Aubin, my language friend

Last night, I found myself anxiously pacing in front of the tourist office, wringing my hands, and regretting the decisions that had led me there.

Why did I think I wanted a language partner anyway? Its just going to be awkward. What if he is amazing at English, and I stumble through my French the entire conversation.

From our very limited email exchange (after all, I had written him in French and he had replied in English) all I knew was that my new language partner was named Aubin and that he was studying at the Law University in Aix. We planned to get a cafe and talk, him in English and me in French, for about an hour. Pam set us up.

I realized the stupidity of our decision not to swap phone numbers, descriptions (I'll be the girl in the bright yellow jacket!"), or decide on a more specific meeting point after I hesitantly approached a man standing alone and asked if he was my language buddy Aubin. His blank stare made my cheeks burn with embaressment, and I quickly walked to another bench in front of the office, determined not to approach another stranger unless I was positive it was Aubin.

About ten minutes after our designated 7:00 meet time, I was about to pack up and leave when I heard a someone on the phone say many indistinguishable phrases in French, and then, a distinct "CAT-TEEE". I knew this was my man. I approached the man with some spring in my step, proudly stuck out my hand, and said "Are you ready to speak some English?! I'm Katie."

Aubin was great. He is from the Ivory Coast, and moved to France when he was a boy. He is studying law for another year before he takes his exams to graduate. He has a brother and two sisters. He smiled during our entired conversation, and graciously picked up the tab at the end of our hour long exchange, promising that I could pay next time. His English was the equivalent of my French, making it the perfect balance of tiny corrections and "How do you say [insert obscure word]?".

Aubin is my first French friend. It only took three months in France and hundreds of hours of Natalie for me to feel like I can have a friend to whom I only speak French. I can't wait for our next exchange.