In retrospect, my expectation that I could sustain weekly posts was a little unrealistic, in light of my track record of maintaining all other forms communication.....oh well.
Last weekend our group went to Paris. Needless to say it was incredible. How could it not be as every single time you turn around there is some incredible piece of architecture, not to mention all of the impeccably dressed Parisians, the gaping tourists, the whizzing cars, the mounted policemen...the list goes on and on. I felt most of the time that I was in the States, English apparently being the language on the street. I began the trip in style, oversleeping and waking to my host mother knocking on my door 10 minutes before I was supposed to meet the group at the train station. I have no memory of dressing, finishing packing, or getting out of the house but the next thing I knew, I was running crying down the street, my pants falling down, my backpack bouncing, and the homeless people getting a great show of my haphazard panicked passage. However, due to some act of god, or all my years of sports, or perhaps just plain adrenaline not only was I on time, but I was not even the last there! Of course I did not have a lunch, and I also forgot my contacts. An auspicious start.
The five hour train ride was spent playing complicated games of cards, listening to wild dance music and general shenanigans as usually ensue when 17 students are trapped in a confined space for hours on end. We arrived without further incident, though of course I could not see a goddamn thing. Our hotel was wonderful, and we were all staying in apartments that included kitchens and a great view of the street. Our first group activity was possibly the most wonderfully touristy thing I have done in a long while; a sunset cruise along the Seine. To those of you who are not acquainted with the intricacies of french geography (as many of my peers here apparently are not) Toulouse is in the south, while Paris is in the north. I, of course, was aware of this, and therefore showed up to our 6pm (that's 18h) decked out in hat, scarf, boots, legwarmers, sweater, the works. I was promptly mocked, but bien sûr I had the last laugh as I was one of the few who were able to withstand the wind on the cruise, and was able to enjoy the view from outside. O la la Paris, comme vous êtes belle!
I did not manage so well for the rest of the trip, almost loosing my wallet, walking for an hour home by myself, loosing my metrocard while riding a bike, getting yelled at by a policman, going to closed museams, getting my feet run over by strollers, and almost missing all of the rendezvous. But none of it mattered! I had the time of my life, I spent time with my mom, my friends, I saw an incredible performance of Carmen, flamenco style (the most sensual beautiful performance I have ever seen and then I went out with the dancers the next night, as they were staying in our hotel) I walked through gardens, I went to a flea market, I saw Cezanne and Matisse and they made me cry, and I went to a techno parade.
This was not a tourist trip for me. I have already done the whole "oh my god we have to see la Tour Eiffel, le Louvre, l'Arc de Triomphe, Versailles...." the list goes on and on. All of these places are incredible, but I cannot a) bring myself to wait in line for hours or b) share deeply emotional, personal experiences at these places with a huge crowd of gawking people, yelling and flashing their cameras. Are they even looking at the beauty? Or is it just another pelt to add to their culture belt, "well, when I was in Paris..." I am often frustrated by our blatant lack of appreciation for the now. We americans are hailed throughout the world as forward thinkers, always gazing into the future. But what happens to today? Why diminish the now? Years from now, when you are looking at that perfectly framed portrait of your family under the Eiffle Tower that you made your french waiter take, will you remember what it smelled like? The awe you felt at its majesty, or the joy of being with the people you love?
I choose the memory.
