The vibe is good here. There is a pattern to these years where I change my scenery and my set-up. The beginning is rough, but towards the middle of winter things start to feel golden. Ca y est ! It’s golden (literally golden, too – the weather is warm and BEAUTIFUL these days)!
I’m taking swing lessons now (lindy hop, specifically). Summer and Heather are taking them as well, but Stew opted out because one of his feet bothers him. It’s fun! It’s also a good exercise in laughing at oneself: silly things happen when I try to move jazzily. Dance partners are pretty tolerant, though, especially the other beginners. Spinning the wrong way, bumping into other couples, the occasional foot stamp – ça passe. What doesn’t go over well is showing up for class smelling like your dinner, which I did on the very first day, when dinner was fajitas. Before leaving home, I reminded myself that it would not be good to smell like dinner at my first night dance, so I popped a piece of gum in my mouth. I figured that the bike ride to the dance school would air out my clothes, but I was wearing Stew’s windbreaker which apparently sealed the smell of Tex Mex inside it. When I arrived and unzipped the coat, Summer looked over at me and asked, “Did you just eat Mexican food?” All night, I could see the smile change on the face of dance partner after dance partner as I approached and the refried bean aroma reached them. They were all courteous, but it was a reminder that in France, loud noises and strong odors are often perceived as more invasive than the amount of physical space a person occupies, so my fajita miasma was probably not the best first impression to give people. On the other hand, the second and third impressions I gave probably weren’t any better (curry and Moroccan food) so now I shut my coat in another room when we eat and change my shirt before hopping on my bike for dance class.