The best you can do is protect yourself (and others) as best you can. Vaccination is better to have than not have, but if you are unvaccinated, you can still protect yourself (and others).

- A.M.

A new dimension, a find

I discovered the game 'Evo Explores' on miniclip.com and after about three or four nights straight where I kept playing from the beginning each night, I finally got to the end. The only time I needed help was on the first 'chapter' of level 14 where I just couldn't figure out how to press the button.

My God, it's a great game because it really makes you work mentally. Perspective and patterns and rotating and buttons. The colours pull you in, the design is clean and smooth.

Level 13, I think it's the first part, which is cool. I didn't find it hard myself.

It's hard to describe the game, it really is something you have to experience. I think I may try 'Evo Explores 2' if I can and 'Monument Valley' (I think that's its name): I read a comment 'Evo Explores' is a rip-off of 'Monument Valley'.

I'm not installing on my phone or paying to play I'm sorry.

But I did see the cost and downloads of a game in my app store and thought if the total amount of money goes to you and nothing is deducted for tax, that's not bad. Or even with tax, it's still a large enough amount of money.

Maybe I will go back to "Motherload", I don't know.

Not to take the spotlight from 'Evo Explores' away but 'Little Big Planet' on PlayStation is an awesome game too.

- A.M.

Death by water and on the road

Congratulations New Zealand: a high holiday death toll on the road, deaths and injuries related to water and now I bet a lot of you are talking about the heat.

I'm fairly certain most if not all of the deaths and injuries were preventable but New Zealand has a driving problem in the sense there are too many deaths. And a dangerous drinking culture.

As for the heat, really? That's nice. Too hot? Go stand under a tree for ten minutes or less; and be thankful you don't have 90% humidity. Heat is fine, humidity is not. I actually wrote a post about this, https://welcometohighonlifeandtravel.blogspot.com/2021/06/heat-and-humidity.html.

I remember feeling it once. It was high 20s at the least and I could feel "oh my God it's so hot I'm not going to work or move I'm just going to lie on my bed otherwise I'll die." Really? Then don't ever go to Cambodia or Australia or Africa where they're used to more than 30° Celsius. Also, be thankful NZ basically has no humidity. Hong Kong is 'nice' at 70%, but you have to get used to 80-90%.

Climate change you can control to an extent, but in general there's not much you can do when the mercury hits 30° and you just have to deal with it. However, I am sure you do not have to drive drunk and/or speed and/or have to get to your destination that urgently and/or do it with drugs in your system. That is entirely preventable. You get one life. If your heart stops, you die. You do not get a second chance. If you're brain dead, you cannot look after yourself, literally. Is it really worth the risk?

It's not just about you either. It's about the impact your death will have on others. I know you might not think of that when you get behind the wheel. But it doesn't mean your death won't impact other people.

Yes, the pandemic. Yes, Summer. I don't know if the pandemic is an excuse or reason. In any case, it doesn't matter. You are still taking a risk and you are still dead.

For as long as I lived in Aotearoa and as much as I know about it, drinking and people dying on the road has been a problem. That has more of a social effect than smoking for me: you don't die if you smoke a few cigarettes then drive home; you will likely not hit someone because you've been smoking whereas the risk is higher if you've been drinking. Smoking or not smoking will not cause you to get injured by water-related situations or die by drowning. Not being able to swim can cause drowning, not understanding the water and yourself can cause injuries and death.

Pain and love are some of the strongest emotions humans feel. If you can prevent pain, it's better.

- A.M.

The 'work from home' dynamic and possible future

Fifth Harmony's "Work from home" may have been funny at the beginning of the pandemic and even played purely to dance to, but around two years since China announced the as yet unnamed appearance of covid-19, formerly known as the "Wuhan virus", many, many people are over working from home and lockdowns.

I myself have only worked from home for one calendar month since January 2020 and I think that was because the government, and by extension my employer, weren't completely sure of covid's properties then. After we were back in office there was a large cluster so us working from home definitely wasn't related to case numbers. So I'm lucky.

We also had a strong typhoon while we were working from home but of course we didn't get paid extra because we didn't need to travel.

For the almost negligible amount of time I worked from home, I enjoyed it. Also, everything I needed was in close proximity. My job is one I leave at the office door too, which I think helps in this pandemic where the professional and personal life lines have blurred for many.

I don't think working from home purely as something that has come about from the pandemic will pick up for some jobs. Why? In-person is tangible and builds better relationships and overall health for all parties. In any case, the employer will want regular in-person check-ins. Humans by and large are traditional and in this case that means they have been working mostly in-person for years, it's familiar.

Technology can fail. It can fail in-office too but then you're less likely to get distracted in-office while you wait for it to be fixed than at home.

Ideally, I think many people who have sufficient experience working from home due to the pandemic would agree a separate room for work is preferable. And one per employed person. Which then means you might need to rent/buy a place with one or two rooms specifically to work. And one spare room for isolation purposes. Which not everyone can afford and indicates possibly what needs to be done on a general population level and for the general population going forward. Do we need living spaces with home offices for each person and a room for isolation purposes? If yes, that is new buildings governments have to build for people to live in.

An interesting note: being single and/or alone often seems to be something to be sad about if you're the subject and/or the subject should be pitied. Not being romantically involved and/or living alone seems to be the safest way to live right now to avoid catching covid-19 at home if you don't live with family/flatmates/a friend(s). I mean if you happen to not be romantically involved and/or happen to live alone. And if you feel safe being around strangers and do meet someone from a romantic point of view, it may be easier to go out to eat, the movies etc. as less people is preferable.

Covid-19 has had negative and positive impacts on all relationships.

One 'positive' I see is because it is a pandemic, millions of people have a general collective experience they can understand; and hopefully learn about cleanliness, the importance of the healthcare sector, the importance of teaching etc. SARS impacted Hong Kong the most; Ebola in 2014 Sierra Leone, mad cow disease in the UK (I think). Covid-19 is a connection millions have to varying degrees, but many from different places will be able to talk about mask-wearing, travel restrictions, vaccines etc.

Bisous.

- A.M.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1... 2022.

2022 has started.

Did anyone else notice the New Year was over the weekend, like Christmas was?

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to the frontline workers for fighting covid-19, you deserve a well-earned break and for those who worked and are still working over this holiday period, I thought of you. Your lives have been impacted and there is not much you can do about it. Many people forget you have husbands/wives/partners/girlfriends/boyfriends/significant others, children, brothers/sisters, parents, friends. You need to cook and eat and do the dishes, sleep, shower/bath, do the laundry, clean your house etc. Then maybe, maybe you have time to 'relax', but I doubt you can fully turn off.

I bet if you were given a paid month off, you could sleep for a week. You have no respite: every day you are mentally in overdrive, depending on your job, seeing death, sick people, scared people, and you can't reassure them, you can't even pat them on the shoulder if you wanted to. "We'll do our best" is all you can really say. You're at risk of catching covid and passing it on to your colleagues and loved ones. Those in health, especially nurses, midwives, orderlies etc. are overworked and underpaid and there are never enough of them, without covid. Doctors are in with you this time, but are probably still paid more.

You are some of the strongest people throughout this pandemic. Parents are some of the strongest people in non-pandemic times but frontline workers who are parents, I salute you. And if you're a frontline worker who is a single parent, you are amazing. You may not fully realize how strong you are but I assure you you are.

Has anyone made any resolutions? What kind? Why? Why not?

I didn't get my shit together in time for the 1st of January 2022 so I don't have as many resolutions as last year but maybe if I do get my shit together, they'll just be goals I work towards otherwise you defeat the point. I failed my 2020 New Year's Resolutions.

I suppose one big question is: will we be able to move more freely for a consistent amount of time? And will we be able to travel to another state and/or country more freely without wondering if we'll get infected with covid and/or stuck?

For me, we have just had scanning in become mandatory in certain locations, but no proof of vaccination needs to be presented as far as I know. We cannot travel overseas, but otherwise we can pretty much go about our lives without restrictions domestically. So that I think will probably stay the same. Flying I think will still be impacted, at least until the end of June 2022 if not longer. No place has opened up fully to all other places successfully and stayed as such. Small islands also rely on others such as the Cook Islands relying on New Zealand and/or Australia to open.

Another note to those who do not want to accept/believe it: vaccination reduces the effects of covid-19 but you can still be infected, regardless of the variant. Why? I can only speak for Oxford-AstraZeneca, but it could be the case for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna too: it was designed to reduce illness and death not protect you from covid-19 like a typical vaccine. Don't like it? Don't like the uncertainty? Not much you can do about it. Accepting you cannot always control every aspect of your life might actually be better for your mental health. Yes, covid is on a totally different level, but the concept is the same. Welcome to life: it is unfair, it is sexist, it is racist, you can't always have what you want, corruption is everywhere. You find a way, you achieve what you want your way, you get your happiness your way.

I don't see the point in saying Happy New Year. Instead I will say: Stay safe and healthy. Or if I'm pushed: have a healthy and safe New Year.

- A.M.

Mon histoire d'amour

I have to say I love the French and France: cheese, pastries, language, chocolate, films, culture, music, Paris and that je ne sais quoi. That is a lot and I really mean it for the je ne sais quoi. I can sometimes pick out someone who is French and I can't really explain why: their 'aura', walk, way they hold themselves, that chicness that only the French have which is why they are so fabulous at fashion. They also teach you philosophy in the last year of secondary school which shows a willingness to discuss. Yes, students then have to sit an exam, but my point is it's the discussion.

French films are also not Hollywood films and are comfortable with open endings, complicated endings etc., not the typical happy ending or ending that points towards hope. If there's a sequel in a Hollywood movie, maybe the ending won't be happy, it will be open or a cliffhanger, but that is different. French films also show life, reality, not a polished view where many female characters have perfect make-up and/or hair. French films are so much better than that Hollywood shit. Independent American films are closer to what French films are.

Paris is beautiful in my opinion. It has architecture, greenery with trees and their jardins, and culture is an intrinsic part of it, be it the people on roller blades, the métro, the living art, the smoking etc. It's all part of Paris.

France also have grandes écoles, a term and concept that can't really be translated. It's for super 'smart' students and there's an entrance exam hundreds of students sit. Practically all the French Politicians went to l'ENA. It's the representation of the French educational ethos: at school, marks are given out of 20 and the closer you get, the better it is and the better chances of not being unemployed. I think students in the French Education system are still some of the most stressed in the World according to reliable sources.

I have not met one French person say they speak English well. The education system breaks their confidence so even if you tell them their English is great they don't believe you. I have not met one French person who has bad English.

One last thing which I think is great. Voters for presidential candidates don't care about the candidates' personal lives: it's like "oh, really?" "Ok".

Au revoir.

- A.M.