In Paris, one could easily become overwhelmed or lost without a little planning. It has happened to me many times. A couple weekends ago, I was going to a friend’s appartment in an area I did not know. As I was running late, I forgot to write down the address of my destination before leaving. I’d been sent a message with directions, which I unfortunately could not see without wifi. So after an hour journey on the metro, I got off in the general neighborhood of the appartment. It was a gritty area in the suburb Montreuil. With a vague notion of where I needed to be, I sought help at a gas station. The clerk was so kind and patient as I searched for the French words to describe my predicament. She was genuinely concerned for me. She drew me a map and steered me the right way. As I began walking away from the counter, the man behind me offered to drive me to where I needed to be. Although I wasn’t quite ready to accept a ride from a stranger, that was uplifting. The generosity offered to me defied the “French are cold” stereotype. The more success I have in approaching people, the more confident I become. By reaching out in moments such as this I connect with kind, helpful people. Interactions like these make me very grateful to be travelling abroad.
Archive for November, 2014
Perdue?
Thursday, November 27th, 2014Coffee and fatigue
Tuesday, November 18th, 2014Yes, I have been “lazy” and I haven’t posted recently. As for today, for lack of anything very interesting, I’d like to talk about coffee. Seriously, there have to be a million different ways to drink coffee around the world. The European favorite is surely a simple esspresso. As a sugary, creamy coffee fan, that took some getting used to. But now I drink them regularly. It’s one euro or one euro twenty for a quick pop of caffeine. There must be a million different cafés throughout Europe each serving many esspressos a day…What a business!
Today I am especially tired and I keep thinking about my favorite energy boost. I had my coffee brewed in the pot, but I could have used more when I was studying at the library. My usual route to and from the sixième arrondissement where my school is takes me by dozens of cafés. In the morning, I take the bus from Vanves to the corner at the Alliance Française. While on the bus I stare out the window appreciating just how many cool looking cafés there are. Then in the afternoon I take the metro. The afternoon commute involves a walk to the line 4 metro, one stop to the Montparnasse station and a long haul underground to change to the line 13, and then a few stops to Vanves. When I am underground (gross) in Montparnasse for what seems like an hour, I always wish I could be sitting in one of the cafés on the streets above. Next time I will indulge, because there is no shortage of coffee in this city for sure. And that brings me to my plan for now: go to sleep and when I wake, hit a café!