Every February, no matter what corner of the world I'm in, my mother always manages to send me a Valentine's Day package. They vary from year to year depending on where I am and what she is able to send. She usually sends candies, chocolates, heart decorations, a mug with hearts on it, and if I'm lucky, she'll manage to get in a box of my favorite Entenmann's Valentine's Day cupcakes that I swear have a day's worth of calories in one serving. I have saved her trinkets from every year, my favorite being a pink mini snow globe that snows pink glitter and reads "I love your hugs".
Thanks to my mother, Valentine's Day to me was never just about being in a couple. I've spent more Valentine's Day as a single girl enjoying bubbly and sweets with pink glitter nail polish on. She pressed that it's a day to be a little kitchy, indulge in a few calories, give the people you love an extra hug or two, and enjoy the fact that it is mid-February as we get over the hump of winter.
This year's package came with candy conversation hearts (big and small), strawberry cream Peeps dipped in milk chocolate, heart garland and wreaths, rose-scented tea lights and a card wishing us a Happy Valentine's Day with an announcement that her and her pilot boyfriend are coming to Paris next week for an entire week. None of this 36 hour lay-over malarkey, they're coming on a real vacation and are staying at a hotel that is up the street from our apartment. That, is the best Valentine's Day surprise!
Yesterday afternoon, Séb's friend Thomas came by to play "Call of Duty", an extremely violent video game where they play with other participants around the world. When these video game play dates befall, I usually hear the sound of ten year old boys from around the world cursing and threatening to Séb and Thomas, in terrible English that they're going to get their heads blasted off.
Wanting them to take a break from the 14 year old boy in Germany who if you ask me was taking the insults a little too far, I peeked my head into the bedroom to see if they wanted some candy. I had made a small plate of candy hearts and strawberry peeps, and popped open a bottle of crèmant.
"Voulez-vous des bonbons américains, une "peep" ou autre chose?"
Both of them who are hip to all of my gaffes, asked me to repeat the sentence in English. Hmm okay. "Do you guys want American candy, a peep, or something else?" I thought the sentence was pretty clear and direct. Maybe a bit too direct....
Well, Miss Coquine strikes again. Similar to my famous beet story, peep, which is not an available candy here in France, and when said, one expression and only one expression as peep (spelled pipe) means this. I don't think I'll ever stop learning in this country. Just when I thought I had ironed out all of these little kinks...think again.
I'll be keeping the Peeps away from my students this week. That's only asking for it, especially with some of the lurking dads...
So what are you planning for Valentine's Day?