June 1, 2005
Les trois petits porcs
The lab is slow today, so the entire microbiology team was huddled into one lab performing some routine tasks, cleaning house and chatting a bit. Most of the team here (in fact almost the entire office) speaks French with only one or two exceptions.
The exception in the lab I am in today is a guy named Greg from California. While he has been with the company for over a year, and is taking classes to learn French, he doesn't use it all that often for which he is chided by his mates.
Today, while things were slow they were teaching him some words and phrases (dirty phrases I imagine from the blushed cheeks of the young ladies) and then mocking his West Coast laden French-Canadian accent. At one point someone decided it would be a good idea to have him tell a childrens story in French to practice some basics. All in all a good idea but from the perspective of both the English speaking native in the room AND the French speakers, it was a riot.
"Les trois porcs rouges d'e'quitation de litte.." - "Oops" Greg said, "I am mixing up my kids stories.."
"Le premier petit porc a construit sa maison hors de la paille" - I could almost hear the waves crashing against the beach as surfers walked by looking at this French pig and wondering why he is building a house in So. Cal. Perhaps so that this petits porc can be ultra close to these bitchin' waves.
Like I said, a riot.