An Apple a Day: Bonjour NYC!

A few weeks ago Will and I went on an NYC adventure and Will was able to see the city for the first time, I was able to see the city with older eyes, and most importantly- we connected with Frenchie! Caroline, aka "Frenchie" was the Cousin's foreign exchange student when Will was in high school. Her housing experience was not a great situation so the French teacher asked the Cousin's if they would take her in last minute and show her that great American experience. It resulted in a life-long friendship between their families. They took Will under their wing during his stay in France and trips overseas have been made for weddings and visits. This was really the first time I was able to get to know the Frenchie I have heard so much about and we all got along great. The only hiccup was the language barrier as Caroline's husband didn't speak English and of course, my French goes as far as "Bonjour" and "J'taime". Between Caroline's translations and Will dusting off his French it turned out just fine. We had to communicate in other ways, say things a bit more simply, and figure things out. I got a glimpse into that part of Will's past experiences and it sparked conversations that I loved to hear. I saw how we take language for granted and being misunderstood and not able to communicate is a new world I've rarely stepped into! Needless to say, there were lots of thumbs up and a few giggles when mistakes were made...like when Will asked Antony if he had a chance to call his girlfriend (mistaking "girlfriend" for "little girl".) Caroline wasn't around so we spent an awkward 10 seconds in the elevator until they realized the mistake. Whoops!

Being in NYC again showed me how much past experiences change how you see new things. I have been to the Big Apple a few times in high school and this trip it seemed sightly different. In high school I had been to less cities, had fewer experiences with seeing strange things (ha), and had rarely been out of my comfort zone. 7 years later and the happenings of NYC didn't seem so shocking, the city didn't seem as dirty, and the "hustle and bustle" didn't scare me. I felt surprisingly safe and the relaxed feel of our sight seeing was how I like to vacation. Thanks to Caroline, we saw a lot of things in a short amount of time but we didn't feel rushed. I felt a little guilty about not showing HER around as she was pretty much our tour guide but I quickly saw her organization and planning as her gift and enjoyment.

This trip was a great way to get to know this part of the Cousin family and spark a new friendship between wives. I'm grateful we were able to spend this time with sweet people and get a small taste of French culture. We will look forward to seeing Caroline and Antony again and meeting their little pumpkins, Maewynn and Jack. I let her know we live pretty close to Mickey Mouse! :)