Parlez-vous français?

On the bus on the way to work this morning, I overheard some people speaking French. They spoke slowly enough so that when I could hear them, I understood what they were saying. Their speech had all of the idioms and expressions I had come to recognize and appreciate while studying abroad in Nantes in the fall of 2006. As I listened to them speak, I started to think of my host family in Nantes, and the similar snippets of conversation I'd overhear on the bus there, on my way to classes. I realized it has been four years this fall since I was in France, and I miss it - the people, the language, the food - I need to find a way to go back! Upon my arrival at work, I emailed my host mother Brigitte and said as much. I remember roaming around Nantes with Molly, discovering new crepe places, ordering food and not being *quite* sure if we said what we meant, and ordering pizza over the phone and being so excited when we actually received what we ordered, watching American television dubbed in French and being amused at the difference in voices, and discovering what French université is like for les etudiants français.

I need to start saving up for a trip to Europe!