"I do"...kinda

A couple of nights ago, I met a friend of my host brother’s whose name was Frederick. After he left, Colette explained to me that his fiancée lives in Paris and that they commute often to see each other. My next question, which seemed logical to me, was “When are they going to get married?” The response was a loud laugh followed by, “They are not going to get married, they are ‘pacsés’” (pronounced p-axe-ay). Baffled, I asked her what this meant and learned something very interesting on the subject of marriage in France.
Many French couples are choosing not to get married these days. Due to a sharp rise in the divorce rate coinciding with a decline in religious participation, most young couples are opting for something different from marriage—more liberal and less ceremonial. This option, called “pacser” or “PACS”, grants couples the right to be together officially but provides an easy “exit-route”, so-to-say, if needed. It is similar to a civil union but more loose. Since divorces can be expensive and monetarily devastating for one or both parties, many French are choosing this cushion or safety-net--if the couple breaks, each party takes whatever started as their property or money without argument. This situation grants couples the possibility to jointly buy a house, adopt a child, or to make other similar official decisions. The couples still wear rings and are officially recognized as “pacsé.”
After hearing this explanation, I made a statement about how this union is similar to those proposed for homosexual couples in certain states in the US. Colette told me that it started here as a manner for homosexual marriage and was nationally voted into utilization by a large part of the French population. The idea was so popular that heterosexual couples began opting for it and now it is certainly “à la mode,” more so than getting married!

Katie came to town!!!

Well I finally got the wonderful and magnificent Katie Lutts out of the country! Yayayayay! That’s right folks, last week I was graced by the presence of my best friend in the whole wide world! Katie arrived early Saturday afternoon and we didn’t waste any time in getting down to sight-seeing business! Saturday night we attended a fantastic ballet at the infamous Opera Garnier (the theatre of the “Phantom of the Opera”) to see the nephew of my host-mother. The next two days were spent visiting all of the must-see sights, like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Sacre-Coeur, Moulin Rouge, etc. We finished the Paris visit with a charming yet chilly night-time boat tour on the Seine. Then we headed down to Montpellier where we visited my host parents, touched the Mediterranean, and ate as many “sandwichs americains” as possible! I had the most wonderful week and loved every second of having Katie here!
I have attached some photos below of Katie’s visit as well as some pictures that I took Sunday at a parade near Montpellier. The end of February through the middle of March is considered “Le Carnaval.” It is a celebration of the end of winter and the start of spring. Usually there are fairs and parades with people dressed in costumes and masks. This particular parade was in a very small town and yet I was still impressed by the floats and costumes. I hope that you are as well!

KATIE'S VISIT

Katie at the Mediterranean/Opera Garnier

Me at the Opera/Katie in our box seat

"la dame de fer" at night/Katie eating her first crepe

Katie at the Arc de Triomphe/The Louvre

The Mona Lisa/The Winged Victory

THE PARADE

Egyptian-themed float/drunk fishermen float

Greek-themed marching band/Cinderellas dancing

ZORRO!/A walking strawberry

Dancing the Night Away!

Last night was certainly a dance extravaganza for my roommates and me. The son of our host parents, Mathieu, offered to take the three of us out for a night of dancing. We began our night at 11:00 p.m. by going to a special “West Coast Swing” soirée thrown by a dance company here. All of the dancers assumed that we knew this dance since it originated in the U.S., but boy were they mistaken! I hate to say that the three of us did not do well in representing Americans at this particular dance-off! I was quite surprised by the version of swing that everyone was dancing. I expected peppy fifties music with fast and happy footwork but I was quite wrong. The French dance “swing” much slower and in a much more sensual and seductive manner. To top off my surprise, they were all dancing to modern American songs like “Bleeding Love” or “With You”. WHAT?! I was utterly confused by how this type of dance had managed to change so much between its origins in the U.S. and what I saw here in France! It was absolutely bizarre.
At 1:00 am, Mathieu told us we were leaving and thus I mentally prepared myself for our arrival back home. Oh, was I wrong—the night was yet young in the eyes of the French! Next we found ourselves at a discotheque just outside of the city. While it would normally cost twelve euros for an entrance fee, we got in free thanks to Mathieu’s friendship with the bouncer guy. As we entered, I was plunged into darkness and strobe lights, loud techno music, and intense heat. I was surrounded by young people ranging in age from 16 to 25ish. Everyone was permitted to drink and it was strange for me to be around high-schoolers with beers in their hands, completely legal. The city of Montpellier provides a cheap and popular bus service at night, with service all night, to all of the discotheques, attempting to protect against drunk drivers. We stayed at the discotheque for over an hour and then Mathieu agreed to call it an “early night” and brought us home. My head didn’t hit the pillow until around 3:30 a.m., early huh? The truth is that here in France, most young people, from high school age up until late twenties, stay out until five or six in the morning. Personally, I like to be asleep BEFORE the sun starts to rise but, to each his own. The French sure do have stamina!