Boite de Nuit!!! ...aka...nightclub

I woke up at 2:30 this afternoon. I think it was merited seeing as how I didn't go to sleep until 5:30 in the morning. But it was soooo worth it! I went to a nightclub for the first time in my life last night and it was a blast! Last night, we started the evening off at my apartment, with pizza and various autre choses. By we, I mean Melany, Roselyne, Gladys, Jordan, and Jeremy. The girls showed up first and we had a fun time getting dressed up and taking pictures (when you go to a club in France...it's serious business...jeans and tennis shoes are absolutely not allowed). The boys showed up later and we made a party of it until around midnight or so when Gladys' mom came to pick us up to drive us to the club. She is a saint, that woman. I can't think of many mothers who would volunteer to drive a bunch of intoxicated adolescents 40 minutes to a club and then come pick them up at 4 in the morning...especially, when Gladys and family are leaving for Morocco today for vacation. But I digress...anyhoo, we got to the club and you could feel the music from outside the building...which means that you can probably guess the how loud it was inside the club. Melany got carded at the entrance (she always does...she has a baby face)and we met up with Benoit. We then all trooped in along with all the French people who came to Saintes especially for this nightclub...which has the reputation of being one of the best in the Charente-Maritime.

On first walking in, I was impressed. The biggest dance floor is techno themed. There are platforms for dancing on, cages for dancing in, and even a rotating floor that when paired with strobe lights makes you feel like you're dancing even when you're standing still. The boys were reluctant at first, so Melany and I started dancing on the rotating platform thingy with about a million other people. You can feel the music and when everyone is dancing all around you, you can't help but dance. It's great! After dancing a little bit, we took a tour of the club...there are different rooms and they are all differently themed. There was a room dedicated to rap and hip-hop and a room for disco hits and 80's music. There were a ton of old people in the latter room. We didn't dance in there at all. There was also the "VIP club"...which was upstairs and was more posh. Anyhoo, the dj announced that he was going to be giving out free drinks which got everyone super riled up and all of a sudden I found myself dancing with the group right in front of the dj. Along with the music and the strobe lights they also pump in fog...which when paired with strobe lights is surreal. But it was great! And then...I don't know how this happened...but the dj pointed at me and called me forward to give me a free drink voucher. Wow. I guess I don't suck at dancing. But don't worry...I only had a coke. After dancing for a while, we decided to go outside for a few minutes to breathe...but in reality, the only "outside" that you can access without leaving the club is the smoker's area...so I wasn't really given the opportunity to breathe. But oh man...that many bodies packed in like so many sardines in a tin is a recipe for sweat.

I won't bore you all with more details about how we danced all night long, but I will leave you with this one anecdote. Towards the end of the night, we were sitting in a booth waiting for Jordan to show up again so that we could leave (Jordan has a few million friends. He was flitting between groups all night long.), when a French guy approached me and asked me if I'd like to dance. Welp, it was a slow song and not knowing him at all, I politely declined. He was persistent. I again declined. He then asked why. Why oh why should I have to justify my refusal?!? Why do boys always have to ask why? Just as I was racking my brains for an excuse, Jordan shows up out of nowhere, grabs my hand and pulls me over to the couch next to him saying somthing to the effect of, "Ma cherie! There you are!". So...thank you Jordan for saving my life. I do not condone being intoxicated, but when Jordan is drunk, he is flippin' hilarious. He waxes witty...then starts singing songs...and then starts mumbling to himself...and then has incredible bursts of energy. Dancing with a drunk Jordan is super fun. I no longer have a voice from trying to make myself heard last night...and my ears were ringing as I tried to fall asleep...and my feet were sore from dancing. But given the opportunity to go clubbing again? I would probably say I'd love to.

She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes....

Hello all! I know its been ages since I've updated my blog, but nothing super exciting has happened that has merited a blog. Or maybe, life in France has ceased to be novel and is just life. But in any case, I love it here! But on to the point of this blog...I'll be home in one week! I can't believe it! After living in this wonderful town for 7 months, I can't believe I'm leaving! BBMB threw a goodbye party for me last weekend...soo much fun! We danced all night long...I love to dance! But nobody at home likes to dance with me (ahem! Get your acts together...we're going dancing). But anyhoo, tonight will be my last basketball practice. Things really are wrapping up here. Friday night I'll have a goodbye dinner with Sylvain and friends and afterwards, I'll watch my last guys game. Then Saturday, time to start cleaning...bleh. But Saturday night...we are going dancing! It will be my first time in a "boite de nuit" (nightclub)and i must admit I'm somewhat nervous. After Saturday, it will be a quick 3 days of cleaning and packing up and then "I'm leaving on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again" (hopefully next year...I'd love to return for a second year). I'll pass a night in Dublin and then from Dublin, a quick stop in Boston for customs and then I'll be arriving in San Diego, greeted by my sister and a burrito. I'll only be home for a week or so, but I'm sure that I'll get a chance to say hello to you all! Here's to one week left!