Ode to America

Happy 4th to everyone at home and abroad! Talking to my mom the other day made me a little sad about missing the family, food, and festivities that go along with today, and as much as I would love to be in Indy, floating in the pool with some of my favorite people in the world, I am also grateful to experience the 4th somewhere else. Maybe it'll make me appreciate it more next year... Either way, I'm seriously considering heading to the Starbucks here, grabbing an ice coffee, and sitting outside and reading in the sunshine. I also spotted a New York hot dog vendor yesterday!! You have to get a little America where you can, right?? :)


I told you a few weeks ago that I was composing my thoughts about things various countries could learn from each other. In honor of today and my love for the red, white, and blue, here are my top 10 things I miss/things I think people in France (and maybe Europe too) could learn from the USA:


1- Lines: The idea of a line or any sense of order is completely lost on the Europeans. It doesn't matter if you are in church, waiting to get on the Metro, at the airport, or waiting to enter a museum. In any of these situations, people immediately charge to the front regardless of how many people have been waiting. Makes me cringe every single time. After all, I'm a teacher; I like taking turns :)


2- Mexican Food: A little less serious, I wish the Parisians would embrace North American culture and have a few more Mexican food options. At home I eat Mexican at least twice a week, and since being here, I have seen it ONCE in a grocery store and a packet of seasoning costs $4. Not cool, Paris. You are absolutely missing out.


3- Personal Space: This honestly may be more of a big city problem than a European problem, but I am so exhausted of people being in my personal space!! Here is a prime example... last weekend, Aidan and I had some friends in town. They wanted to visit Notre Dame, so Aidan and I got some lunch and had a mini picnic on the river right next to the cathedral while we waited. We were taking up most of a bench and had our food laid out in between us. A Spanish woman walked over to our bench and squeezed herself on the 18 inches left on the bench. Not only was she interrupting our picnic, but we were then shoulder to shoulder and guess what?? SHE STUNK. (see below). 


4- Temperature Control: The Europeans manage to make me go from freezing cold to sweating back to freezing in a matter of seconds. There is no air conditioning which is okay on most days because it in 70-80 degrees (I'm sorry to all those reading this, I know you are hot and miserable!). The problem is, the French believe that if you are not bundled up at all times, you will get sick, so they are constantly bundled in parkas and scarves. With no air conditioning, they begin to sweat. Rather than take off clothing, they continue to sweat and this starts a chain reaction. Sweat leads to stink, stinking bodies lead to stinking clothes, stinking clothes don't get clean in the washer/dryer, and when people who are not clean come barreling into your personal bubble... just take my word for it, France is a smelly place right now.


5- T-shirts: Turns out everything is an occasion in Paris. Women dress up for any event whether it is going to the grocery store or an executive business meeting. It is summertime, and I would like to be able to run errands in my Nike running shorts and tennis shoes without being judged for looking like a slob. America is definitely a little less formal than Europe, and I love her for that!


6- Dryers: With our revolving door of visitors (which I have loved!), we have accumulated quite a bit of laundry. Aidan's washer can fit about half the size of a normal load of laundry which is fine, but the real problem with doing laundry is the dryer. They don't exist here which means you have to lay out the clothes on a rack. Aidan's rack can hold maximum two loads of laundry and without any central heating/cooling system, clothes take forever to dry! There is a constant pile of laundry to be done, and the rack never gets put away because it is always always always in use! Plus, everyone knows that your clothes never feel the same when they dry on a rack. I'm so looking forward to the first time I get to pull warm towels out of the dryer. Don't take it for granted! :)


7- Friendliness: I'm a Midwestern girl. I like smiling at people when you walk past them, I like cooing at a cute baby, and I like saying "Excuse Me" when I accidentally bump someone. This does not happen in Europe, and maybe it is a city thing where people are so used to being focused only on what they are doing, but I just miss friendly interactions. Luckily there are plenty of Americans who are constantly lost and in need of redirection :) I also could be totally wrong about this stereotype. Aidan and I are headed into the countryside this weekend, and maybe those people are different... I'll let you know!


8- Self Esteem: Sometimes I think the whole politically correct fad in America is ridiculous, but after a recent encounter in a French clothing store, I've decided I like the PC American way. It was chilly when I arrived here, and I needed a pair of pants. Shopping for pants has always been a little bit of a struggle for me (and most girls, I think) because my self-esteem always seems to take a beating. Nevertheless I hate being cold, so I found a clothing store that I thought I would like and picked out a few pairs of pants. When I went to the dressing room, the woman who owned the store took the pants from me, checked the sizes, gave me the "up down," felt my hips, and then told me in French that these pants were the wrong size. She marched me back to the rack where she got the right size and sent me into a dressing room. To make me feel even worse, I glanced at the tag of the pants she gave me... they were 4 sizes bigger than the size I wear at home. Now I am realistic enough to understand that sizes aren't the same everywhere, but the pants did not fit at all, I felt terrible about myself, and I immediately left the store. Aidan tried to explain to me later that this was just French culture, and she was trying to be helpful, but the damage was done. I've worn a lot of shorts and sweaters since then :)

9- Socializing: This one I have learned from Aidan, but the French believe that work and home should not mix. They do not believe in inviting people from work over to their houses and do not socialize outside of the office hours. Seeing as I have some very good friends who I only got to know through my job, I have to disagree with the French on this one. Friends are friends no matter where you find 'em!


10- Diversity: Ending on a somewhat serious note, I've done so much wandering since I've been here, and not knowing the language, much of what I have learned has come from observation. I have seen a march where Africans are asking for equal rights in France, and on Saturday Aidan and I happened to stumble across a Gay Pride parade in Paris. Watching the parades honestly reminded me of footage I have seen from the American Civil Rights Movement in the 50's with the marches, signs, rioting, and police presence. I know that the United States isn't perfect, but from what I have observed, we are so far ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to being accepting of different kinds of people. I know we still have a long way to go, and the issues about immigration, health care, and civil unions continue to incite passionate debates from all sides. BUT, seeing the intolerance here has made me proud of who we are and the conversations we are having. Years from now I don't know what the history books will say, but I do know that we are working on growing into a stronger, more productive and accepting nation. I'm proud of that, and I am waving my flag today.


God Bless the USA.