I had been invited out to a bar earlier in the week by a classmate. Not having any money in my French bank account, I had declined. But now that the money was there it seemed that there was no longer any reason why I shouldn't get out of my room on a Saturday night to experience the Nantais nightlife.
I found myself riding the tram down to Commerce at 21h43 with Melody and Darryl on our way to meet Sharon at Buck Mulligans. Two wrong turns, fifteen minutes, and six numb hands later we made our way down rue du Château where the bar is located, actually walking past it before realizing our error.
All that was quickly forgotten in the warm and inviting bar. As we waited for our beers and a seat to open up we all traded stories of our day and plans for the upcoming vacation week. Finally all the people at a table in the corner all stood up in an unspoken cue of parting and we four edged our way towards them so we could quickly snatch the table. Unfortunately, another woman had the same plans. Quickly reaching a compromise, we decided to share the table and were soon introduced to Geneviève and her boyfriend Benjamin.
For the next five hours we chatted mostly in English about how great a city Nantes is, our studies, and the difficulty of making friends with the French. Ge admitted to me that she doesn't really have a lot of friends in Nantes at all and would really like to see us again and have us over at their apartment.
When the weight of the cherry beer finally settled inside me and staying alert became difficult, we decided to call it a night and left the bar. But not before exchanging information and making plans to meet up with Ge and Ben next Saturday at another local bar.
And as I waited for the tram to take us from 50 Otages to my dorm, I recognized tonight for what it was: a beginning.
I found myself riding the tram down to Commerce at 21h43 with Melody and Darryl on our way to meet Sharon at Buck Mulligans. Two wrong turns, fifteen minutes, and six numb hands later we made our way down rue du Château where the bar is located, actually walking past it before realizing our error.
All that was quickly forgotten in the warm and inviting bar. As we waited for our beers and a seat to open up we all traded stories of our day and plans for the upcoming vacation week. Finally all the people at a table in the corner all stood up in an unspoken cue of parting and we four edged our way towards them so we could quickly snatch the table. Unfortunately, another woman had the same plans. Quickly reaching a compromise, we decided to share the table and were soon introduced to Geneviève and her boyfriend Benjamin.
For the next five hours we chatted mostly in English about how great a city Nantes is, our studies, and the difficulty of making friends with the French. Ge admitted to me that she doesn't really have a lot of friends in Nantes at all and would really like to see us again and have us over at their apartment.
When the weight of the cherry beer finally settled inside me and staying alert became difficult, we decided to call it a night and left the bar. But not before exchanging information and making plans to meet up with Ge and Ben next Saturday at another local bar.
And as I waited for the tram to take us from 50 Otages to my dorm, I recognized tonight for what it was: a beginning.
No comments:
Post a Comment