La nuit mes yeux t'eclairent.

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to meet Pierre. Read this next part carefully and see if you can follow...Pierre is studying abroad in Melbourne but is originally from a uni in Lyon, France. My former roommate and friend who's more than a friend, Michelle, studied abroad in Lyon last fall and roomed with Pierre, Arthur, and Katia. I knew all about these French roommates of Michelles but had never met any of them. Pierre and I finally met in Melbourne, Australia! So, got it? The world is so much smaller than you could have imagined.

Of course I visited and stayed with Tiffany in Melbourne but we both met up with Pierre on Friday at a bar right across Flinder's Street Station. The bar, Young & Jackson, was actually one of the oldest bars in Melbourne according to Pierre. Tiffany and I both ordered one of the Young & Jackson beers that they had on tap and enjoyed their brew. The three of us sat and sipped while talking about what had brought us to Australia, how we liked it, and well, the inevitable topic that brought us together: Michelle. Tiffany and I had both agreed that if things were weird with Pierre we would totally pull out an excuse of having to be home early, but we all decided that it would be fun to try out a bar safari that Pierre had found in his Melbourne tourist guide.

So once upon a time there was a Frenchman and 2 American girls wandering around downtown Melbourne in search of the perfect bar. After figuring out that the bar safari guide was a little outdated and finding themselves on a side street with obscure paintings on the brick walls around them, they decided to follow a group of people about their age into a hole in the wall. The hole in the wall proved to be the best bar in the land and everyone seemed to know about its charm because there was very little room to move or even find some chairs to sit down. The 2 American girls and the Frenchmen lived happily ever after until they decided to move on for the evening.

But really, we found the most adorable little bar with people our age and it was a literal hole in the wall. While Pierre and I were trying to figure out where exactly this bar was located on the map in his tourist guide, we had a self-proclaimed local come up to us and ask us where we were from and if we needed help getting anywhere. You know you've reached tourist status when the locals are taking a break from their beers here to try to help you.

The next day, Tiffany and I woke up late and went to see Harry Potter. I haven't read the sixth book, but I love those movies. I know they're never as good as the books but I love those movies! And I would watch Daniel Radcliffe all day if you asked me to.

We went over to Pierre's new house for an unofficial housewarming party. First off, everyone was awesome and friendly. Second off, everyone was from somewhere else. There were people from France, Peru, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, etc. It was so great to practice some of my French as well. I miss it so much and I was so relieved to be able to understand a lot of the words that they were saying. Tiffany was a little apprehensive to use the French that she remembered, which was "Je suis un anana" and "Je m'appelle...", but she later said that she had never felt so cultured. And really if you think about it, here we were (Americans) sitting in Australia speaking French (or Franglish) with people from all over the globe. Of course everyone there spoke English because languages hold such an importance in other countries besides America. Pierre made sure to play a little Lynyrd Skynrd for us to give us a taste of home...loved it.

The next day, I was about to head out of Melbourne when I got a text from Pierre inviting me down to Saint Kilda. I maneuvered myself around on the metros and trams (be proud!) and met up with Pierre, Irina, and Martin (all French). Upon my arrival, Pierre was hit in the head with a pigeon. No one saw this event occur but he assures us that a pigeon flew right into his head...Australia birds, what are you gonna do with 'em? We wandered down the pier and around the beach area before heading in towards land. We saw the famous carnival entrance welcoming us with a large clown's mouth. We were all pretty tired from the night before and traipsing around Saint Kilda so we caught the tram back to Federation Square where Irina and I enjoyed a delicious hot chocolate and the boys, who couldn't demascinulate themselves with un chocolat chaud, ordered a beer. It was getting late and I still had to catch the hour long train ride back to Geelong so I peaced out, and we promised that we would all meet again in either Georgia or France. I love instant friends.