Une Soireé Chez Agnès et Le Meilleur Vin Chaud du Monde

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Last week, one of the teachers, and my contact person, at Lycée du Parc Impérial invited me over to her house for dinner on Saturday. So Saturday afternoon I baked a batch of peanut butter cookies--I didn't want to show up empty handed, but I am still far too nervous about buying a bottle of wine for a French person, so the best alternative is to do something utterly American--and I headed over to Agnès' house around 7:30 for dinner.

Dinner was absolutely amazing. I spent the evening with Agnès and her husband, Philippe (who used to be a teacher at Parc Impérial and is now teaching journalism classes somewhere), and Julie and her husband. Agnès is hands down one of the coolest teachers I work with--super laid back and loads of fun--and she and her husband have been together since they were like 18. Think perfect American couple, but in France. Philippe is one of the suave, debonair types--wearing nice jeans, super nice blazer and black shoes, and a little scarf of course because we are in France. Julie was an assistante at Parc Impérial about ten years ago. She came when she was about 30, and she already had her Masters. After her 7 month assistantship she decided to get a job at the University. She ended up working there for three years, and during her second year in Nice she met her husband. She was hands down one of the funniest people I have ever met. As soon as she walked in it was like a giant wind descending on the apartment--in leopard print with nice boots. She came in blabbering a mile a minute in French saying she was sorry for being late, she couldn't get the kids to bed, the babysitter blah blah blah. Then, she comes into the living room and in the loudest English possible says, "OH MY F***ING GOD! THIS IS A GORGEOUS APPARTMENT!". Funny in and of itself to hear her going back and forth back and forth. She comes in says hello to Agnès' husband, and then immediately (in the loud English)--"WHAT THE F***! A TERRACE!" This is how most of the night went. Anyway, she was a trip and we had a wonderful time just talking and sharing stories, and I loved hearing about her experiences as an assistante. Of course, she had free housing at the highschool--they don't do that anymore--and so I was shocked and pretty jealous about the fact that she had 300-400 more euros in her pocket every month than I do. When she saw how surprised I was her response was "OMG I KNOW! I WAS DRUNK ALL THE TIME!" You can take the American out of America right? I loved being able to speak French, but it was funny that we ended up speaking a mixture all night long. Julie's French was great, but she still had an American accent and she still asked if she was using the correct words a few times. It was kind of reassuring to me because I was absolutely planning on coming here and becoming completely fluent. Of course, I speak English all day with my students and I don't speak French with most of my friends here, so that kind of went out the window pretty early. Nonetheless, I think I am improving a little bit, and it was nice to know that even she wasn't perfect.

Just so you have some idea of what a French dinner entails I will break down the meal for you. I arrive around 8:00. We sit down and have drinks and chat for about an hour. I had amazing cider--the first time I have had cider here and actually enjoyed it. Around 9ish we sit down to dinner--I am totally guessing on the time here. Agnès attempted, and I would say successfully, Indian cuisine. Here is a break down of our meal:

• First course: lentil soup (so yummy), with a red wine. I am saying red because it was technically red, but it was a very light wine. Almost a mix between a vin rose and a vin rouge--it was very clear. Apparently, it was homemade by a friend of theirs. Very good.
  
• Second course: white rice with fish in a yellow curry sauce. Also delicious. However, it would be blasphemous to drink our red wine with our fish, so we opened a bottle of delicious white wine. Since I had yet to finish my glass of red, they gave me another glass and told me to keep my red wine for the cheese. I wish I could remember what the fish was off the top of my head--it was one I had never heard of, but very good.
  
• Third course: Endive salad, cheese, and bread. (You absolutely must have fromage with dinner of course.)
  
• Fourth course: Dessert. Julie had brought a cake from J. Multari--a chain boulangerie. It was called Tutti Fruitti. So delicious. Fruit everywhere. Also banana cream. Enough said.
  

Needless to say I was absolutely stuffed! This also explains why dinner takes 3-4 hours.

It was so crazy seeing someone who was in my position a few years ago who had chosen this life too. I had never been able to imagine staying here and never going home. As much as I do love it here, there are just so many things in the States that are such a huge part of me. I couldn't imagine not having certain things or certain people in my life or certain opportunities for my children. But, for an instant, I could see this entirely other future. An entirely other life than the one I have always imagined. A life that I never thought I could fathom or understand. And honestly, it was a good life. Julie gets to do this everyday. Yeah it's just another place to live and you still pay taxes (a hell of a lot of them too) and you still have to cook your own meals and do your own laundry (without a dryer usually I might add). But there's just something so wonderful about life here. Things move a little bit more slowly--you take the time to sit down on the bench in the park and drink your vin chaud, you go for strolls on Sundays, you take your time at meals. Meals aren't just something you do because you have to--there is a deep appreciation for food and wine. It's an art and something to be appreciated and shared. People care about art and politics and things that most people in the States don't think twice about. Like I said, I don't think I could live here forever, but there are definitely parts of my experience here that I don't ever want to lose.

Such amazing evenings always remind me of why I am here. Some days I wake up and I am sick of French. I am sick of living in a country where I have to constantly watch out for dog poop, where I have to ride the bus everyday, where everything is infinitely more difficult than necessary. I am so tired of speaking French and listening to French and watching T.V. in French. These days don't come very often, but they happen. It happens to anyone living in a foreign country and speaking a different language. But then there are moments, like that night, when I feel completely at ease. I'm sitting around a dinner table with five amazing people, speaking French and laughing and enjoying the conversation and just having a wonderful time. You don't sit down and enjoy a 3-4 hour long dinner very often in the States. I felt almost at home. That evening reminded me of why I am here of how much I love it here. How much I love the culture and the food and the language and just everything. Needless to say, I left on a French high.


Sunday was also another wonderful day. I went back to the Crêperie that I went to last Sunday--this time with my roommate and two other friends. We had a wonderful, wonderful brunch and then strolled around Vieux Nice and the port again. It was an absolutely gorgeous day--a little bit chilly and windy, but definitely nothing compared to the wintry weather at home 😊. When my roommate and I walked home, we stopped at the park by our house. There's a little hut with a woman serving food and coffee/tea (that type of thing), so we grabbed a cup of vin chaud and sat on a bench for a while. It was definitely the best end to a great day--so relaxing, so beautiful because it's our gorgeous park, and, not to mention, the BEST vin chaud I have had since I have been here. I have had vin chaud at restaurants, I have had vin chaud at the Christmas Market and this was by far the best vin chaud in all of Nice. In my perfect little park. That park is now hands down one of my top three favorite places in the entire world.

This week is also the last week of classes before February vacation. Shannon will get here on Sunday 😊 Sooo much to look forward too--London, Carnaval, Ireland and Le Festival du Citron. Be prepared for LOTS of photos and a very long blog entry!

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