Let's Give Them Something to Talk About

***This post was started on Monday, but then I was crippled by the worst bout of food poisoning I've had in a long time. I'm back from the dead and wanted to finish my thoughts here***

We've been living here six months and this is the first time our lives will be somewhat disrupted because of the French going on strike! Quite remarkable to make it that long, I would say when striking is the national pastime/competitive sport for the French. Tomorrow's strike will effect us because all the school teachers are going on strike and Lily won't have school!

Lily is holding what I call the "the communication" book. It's a blue book which comes home from school with her every once in awhile. In it are pages with photocopied notes glued to them. The parent is supposed to read the note, sign the notes, and then return the book with the child the next day.

This note was sent home on Friday. Phil and I read it together and he told me there was going to be strike this Tuesday. The note also mentions something about "pique nique" for the kids who normally eat the school provided lunch (pique nique is the French way of saying bring your own lunch). We were really confused.

Today, I think I finally have figured out what's happening tomorrow. And I learned all this by HAVING MY FIRST EVER CHAT WITH ONE OF THE OTHER MOTHERS!!! I had the perfect opportunity to finally open my mouth and practice some French as we waited together for the kids to be dismissed at the end of the day (she seems friendly and normally says "bonjour" to me). I carefully crafted the French words in my head so I could ask her the question about the strike. And then, I just blurted it out...and she smiled and answered me!

So it's a huge break though! (No one has really talked to me since we started going to the school at the first of the year...they stare and sometimes smile, but nothing goes beyond that). I've been jokingly studying up on weather vocabulary, so I could initiate some kind of conversation with one of the mothers. But who wants to talk about the weather, when you can talk about the strike! It's so much more French anyway!