"Comment allez-vous ce soir? Je suis comme ci comme ca (c=cedilla but blogger does not support French accents, or I can't figure out how to type them in this forum anyway)." is the only French phrase I knew when the plane touched down at Charles De Gaulle Airport, thanks to the Weakerthans.
The phrase roughly translates to an apathetic "How are you? I'm okay" and also translates to my everyday prior to the trip.
In my opinion the Average American Adult Life is watered down by cell phones, the information superhighway, forty hour work weeks that for some extend beyond seventy and high fructose corn syrup. I saw myself in a death march toward the same fate. I was caught in the city rush, its train schedules, time and financial constraints. I was bogged down by work and enjoyed few moments alone and it began to show in my appearance and demeanor. Even an O'Hare security officer saw it, "Smile, you're going to France!" he ordered as he handed my passport and my boarding pass back to me. I didn't realize I was scowling.
After surviving the plane ride to Paris (a feat I had thought to be impossible) I resolved to enter the country with a clear head; to hell with the stress and obligations I had struggled with in the States.
Once adopting that attitude I found it easy to go with the flow (to "just let it happen"). Eating a crepe while walking around a Parisian neighborhood in the evening and sharing a bottle of wine after midnight at the Eiffel Tower became adventures I won't easily forget. Great friendships were developed in a matter of days.
I was able to find enjoyment in little things I would have taken for granted in the States. I became the starry eyed girl I once was and fell in love while standing on a street corner with my hands in my pockets.
Hopefully this post Europe glow doesn't fade quickly and I am able to carry this new lease on life years from now. Even if I become swept away in the Average American Adult Life somewhere down the road, at least for now I'm able to say with conviction "Je ne suis pa d'accord. Je suis merveilleux!"
No comments:
Post a Comment