A few weeks ago, my dad and I pulled of an EXCELLENT surprise. And the story begins...
It was the weekend of June 11th as I recall. I had bought 16 euro tickets to Oslo weeks prior, but these tickets would go to waste. Shortly after my huge travel investment to Norway, I was skyping with my dearest father. As we talked about what he had done that day, he mentioned that he was extremely busy planning my sister's graduation party. I told him that I was upset that I missed the actual graduation, and that I wished I could come home and surprise her. He unexpectedly responded, "that would be such a good surprise... and I do love surprises. If you find a cheap flight, book it." Procrastination always tends to take over my life, but not in this case. I immediately began combing the internet for great deals, and found one within a few minutes. The tickets were booked immediately, and the planning began.
I talked to Hannah, my sister, countless times after having bought the tickets, and kept my lips sealed. In the meantime, I contacted her roommate to start scheming. I came up with a brilliant plan. Her roommate's parents own the condo they live in. Her roommate would "receive a call from her parents" saying that "a contractor is coming to appraise the vinyl siding on the house" and I would show up on her front steps. Flawless. Who would ever question that?
Well, the plan worked out pretty well...minus the fact that her doorbell was broken. My dad picked me up from the airport, and we drove on over to her house. I rang the bell... and again... and again... And then I started pounding on the door, screaming to the heavens in a thick, Bostonian accent, "HEYY HELLO? I'M A CONTRACTAH HEYA TO APPRAYZE DA SIYDIN ON YA APPAHTMENT." That didn't work either. Finally, my dad ended up calling her to say that he happened to be in the neighborhood, buying kosher cookies of course, decided to drop by, and was currently on her front porch. She said she'd come right down. I crouched behind my largely built father and hid. We waited for a few seconds, and then heard her schizophrenic dog, Molly, run down the stairs and start barking. Hannah followed suit (minus the barking) and opened the door. At that moment, I popped out from behind my dearest Pops and yelled, "CANDYGRAM!" (it's an old Saturday Night Live reference... Youtube 'LandShark')
Hannah's reaction was worth the many dollars...well... euros... and hours of traveling. Her jaw dropped to the floor like a Looney Toons character. She stood there, staring at me, for a few minutes as she attempted to process what was happening. When she finally realized that I was not a mirage, and was actually standing on her front porch, she started screaming. It wasn't so much screaming but rather a squeal/yelp/shout/cry/laugh. We hugged and hugged and hugged, cried a little, and laughed. It was great.
That night, I organized a bunch of my Boston friends to go out for drinks. We went to one of my favorite places for sangria, the Other Side. My truest and dearest friends from school came (except for Julie, who in all fairness is in South America), and we had ourselves a grand ol' time, as if it hadn't been over a year since we had last seen each other. It was a great night out. Unfortunately, jet lag quickly caught up with me, and the night ended around midnight.
The next day, Hannah and I ran a few errands. I went to my favorite local sneaker store, Bodega. After a nice little visit and a bit of networking, Hannah and I left the Bean and drove back to Providence. That night we had a lovely dinner at my Dad's girlfriend's house. I was pretty delirious by that point, so I don't remember much. The next day we woke up bright and early, got dressed, and went out shopping! I forgot how much cheaper everything is in the States. Highlight of the shopping- Savers. Oh how I miss that store. Don't get me wrong, the thrift shops in Paris have great finds, but even a skirt still costs at least 10 euros! I got a great new blazer for 7 bucks, and a silk scarf for 2. For that night, I had organized a night out with my friends from Providence at a great brewery. I have to say, the turnout wasn't great. Essentially, only my best friends, cousins, and sister came out.
It was a small group of around 8 people. Don't get me wrong, it was amazing to spend time with them! It showed me how much these people really care about me and miss me. What really bummed me out was that over 25 people responded that they would come, and 30 said that they "might" come. For me, the evening was bittersweet. I was surrounded by people that loved me, but I couldn't help but feel hurt that the people that I've missed and have wanted to see for over 10 months couldn't make the effort to see me for just a few hours. As the evening ended, I came to the realization that perhaps my life in Providence is really over. High school ended years ago, and that perhaps all of my wonderful friendships won't last as long as I thought they would. That night was also a turning point for me because I realized that my doubts of staying in France shouldn't even exist. I have been worrying that by staying abroad for another year, I would lose even more friends at home, and that catching up would become more difficult. But, you know what? Why should I go home to rekindle old and dying friendships with people from my hometown when instead I could keep the relationships with my truest friends strong, and then make even more great friends here in France? The decision has been made. I don't want to come home. I'm not going to sacrifice this incredible experience to live in a foreign country because I miss people. The people that I miss don't necessarily miss me. The people that do miss me have already proven it to me in their own ways.. and not necessarily by coming out just that one night. I've been thinking about these things for a while now, but that night out acted as a catalyst for me to admit certain things to myself that I have been avoiding. I don't want to come home and feel lonely when I could stay here (even in a shitty town like Reims) surrounded by people that I already have great friendships with, and people who I have yet to become friends with.
The next day was Sunday- Hannah's graduation party. We woke up early and went to my favorite neighborhood breakfast joint, Ruffuls. It was fantastic! Actually, I lied... that may or may not have been on Saturday morning. I really don't remember. Anyhoo... Hannah's party was so great. I got to see almost all of my family and close family friends. It was difficult answering the question "so how do you like living in France?" I tried my best, but my answers really weren't that great. We all lounged, mingled, and shmoozed for a few wonderful hours. Hannah returned back to Boston after the party, and I hung out with my dad. I ended up passing out on the couch at around 9pm, and that was it for me.
So, all in all, my weekend back home was fantastic. I finally had my first Dunkin Donuts iced coffee of the year, spent quality time with family and friends, and discovered a few things about myself. I'm so glad I was able to surprise Hannah. The look on her face was worth every cent.
More posts to come... I've been super lazy about this. All this traveling is exhausting! I love it :)
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