My Luxembourgers With Their Perfect Timing

It's getting better these days.

My brother's situation is improving, my family is less stressed, and I find it easier to smile and be genuinely happy about things.

This weekend, I had my two Luxembourgish friends over for a visit. France and Philippe - I met them during my internship in Hanoi this summer, and we immediately hit it off. It was so easy with them. And because we got along so well, a reunion was planned for this year even before we had to part.

Even though France had a difficult start (her bus was delayed, causing her to arrive at 4:30 am), we had wonderful three days in Prague together. The two of them are still the same, and I still feel so comfortable around them. Maybe it's that we met in Vietnam, maybe they're just that open and accepting, I have no idea, but fact is: around them I can also be very "Vietnamese" and I love that. I love that we share the same affection for Vietnam, for Vietnamese food and food in general, for travelling, for medicine - basically all the things that matter. I also love how we sometimes make fun of ourselves being "so German," only to realize a second later that none of us really is German. lol

Philippe arrived on Friday in the afternoon and we went out for a Vietnamese dinner, then ended the night with a cocktail party together with some Erasmus friends of mine. The party went on till about 4 am, and that was perfect because France arrived half an hour later. The next day we slept until noon. We adapted to that "staying up late - getting up late" rhythm for the rest of their stay in Prague, which sucks a little bit considering it's winter and the sun sets at around 4 pm. It's safe to say that my two Luxos, as they call themselves, saw more of Prague by night than Prague by day.

Beside the typical sightseeing, we definitely enjoyed some good food in Prague. I remember this cafe we went to for brunch on Sunday, Café Jen (France had to pronounce it very French-y, just like how she pronounces Chirurgie very French-y), was amazing. The two Czech restaurants, one famous among tourists, one more popular among locals, were great too. And of course, we spent not little money in a Vietnamese restaurant getting nostalgic of Vietnam.

The best thing of travelling during pre-Christmas time is, of course, the Christmas markets everywhere. We visited a couple ones in Prague, of course having checked out the main gatherings in the Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square and the Castle, and it was just great. And what could be better than having a hearty Czech meal after hours of wandering from one Christmas market to the other, then ending the night in a Beer Museum Pub, tasting dozens of different beer types?

We had the best night in that pub, getting (just a little bit) drunk on the best drinking game. :)

The last night was reserved for... karaoke, haha. It was somewhat spontaneous, but because France and I got a little bit sick, we decided against going out and preferred a more quiet night at home, with Vietnamese beer and leftover alcohol from the cocktail night. Well, what can I say, the night ended in anything but quiescence. For the sake of the Vietnam Revival, we opened YouTube for some karaoke songs, started with Pretty Boy by M2M (the song that triggered our inner karaoke-obsessed side for the first time), and continued with Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, which was the song we went crazy at back in Hanoi. In my kitchen, we went crazy with Bad Romance again, and apparently sang and screamed so loudly that some people felt pissed enough to batter at the kitchen window. From then on we screamed a little less. :P

It was just really great. I haven't felt this happy for quite a long time, and for that, I am super thankful to my favorite Luxembourgers. I would turn my spacious room into a dorm with back-to-back mattresses like this for them any time.

I had wanted to dedicate a blog post to Philippe and France when I was in Vietnam already, but didn't get around to it. That's why for this reunion, I just had to take that time. They were being totally cute and left me some hand-written messages on photos of us in Vietnam, and I found that everytime I look at those, my mood just lifts itself up. I'm pretty sure it will be the same with this blog post. And even if Philippe would totally make fun of me again if he read this, I just have to put it here: I'm still amazed at how fast the two of them have found their way into my heart. The best thing that Pediatric Surgery in Hanoi has given me, definitely. I just adore you two to bits. :)