Coming into Paris, I had a bit of an idea as to what to expect. After all, being half French has contributed to a very solid amount of family vacations to Paris. However, I had never really been free to explore however I pleased like I did in Amsterdam. Roaming the streets at twilight with no goal in mind or trying to taste as many fry sauces as possible are but a few of the experiences that were new to me in Amsterdam. As for how that translates to Paris, I think I’ll get on just fine. I may have to be more wary of my personal belongings when walking around at night, but being at the City of Light has its fair share of perks. Nights spent walking aimlessly can now be spent walking in the general direction of large beacons of light, be they from the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe or the Notre Dame Cathedral. In regards to the food, I don’t think I have to worry about a shortage of that in Paris.
Beyond its monuments and food, Paris is also well known for its high intensity and stress. This is the opposite of the feeling I’m hoping for. After all, just because I’m technically at school doesn’t mean I want to replicate the exact same working conditions that have forced their way into my life for the past who knows how many years. This is where the work schedule of iSEED shines in all its might and splendor. No longer will my afternoons be filled with delaying the inevitable, inventing new ways to do nothing just to realize the assignment due at midnight only takes about 10 minutes. Instead I can appreciate what Paris has to offer at my own pace, whether that means sitting on a bench staring at an old wall while eating a croissant just before midnight or climbing the Eiffel Tower. The feeling that not every single action you take has some kind of consequence is one that I plan to relish during my time here, and that I hope to take with me for the rest of my life.
Over time, I’ve noticed that a lot of people take for granted the small things in life. In France, the small things in life are known by a different name: joie de vivre, or the joy of living. Just taking in everything one small moment at a time, letting your mind wander and living totally in the moment. I bring this up because Paris as a whole seems to lack this joie de vivre, but being able to find the small pockets across the city that do provide such an experience are oftentimes mesmerizing and appear to take place in a time outside of reality. I’m looking forward to finding as many of these pockets as I can, so that whenever I eventually return to Paris, I can return to them in a state of total comfort and happiness.
As a city, Paris is, for lack of a better word, quite large. Having to contain a population larger than that of its neighbor Belgium, it would be near impossible to go see every major monument and experience every major activity. Instead, I will let these monuments and activities come to me. No longer will my time be poured into scouring Trip Advisor and Yelp in the hopes of finding Relaxing Canal Trip With Wine And Cheese #7. Now, I will journey into the unknown, and if there is fun to be had, then so be it, fun will be had. That isn’t to say I won’t still look at Trip Advisor or Yelp because Mustachioed Mime Making Macarons sounds very tempting.
In the end, Paris is known as the City of Love for a very simple reason; every match of tennis starts at Love-Love. Therefore, I plan on visiting Roland Garros before I leave as even though I’m a tennis fanatic I have yet to visit easily the greatest courts in the EU, which is not as bold of a statement as it would’ve been 5 years ago (thanks Brexit). It’s always been a dream of mine to go to these courts that almost seem mystical, that I’ve seen hundreds of times on TV, in front of my very own eyes. Especially since recently I’ve fallen a bit out of touch with tennis, so I’m hoping that instead of watching a Spaniard absolutely dominate this tournament with no regards for human life, I’ll get to watch a Spaniard absolutely dominate this tournament with no regards for human life. Huh. Anyways, I’m looking forward to seeing it, even though the tournament ended last week.