On January 7^th, at the end of the school day, I turned on my phone and was taken aback by all the posts that my French friends had put on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It wasn’t just a few Francophones who had posted #jesuischarlie…it was everyone I know who speaks French; former students, former colleagues, former teachers, former exchange students.  I had no idea what it stood for, not having seen the news that day.  I immediately connected with Anaïs, one of the French students who stayed in Weedsport this summer, and she explained that it is France’s way to show solidarity against the recent terror attacks. My initial feeling was insatiable fear. I lived and studied in Paris, it is my home away from home.  Anaïs further explained that schools have shut down all extra-curricular activities. For the time being, there are no academic excursions and no more sports. The authorities are hoping that by disallowing student gatherings, they will be less likely a target of anything that the future might bring.  Rallying for a cause is a big part of  la nature française. If you have seen the news in the past two weeks, you will see that the French have not and will not stop gathering to show their support for their beliefs and for their liberties.

Prior to my conversation with Anaïs, I had never heard of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine that is well known for its articles, cartoons and stance against terrorism. She explained that the French believe that the attacks are meant to spread fear in an attempt to hinder civil liberties, namely the freedom of expression. The slogan #je suis Charlie (I am Charlie.)…and the even more recent expression #noussommestouscharlie (We are all Charlie.) means “we have the right to say what we have to say”.

Eleven journalists and a police officer working at Charlie Hebdo were killed during the first attack on  January 7th.  But there were more relatively well-publicized attacks in the aftermath, including a shootout involving hostages at a supermarket in Porte de Vincennes and  people were injured in Montrouge. An official who keeps track of Islamophobic attacks in France said there were 60 incidents (attacks and threats)  in the week following the attack. A writer for The Huffington Post, Jack Miles, argues that terrorist acts with bigger body counts, including the Madrid train bombings of 2004 (191 people killed) and the recent massacre at a school in Pakistan (145 people killed) did not lead to lasting changes around the world. That even though this recent attack at Charlie Hebdo targeted fewer people, it is a pivotal moment in history and is the proverbial “last straw”. Personally, I would like to believe that our world leaders will find ways and means to protect us better, but the fear right now of the unknown is far too real. I suppose I suspect that people who feel the need to fight unfairly for what they believe in, will continue to do so.  I do not have a better response to this question.

Chaos in big, foreign cities seems so far away from our peaceful little village of Weedsport, but the global warnings are for everyone. The fact is, the world has become a much smaller place with all of our technological advances. Weedsport students have made and  have kept strong international connections through our trips and our exchanges. It is inevitable that we will all be affected. Some people will automatically resolve to feel safer staying at home and not travelling overseas.  I recently expressed this same opinion to one of my Parisian friends who reminded me gently that it is unrealistic to live in fear, because we really aren’t “living.” We should rather live cautiously and well-informed of our surroundings and heed warnings.  Weedsport students who study foreign language and who have made international connections, if you ask them, will most likely tell you that they are very concerned for their friends and families who are living much closer to the attacks…knowing people and caring about people who are directly involved, makes our world seem that much smaller.