On my way out today, I began thinking about how Paris changes things... and how different I am as a person NOW as opposed to when I arrived here. A brief (completely NON exhaustive) list of lessons I have picked up along the way...


*I’ve learned, since coming to this country, the difference between rosemary honey and lavender honey, which one is good on bread and which is good in tea.
*I’ve learned that cheese has a season the same way as fruit, and should be served DURING its season, matching the meal the same way the wine does.
*I’ve learned how to slice cheese at a formal dinner.
*I’ve learned how to open a bottle of wine gracefully, in one pull, and then how to pour it without dripping it down the side.
*I’ve learned how to drink a glass of the driest wine without flinching.
*I’ve learned how to nod and respond appropriately, even when I don’t have a clue what is going on.
*I’ve learned how NOT to sneak backstage at rock concerts.
*I’ve learned how to eat crepes without dripping the filling all over my shoes or the wrapper.
*I’ve learned how to ride the Metro without holding onto the pole.
*I’ve learned how to avoid being asked for money under the Eiffel Tower.
*I’ve learned that I walk at least 5 kilometers in a day, that I can subsist on 2 liters of milk a week, that 28 degrees is quite hot, and that if I forget to eat dinner before a wine tasting I will end up tipsy.
*I’ve learned how to say "not allowed" in five different languages.
*I’ve learned how to make it through customs without being stopped, despite the odd number of stamps in my passport for someone my age and the two cancelled visas.
*I’ve learned that bread is better bought fresh that day, that fruit is best unwashed from streetside stands, and that sometimes nothing will quench your hotness like a Magnum bar.
*I’ve learned that it’s possible to get pretty much anything for free in Paris if you are young, foreign, well-dressed, and willing to bat your eyes when people marvel at the coolness of your home country.
*I’ve learned that accidentally propositioning your professors, no matter their age, is not an appropriate way to get good grades– or dates.
*I’ve learned that "some fruits are too good to eat not one at a time."
*I’ve learned that, just because two wines are the same color, the one that costs 1,80Euro will unfailingly be better than the one that costs 11Euro, particularly if it is pink.
*I’ve learned that anything can happen in a Metro station.
*I’ve learned that the only places people know anything about in the US are California and New York.
*I’ve learned that you ought always to buy sushi in Chinatown, falafel in the Jewish Quarter, paninis in the Latin Quarter, and crepes at the stands to the left of the door of every concert venue in this city.
*I’ve learned that no one makes bagels the way Americans do.
*I’ve learned that lardons are like manna from heaven that make any food infinitely better.
*I’ve learned that anything is possible (and everything is survivable) when you are 8000 miles from everything you’ve ever known.
*I’ve learned that it’s much more impressive to drink espresso, much more romantic to drink café crème.
*I’ve learned that cabs are for high-rollers and pansies.
*I’ve learned that "walking distance" is a frame of mind.
*I’ve learned how to avoid the pigeon doo without looking at the sidewalk in front of me.
*I’ve learned to walk in stilettos on cobblestones.
*I’ve learned to blend in better than a chameleon when I need to.
*I’ve learned that nothing is ever more surprising (or rewarding) than the unexpected kindnesses of strangers.
*I’ve learned that, when you’re 8000 miles from everything you’ve ever known, a friendly clerk can make your day– and a rude airport employee can send you into tears in the baggage claim terminal of CDG.

And perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned to look at everything as an adventure... strange diseases, strange meat, bad haircuts, bad grades, lost reservations, lost money, lost ID, lost luggage, misunderstandings, miscommunications, accidental propositions, on-purpose propositions, being lost, bad couscous, being sick on the Metro, eating duck, eating whole miniature octopi, eating stingray, eating raw tuna, paying too much for coffee, getting a falafel/my portrait/an impromptu accordion concert for free "because you have such lovely eyes," inadvertently being rude, inadvertently being speechless, inadvertently having conversations without knowing how to respond. That is the lesson that will most affect me for the rest of my life– all of life is an adventure as long as you look at it that way.

L'amour,
B