you're going to miss me a lot

What do I say to all of my new friends here in France to let them know how I feel?


"You're going to miss me!"  Actually, what I say is "Vous allez me manquer."  To me, that sounds like "you're going to miss me" but in actuality, it means the reverse, or "I'm going to miss you."  Really.


Before I moved to France, I would daydream that I'd actually find a really great girlfriend here, and we would have so much in common and have lots of fun together.  That it would be really sad when I left France because I would miss my new BFF (best french friend).  Well, it actually happened!  Meet Magda:

Magda

I'm so lucky to have a friend like Magda.  She's a foodie!  And we like all of the same things!  I finally found someone who, when I need it, actually has a spare jar of tahini on hand.  How's that for friend perfection?  I met Magda while shopping for rain boots for Gaius.  She overheard me speaking French with an American accent and came up to me, introduced herself and said, "We should be friends!"  And, we are!  Magda, you're really going to miss me!  Et tu me manques aussi!


Christopher has also made some great friends here.  You may not know this, but each morning, Christopher eats about 1 kilo (2 pounds) of fruit for breakfast.  What better friend for him than Guillaume, who sells fruit!  We love Guillaume, he's the best.  And if you are looking for someone to do some graphic design work for you, he's your man!

Guillaume

 Christopher and Guillaume met the old fashioned way... at the fruit stand!

how they met

Gaius has also made some really great friends here.  One of his favorites is Gilles, Christopher's boss.  With Gilles, Gaius has learned how to build a fire in the fireplace and use a lighter.  Gilles gave Gaius a two wheeler bike to ride here in France, and now he can drive without training wheels!  Gaius and Gilles will be life long friends.

Gaius and Gilles building a fire in Denmark

Gaius' favorite food is Gilles' lasagne

We were really lucky to pick a place to live with such great neighbors.  Having friends like François & Thien, Mylène & Jean right next door has been the best.  They have shared many traditions with us and celebrated many french holidays with us.  Ils nous manquerons!  (We're going to miss them!)

Fan-Fan & Thien

Mylène & Jean

Our friends have not been limited to the two legged variety.  Meet Elliot.  

Elliot

He lives with Mylène and Jean up the hill.  He and Gaius play all the time, mostly ball.  During the day, when Gaius is at school, Elliot comes by to see if he is at home.  Elliot is the best dog in the world, definitely "boy's best friend"!

"Can Gaius come out and play?" 

There are many more people whom we've met and shared really great times with here.  There's still time, 4 days left!  Hopefully, we'll be able to have more fun with you before we leave.  


Vraiment, vous allez nous manquer.  (You're really going to miss us.)  I mean, oh, you know what I mean!


à bientôt!


P.S. Christopher just mentioned to me that another reason Guillaume is the perfect friend for him is the fact that he is the only other person in France who also regularly wakes up at 4 am!