| French people versus American people |
[Feb. 12th, 2005|05:46 pm] |
When traveling abroad, especially solo, it’s amazing how much more open I become to meeting new people. I don’t get lonely when I’m by myself, but when days go by without any semblance of substantial conversation, I certainly don’t turn down a chance to make new friends.
This time, it was a fellow blogger named Kelly, whose blog my dad somehow found on the Internet. She's an animation student, here from Southen California for six months of study. My dad loves introducing me to people, and though I usually refute his offers (“No dad, I don’t want to go on a blind date with a recent divorcee!” “No dad, I don’t want to go to Passover dinner at the Schlepskys!”), this time I appreciatively accepted.
Kelly and I arranged to meet for drinks at The Lizard Lounge, a bar known for attracting an international crowd. I arrived early and sat down at the bar for a pint. Noticing that the woman next to me was reading The Economist, I concluded she must speak my language and decided to strike up conversation.
It turned out she was from NYC (“The Lower East Side,” as she said), studying in Paris on the tail end of an MBA program. Kind of aloof and somewhat snobby, but hey – at least she spoke English.
A few minutes later, her friend Mike arrived. He seemed instantly annoyed that a dude was talking to his female friend. “Dan’s here alone in Paris to write the Great American Novel,” explained Ms. Lower East Side. “Just like Hemingway.” Mike’s response? “Yeah,” he said with a snicker, “well Hemingway came here with a wife and kid.”
If you’ve never understood why Americans have a bad international reputation, I think the above paragraph says it all. (Relevant side note: I got another free thing from a French person today! Just as I was about to buy my ticket for the Picasso Museum, a woman handed me her extra. Further proof that French people are actually nice.) (Side note to the side note: The museum rocked! Wow!)
Kelly eventually arrived. We had dinner, drinks and a really good time hanging out. Ended up in the basement of the bar, where a DJ spun techno music in a catacombs-like environment. Met some more foreigners, including a Canadian bartender, two sisters from Poland (oh la la) and a couple of French toy designers. Kelly left around midnight; I stayed another hour or so before stumbling my way home.
PS No, I'm not planning to write the Great American Novel. All I said was that I'm keeping a blog. |
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