If you’re wondering why I’m on Day 18 and others mention Day 16 or 17, it’s because I started writing this on Sunday March 15th when the government announced the first closures as the country passed into “Stage 3” of the pandemic. The confinement restricting people from gathering or hanging out in parks came in the days that followed, so by Tuesday the whole country was in lockdown. I hope that clears things up a bit. 😉
Learn French with French TV & Films
I’ve mention Qioz in previous newsletters, but for those of you in France who just haven’t “had the time”, now might be the perfect moment to work on your foreign language skills through the most popular French TV shows, films, an documentaries…French the way French people actually use it! Totally free, but only for “Franciliens” (technically that’s only residents of the Ile-de-France, but I’ve had a few people in other parts of France tell me it works fine for them)..or those of you whose VPN can make it look like you’re in Paris. https://qioz.fr/
Parisian Museum has a Sense of Humor
The Musée d’Orsay isn’t your average stuffy museum. They even have a bit of cheeky humor. In case you missed it from 2016, here is their playlist of famous artworks “corrected” and animated by the funny greeting card publishers Plonk & Replonk. I think the best one is “L’Enfer des Selfies” (Selfie Hell).
Organic Hand Sanitizer
After giving away 25,000 bottles to French hospitals for free, the French beauty site Aroma Zone (which has a cult following for selling the ingredients to make your own beauty and personal care products) is selling their “gel hydroalcoolique BIO” at cost (€2.20/100ml) on their website. You can only purchase one bottle per order, but I’m sure they will sell out quickly.
Living in France
The French consumer watchdog magazine “60 Millions de Consommateurs” is now producing a daily e-mail newsletter called “60 Millions de Confinés” to help people avoid scams and rip-offs during the lockdown, as well as useful information about the laws protecting consumers, and even original tips for how to stay sane under confinement that seem to go beyond the usual stuff being recycled elsewhere. If you live in France (and can read French), it’s worth signing up for the free newsletter (scroll down if you just want to read their archives).
First Sentence for Breaking Confinement Rules
Don’t go outside without your attestation. France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said police carried out 5.8 million checks since March 17th, and 359,000 fines have been issued since the lockdown. Yesterday the courts sentenced a 22-year-old guy to 105 hours of community service for repeatedly violating the lockdown (including four times in just one day). No one has gone to prison yet; I don’t recommend being the first! In the past 24-hour period 509 people have died in France from the coronavirus, bringing the total to 4032. If that’s not enough to keep you at home, the Ile-de-France hospitals are now so full they’ve started transporting ICU patients to hospitals in Brittany. If you or your loved ones get sick and have to be hospitalized outside Paris, you can’t go with them!
Stay safe, stay inside. – Heather
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