Un anniversaire absolument parfait

It’s official: I am 21 years old and LEGAL!  It’s what every American young adult dreams of, and I can’t believe that it’s finally here.  Have I really lived on this beautiful planet for 21 years?  Am I really allowed to purchase alcohol with my own ID?  C’est tellement bizarre!

It started out wonderfully last night, as my two fabulous roommates Kelsey and Simone took me out for a drink at midnight!  One drink turned into two, which turned into several, and before we knew it, hours had passed.  I tried my first Bombay Fizz, (a personal favorite of Kelsey’s) which was quite delicious.  The bartender at the next bar surprised me with a flute of fancy champagne, and Simone treated Kelsey and I to a round of tequila shots.  We then went to another bar, Chez George, which was so incredibly French and so incredibly fun.  We had some wine, chatted with a few French students (one of whom is leaving for New York next week!), and discovered a crazy dance floor beneath that bar (France, why are you filled with so many surprises?).  After Chez George, we found another bar that was open late, so we went there and befriended some rugby players, one of whom was also celebrating his birthday (albeit several years older).  They offered to share some more champagne, and thus we were sufficiently jolly by the time we left the bars around 3.

I slept in this morning (and by sleeping in, I mean I slept until 9), woke up, and made my first omelet as a 21-year old!  IT TASTED SO DIFFERENT!  Ha, okay, kidding, except it was a pretty tasty omelet.  I had class at 12:30, which I actually just got out of and decided to explore Paris.

I walked to my favorite pâtisserie to buy a macaron au café, my absolute favorite.  I delicately put it in my bag and continued to walk toward the Jardin de Tuileries, which is right by the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay.  While I was walking, the most beautiful song started playing on my iPod: Dream by Priscilla Ahn (I posted it below this paragraph so that you can hear it and try to imagine how I was feeling).  I can honestly say that I will never forget how incredible it felt to be walking over the Seine with the gentle, Parisian spring breeze blowing through my hair.  I stopped halfway across, and simply marveled at the city spread out before me – how did I get so lucky?  How can I actually just live here?  There was simply no way to avoid it…I broke the Parisian code, allowed the scowl to slip from my face, and cracked my very American, very goofy grin.  How could I not?

So now here I sit, on a cement wall in the center of Tuileries.  The sun is shining on my back, I’m typing up a blog that doesn’t do my feelings justice, and I’m nibbling on the most decadent macaron I have had yet.  How can this day get any better?

And yet…it will.  I’m going to the Musée de l’Orangerie, which is filled with impressionist and post-impressionst artwork (Renoir=my favorite)!  There’s also quite a few of Monet’s paintings there, so I’m pretty pumped to see those.  And later on tonight after class, my roommates and I are throwing a wine and cheese party!  We invited about 35 people, most of whom will be in attendance at least for a bit.  I can’t wait to show off our beautiful apartment and spend my birthday with some amazing people.

In short…I will never forget this very beautiful, very Parisian birthday.