Easter Potluck At French American Center

My cold was just about over when it was time to go to the French American Center for an Easter Potluck. It was an interesting affair.

Luckily, we live close to it. We gathered our cheese and crackers and headed over. When we got there, we entered the secret code into the gate and went in. We popped our cheese into the fridge and the crackers on a table.

There were about 25 people, maybe. We were all this really small room. Since I was wearing an extra layer, I started feeling really hot. I was sweating. My forehead was like Niagra Falls. We met a woman named Claudine, her daughter, and an exchange student from England who is there for a week. Elena was talking with her in French--I was following most of it, but not all. I was focusing on how hot I was as well. Then Kenny, an friendly Australian employee came in and told us we'd all play a game and took us outside.

Since it was an Easter potluck, the game is hunting for colored easter eggs. It was already dark, so that made it a bit tricky. But since it was nice and cool outside, I started to feel much better. The Aussie had us play another game where you toss the eggs back and forth--which didn't exactly please the American girl who had dyed the eggs.

Then we all went back in. Again, like 25 people in a cramped room, but this time I wasn't sweating. Being outside was refreshing. Then Kenny, told everyone to sit and we all did. We then had to do something I've never had to do in a potluck. Everyone had to explain their food. How odd. The first two people had homemade foods. Then Elena and I had to explain our cheese. People started making up stories about the pains they went through to produce the food that was actually just bought in the Inno. It was funny. Then they started passing out food. Another oddity.

I was sitting next to a young woman from Olympia named Becca who studies development issues and has worked and traveled in East Africa and Uganda. She's here learning French so that she can expand her field into West Africa as well. We chatted about Africa and safety. She confirmed my belief that it's a lot safer than most Americans think. There was a French guy named Stefan with us. We talked with him as well. He's lived in Montpellier since 1980.

Elena was talking with a Chilean guy. I met him only briefly, but I'll meet him on Saturday at Claudine's place.

After a while, Kenny made everyone leave. A large portion of the group went to the Vert Anglais where they had live music (and tricky to use internet, according to our experience). The Vert Anglais (have I blogged about it?) is very very close to where we stayed when we first got here.

But we were the last ones to leave because Claudine invited Elena and I and the Chilean guy to her place on Saturday for dinner. So we have our social calendar completely full until Sunday, which make Elena especially happy.

I'm so happy that my cold ended in time to go. It was to something rather than nothing. We have two things today.