Yet another fabulous weekend spent in France! I can’t believe I’ve already been here for a month – just two more weeks, and it’s back to Austin. On Friday, I went to a popular Parisian nightclub under a bridge called Showcase. With two French friends and my bestie from my exchange program, we got a table and bottle service before the concert, called Open House, with popular French DJs Cassius and Busy P. It was very much ~*ViP*~ status. Even better, I got to meet  Busy P by accident! He was standing next to our table and he asked me where I was from. When I responded Texas, he joked, “Paris, Texas?” I even got a picture with him.

Me and Busy P (on the right) Doesn't he look a bit like Dirk Nowitzki?

Apparently this guy is a BIG DEAL in France. Born Pedro Winter, Busy P is the former manager of Daft Punk, and in 2003, he created Ed Banger Records, a musical label which promotes some young artists he has discovered, such as Justice, Uffie, and SebastiAn.

If you like electrohouse music, you’ll love Busy P! Here’s a video of him playing at a club earlier this June in Nancy, France- where I also went this weekend!

Nancy, France, is a great college town located near the German border. I went to visit an old French friend who lived in Austin back in my high school days. So after all these years, it was my turn to come see what his town is all about! Let me just start by saying, the Nancy kids know how to party. More so, perhaps, than the Parisians.

We began the night pregaming – or what the French call it “the Before”- at a famous local pub in the Place Stanislas, named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. There we drank two giant champagne bottles full of Duvel beer, and then it was back to Arnaud’s to actually start the party.

There is no equivalent phrase in French for our American term “house party”- it’s just simply la Fête. And their after party is “the After”. It cracks me up. Another French custom I found very strange is the faire la bise, where everyone kisses each other on the cheeks when saying hello. When there was about 30 French kids crowding around to meet the one American girl and kissing me on the cheeks over and over, it got a bit overwhelming, but I enjoyed it!

Bottoms up avec mon ami Arnaud Humbert!

Once I got a bit of a buzz, I was able to speak comfortably with them- in French! I explain the concept of tallying shots on your wrist. They loved the idea of it, and everyone had tally marks on their wrists by the end of the night. Around 3:30 in the morning we migrated to the club and stayed there till 5 a.m. From then on till around 8 a.m., was “the after”. By then, I was completely out of my mind. Arnaud’s place was across the street from a church, and I could see people through the window going for Sunday Mass. Made me a little ashamed of myself!

Arnaud with his roommate Chloé, french house party!

mon ami Victor Popo, dans le club

Needless to say, I was hungover after that wild night.

Have you had any wild nights while abroad? Leave a comment or tell us on our Study Breaks Facebook page!