we all start as strangers.

I finally got to meet Richard's little sister and her husband! They are currently studying theology in Israel, and haven't been back to Reunion since their wedding which, coincidentally, I celebrated with them on accident. Their reception was a joint party with Richard's 30th birthday, which is when Sylvie invited me to come along and secretly planned to set us up. Oh how funny things turn out...

So Valerie and Emeric are in Reunion for two months, and last week they came to stay with us. This was cool because although I hadn't met Valerie yet, I was already doing lots of sister-like things with her, like borrowing her clothes without her knowing, (if you're reading this, I'm sorry!! haha) and chatting on facebook all the time. But with her here, it was like having a real-life sister and I was super happy! We cooked together (well...we made a salad), joked about Richard's little quirks when he was in the other room, and her and Emeric even brought me presents from Israel!!!  Mud and salt spa products from the Dead Sea!!!

Their first dinner request was fondue, since French cheese is scarce/expensive in Israel...

Richard fabricated a little mini fire with books and aluminum foil on the table to cook the cheese :-)

A little Creperie near our apt.

Cool foreign presents!! 

After Val and Emeric discovered just how obsessed I am with travel and culture, they captivated me every night at dinner with charming tales of what life is like in Israel. I'm pretty sure I'm a little late with this knowledge, and certainly I've heard of the Dead Sea before...but I never knew people come from all around just to rub the mud all over their bodies! Or that the water is so dense with salt and minerals that you just float around! Needless to say, Israel is now on the top of my New Travel Wishlist ;-)

I borrowed this photo from allwellness.wordpress.com

In other news, my super cool artist friend, Salomon, invited me to an art show called Nuit D'art de Plein Lune...which I mistakenly translated in my head as it was an art show during the full moon, and not outside, under the moon. This was a sad mistake as it is "winter" (60 degrees is freezing to me now) (I'm a little ashamed but not really) and I was not dressed to be outside. Thankfully, all of our blankets from the gypsy party were (and still are) in the trunk waiting to be taken to the cleaners, so I just walked around in a purple blanket the whole night and pretended to be a superhero. 

Anyway, I have to admit, I have rather low expectations for shows of any sort in Reunion. It's never going to be Paris here, or New York, or even Dallas. But I love Salomon's work and style and I trusted him...and thank goodness for that because this art show was one of the coolest things I've seen--and not just in Reunion!! 

The show was held in an old plantation museum, which Richard says, is reputed to be haunted. The Madame of the house, Mme. Desbassayns, was apparently known for being unusually cruel with her slaves, and it is said that a number of them are still roaming restlessly around the old mansion. However, this information seems to be local legend...when I tried to research Mme. Debassayns online I found nothing of her extreme evilness, but instead that she opened a hospital for slaves which was unheard of at the time...

The art incorporated the theme of slavery and was displayed with the existing museum pieces...drawing on what was already there and twisting it to show a darker aspect. It was incredible. For example, in one of the old bedrooms, an artist added sculptures of grotesque giant spiders and bloody hearts lying in the corner. My favorite part was when you left the mansion and entered the slave's quarters. There, the theme transformed into something sad but hopeful. Every exhibit there had wings. I loved the solitary swing outside that stretched up into the sky, covered in feathers and lit by one single spotlight. It was impossible to take a picture that would do it justice. Very powerful. I'm excited to see what other little treasures are hiding here in Reunion!! 

This guy was throwing giant canvases on top of burning coals and then twisting them so that the ashes eventually took a  (tortured) human form---

In the slave's quarters...you walk in and see a line of empty bird cages... the lighting on them casts their shadows on the wall of torture devices in the back.

Grand Boucan

Every year in June, Reunion Island has a huge Mardi-Gras like party called Le Grand Boucan. No one seems to know why this party exists, but apparently it's the biggest party Reunion has to offer. As I was in the US this time last year, I had no idea what to expect. Usually when Reunion does big parties I try to stay away...can you imagine the traffic/parking/crowd chaos on an island the size of a large city with one major road and eight hundred thousand cars? Luckily for us, Grand Boucan happens to be just outside our apartment...granting us front row, crowd-free access to the show. So obviously, we threw a small VIP masquerade party. 

All weekend, carnival rides, snack stands and construction workers invaded our tiny little street, preparing for the arrival of about 10,000 people. The parade is the first official event of the day...and this year, the theme was "Extra-Terrestrial."

The parade is lead by a giant float called the Dodo, which they burn on the beach at the end of the night. This year, this lucky guy was King Dodo. 

Richard had been sick since Friday, and I'm relatively claustrophobic, so we opted to hang out chez nous and not descend into the throng of thousands. Our friends arrived to join us around six. 

We snacked, drank and laughed for a couple hours. I kind of recently swore off alcohol after feeling like crap the morning after having a mere two glasses of wine with our wasp dinner. I figured I'm getting old and needed a detox! But I couldn't pass up Alien Super Party atmosphere, so Richard made me a rum punch...

Then we all ventured into the madness and made our way over to the ocean for the burning of the Dodo. We snuck over to the beach next to where the action was in order to avoid the crazy mass of people...but it turned out to be super windy there, the show was a half hour late, and a freezing Elena and I were ready to run back home...when...

...this amazing firework show started, and I was so happy we stayed. I think this is the closest I'm going to get to the 4th of July this year ;-) 

On the walk back, I started to feel horribly sick, so I stopped back at the apartment with Richard and by the time he got back out to the group, they had been flung somewhere out in the current of partying drunk people. I hope they had a little fun!! 

I, on the other hand, spent the night going from cold to hot with constant nightmares running through my sleeping little brain. Thankfully, our gracious house guests cleaned up the party for me this morning, and I was able to reschedule my immigration appointment for tomorrow. Also on the bright side, staying in bed has given me lots of time to catch up on my pinteresting and, of course, to write this blog. I can't decide if Richard's germs are to blame or if I really need to give up alcohol permanently...

Now it's time for some chicken noodle soup! I wish my Charlie dog was here to snuggle with me!!! 

Gypsy Nights and Great Friends

Things have been changing. 

It all started about a month ago when suddenly I stumbled upon two beautiful, intelligent and interesting girlfriends who live close!! I didn't even realize how much having friends close by would change my entire outlook on life.

Elena is a Russian photographer and model who I had heard of (and wanted to meet) since my first month in La Reunion. Lucky for me, she was looking for a blond girl to do a shoot on the beach, and a mutual friend set us up. We immediately clicked, and since the beach shoot, we started working out on weekdays. Every time I leave her house after a work out, I feel completely refreshed.

I found Rachelle, my Utah lawyer friend, online on some ex-patriot page (I was desperately trying to find other native English speakers here to be my friend!) We meet once a week for coffee to discuss politics, books, and how we can become rich on Reunion Island with our English. We just recently joined a dance/yoga/hippie class on Saturday mornings, which is quite possibly one of the highlights of my week! I was especially happy to have Rachelle with me when the dance instructor told everyone (in English) to use our "desire fingers." I think we cried in silent laughter for the next ten minutes, then we mutually agreed never to point our "desire fingers" (?!?!?!?) at each other...

The best thing is that both of my beautiful new friends have schedules that allow them to hang out with me during the day...making my daily life a lot less lonely!!

This weekend, thanks to our good friends Christian and Julie, I was able to bring all of my loves, both new and old, together to meet each other over plates of fried wasp babies.

Elena and James


Rachelle and Phillipe

I have a whole table of friends!! <3

This picture of the blood sausage looks horrifying but I assure you it was pretty good.

The next day, Julie, Christian, Richard and I had a little gypsy-themed slumber party on the beach.

After the sun set, the guys started the fire and we grilled what i suppose the richer gypsies would eat...crayfish, giant shrimp, sausages and veggies. 

The stars were bright and twinkling, the food was delicious, the ocean was roaring, and I even taught them how to make s'mores for dessert. It was utter perfection.

Being old, we were in bed by 10:30. The pounding rain woke us up at two. Thank goodness we were under a tarp! The wind wasn't blowing so we were safe and snuggly and happy to hear the rain. I went back to sleep and dreamt that I saw a giant butterfly fluttering to us. It was amazing and we stood there in shock by how big it was. It danced over between us...and landed on my arm!! I felt so honored and thrilled. Then it looked at me straight in the eyes, and somehow I knew that it was here to guide me to a spiritual awakening...

I woke up to more rain, shuffled around a bit, and fell back asleep.

This time, I was in a basement with my old best friend. A pigeon came in, and now it was he who was going to take me to my spiritual awakening. He took my hand in his beak and started flying...and I started floating next to him. I was scared I wasn't going to make it, that I was too heavy...but soon we were flying up to the ceiling, and then through the ceiling up into the sky...

It rained on and off until we finally woke up around 8. We put on some coffee.

And that's when a REAL gypsy came to the party! So this guy just shows up, says nothing, takes off his shoes and comes to the table. He ceremoniously sets his knife and rosary down before us, like we're knights and he's a messenger from a neighboring village.  He takes off his raincoat and is wearing a torn pillowcase for a shirt. He says hi, sits himself down, and says "Wow, it's so refreshing to see other people living off the land. There aren't many of us left..."

Then he inhales dramatically and says how great the flowers smell...that he can tell they are from Reunion. (They are fake, I bought them at a Chinese store for 3 euro.) We give him some bread,  and some cookies, and some jam, and then he asks to make some more hot coffee, has a banana and an orange, and then asks for a blanket because he's cold. We give him a blanket, and he starts singing. He talks to us about some random gypsy things, like living in the moment and forgetting the past, and then he starts singing again and falls asleep. We pack up, eventually bidding him farewell and letting him keep the blanket.

You know you did a gypsy party right when you start attracting real gypsies.

This is the happiest I have ever been in my life.
I am grateful.
And I feel so unbelievably lucky to have such incredible people to journey with!!