Birthday party

Today I went to one of my roommate Y's 29th birthday party. This is the less weird roommate, because there's another one that's actually insane (we're not counting my friend C or the third guy who I never see).

Last week Y let us know he was having a party with his friends at the local university, and invited us, which I thought was nice because it would be cool to meet other young people here. He seemed really concerned that we would be able to make it, making sure to schedule it when we didn't have work.

Y: "And maybe I should get your phone numbers."
Me: "Yeah okay, makes sense."
Then he disappeared, presumably to get his phone, but never came back to the kitchen.

He sent us an email though, re-stating that he would have a birthday party the next week, asking us when would be best. Finally the day was decided, January 19th, and it would be at 3:30pm at the University at La Garde. But we're not students at the university, so yesterday I had to email him to ask for directions, or his number to call once we got to La Garde.

But before he read the email, he knocked on my door, saying, "You're coming tomorrow right? You and C? You didn't give me your phone number yet."

Right. So here you go, my number. Me: "But can you send me the directions? Because I don't know the campus at all."

"Ah just take 191 to the end of the line, and the University is right there. It's best if you come together."

Umm I've been to the bus stop before. There is a shopping complex there, and a parking lot. Never noticed any school campus. "Uhh okay so we'll just call you then when we get to the stop? Because I won't know what building it's in, or what room." And I assumed he wanted us to come together so he wouldn't have to come out and get us more than once.

Y: "Sure. And C's number?"
Me: "Uh yeah she's coming with me."
"But can you give me her number?"
"Oh I don't know it by heart."
"You can look it up though right?"
"Mmm yes you're right so I'll just send it to you?"
"Why can't you look it up right now?"
"That's true. Maybe it would be better if...um yeah okay here."

C mentioned to me earlier that he had asked for her number but never got it, so I assumed it would be okay to pass it on. I think I came across as not understanding the French though, because at one point he tried to switch to English (which was incomprehensible).

Today I got another email with the same bus directions, and "it's in the study room of the residence." And a text: "Hello this afternoon at 3pm study room of the university residence take the bus 191A to the end of the line." So the time of the party had been moved half an hour earlier.

At 3:11pm, while we were on the bus I got a call: "Hello it's me Y. So are you coming or not?"
I had to explain we were running late, but would call him once we arrived at the bus stop.

At the bus stop:
"Hello we're here."
"At the terminus? Of 191a?"
"Yeah."
"Okay walk to the residence of the university."
WHAT UNIVERSITY WHERE? "We are not students here. We don't know where the campus is, or where the building is."
"The school is right there, right next to you. Just ask anyone where the residence is."
...

I mean I do speak a little French, so eventually we asked around and found the building with windows on a hill (that was the description we got). And we went to the party.

The party was awkward whatever. But then Y kept asking, "So what is the American dance?"
"Umm there is no one dance that is American. We have a lot of cultures, there are a lot of different dances."
"Can you do a dance for us, an American dance?"

There was a lot of haggling, trying to explain there is no American national dance, and trying to figure out why he wanted us to perform, but it boiled down to:
"Can we decline?"
"No. I want the Americans to do a dance for us. Talk amongst yourselves and figure out what you'll do."

Dance, monkey.

So we taught them the Chicken Dance. At least we made them do it with us. We were going to try to break dance, but we don't actually know how so I think this was a better plan.

Then we left. "Uh I still have to go grocery shopping and we need to catch the bus because we don't have a car okay bye happy birthday!"