I had always dreamed of being able to share Valentine’s Day with my significant other, and I was so excited to have this opportunity in Lyon. However, my hopes for a perfect day were shattered. In class, we were making a list of experiences from our study abroad and I did not include this story because I had completely forgotten about it. To be honest, I think I pushed it out of my mind on purpose. However, looking back on it now, I realized that a lot more happened in this day than what I originally thought.

It was a little more than halfway through the term, and Morgan and I we were stressed about school and we were going through a bit of a rough patch. During our lunch break between classes, Morgan sobbed as she handed me my gift — a hand-picked array of chocolates. As we sat on the concrete steps my heart became heavy and I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyes. Needless to say, this day was not going well.

Later that day, our class took a trip to the Museum of Resistance. We learned all about WWII from a French perspective and the role Lyon played in the Resistance. An interesting fact was that French citizens who were caught in this movement were thrown into concentration camps and forced to wear the standard uniforms with red stripes to signify they were a member of the Resistance. During this 2 hour excursion Morgan and I weren’t talking and she just looked so sad. Then our friend, Brandon, came up to us and offered us two tickets to a live Titanic showing that night. At first I wasn’t sure about the offer because of Morgan and I’s situation, and because we also had a test the next day. I decided in that moment that my grade is going to be less important than my experience, so I accepted his offer. I chose a cultural experience over school work and that is a decision I’ve never regretted. I was still a little hesitant because I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend more time with Morgan that day, and I’m pretty sure she was thinking the same thing. Looking back on it now, it was probably one of the best things for us. It forced us to spend time together and not walk away from a difficult situation, no matter how awkward it became.

We took a silent Uber ride to the auditorium and walked up what seemed like a million flights of stairs to get to our seats, which were at the highest point in the audience. As soon as the lights dimmed and the movie started, it didn’t take long for our arms to be wrapped around each other. The show was incredible — the live orchestra was so amazing I forgot they were there sometimes. During the show I had a personal epiphany with my language progression. The movie dialogue was in English, but the subtitles were in French. These subtitles were very poor and I was able to recognize this, which made me realize how much my French had improved since first arriving in France. By the time the movie ended, 4 hours had passed and I was exhausted. We left with our rejuvenated relationship and I was glad we turned a terrible Valentine’s Day into a decent one (at least it ended well).

The next day we went out to dinner and it was definitely one for the books. We made reservations for the day after Valentine’s Day so that our host parents wouldn’t be suspicious. I guess it worked. That night was honestly my favorite date with her, moreover, one of my favorite nights in Lyon. We started the dinner with a glass of white wine and some bread. We were then served a Lyonnais salad (lettuce, bacon, and a poached egg) as we finished our glass of wine. Morgan wanted to order another glass, and being the competitive person I am, I ordered another one too to keep up with her. We sipped our red wine as we devoured our entrée — quenelles. It came with a small side of pumpkin and we were both in heaven (I think the wine helped with that too). We then ate some delicious dessert. I had a chocolate lava cake and Morgan had a praline tart. I couldn’t stop smiling and I fell even more in love with her that night.