La greve! Getting lost! My host dad being incredibly musically gifted as well as generous.

Ok, so as some of you may have read in the newspaper, the entire French train and public transportation system shut down today for a strike against the new government, which has only been in office for about 5 months. This is seriously what the French do best. They protest to get what they want. Every french person knew exactly how to deal with it, because there is (as I've heard) at least one major strike each year. Last night around midnight I heard people from my window shouting out in the street about the strike, and at 6:30am I began to hear the morning rush hour traffic outside with their beeping horns and angry yells. Tons of people take the metro, so there was no doubt that there would be more car traffic than normal, and there was. I had to walk to class, but luckily my grammar teacher canceled our 9:30am class, so I only had one at 2pm. I really wanted to make an effort to get out early and walk around so that I'd have enough time to make it to class. I left my house at 10:45 in the morning and didn't make it to the Center until 1:15-1:30. Mind you I got a tad lost and I stopped to get a sandwich for lunch, but it still took a ridiculously long time to walk to the Center. Additionally, I was able to see a lot of beautiful buildings and walk along the Seine for most of the walk, so that made it enjoyable. Plus the weather couldn't have been more agreeable: sunny, clear skies, and just a little chilly. Coming back, however, me and two of my friends got a little lost because it was getting dark, and the streets are confusing, but we made it home after taking at 30 minute "detour" in the wrong direction. Paris is beautiful all lit up at night, though.

Deuxieme chose. In the past 24 hours I have watched 3 long, and politically and emotionally charged movies. The first was "The Battle of Algiers" which was made in 1966 about Algeria's revolt against french colonization. The french took over Algeria sometime in the mid 1800s, and then right after WWII, the Front Liberation Nationale was secretly created in Algeria to counter french colonization. It was a bloody bloddy war, which began in the early 1950s and didn't end until Algeria's independence in 1962. The movie was banned from being shown anywhere in France until very recently (not even a few years), and even then it was a huge controversy. This is a huge part of french history that a lot of french tend to "forget." I told my host mom that I had watched it and she had never heard of it, and she's a very educated and cultured woman. You all must see it. The second movie I borrowed from my host family, and it was "Ghandi." I cried at the end. It is an awesome (but long, so brace yourselves) film and I highly recommend it to any that's interested. it made me question a lot of my beliefs and approaches that I take in life. Dad, I think you would like this movie a lot. And Ghandi. The third movie was called "Au Revoir les Enfants" (Goodbye, Children), and that was set during German occupation of France during WWII. It was set outside of paris at an all boys Catholic boarding school. It was centered around mainly 2 boys, one secretly jewish who is in hiding there, and another who is not jewish, but finds out that the other one is and ends up befriending him. I don't want to give a lot of it away, though, so I will just say that it is very good and that again, you should all see it.
Finalement. My host dad, (as well as all of their children) plays the piano. As I walked into the house this evening, I hear these beautiful sounds emanating from the salon, and I ask Guyonne (one of their daughters) who is playing the piano. She said it was her dad and I told her that I thought it was really lovely. I asked if she knew the song, and she didn't, so we went and asked him. He was playing songs from the opera "La Forza del Destino" by Giuseppe Verdi. I want to play the piano like him. It was astoundingly wonderful, and he just said "oh no, I am not that good right now because I don't know the music well." Yes you do!!! I really appreciate that they all play the piano and I get to listen to them play. He also offered that I borrow the CD of the opera so that I can put it on my computer, and read the english translation of the play. What a gem. I feel a bit "uncultured" though when they ask if I play the piano, and I say no. But I think I won points by telling him that both of my parents went to music school, and that I took singing lessons for a while at school (at Oberlin through the conservatory). Now Guyonne wants to hear me sing. She seemed pretty adamant about it, so I don't doubt she'll ask me in the future. That's ok, though, because I like to sing. Anywhoo...I need to do some homework. Talk to you all later!