le santé

I went to the Bastille tonight with a whole Sciences Po crowd. Yeah, that Bastille-- though there's nothing left of the prison anymore. Instead, the whole area is dominated by bars and clubs of various degrees of sketchiness, from the classy to the not-so. More tomorrow, but before I go to bed, the two main questions I received in the course of many conversations tonight:

1. "Well, of course Americans don't like football [soccer] usually, but now that you've got Beckham, are people watching it a lot?"

2. "Oh, you're from the U.S.? ... Hey, have you seen that movie by Michael Moore?"

This usually refers to Sicko (though a German brought Bowling for Columbine up in a conversation about the relative safety of the US and Canada). I have seen it, and even if I hadn't, I could here, bien sûr. The posters are all up around my metro stop, and it's been playing at the nearest theater since I've been here.

The tagline is different than on the US poster-- "In the United States, to stay healthy... don't fall sick!" Which somehow sounds a little smug, which they're justified for.

When I saw it in the U.S., I had France on my mind anyway, and wondered just how idealized Moore's portrayal of this particular health system was. Not very much, it turns out-- the people I've talked to have confirmed that the information given is pretty accurate. I paid my 192 euros yesterday to get my social security number and enroll in the system, which means (since I have the insurance UNC made me buy, as well) that I am 100% covered medically. As soon as I get my insurance card and number, I'm planning on calling the dentist and dermatologist. Obviously, I need these services, but I have to admit that I am pretty curious to experience this health system from the inside.

More tomorrow.