法國人總是在度假還是只是 看起來如此？MP3_04

一提到放假，估計有不少跟小編一樣的上班族在兩眼發光呢！要是說到法國的假期，更是讓人羨慕嫉妒得“咬牙切齒”了！在日復一日的勞累中，誰不希望可以暫時告別繁忙，在假期中放松身心？雙休日、帶薪長假、法定節假日再加上其他假日，法國人最多每年大約有150天不用工作！OMG！這簡直就是“爽歪歪”了！不僅如此，在法國，只要在一家企業工作滿一個月，所有員工都可以享受帶薪假期，帶薪假期的天數根據員工一年之內的實際工作時間而定，每工作一個月，可“存下”2天半的帶薪假期，如果工作滿一年，那么全年帶薪假期天數為30個非假日。然而，幸福如人飲水，冷暖自知。對于身在福中的法國人來說，面對這些假期，他們是真的快樂，還是只是看起來如此呢？

Are the French Always on Vacation or does It Just Seem That Way？

Linda Wertheimer （Host）： As you plan your summer vacation， it might be hard to fit everything you’d like to do into the one or maybe two weeks of leave you’ve saved up. In France， people are dealing with the opposite problem—too much time off. And as NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reports， not everyone is able to enjoy all that vacation.

Eleanor Beardsley （Byline）： In a piece I wrote in May， I described how hard it is to get anything done with all the public holidays and vacation in France， especially the school vacation. French kids have two whole weeks off every six weeks， plus two months off in the summer. In response to my essay， I received loads of emails of support from ex-pats， but do French people share my frustration？

Pauline Dubois： （Speaking French）

Beardsley： I meet Pauline Dubois on a park bench as she watches her two children play. Dubois is able to fully benefit from the system. For starters， she’s a teacher， so she has the same time off as her kids. There are other reasons.

Dubois： （Through interpreter） During the two-week breaks throughout the year， we go to the family house in Brittany for at least one of the weeks. And the other week I usually take care of them with the help of one of their grandmothers.

Beardsley： A country house and 1）dependable grandparents are key and Dubois’s husband， like most French people since the 2）advent of the 35-hour work week， has about nine weeks of vacation. She admits not everyone is as fortunate.

Dubois： （Through interpreter） Not everybody can get away. As a teacher， after the February vacation， I see the kids who have tan marks from their ski 3）goggles and those who don’t.

Beardsley： Annick Metefia says vacation in France is seen as a human right， but it does divide the haves from the have-nots.

Annick Metefia： When you have a system indeed where there is a lot—quite a lot of vacation， you have the children in the poor families who don’t go on vacation.

Unidentified Child： （Speaking French）

Rayanne Dupuis： Oh， OK， very good.

Beardsley： But it’s not just the poor who can’t get away. Canadian Rayanne Dupuis and her French husband are self-employed， so they don’t have paid leave.

Dupuis： I have somehow been made to feel that my child has fallen behind because she doesn’t have a star yet in skiing in the French Alps.

Beardsley： Yes， Paris 4）elementary schools run inexpensive day camps when school’s out and the city offers recreational activities for children on a sliding fee scale. But after about age 9， many kids don’t wanna go to the day camp. Even they realize it isn’t true vacances.

I meet Pascale Achard waiting for a bus with her two children. For her， a working mother， the kids’ constant breaks are a hassle， but she says with the long， intense French school days， the children need the break.

Pascale Achard： Yes. They have a lot of vacation， but we are used to it. I mean， we’ve been born like this with this rhythm and we are used to it. And for me， at the end of the six weeks， they need to get off.

Beardsley： For an ex-pat not used to that rhythm， it seems the country is always off. At certain times of the year， it’s hard to get your car fixed or make a doctor’s appointment. Michel Roggero owns this small café near the Eiffel Tower. He says he struggles.

Michel Roggero： （Speaking French）

Beardsley： “The month of May almost has more days off than workdays with all the national holidays，” he says. Then there’s the long vacation in August. He says his café’s well-heeled 5）residential neighborhood is often empty. Roggero’s brother has come in for a coffee. He describes himself as a bluecollar worker and disagrees about the days off.

Unidentified Man： （Speaking French）

Beardsley： “Our vacation and days off can never be sacrificed，” says Roggero. “We’ve worked too hard for them.”

琳達·韋特海默（主持人）：在計劃夏日假期時，你也許會覺得把想做的事都排入攢起來的一周或兩周的假期內很不容易。在法國，人們擔心的是相反的問題——假期時間太多了。看看NPR的記者埃莉諾·比爾茲利發回的報道，并不是每個人都能把假期休完的。

埃莉諾·比爾茲利（撰稿人）：我在五月發表的一篇文章中說過，考慮到法國所有的公眾假期和休假，尤其是學校假期，要做完什么事可真難。法國的孩子們每六周就休息整整兩周時間，在夏天還有兩個月的暑假。關于這篇文章的回應，我收到了大量來自外籍人士表示認同的郵件，但是，法國人真的跟我有著同樣的困擾嗎？

波琳·迪布瓦：（講法語）

比爾茲利：我在公園的長椅上見到了波琳·迪布瓦，她當時在看著她的兩個孩子玩耍。迪布瓦能夠充分地享受這個休假制度帶給她的好處。首先，她是老師，所以她和她的孩子同步休假。還有別的原因。

迪布瓦：（通過翻譯）一年中每個兩周的假期里，我們會在我們布列塔尼的房子那待至少一周時間。剩下一周的時間，通常是他們的奶奶或外婆幫我一起照顧他們。

比爾茲利：在鄉下的房子和能幫上忙的祖父母或外祖父母對她來說很關鍵。自從每周35小時工作制實行以來，迪布瓦的丈夫跟大多數法國人一樣，每年有大約9周左右的假期。但她承認，并不是每個人都那么幸運的。

迪布瓦：（通過翻譯）不是每個人都走得開。作為一個老師，在二月的假期過后，我看到有些孩子臉上有戴滑雪護目鏡留下的曬痕，但有些就沒有。

比爾茲利：阿尼克·梅特福爾說假期在法國被視為一項權益，但是卻把享有假期和不能享有假期的人區分了開來。

阿尼克·梅特福爾：如果一個制度明確有很多——相當多的假期，你就會發現在貧困的家庭里，孩子們根本不會去度假。

不知名童聲：（講法語）

蕾恩·迪普伊：噢，好的，很好。

比爾茲利：但去不了旅行的不只是窮人。加拿大裔的蕾恩·迪普伊和她的法國丈夫都是自由職業者，所以他們都沒有帶薪假期。

迪普伊：在某種程度上，我被迫覺得我的孩子落后于人，因為她還沒有在法國阿爾卑斯山脈滑雪中獲得一顆星星。

比爾茲利：是的，巴黎的小學在放假時會舉辦收費不高的白天營，城市里也有為孩子們提供階梯收費的休閑活動。但大概九歲以后，很多孩子都不想去參加這樣的白日營了。他們甚至覺得這并不是真正的休假。

我看到帕斯卡萊·阿哈德和她的兩個小孩在等公交車。對于一個在職的母親來說，孩子們持續的假期是個麻煩事。但她也說，法國學校上課時間長，課程緊張，孩子們需要休息。

帕斯卡萊·阿哈德：是的。他們有很多假期，但我們都習以為常了。我的意思是，我們生來就過著這種節奏的生活，我們都習慣了。對我來說，六周結束后，他們就要出發了。

比爾茲利：對一個沒適應這樣節奏的外籍人士來說，這個國家看起來總是在休假。在一年的某些時候，要找人修車或預約醫生看診都很困難。米歇爾·羅杰羅在埃菲爾鐵塔附近開了這家小咖啡館，他說出了他的窘迫。

米歇爾·羅杰羅：（講法語）

比爾茲利：“算上所有的法定假期，五月休息的時間幾乎比工作日多”，他說。然后八月又是悠長假期。他說他的咖啡館所在的富人區通常都是空蕩蕩的。羅杰羅的兄弟來喝咖啡，他形容自己是藍領工作者，并不滿意放假的天數。

不知名男聲：（講法語）

比爾茲利：“永遠不能放棄我們的假期和休息日”，羅杰羅的兄弟說，“我們為此工作得太辛苦了”。