A New Year's Eve Party in Paris

JA: Jeunes Adultes, aka Young Adults (or Single Adults, as we are called in the US). In France, since there are so few young members of the Church, they throw quite a few parties, and the New Year's Eve party is one of the largest. Believe me, I was thrilled! (Utah is known for many great things, but fabulous parties is not one of them.)

"Party," however, is probably not the best word for it. It seemed to float somewhere between a party and a conference. Too long and too spiritual to truly be a party, but way too much fun to be a conference! I missed the first day of the conference because 1) my plane was late and 2) I was vegetized from jet lag. But I made up for it on Friday. The morning of the conference/party began with a light breakfast and spiritual talks. Then there was a break for lunch (sandwiches, fruit, yogurt drinks, and chocolate bars) and then games filled up most of the afternoon.

 

My favorite was the treasure hunt around Nogent (a suburb of Paris, where the conference was held). Walking through the streets of Nogent was like stepping into a fairytale postcard. Each house had its own individual character and personality, each as unique and cherished as a childhood friend. Some carried a Swiss flair, others spoke of German ancestry. Some had ivy caressing the stones, others were clean with red and white patterned brick.

Nogent, 12/31/10

After the afternoon's activities we had a break to get ready for the conference's highlight: the Dance! The theme was "Hollywood," so everyone was invited to dress as their favorite celebrity. Even though she's not a movie star, I chose Katy Perry. I attempted to mimic her costume from the music video "Waking Up in Vegas." My new friend, a student from Arizona spending the year being an Aupair in Paris, was Audrey Hepburn.

Some went in costume, others just wore party gowns -- or suits. Some even sewed their own dresses, because modest gowns are hard to come by in France. There was a legit Princess Leia, some suave Men in Black, and my favorites: Les Dupondt.

Seafood spread, pasta, deviled eggs, and salmon and cheap caviar on toast made up the dinner, along with the largest round of Brie cheese imaginable and slices of baguette bread. Of course, I had to try the caviar! It was slightly bitter (or perhaps just bland... most of the seafood had a bitter aftertaste, and I couldn't quite get rid of the flavor). It was also simultaneously crunch and slimy: a very strange combination to chew through. The salmon on toast was by far my favorite. I had one piece of a flan tart before Sylvain stopped me, claiming that all the seemingly delicious pastries were made from a box, and therefore had no right wandering through my digestive tract. I quickly finished off my flan when he wasn't looking and returned to the dance floor. Box or no box, it didn't taste anything like Betty's Brownie mix.

Me and Teina, the captain of our team, "Les Samouraï"

And then, before I knew it, we were counting down to midnight! The crowd was thick with excitment.

Cinq!

Quartre!

Trois!

Deux!

Un!

BONNE ANNEE!!!

 

Sparklers flew everywhere, sparkling cider bottles popped and fizzed, everyone screamed, and then the entire gym resembled an ant hill for the next five minutes as bodies squeezed and parted and pushed, while everyone gave each other congratulatory "bises," aka kisses. Aka, a very memorable night.

PS, the party went on till six or seven in the morning, but I gave up at three. I'm obviously going to have to work my way up to full French partying potential.