Rami. Palestinian-Jordanian. Generous. Talks a lot. He's always knocking on your door and wants to talk. If you've been gone a few hours he casually asks where you've been. Offers this amazing coffee. He taught me how to make falafel and insists I put olive oil on my hummus. He learned english from movies and says things like “dinner is served madam”, from Mrs. Doubtfire. Sometimes he can be sensitive...Su Wei has a joke that he is “sensible” which infuriates him. The most angry I've ever seen anyone get in our international household is when Su Wei used his cup to drink wine out of and he is a Muslim which leads me to...

Su Wei. Chinese. -who has no emotions at all, she is the least sensitive person I know, never getting angry or sad. I showed her The Joy Luck Club which I adore and cry like I'm slicing an onion, but she had no reaction saying that perhaps it was “more American than Chinese.” We get along the best and make a lot of jokes. She taught me to make sushi, chinese dumplings and even to have a basic Chinese conversation. She speaks very good english which is probably one reason we have been close since the beginning. And she's a lot of fun. She likes to dance and sing. She loves Rihanna, leaving her noodles out for days, and Chinese talk shows where people sing and dance in costume. Oh yeah- and she's godless. No explanation, no theory. She just is...

Valaria. Italian. Now, Valaria speaks no English so in the beginning my exchanges with her were minimal, but now we're good friends. She's pretty and funny and really sweet. If she's cooking and you're in the kitchen you will get some amazing pasta. She speaks to her mother everyday in loud, vibrant Italian “Mamma!...” and laughs and it seems to be the best conversation every day. Valaria, Su Wei and I went to Spain together during the last vacation and really got to be good friends. I learned that she is super-frugal. Also, at Museo del Prado she knew so much, giving details on many of the paintings and the Italian artists, I was amazed. She's also the cleanest person in the house, most likely to pick up a broom.

Diego. Argentinian. Recently, his girlfriend was here for a month. Yes, a month. Yes, you read that correctly. She stayed with us in our tiny apartment for one, long month and he never asked anyone if it was alright. But he's sweet- frugal like Valaria and a bit machismo. I remember Su Wei arrived late for a party and he said "I was worried about you girls." In Spain, he sent us messages to see if we were OK. He's always out- traveling on the weekends, couchsurfing in Amsterdam, spending all day in Paris.

BTW, if this inspires you should watch l'Auberge Espagnol - a fantastic French comedy about a group of global twenty-something's living in Barcelona, comme nous (like us).

A Bientot!

Ariana Austin is a freelancer writer currently based in Paris where she writes on arts and culture and foreign affairs. Her work has appeared in Trace magazine,the Foreign Service Journal and the Washington Post. She is happy to bring you a 20-something view of living, loving and learning in Paris. Contact her This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with any comments, questions or ideas.

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