法国人总是在度假还是只是看起来如此？

一提到放假，估計有不少跟小编一样的上班族在两眼发光呢！要是说到法国的假期，更是让人羡慕嫉妒得“咬牙切齿”了！在日复一日的劳累中，谁不希望可以暂时告别繁忙，在假期中放松身心？双休日、带薪长假、法定节假日再加上其他假日，法国人最多每年大约有150天不用工作！OMG！这简直就是“爽歪歪”了！不仅如此，在法国，只要在一家企业工作满一个月，所有员工都可以享受带薪假期，带薪假期的天数根据员工一年之内的实际工作时间而定，每工作一个月，可“存下”2天半的带薪假期，如果工作满一年，那么全年带薪假期天数为30个非假日。然而，幸福如人饮水，冷暖自知。对于身在福中的法国人来说，面对这些假期，他们是真的快乐，还是只是看起来如此呢？

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 youd like to do into the one or maybe two weeks of leave youve saved up. In France， people are dealing with the opposite problem—too much time off. And as NPRs 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， shes 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 dependable grandparents are key and Duboiss husband， like most French people since the 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 goggles and those who dont.

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 dont go on vacation.

Unidentified Child： （Speaking French）

Rayanne Dupuis： Oh， OK， very good.

Beardsley： But its not just the poor who cant get away. Canadian Rayanne Dupuis and her French husband are self-employed， so they dont have paid leave.

Dupuis： I have somehow been made to feel that my child has fallen behind because she doesnt have a star yet in skiing in the French Alps.

Beardsley： Yes， Paris elementary schools run inexpensive day camps when schools out and the city offers recreational activities for children on a sliding fee scale. But after about age 9， many kids dont wanna go to the day camp. Even they realize it isnt 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， weve 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， its hard to get your car fixed or make a doctors 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 theres the long vacation in August. He says his cafés well-heeled residential neighborhood is often empty. Roggeros 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. “Weve worked too hard for them.”

琳達·韦特海默（主持人）：在计划夏日假期时，你也许会觉得把想做的事都排入攒起来的一周或两周的假期内很不容易。在法国，人们担心的是相反的问题——假期时间太多了。看看NPR的记者埃莉诺·比尔兹利发回的报道，并不是每个人都能把假期休完的。

埃莉诺·比尔兹利（撰稿人）：我在五月发表的一篇文章中说过，考虑到法国所有的公众假期和休假，尤其是学校假期，要做完什么事可真难。法国的孩子们每六周就休息整整两周时间，在夏天还有两个月的暑假。关于这篇文章的回应，我收到了大量来自外籍人士表示认同的邮件，但是，法国人真的跟我有着同样的困扰吗？

波琳·迪布瓦：（讲法语）

比尔兹利：我在公园的长椅上见到了波琳·迪布瓦，她当时在看着她的两个孩子玩耍。迪布瓦能够充分地享受这个休假制度带给她的好处。首先，她是老师，所以她和她的孩子同步休假。还有别的原因。

迪布瓦：（通过翻译）一年中每个两周的假期里，我们会在我们布列塔尼的房子那待至少一周时间。剩下一周的时间，通常是他们的奶奶或外婆帮我一起照顾他们。

比尔兹利：在乡下的房子和能帮上忙的祖父母或外祖父母对她来说很关键。自从每周35小时工作制实行以来，迪布瓦的丈夫跟大多数法国人一样，每年有大约9周左右的假期。但她承认，并不是每个人都那么幸运的。

迪布瓦：（通过翻译）不是每个人都走得开。作为一个老师，在二月的假期过后，我看到有些孩子脸上有戴滑雪护目镜留下的晒痕，但有些就没有。

比尔兹利：阿尼克·梅特福尔说假期在法国被视为一项权益，但是却把享有假期和不能享有假期的人区分了开来。

阿尼克·梅特福尔：如果一个制度明确有很多——相当多的假期，你就会发现在贫困的家庭里，孩子们根本不会去度假。

不知名童声：（讲法语）

蕾恩·迪普伊：噢，好的，很好。

比尔兹利：但去不了旅行的不只是穷人。加拿大裔的蕾恩·迪普伊和她的法国丈夫都是自由职业者，所以他们都没有带薪假期。

迪普伊：在某种程度上，我被迫觉得我的孩子落后于人，因为她还没有在法国阿尔卑斯山脉滑雪中获得一颗星星。

比尔兹利：是的，巴黎的小学在放假时会举办收费不高的白天营，城市里也有为孩子们提供阶梯收费的休闲活动。但大概九岁以后，很多孩子都不想去参加这样的白日营了。他们甚至觉得这并不是真正的休假。

我看到帕斯卡莱·阿哈德和她的两个小孩在等公交车。对于一个在职的母亲来说，孩子们持续的假期是个麻烦事。但她也说，法国学校上课时间长，课程紧张，孩子们需要休息。

帕斯卡莱·阿哈德：是的。他们有很多假期，但我们都习以为常了。我的意思是，我们生来就过着这种节奏的生活，我们都习惯了。对我来说，六周结束后，他们就要出发了。

比尔兹利：对一个没适应这样节奏的外籍人士来说，这个国家看起来总是在休假。在一年的某些时候，要找人修车或预约医生看诊都很困难。米歇尔·罗杰罗在埃菲尔铁塔附近开了这家小咖啡馆，他说出了他的窘迫。

米歇尔·罗杰罗：（讲法语）

比尔兹利：“算上所有的法定假期，五月休息的时间几乎比工作日多”，他说。然后八月又是悠长假期。他说他的咖啡馆所在的富人区通常都是空荡荡的。罗杰罗的兄弟来喝咖啡，他形容自己是蓝领工作者，并不满意放假的天数。

不知名男声：（讲法语）

比尔兹利：“永远不能放弃我们的假期和休息日”，罗杰罗的兄弟说，“我们为此工作得太辛苦了”。