Roomie's Parents

Yesterday Roomie's parents came to town. I was at the apartment waiting to let them in because Roomie had to work and they didn't have a key. Roomie had given me a list of things that her parents were not to know about (i.e. she doesn't smoke, she eats very healthy, and her sister was not in Paris last week). I was feeling a little sick and wondering if I was going to have to talk and remember to lie to them for two hours in French. I had met Roomie's dad when I first got to Paris in January but had never met Roomie's mom (who is insanely stylish and French and made me feel really uncool in my flared jeans and socks).

But they were sooo friendly and talked to me in French really slowly and I totally understood them and then they must have gotten bored with my stalled French and decided to talk to me in English. Roomie's mom was really embarrassed about her English which was of course really good English. Roomie's dad told me all about how much he loves e-mailing with my dad (I think they were destined to be friends) and then he began a campaign to get me to move to France.

He started by telling me my French was good, that I had lost 5-7 lbs since last he had seen me (I imagined him converting kilos to lbs in his head before saying this and found it amusing) and the French life must suit me, and then suggesting different ways for me to sneak around the visa system and get a job. This morning I woke up to a newspaper article taped to my door that discussed how France "is the winner in the longest vacations in the world" and a note suggesting this might help me decide what country to live in.

We also had a small discussion about American and French politics that always makes me a little nervous because while the French feel free to bash on America, I just don't feel as comfortable bashing on France. But Roomie's parents seem capable of separating their dislike for George Bush with their fondness for America. He even said in two years they might buy a house in America since the dollar is so terrible. I asked if I could live in it.

And that's pretty much it. I just found them so highly entertaining. They will be back on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to the continued "move to France" campaign...I think it might be working.

I'm leaving for Italy tonight on an overnight train (ugh) with Little Texas and then will be back on Monday and then Sister dearest and my parents come and we frolic around Spain! I'm sure it will provide lots of good stories.