Meet the Boys

Felix.



Do you remember Felix? Some of you have met him these past few years. He is the nice Dutch guy who fancies Indonesian women and has the biggest heart for children.

While I was in the Netherlands, we did not have the chance to meet up. I did not tell him that I was coming, in the other words. But the next week after that, I smsed him and asked if he could make it to go to Strasbourg instead. He had never been there, so he said yes. So we spent our third weekend with Felix.

I already had a bad feeling when Vincent started interrogating me about him. Endlessly. He seemed to have thousands of questions. Have I told you that Vincent was a very jealous guy?

Felix came on Saturday evening driving all the way from the Netherlands. As usual he was very loud and (over) cheerful and happy. And THIS contradicted Vincent's distinguished personality of calm and contented and proper - which is probably so French, but please rule out the Parisians!

I do not think that the meeting with Felix was the best decision as I felt Vincent's tension too much. Felix didn't feel it of course, at least he didn't show it if he did. But we survived it. We took Felix around on Sunday and hugged him good bye that very day, too. I really appreciated that he came to Strasbourg for the weekend. He was a really good friend. But I could also understand the way Vincent thought: Why the hell is a guy driving 5.5 hours for less than 36 hours stay in Strasbourg?

---

Paris and the Grimm Brothers.

I didn't know that Vincent hated Paris. No, he loathes Paris. He would burn it along with all the people living there if he could. Okay, that's an exaggeration. But anyway, he hates it and he showed his discontent feeling as blatantly as he could. He moaned all the way the Eiffel tower to Champs-Élysées and he refused to say that he blamed me for making him go there, but he really did blame me psychologically.

Now let's turn back the time. What I remember is, he never said explicitly that he hated Paris. It was only when Johann called me and urged me to go to Paris to visit him and Francois, Vincent said: "Well, we can go there if you want, baby. This is your vacation." But he never gave a hint that he didn't want to go! Of course had he said that, I wouldn't have opted to go to Paris. Been there. I was impressed but not too crazy to go back there. So since I knew it too late - when we had already been in the glorious Paris city, he gave me this face below and pouted all the time. Sigh.



Luckily the things changed slightly when we met Johann and Francois Grimm. If you are my blog's regular reader, you will probably notice those names. Johann is the bitchy Grimm, and Francois is the sweet Grimm. They're brothers.

My statement above is not baseless. You can just see how bitchy Johann is in this picture (had to censor it, sorry... I don't think anyone could dare to see his newly pierced nipple)

and how sweet Francois here in comparison with his older brother:

MUAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

But anyway let's be a little bit serious here. I had never met Johann and Francois before. I chatted with Johann for years (knew him from DeviantArt, oh why is it so unsurprising?) and we click when it comes to mocking each other to the very end level of impropriety! And just to contradict that, his only kin - Francois - appears to be the sweetest boy of all! What were their parents think and do when they made them, only God knows.

One thing for sure though... the very first time I saw Johann, it felt like it was not the first time. It felt like I had known him for the longest time. He was funny, comfortable to be with, crazy but lovable, and downearth.... crazy. Oh, I've already said crazy. Anyway...

Francois and Johann gave me early birthday presents. I've got dices of different shapes from Francois, which I now always use to teach my private students. Very useful, bro. And from Johann a silver necklace. Too bad it didn't come along with the earrings (HAHA, joking!)

They were very, very sweet. It kind of melted down the tension Vincent and I felt earlier about who was trapping whom to be in Paris. :P

I can't wait to see them again.

---

29th Birthday (ouch!)

I was sick on my birthday (the sign of ageing - ouch again)! I felt weak the whole day and I almost begged Vincent not to go to Pascal's barbeque. But it was really not nice not to go to a party prepared for you, right? And I'm happy I did manage to go to the party with my weak limbs. Because it's hillarious!!!

They decorated the venue with some balloons and a banner that says Joyeaux Anniversaire. Don't ask me how to pronounce that. :P

And they prepared a really delicious birthday cake EVER (though as usual I couldn't eat more than 1 slice of a sweet cake) with oh, not candles on it. But a small firecracker! Never had such a birthday cake before! Look, look!

I also opened my first champagne. Didn't know that it was a special thing to do. LOL. I mean I LOOOOVE champagne. But I just was not aware that opening the bottle was a special tradition. But I was happy I had the chance. :)

Oh and then this... Brigitte, Pascal's girlfriend, went into the house and changed to this outfit! Don't YOU want the pants?!?! I totally, totally want a pair of that!!!

So in the end, I was still sick physically, but healthy mentally. These are very nice people I hang out with during my stay in Strasbourg.

---

Last days

It was emotional! Vincent didn't want me to go home. I didn't want to go home. But I had to go home. It was so hard. My friends and family had been texting me and emailing me and I just couldn't reply because I was busy with my own sad feeling.

I might have been able to stay longer... but what? I couldn't live illegally in France! It would take some time to pick up the language, so I suppose it would take even longer time to finally get a job. And what? Does Vincent have to support me all along? I know he's willing, but I am NOT. I can't be dependent on him now. Not yet. Even when I am one day, I won't want it to be 100% dependence. And say I loved being here for a month - but I should not forget that Vincent took almost 3 weeks off for me. If I stayed longer, he would go to work everyday (which is fine) but who should I talk to? Hardly anyone speaks English, my French is still limited to the magical Je ne parle pas Francais, and people might have already lost their excitement of having an Indonesian tourist around!!!

Okay, I'm a whiner. But it was just then I admired Shierly's courage to move to Korea for Hiro without knowing the language. And though I remember she did whine, too, but I think I am not as strong as she is.

Vincent was totally moody. And he almost didn't want to wake up to take me to Frankfurt airport. He didn't help me pack either. He just wouldn't do things that would "encourage" my going home. But I just had to go home!

Well, I'm home now. And I wish I didn't go home. :(