By kennatim
A couple weeks ago I traveled to Paris to visit my friend Lars, who is studying at the American University of Paris. It was actually to be my second time in the city, as I went with a student group in 2005 when I was 11 years old. 10 years later, I found myself touching down once again, this time alone on a crowded Ryanair flight.
I unfortunately don’t remember much about my first trip, but I do remember a general feeling of unease about the city itself. I had an amazing weekend, but traveling around full of déjà vu moments made me understand why preteen Tim was not in love with Paris. The city is remarkably enormous, and the average Parisian seems to spend most of their time on the metro. There was also less of an understanding and less patience by the locals for tourists and foreigners. This culture, the type where no one says “excuse me” when you bump into each other, contrasted US culture in many, many ways. It sort of made me appreciate where I came from. It definitely made me realize how big our world is and how, even in the Internet Age when many US customs have been adopted around the world, there are still many places where your social mores get thrown out the window for native ones.
Aside from my small gripes, the city was beautiful. I got to take in all the sites: Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Champs Elysees, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and I even took an awesome photo on the top of the Eiffel Tower to replicate one I took ten years prior. I would be walking down the street and suddenly think, “Wow, I remember this. Our tour bus was parked right there.” The weather made Dublin look like the Arctic Circle, and I would not have been anywhere without my incredible tour guide and, more importantly, translator, Lars. I tried some delicious duck, ate too many baguettes and croissants to count, and even got to check out some 50,000 Euro watches at the Louis Vuitton store.
It really takes the experience of a contrasting culture and set of attitudes to realize that your own culture is not simply the norm. My amazing weekend in Paris proved this to me. Shout out to Lars for putting me up and showing me this large and beautiful city!