 2014-2015
David, 2015-01-02
14:48
In a film
a while back, there was a line that became famous – “Life was like a box
of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Years later, Apple
introduced a music device with the slogan “Life is random,” which
referred to the music player that “shuffled” things around for you,
randomly (so you never knew what you were going to get), although some
speculated that it could have been a metaphor
for Steve Jobs’ cancer diagnosis.
Fortunately
I’m in good form, perhaps thanks to those antioxidants
in all the chocolate that I seem to find myself surrounded by. But as
much as we try, we never know what’s going to happen or how things are
going to turn out. That’s particularly true when someone uproots and
moves somewhere else. You’re not just moving out of your city or town,
you’re moving out of your culture into unfamiliar territory – a new
unknown.
When
I first arrived in Paris, I’d bring people I barely knew treats to share;
some chocolates, a couple of pieces of cakes, a tin of cookies, or other
recipes that I was working on. From the astonished looks I got, I quickly
learned that locals don’t bring edible gifts to shopkeepers and market
vendors. However no one seemed to mind. (Although it doesn’t seem to be a
trend that’s caught on…) It’s been over a decade since I arrived in Paris
and each day is — well — like a box of chocolates. And it’s always
amazing. Not always amazing in a “wow
– that was great!” kind of way, but not always “amazing” in a
bad way either. It’s just that each day is different, and like life in
any city, it comes with challenges, an occasional defeat, a number of
victories, and (fortunately) some lasting rewards.
Many
of us who live in Paris often get emails from people wanting to move
here, just like I did eleven years ago when I arrived on a whim.
(Although as anyone who gets up and moves around the world knows, it’s
not like it just happens. It takes a lot of planning and work.) Like me,
most don’t have a clue as to what awaits them. I wasn’t quite prepared
for what would happen to me in subsequent years and there were lots of
hurdles to overcome. Yet I set up home, snagged a terrific partner
(score!), learned the language (yet those French verbs continue to
challenge me…), and managed to become, in my own way, a small part of the
great city of Paris.
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