Home often makes us feel too comfortable. The day to day motions of school, work, sleep, repeat, keeps us in what seems like the never ending cycle of familiarity. It describes our safe bubble. But traveling to Paris has greatly broadened my perspective on what the world offers. If you look at what’s in front of you, it often breaks the cycle. The beautiful sights, the amazing food, and the historical aspects is what makes this city feel exciting.
Back home, I read many books like The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway and The Paris Bookseller by Maher that directed my preconceptions about Paris before I arrived. Through these writings, Paris seemed to be enlightening for most, with offering new experiences and viewing new philosophical perspectives. Overall, Paris seemed to change these characters and open a new side of them they’ve never explored. Because of these books, I had big expectations for Paris and hoped that I would experience the same revelations most of these characters had while in the city of lights.
But when visiting a new county for the first time, just like I’m doing myself, it’s hard to not miss home and want to put ourselves back in that warm cozy bubble. And we’re not the only ones that felt this way. Many American Revolutionaries that traveled to Paris long ago, often felt the same way. But the opportunities Paris opened for them and myself outweighs the sorrow for home.
One of the elements that is a part of this course is the Walking Tour of American Revolutionaries in Paris, where we were able to see monumental locations that connected to American’s upbringing. It included multiple locations where our founding fathers, like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, were able to work up the American ideals that were eventually implemented into the Constitution. And fast forwarding our history lessons a little bit, we viewed places that were a part of the daily commutes of famous American writers and publishers, like Ernest Hemingway and Sylvia Beach.
When walking along the same paths as these immense scholars, it’s hard not to be inspired. These streets motivate you to remind yourself of the sacrifices and struggles each of these figures had to endure to be able to live freely. Moving from America to Paris just for freedom is not easy. During the tour, I often felt very appreciative of these acts as it provided America with an example of what life is supposed to look like and eventually led to the freedoms we have today.
And the walking tour was not the only place that makes you feel this kind of appreciation within Paris. Almost all of the famous monuments, like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, make you think. Not just about you standing there in the moment, but the thousands of people that have come to Paris, looked up the Eiffel Tower, and went running home with inspiration for whatever they needed it for.
When preparing for the trip, I expected Paris to be something so new. I felt all of the emotions that come with adventure. And of course, Paris has been all of those things for me, but at the same time, it feels entirely intimate. When I arrived, half of me felt scared on how to figure out the next two weeks of life in Paris, but the other half knew exactly what to do. Like I’d been here before. And although others might feel disappointed by that feeling, as they want something entirely new, but as someone who loves their home, that part of Paris is the one I love the most. The adventure of it all, but also the comfort the city provides.
Yes, Paris is the most visited city in the world, but somehow it is so personal. Whether it’s the dog passing by you on the street that looks just like yours back home or the Italian restaurant you tried for dinner that becomes your new favorite spot, Paris gifts you with so many unique memories and experiences that no other city could. It’s old, but somehow new. It’s foreign, but somehow familiar. It’s perfectly peculiar, but somehow it’s home.