La Petite Chinoise : LPC

I know that it’s La Rentrée when I wake up to the sound of children playing in la maternelle (toddler school? The kids are about bench height.) across the road from me. The kids sound like little birds chirping. It’s a nice wake-up call. They always look so happy even at 7am in the morning. And they bring a bit of life into the neighbourhood.

I also know when it’s la rentrée when les magasins (the stores) are selling nothing but les cahiers (notebooks), les classeurs (box files) and les crayons (pencils). Mothers are armed with a printed list of things-to-buy for their kids and a sharp elbow. Watch out for any French mother with a school list! The list apparently changes from year to year, including the number of pencils and notebooks to buy.

La rentrée means “The Return”. It is used mostly for school children when they return to school. A whole production goes into getting les enfants (children) ready for school. I’m not kidding - It’s a real mess. I’ve seen people darting from store to store looking for two size-4 Clairefontaine notebooks. My neighbours are going up and down to les caves (underground storage) to get boxes and winter clothes out.

La rentrée for me also means that 2.14million Parisians who were away on vacation are now back in the city. They have spent at least three weeks basking in the sun, taking siestes (naps), breathing in fresh air, with plenty of campagne (countryside/ space). Ready for work? Don’t think so. Worst of all, the drivers are on edge. Either they’re honking at everything that moves. Or they pay no attention to anything that moves and drive like snails.

I get real stressed at La Rentrée, so Ben, if you’re reading this: You’ll have to get the kids (when we have kids) ready for school. For now, it’s time for me to get away from this din…

LPC will be in San Francisco and the Big Apple for two weeks! Whoopee!