War sirens

I recently (aka monday) started my 2 month internship at a lawfirm in Paris, and Wednesday was once again reminded that things were once very different in this country than in my own. Now I know what you're thinking..."you're in France silly, of course things are different!" But really, when you get down to it, things are not really all that different. People still dress the same (a little more fashion conscious perhaps), they interact in the same ways, work is more or less the same (if you exclude those random phrases of formality they use here), and other than the fact that I am sitting in a French law office researching French legal issues and writing memoranda in French (and in English) I could just as well be doing the same thing in the states.

The same thing that is until noon Wednesday morning. It just so happens that at that time, every first Wednesday of the month, they test the war sirens (also known as civil defense sirens, air raid sirens, tsunami/tornado sirens, outdoor warning sirens, or even doomsday sirens). Yes, I am sure they are not police, ambulance, or fire sirens, and no they are not school bells. I have heard them before in Puteaux, but hearing them again in Paris yesterday morning reminded me of how strange that is. Every month, since before World War II, they test the sirens to make sure they still work.

No one seems surprised by this. Nothing changes, there is no "stop, drop, and roll" activity going on, no "duck and cover" or any other "save yourself from the bomb" kind of drill. It is just a monthly testing of the sirens to make sure they are still in proper working order.

This is when you realize that you are living in a country that didn't just fight in World War II (or in the first one for that matter) but lived it. Yes, I know we all learned this in school, and that everyone knows that the actual fighting took place on French soil among others, but it still feels like history, not something that they still -- to this day -- feel and thus continue to test the sirens just in case.

Here is a link (in French) about the national alarm system: http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/votre_securite/en-dehors-du-domicile/sirenes/view

Just some food for thought.