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I have coined a term that everyone seems to relate to in Paris, "zen-francais'...let me explain...since "une lunatique" (me) feels pretty good today...it was graduation day today for my basic class! It was actually a wonderful day.
Anyways, "Zen-Francais' is something that happens around the 3rd month of living in Paris. One can experience 'zen francais', on occasions, starting from the 2nd month of 'survival' though, but the acclimating to French culture and life will be a bigger issue during the 1st and 2nd months of living here...MAINLY, the singular most difficult issue for all Americans that move to Paris is slowing down their pace of life and...LEARNING to be patient and dealing with inconveniences ALONE. Allllll Americans are left brained goal oriented assholes here in Paris...EVEN ME!?!?!? I SWEAR I feel like and I am apparently an overambitious over-achieving left brained asshole TOO here somehow...INCROYABLE...ME!?!?!? A total slacker, a professional dilettante, and a horrible procrastinator!
Everyone in Paris is use to being kinda alone because everyone has to be freakishly 'self-reliant'...SO NOW I can eat ALONE for many hours and enjoy it, walk alone for many hours and enjoy it, and I am definitely not as forgetful and clumsy as I use to be...because FOR EXAMPLE...if you lock your keys inside your house, it costs 300-1000Euros to open the door??....(don't ask)....SO I took a little survey/poll (I LOVE to take little 'polls' for opinions/reactions) around my neighborhood AND APPARENTLY PARISIANS NEVER EVER lock themselves out of the house...NEVER EVER!!! Self-Reliance on the most BASIC and minute level is no JOKE here...so the hurdles of 'independence' have been a challenge to say the least, BUT I tell myself...(sometimes self-cheerleading is necessary)...I am also a realllllly quick learner and a very resourceful person, and I can recover from mistakes... It's okay to make mistakes, I say to myself...well....BUT it's not realllllly okay to make mistakes in the french culture...I THINK...from what I gather/sense...to make mistakes...I dunno though....coz I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING...Anyways.............
There are moments where I feel totally 'stoned' but I am not...I walk everywhere and the lighting changes every five minutes because most days for the weather report will have all three little symbols for the clouds, sun and rain. It will be HOT for 10 min and then rain for ten minutes. At first it is horribly uncomfortable having to carry an umbrella, sunglasses and a scarf everywhere you go. Now I enjoy the temperamental weather. If one day it is rainy, and the next day is sunny, I am in an extra extra good mood on the sunny day...BUT then again EXTRA moody on the rainy day that follows a good day. BECAUSE there is nothing TO DO. You wanna eat? Get READY to SIT for at least 2 hours...there is no POINT rushing meals...there would be nothing to do AFTERWARDS if you rush your meal, except go on a nice loooooong walk...
So....my accomplishments so far on a personal level? All my neurotic thoughts are mitigated by the fact that if I feel moody with NOTHING 'to do', all my 'issues' will be a bitch from hell to deal with, so I try to minimize potential terrible future Sundays of depression sessions by being 'zen' in Paris...it's been working.
Since everyone learns to 'slow down' to enjoy each moment over the last three months, by the graduation time, it seems to me that the students were able to 'enjoy' even the 'duller' moments of the ceremony. It was really nice...not one cell phone rang, everyone showed up... there was no fidgeting, no shuffling around, every one was pleasant and polite, enjoyed their accomplishments, enjoyed their time....even AND ESPECIALLY ALL the over achieving north Americans (whom all did pretty well)!!! What a wonderful day, graduation really was twofolds...enjoying small pleasures like having one week off, little bit of free time, not having to take the metro...ZEN FRANCAIS INDEED!
