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Integration (2)
'l'hrough force of clumsy experience, time,^ and^ persistence, foreign lcsidents may get beyond many^ of the rather^ trivial^ everyday barriers^ to inr:lusion in the city. What's cool or not matters less as you get older, and tlrt: jokes^ will eventually stop^ bothering^ you^ if^ you^ are^ thick^ skinned cnough. But traditional forms of ethnic exclusion are not the most difficult llarriers. In^ moving^ abroad,^ the^ Burostars^ stepped off^ their^ own^ pre- planned trajectory back home:^ the line^ of citizenship^ rights^ and benefits lhat was going^ to^ take^ them^ from^ cradle^ to^ grave^ as the^ comfortably nriddle class progeny^ of a^ wealthy^ European^ nation-state-society.^ On
l)aper, as European citizens, they should be able to hitch a lift on the local ilystem. But in reality it doesn't work quite as smoothly as that. Access to rrrembership benefits in nation-states is in the final^ analysis about the big rrnknowables of life and death; of sharing the burdens that life in^ society raises.It^ is only to be expected then that it is over -^ literally -^ life and rlcath issuesthat some of the strongest forms of renationalization appear. 'l'hese cut to the heart of the deepest middle classworries about the good
file^ : how to keep healthy and in good shape -^ i.e. existentialconcerns about rnedical protection and healthcare -^ and how then to preserve it for you rrrrd your^ family^ -^ i.e. questions of social^ reproduction,xtch^ as childrearing irnd future^ family^ life.
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StiU In
Therc is an endlessdebate in Britain about lbx'iurrt.r'ssponuine orr tltc National Health Service. Ironically, however, hardly an1 lor.ign liurrlx.un residents has anything good to say about it, and they will do anyrhing to keep their own health care both doctors and dentists (^) anchored at h<lrne. It is not uncommon for this to be the last thing that free movers shift to their actual residence;and this, again, varies according to the perceived quality and security ofrered by the local national system.In the end, the problcnr ir one about the high level of trust you need in order to have faith in a forcigrt systemwhere you don't speakthe language. Talking to a doctor or a dentist about how you feel is in fact one of the most difficult things you might cvcr need to express.Hence it is one of the last nationalized bastions you would give up, no matter how mobile the rest of your life is. Franz is one of the most mobile in London, yet he is anchored in Germany, healthwise. Unlcsr it's your "mother tongue", he says,it's very hard to "explain where it hurts", What he is getting at here is that your mother tongue is also the language you speak to your mum (^) when you have a bad tummy (^) or your teeth hurt. It's about as primary as it gets. so how does the British National Health service the surrogate mother nation do in these terms? (^) Franz grimaccs. No way, with all the horror stories he's heard. "It's m1thealth." Clearly, to not move one's very personal health security to the place where you are living is a big issue blocking settlement. Brusselscomes out quite positively on these questions; Amsterdam is more (^) di{ficult. But in London, just mentioning health care questionsopens the door to torrents of negative critique. The NHS is universally seen as one of the worst medical systemsin Europe. The residentsfrom France -^ Nathalie, Laure, Nour, and Philippe all laugh (^) bitterly, while recounting nightmare (^) stories of their encounters with it. Nathalie couldn't believe the bad hygiene she saw when she visited the gynaecologist. Laure's daughter was wrongly (^) diagnosed with asthma when they refused to do a routine x-ray on her lungs. Back in France she was correctly diagnosed with double pneumonia. Nour was refused routine tests and told she should just take liquids and her faintness would pass. A friend helped put her on the Eurostar train to Paris where testsshowed all kinds of things wrong with her blood count. She saysthere is no philosophy of prevention or well-being in Britain. Philippe complains about "criminals" who tell you to take an aspirin when you are sick, or offer an appointment in three days for a baby with an emergency 100 and some- thing fever. He hates the "communist" (^) set up in Britain. And (^) so on. The negative comments are much the same if you are Spanish, Italian, Irish, or German. carlos and Susana (^) have "fortunately very little" experience (^) of the NHS. They have kept their insurance in Spain, have all their testsin Spain. Their dentists are also in Spain. It helps that carlos has a GP brother in
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lrr thc light of all this, it is surely a poor joke that British politicians still insist ,,rr playing the welfare spongers card, talking about NHS access as an ,ugument for why migrants come to Britain (asopposedto elsewhere).This is n()nsense:foreign European migrants maintain doctors and dentistsat home. lrr {irct, therefore, the reverseis true. The British labour market is getting a lit'c ride on continental social security, social dumping the costs of maintain- rrrg-a fit and healthy (and highly exploitable) workforce. Most would not be ,rlrlc to cope without some kind of accessto health benefits "back home". But lrow sensibleis it to make your most sensitivehealth care issuesdependent on lrt'ing able to arrange your holidays around doctors'appointments, or your :rlrility to find a quick, cheap flight back home in case of emergency? And rvhat ifthey tell you that you are no longer resident there so have no kind of rights to thesebenefits?One day they will, when their home countriesdevelop (lrc same efficient gatekeeping mechanisms that ensure the Scandinavian wel- lirre state stays so pristine. One worries for younger Eurostars, like Eva, who l:ally are just not covered at all lor anything serious or long term. Health, though, is by definition something that people start worrying about more as they get older; the highly mobile think about it later than the settled. Some of'these highly mobile residents are gambling with their health and well- lreing; putting freedom ahead of security. And mobility sometimes means you iust don't^ get round^ to checking out the things that you^ should, medically speaking -^ like not making a dentist appointment, while the teeth are rotting in your head. This is the metaphor Jeroen, the Dutch scientist,choosesto clescribehis condition. How long has it been? He laughs.
Threel,tears!And I'm still not registeredwith a GP... Well, at leastI hauehealth insurance! 'fhe national welfare state exists for good reasons;and this is why it is the hardest thing to reconcile with free movement within Europe.
Carry On, Huisarts
Switch to the Netherlands, and a similarly revealing picture emerges regard- ing foreign residentsand the question of health care. Again, the potential life
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o n t l l o i r ( ) w l l l ) l : u l ( ' t ;i r r r r r c k ' i r rw i r r ' ,t l u r l l t , ; r v r. so r r l . r l r. r r " N r. r v^ l \ l ; t r ' l i i r t t r t strandcd on thc rcd planr:t. You woukl cxlx.('l pr,oph. to uo lrorrrr.lirt' l funeral or a family crisis. But dental trcatlncnt ul)l)('iust0 lrt'r'vt.n trrrl important. You are basically still reliant on thc cracllc ol'your owll nittitrnl It suggestsyou are really only a tourist or passer-byin a foreign lanrl, r.irthct than a resident in the Europe of the future. It's the same for Guillaurrx., rq for these other transients:
I'm reallt not happlt. Wen (^) lifl I get a big disease,there'sno wa1 I stal here.I go backto France.I don't trust it.
Bringing Up Baby
Old age and illness are still generally distant in the minds of the Eurostars; they are focused on travel) experience, careers, and the quality of life. But the biological clock for some is ticking fast, the question of reconciling children to the life they have chosen zsvitally important. (^) There is evidence that among this population there is a higher than average preference for being single, or for the life of a childlesscouple (^) with cats or dogs, perhaps, if they can obtain a pet passport and get around mobility problems associ- ated with this because of rabies restrictions.r But (^) still most people want children, and many of the people I met have them. London is the most difficult of the three cities on this question; possibly the most difficult place in Europe to raise children. More (^) than anything, more even than housing (with which it is interlinked), it is the mosr impor- tant element in the competitive struggle among residentsfor accessto and control over scarcequality of life resourcesin the city. London is tough, and it is the kind of issue on which you would have to mobilize all your capital - financial, cultural, and social -^ to get what you want. The Eurostars rail about the extortionate price of childcare and the professionalcompromises it imposes on families. It is clear they would have it much easier in Brussels (where childcare is good) or in Amsterdam (where international (^) school options are better). Paris, too, would have had more options, and would be half as expensive.So would Germany. There are crdchesin London, but it depends on the area, there is no statutory right, and you have to be able to pay. The alternative is a nanny from London's booming au pair business- that is, predominantly young East European girls in London (^) to learn the Ianguage. Parents end up working as double income professionalsat full financial stretch just to pay for someone else to look after their children. Nour wonders, in that case,"what's the point of having kids?" It defeatsthe purpose, she thinks.
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l l \ 1 r r ; r r r. S r , r r r r l r r r. r r r. r lt l l l r l i l l i ' r ' t ' t r t c sl t t t l t t t u t ' ,r t sA t t t t i k t ' t tl t o i t t ( so t t t. l l r ,. r , r ' t. ; r l l yk r r o r vl r o r vt , r r L r c l r i l t k i r n '^ i t t N o t ' w a y ,l ) t ' t t t n a r k ,a t r d S w t : d t r t - t. I lrr.st.rrn' wcllirn. strrtcsplirrrarily struc:turccl:rround lacilitatingyoung pro- lr.rsionrrlrrriclclkrclass pcoplc having kids. While^ it^ may be the luture of l,rrlollt. thirt the promoters of "flexicurity" are talking about, it certainly isn't Ir.rv thc llritish economy works. Back in England you've got to pay to create rlris kincl of cradle of society. Of course, native residents face exactly the .;rrrrr:clucstions,and there is little or no evidencethat resident^ Europeans^ are ,lisr.rirninatedagainst in any way on accessto the servicessuch as they are. l'lrcy.just have to pay likc anyone else.But herein lies the rub. Why would l,rrrrrstarswho have only come to London for professionalreasonsdo what nltives do? They have no long-term interest in compromising their London lili' for a cheaper life in the leafy suburbs or Home^ Counties new town' l',nglish mothers routinely give up their careers^ for full-time childcare; and l,)rrglishcouples routinely give up on London^ for a quieter life outside of rlrc city. But if that's the option, why stay in England? This is not why you , lrnc here. Isabel likes her job as a civil servant economist, has bought a flat with her 'lcxican boyfriend, and would like to think about children. She is nearing 30. Ir scaresher. First, she thinks that she should just live here without^ children, rrnd go back to Spain later. Then^ she thinla^ about staying here, having a r.hild, and bringing over her family. It all seemsimpossible: the flat is so small, it would be cheaper to give up work, you'd have to find a nanny' they don't want to move out of London, she doesn't want to glve up her career ... You can see the mechanism at work. The clock is ticking, and London just doesn't make it easy. She concludes that she'll put off deciding another year. Isabel's thought processessummarize the situation when you are 30. Donatella is 38, single, professionally oriented, wants to^ stay in^ London (or move on to a "global" job); she has made her decisions.She narrates her situation through her friends. Childcare^ has forced them to give up work; when the child is old enough they will^ leave London.^ They^ can move around Europe, and free education is so much better in France, Germany, or Switzerland. The British just assumeyou have to pay' She saysshe^ would definitely consider leaving if she had children. It's OK,^ though; her path is not the conventional one an1'way-Her London is fun, full of opportunities' For her colleagues,it's just a struggle. This is the dilemma of the ageing middle classforeign European profes- sional in London in a nutshell. Again, Iike visible clockwork, you can also see the thought processesof a young professionalcouple in London, as yet childless,and likely to remain so while there:
Adrian: Hauelou consideredthe^ questionof childrenat all? Carmen: Oh2eah.
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Carmen:
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(,lutr,),ttrrittrt4qittt,il itt l,ottr/ott.' '[/u./ir.rt tirttr it.'.sfr'.tiltlr. l)i' tult rtbrtrrrr tt rth (^) lrrtttrr.t.ritr.fttrriyrt ers, wlun -you thit/; altout it,,-),ortlrttt'l hrut, lltit ( (^) onntI.li(,u1o,.. [trails oll]^ In the^ begnning,it'.r^ nutybeea.sitr.Itrrt,tt^ tt,irrt.trlrrrl, tt's getting (^) moredzjicult. LIp to now, we didn't think of it becausez,oewereso mtu:lttortt.ut traledon our work. It was not the lirne to reaet tlo it. Al.ro, llttrt,.t thefeelingof beingalonelrcre,uithoutfrierds andfamil,. tlnt! lun,itt.t: a bafui (^) is a big re.rponsibili.L1/ithbothparentsworkinghard, it,.s uerydfficult. But now I think Loeare mlre settledin our.jobs,attrl we are thinkingaboutit. I wouldsaltthefrst chitdis goittgto be bortr lm'e,hop{u\fu, and we'll seeqfter (^) that. Adrian: (^) Is it at all linkedto thesettlementprocess?Aiftera coupleoJ-1,ears1ort can'tkeepmouingaround... carmen: (^) The cltild migltt be born here.But I don't know how many montlu we'dstalthere... Franz'. (^) Two to threelears is the timeframe. fes, ute are certain[t thinking aboutit. But schools... carmen: (^) ffirmly] He won't go ro schoollure ... But tlun we neetrto decide f it's tlu spanisltscltool,or theGamanscrrcor,or theFrenchschoor... Iaughs] l'ranz: (^) Thenue wouldgofor thespanishor Germanscrnol.otherforeigners, lteoplewith our uision,ottr^ background.Again, we are not in thecom- muniE. Tou are toofar in.trtecouprewhen it's dfficutt to get into this Engltshcommunitlt. carmen: (^) Maltbe it's easier'{ 1ou are a Joreignermarried to an Enslislt person.. -
Everything, of course, is different if you naturarize. The children will srow up English, maybe just about with a second (^) language and culture, if it ii the mother who is the foreigner. But none of these residentsare about ro naru- ralize. what is striking is how continental Europe is seen (^) as thc place where the costs (^) of childrearing and education can be borne, whereas London is a place to make money and have a career, here and now. Thesc are some ol' the most talented and dynamic people in Europe givir-rgtheir best years ro London's labour markct. Their careersare spiraling beyond what they could have achieved. (^) They will havc to bear the costs of deferrine children while there; and later will also have to push the costs of havine .-hild."r, Iater on to their families back home, and the welfilre states they havc lelt but assumewill take them back. some couples do stay. Let us assumethat you are that foreign European couple, with two great careers (^) in London. you (^) have the baby, maybe two; babies are portable at least, even if they are cxpensive and require constant
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. l ' r n \ : t l ) ( ) u tr l r t ' r ' l r i l t l ' sl ; t t t t - l t t : t t t t ' .t t t l t r t t t ' ,l r t t c ll i t t t r t t ' t : t l t t t : : t t i o t r .N t l n c o l ' t h i s r. r r rl r t .t i r k t ' r rl i r l g l l r t t t c t l .o t t ' o 1 t i t : c ll n r r r - ry o u r l ) a r c n t s ,y o u r s i l l i i n g s )o r y o u r ., (^) lroolrrlrtt.slrat'k lrourc.Yclu arc olt yotlr own. When Dominic and Anniken rrr,,r'r'tlto Lottclon from Paris, Anniken was eight months pregnant and 1,.;u.lt,r'rrclcclult having Matteo^ on thc Eurostar train.^ Fortunately, they ,l,.lirr,t'<lltoardine, and he was born on French soil.^ I ask^ his parentsanother rnn()('('ntquestion.Well, maybe not so innoccnt...
A6lriirn: Is he going to the French .rchoollthe international^ school in South Kensington]/ '\nrrikcn: (^) flaughs] After muchdiscu.rsion... l)<rminic: (^) [firmly] I4henhe^ isfiueltearsold ... Arrrriken: As usualDominic^ knowssomeonewho canpistonnerfuush it lbr- ward].
I'herLondon situation here is leaving Anniken and Dominic^ chasing after r cry di{Iicult and expensiveinternational residents options, the options cre- irtccl lbr upper-middle-classglobal elites^ living in the city. Matteo might get into one of the junior^ schoolsthat fecd the later levels,but it will bc a strug- clc all the way to get him^ into and through the French lyc6e in London, ivhich has costs in^ the range of somc of Britain's most expensive^ private st:hools. Problematically, relatively average middle^ class professionals tend to rakc on highly elitist attitudes about schooling when exposed to the diffi- cultics of the international scenario.^ It is as if'they feel they need to pay ('ven more in order to adjust for the difficulties of trusting the host envi- ronment. Philippe, Iike Dominic,^ insists first that it^ has to be a French school for his children, which would mean the French school in London. Cognitively, for him, the only acceptable parts of the British educational system are, of course, the famous, most elite ones: like many foreigners, he thinks the only decent education available is at Oxbridge. He gasps^ in astonishment that^ there are "still^ some places in^ thc^ world^ where you can't get a French education". So when the child is fivc they'd better go back. He^ thinks his next appointment will^ probably be his last abroad. And so international mobility comes to^ end, and home^ nation^ reflexes take over. Philippe^ 's answers are very much reflective of social reproduc- tion; his father's example and his own elite grandeicoleeducation^ which, paradoxically, taught^ him^ to^ think^ internationally,^ while^ programming him to be consummately^ French. London is also not seenas a good third country option {br joint nationality couples for language^ reasons.Learning the global language as the dominant language actually might make the children /essglobally minded^ becauseit
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l ) ( ' l s ( ) n i l ll i l i ' r ' l r o i t t ' s i n r k ' t. t l ,: r s l l r r. i r( ) \ \ n \ \ , r \ r r l r , n n l q , r 1 1.. l 1 1 1 1. m : r i u s t r c a n l .l t t l t s t ' t t s t ' ,t l r i si s t l r t ' o p p o s i t t ' o ll l r t ., r t l r r. rl r : r r l i t i , r r ; r l l r\ 1 ( ( (. \ s T * u y^ o f m o v i n s a n d r c s c t t l i r r si r r t t ' r ' n r r t i o n i r l l y ' :t l r c l r c i r , ,. i l 1u t , r r r l ,. r ,. , l1 ,. r r l r o f w o m e n w h o m o v e t o s e t t l ew i t h t h e i r l b r c i g l l ) a l t n ( ' I. s .i t i , r , , , ; r r , r. i r l r. r r l that the best naturalized, nationalizcd routc to intcgration (^) rrr;rr.r.\irrr.l.r national and having children in their country (^) coincidcs w,i161 r.lreit.r.r' Iive the most conventional, norms-bound, lorm of {amily li[c. StcPPirru,rrr of the normal national life, on the other hand, can also coinciclc rritl, ,t,.|- ping out of normal mainstream sexuality or heteroscxuai (^) reiatior.rshiPs.r Amsterdam especially has longtime functioned as the San Fra'r:is<:, ,l Europe in this sense;the safe haven, and utterly exceptionai place, thrrt irll those born into mainstream, straisht, intorerant "middle Europe', could flt.t. to just^ as young gay Nebraskans, Ohioans, or Tcnncss.on, al*uy, ,.e,, west" in the US. But the point about the destination, as Guillaume r.ivirllv stresses,is not necessarilythat you go there in order to live out the kincl .l weird, outrageous,wildly alternative lile that you could only {b.ntasizeab.rrt while growing up with your family. On the conrrary. you go there to livr, normally to live a socially integrated lile impossible (^) in that small town .r. backwards region you came from. David, (^) obviously, is the model of th<, "normal" (^) gay man, completely at home in (^) Amsterdam. (^) rhis feature .f' Amsterdam as a Eurocity is onc that made it quite distinct in the past. This n o w a p p e a r st o b e c h a n g i n sa s o l l r c r e a y d e s r i n a r i o n se m c r g e .D a v i d. sp a t l r to happiness (^) and integration on his own tcrms doesn't woik (^) for erreryon.. over a rather plastic canteen (^) lu'ch with two gay friends at the commission building on rue de Ia Loi, (^) one of them tells me why rre so m'ch prefers beine gay in Brusselsto Amsterdam. It's simply a younger, more happening scene-He has finally just eot a permanent contract in the DG (^) he works for, and the two talk about scttling down. This might mean buying a run down town house in (^) St. Gilles or (^) schaarbeek and doine it .rp.''rf,e (^) alternativ. appeal holds lor (^) many artists in various fields (^) includine manv Dutch who prefcr shabby Brusselsto the slamour of Amsterdu,o], Iamous canals. My friends dcscribe Amsterdam as the "has-becn of uay Europe,': Brussels, Paris, London have all taken a lead on it. Gay women would have similar stories to tell about thcir lives in these cities, although it is noticeable in Amsterclam how much more ostentatiousgay men are thcre. 'rhe free eay guidc that you can pick up in the bars around Regulierdwarsstraat (^) is over-whelminglyfocused on .guymzr.lesexualiq, (^) of the old school clones variety a'd (^) the allluent, highiy sociable lives of profes- sional gay men. This c.uld indecd be the castro in San Francisco. But another parallcl sroup to these are the determinately single, professional wor:n dotted (^) through my (^) sampre. 'rhis^ gender.d .speit (^) oi Errrop.u' mobility is another important part of what zrdenationalired E.r.op.a, (^) space has hcilitatcd. The choice to move coincicled (^) with a willingness (^) to step off
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r l r (^) l ) , r l l rl l. l , r r r r l , r r , l, , r r r ( | , r l r ( ll , r r r r i l r, l t , , i ,r ' s t l r l r l I i i t ' r r t l sl r l t tl i .l t o t t t t ' l t l t v t ' r , r , l ,. l , l r r i r r r t l r , l r i r r r l r l l : r l i , r n s l r i p s ,i t t t t l g o i t t g " t v l t t ' t t t , t ' l v o t t l v i t t t t " : t s^ i i ! \ , , r r , u r (^) i u s t ' l r r t l r. l l i r l l i l r r r c r r (.. i i r n t ' tr t t t r l ( l i L ( t ' r ' i n : ii n l l r t r s s c l s , S z t s k i a a n c l l ) , , r r r r t c l l i r( p p.. 1 2 5 ) i n l , o n c b t r ,H c l c n ( p p. 2 6 9 ) i n A m s t e r d a mr e l a t e rrrrilrrlstolit'salrout thc liib o1'the singlc prolbssional,vomanon thc move. \ll scc tlrt'rnovc into Europe as a potential step to placcsfurther aficld. Nl lr,rrr'lrt't'nprolbssionallysuccessful,although some might not be staying;the , ',r^ itt'rnt'tttol'a bigger, global world is a tcmptation in lieu of a settlcdmar- rr, rl lili'. But thc'yare also aware that it is much easierto be doing what they ,,r, <krins in liurope professionally,socially, and in terms of (still needed) r.lrrtionsto lriends and family back home. l'or thcse women and men, the mobile, flexible, tolerant Eurocity pro- rirlt's the right environmcnt for choices that might othcr"wisebe vicwed as rrrrllLppylailures in contexts back homc, where expectationsof normal, set- rl,'rl f:rmily lile run highcr. At the samc time, the kinds of integration they ,rclrievewill never satisfy the n:rtional "integration tests" imposed by public ,lt'lratcson foreign rcsidents.
A Media Managerts^ Tale Over a quick fake Italian lunch, in a road off Oxford^ Street, I meet with Laure, a French woman in her early forties who^ works at one of London's^ biggest media groups. Laure laughs and jokcs a lot. Her^ engaging corporate articulacy is peppered with socia.listic,anti-materialist side remarks and self-questioning. She wams me early on that shc is not "typical",^ but that shouldn't put me o{I It doesn't. She has been in London a iong time compared to many others. She came from a small provincial town in thc nonh^ of France. I check the dates. This must have been well before the big rush of French people to the city? Correct.I alwa2.rsa2 that I'm thefrst generationflaughs] ...^ Teah,I camein'89, whenitwas actualfuratherglooml,there.I cameto norkfor MW,^ ight at the^ beginn'i.ng and then Cl,tN beforethe Gulf War, beforeit was big. Thel wereexcitingtimesof building somelhing.It's a bit rlffirent now becauseoar indus@ is cantractingin termsof lhe number of plEas,^ peopk, and economicallguiable servi.ces.7ltere was a lot of monqt auailable fthen] /r inueslrnmtand new technologt,and euerybodllost^ pnspectiaea bit. The aduer- ti"singis now shrinking... Our incomeis going^ down and down.Job senrig,,is not^ good. Afur the intemettumdowntherewas a bit of a realig check.foreuerybod2. I studiedJora longtime.I did an MA^ in economicsat SriencesPr,,lthe elite sotial sciencesschool in Paris. where many French politicians and civil servants^ are forrae df. I waspostponingnA entryinto thejob market.^ That uas the^ mtnch thing to do - and it .stilt is, b2 theway This is uery-detrimental.I wish thosapolithall2 responsiblewould rhangcthal, makepeopkget oul oJvhool.
A Media (^) Managerrs (^) Tale_cont'rl Wirs ScienccsPo srill vcryr/iruu,o,lianlai.tin tlurst: tlir1,s1, ^ 4*lfM had a ttcr2bad time^ thercbccnuseI'm a hit rl u nott-.ortJonnitr[irrrgrrsl, Realf! Tftl;ott (^) i.r,\ou get out oflour lw?t countD)as a2oung tluflexihilig and opportunities froJi.r.sional.u:lun t,,ttttlttnt aregreaterelsewhere.I'r-rro"o',rrihntb,think.s thi ta,ru, ln 7t!) ca.te'it way uery 'rpni/ic at that time. The inttustry u,a.t also therewa.sthis lhtk uirh Amerita and the w -youttghert, but hrrtttt.rt (^) industryis born (^) aru!'hrdli,om l1,, (^) stolr,, ,,uu i!:t[e!t (^) .thi! p^ol tf expertiseis goiqq to come.firsL-toEngland, (^) ontl tirn to tlte ,,ontiin,,rit, Ybl hf"tlis^ uthathappaned.I hat.eto trink ofthat.^ Trii Americaninfluencelraughsl... But that',rwhv I came. I corneifroma rtotur1,prhtilegetrbacr."ground,I"hadn,t irorolint. ,t, pav./itr that, I usedto makec.rdpesin.the sh'eet !aughing]-. Ir^ afunnl^ .rtory;r borqttt a ticket, camt here,andforted them to hire me. I think abouthout i.r i.t to (^) grow up in. Londrn. It's intnguittg.fuI.fotmatiueyear..,,t,t/ nmpleteb d{ferent.I;ir'rt of allyu (^) hauc.a mucrtgreatersen.s'b ,Nr"; Here,-iou conktin 2our's:elfin the^ street't.Toulte_,neaerseenthe rountrysideuntil uiiueisiE. Tou tlnnt'tlnk.fir nzucltout.rideof Inndon.nr paris, becauseir'.s ali there.Ilut lteople'iikn,r,^ *,^ cnrtterr,tt fto London,^ the big cityj.^ 1tt probabfitquite, (^) nite tning ti (^) rmuedon). fi trtake.t-1utu nnre tolerant,stronger.I'ou learn a tot oJ things.I rea@,woitd lilcem7 children (^) to haw Io do that leap,you^ htotu. Laure married an Errglishmar, a.iournalist, aftcr scvcn years in Lonclo'.
. I4/enanted^ to go back^ to F-rance,both^ of us. I4/ehad^ great-irhs.butwe startedt../el it utasn problem... 'I'he "keep mo.r,.ine" thing ... I'm not sure... I tttink it's eaery.fiueleors.At thebeghmhtg,.foralear or tuc) (^) it,., then1r.ou.harcthat. (^) Ezteryfute-ysars, .qrear, lilu c-yclesforskeping.t init1, tnmit\ th,sn.r'. Liln a biologicalclock.Tou m.n'tget awaltfrom il. Irs hfu ihe rutLuieis in your brood... IJut we are not great (^) ar making big rtordmoue'. rl/e had a chirtr, (^) and I went back trt work sllaiSh! ayy. (^) A kl 0f English nomen, ruhen (^) thgt haaea child, the-ykau work. I come Jion thefeministculturein France,lou don't ai (^) thil* abouti.t,_yoijust cope.7iu oJ us workingaeryaeryhard. I.l/esur.ui.red.But it realfi tooka toll on me. What actually happcned to stop you going? I think it's tlu meclt'nic' ql'a roufh. It rut[[, d$end.sy''2ou hauea parhter who i.r ri^rk lakin,qand ea-ri[ttrans/irabte.I har] a.ioh, hai./bunrt a.iii ruhichactid n.saJbcar,pomt. Bul, gettingpersonal,a.r a Lu,mar-v,, preferto i, prrartiur, bur\0u rike tofeei ifs not att onltour shoulder.I had tuo ehiklren,ajob in the (^) rnedia.t lustfett that I iouldn't cany tt all. It was too heaal on me. I)o you wondcr how it would havr: dcvcloped? well, we ruouldn't (^) be herenout flaughing]. I don'tfeet a great senseoJ'berongmg [her{' t hauethb rcall2^ naibe,ltictureltirliciimase 0f w in trli French,iiogr, (^) it n comnuni!'t.I wantedto be a mnltoru/zenI wa.sa chikl.-ll/hat I said ,,ma1or7,eaet)one th.otght"mt-tha" [aughingl and (^) ] .said,,.lVon,non,I meannu1,,0r,,.,Soyu'loton, it,.iparf oJ (^) ny .rensibilityto be rookhryfor that. I rike thepeoptecontucj.In pais, (^) I lirri (^7) -yrr,
A Mcdin Managerts Tale-conttd tltttt tt'tt\u hal'o ul lht lnlhutrrf rr4,.flu!,tru'tlnn1,llal,Atd.I llltv hutt hulingrry I"rendt l',ltltltt hrtt l.'i .1anll, tuul -t,ot.tl;tnu: it tlot.tn.'1.hnllten. 'lhis ..lrrtllfut1'pt'lirntasvol'Paris obviouslvisn't thc wholc stora. )ith. il'.trr:r.1,,goodllili: in l'arisl, ltul il':; a bit likela pensde unique fone way rlrinkirrgl. L),an,body!!rx:.rit lhe samedh'et;tiort,and think.rpolitirully coneetthtngt, which I rht.linl t bit oppre:.rittt,.Iirenchpeoplenlwait.tthink that F-ranceis the be.rt.l|hich i.; utlt tltr;tlon'l .gt,t.ott tuilh thc lhrglith. BecauseJorlhe htglish "beingbornEnglish is like win- trtrr,gul llrt htlry ol li/i".'I7i.s is nryfauouritequnte,sunelneat work said that ... ll/e Itrri't:uch a ntlttrreo-[cgalilarianism.,lhenlou arrite here,it's all. aboutmoney.Ifyou haae tttortt'1',l.l1sn_y6ydesentei!, n717t2Tterythtn!will get betler. 'l ltoc i.s the e.rtraordinaryside oJ'London, s0 ntarr) nationalities,comntunities,the tttrtftlarttcol'"the Other" ... I think that theEnglith are lessrnuroticthan the French.In ;ytuxtl, lhe En-qli.rhareperhapsLe.rsracist^ ...^ On,the^ otherharul^ thereare^ nrury^ prohhms irt lingluil, (^) thekirul rl'thint that is aniuingin triance.fou haueto dealwithit. I arriued Itt,rt in.the Thatcheryears. It was uery hard. Iltere was Major, I.henBlair. Thi^r alli:cted rrt. I nlwayssaut the black.ridcof England,notjust the little cutebirds. This hurt mt. For ttanNtle,the breakdownoJ'lheGP slstem. l'Vealwals go backto Frartce. One aspectof the Engli.rh which I don't like a lot of peoplelhnt lake a lot of aduantage. "ltip o[' Britain." That somethingli.e. a plumbe r) cnn cost/'90, it\ disgusting,for ndlting ... Thereare .shitt1,.tchools,lots^ of peopk nnking a quick^ buck ... In France,uta Itatr nore ruput for m6tiers ftradesl. I?ru don'ljust beeomea plumberju.rt like that. 'Ihue i.sa respect ffor the tradef. Here there'sno re.spect.At la.r!I^ understanda/iu^13 t'trns ulA it is that the hain.r^ don't uork ... Il'.s hecauselhereit no respect.forengineer.s. Intelligentpeopleneaeriudlt to be engineer.s,Ilrc2go uork in LheCifi. I didn't understand tltat. I meI this guy lin thc Ciryl and asled, "trVhat tuasltour degree?""I war an u4gineer", lp .;aid. "IJut n0 way was I goingto work as one!" ThenI under.rloodwlry thefuIillenmum Ilridge didn't aor* flaughs]. And this, in the cradle of the industrial revolution! 7"es;it'.s a piQ. The guick buck. OK, thq're not racist hae, but how peopleare rtploited, that realQshockrme. Ancl so, again, you start to think about leaving, wanting to go back... lirr your children, if not you? Teal4 absolulels,.Tou wish)ou'd neaerleJi2our little toun [aughs]. Iln starting tt anahzelhisfrom m2 rhildrcn'spoint of uiew. Oneof the thingyou narcrgire u! on in (^) _)tour /y'i [rcre], is the idea to go baek.It's particularfi,on the cardsnow, becauseof the house ma.rkatlin France comparcd to Britirin]. Ako I don't hauethe .sameexpactationsin Lcrmsof utork and careernotu, in tenn.rof ltitUk, .to it makesit a lot easier. Is it a question of longer-term corr-unitments? AhhoughI don't like lulking ahoutmiddlecla.rsprobbm -^ al the md of tlrc drg,twe are so nuclr morzpriuiLegedthan peoplewho have t0 moae-^ I uoukl niLl like to know wh it i.r lhereare mzreand morepeoplzwho makethal choiceof utherelo [ite, to moaeto neu
