Thought of the Moment

Yeah yeah yeah, so I changed the template yet again. One of these days, I will take the time to design my own template in Photoshop or something so that I can finally be at peace. Today is not that day, however.

This weekend, I had my ritual walk of the town on Friday night. Usually I walk from L'Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame's Latin Quarter for a good pita sandwich, and this week was no exception. The change in climate may soon necessitate a variation to my routine. Can't believe it's getting this cold so quickly, but then again, I'm not in the States.

I spent the better part of Saturday roaming around town, trying to find a few pairs of pants without breaking the bank. Mission unaccomplished!!! I find myself mystified at how Parisians walk around looking like the best pages of a Macy fall catalog without living on the streets. My only guess is that they save money by turning a two bedroom apartment into a space for five. Not my idea of private space, but hey, when one wants to look good, one has to make sacrifices.

After several hours of being frustrated with the French fashion industry, I headed over to my boss' apartment, where she was hosting a Georgia-Florida football party. There I met some familiar and new faces, and had a great time.

But here's what I wanted to stress (sorry you had to read all that to get to my point): I met a French girl who studied for a few years at the University of Florida. When we were talking (in French, I might add!) about our experiences traveling to a different country, we both said the exact same thing about the other culture:

(rough English translation)
Me:I find French people very friendly and welcoming, but it has been hard to make actual French friends. The majority of my social network consists of Americans and Canadians. It's kind of hard to meet people here outside of work.
Her:I felt the same way about UF. I thought the Americans were really nice, but most of my friends were French ex patriots, and we had a kind of French community at the university. It was really hard to meet Americans.

I think this just goes to show that everyone should make an extra effort to reach out to those who come from another place. When I arrived at the beginning of September, I didn't know a single soul, save for two UGA ex pats who I rarely see because they are busy with work and their personal lives. I now have the experience of being in a situation where your knowledge of the native language isn't exactly perfect, but all you want is to establish a good rapport with the people and get a feel for the culture.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is never easy. Do what you can to make another's transition more fluid. Something as simple as asking a foreigner for a lunch date or coffee can make all the difference in affecting their view of your country.