Oh My Paris!

September 22, 2009

I’m writing this blog on the plane in hopes of posting it as soon as I arrive in Paris. Here is where my story will begin: I half expected my first journey to France to be quite uneventful but I keep forgetting that Halima K. always has to have a little twist in her adventures. Let me just give you a fun little recap on the start of my French adventure: I wake up this morning full of nerves. Obviously I didn’t get a good night’s rest but I really wasn’t expecting that. The truth is that last week’s trip to Albuquerque made leaving the U.S. even harder. I forget the majestic beauty of the Sandia Mountains, or the crisp fresh air free of humidity, and most importantly the neighborhood that shaped me from drooly toddler to obnoxious adolescent. It’s amazing how you carry pieces of the places that have impacted you in your heart and like a sudden whiff of a pungent smell it all comes flooding back to you. I missed Albuquerque and I didn’t realize how much until I went back home. Moreover I missed my family. I took the lectures from my parents about French boys and nighttime clubbing with much more ease because I knew I’d even miss this. I laughed with my sisters and played a little rock band with my little brother. I visited my older brother’s new home and said a warm “Hi” to my niece or nephew in my sister-in-law’s tummy. When it was all said and done I cried and my family cried and they wished me Bon Voyage. Then it was off to Houston for more sadness. All my H-town peeps came over and we just talked, laughed, and waited until it was time to say goodbye…… Again.

When we arrive at the airport I held my breath as they weigh my luggage. I should add that my sister convinced me to bring 2 large suitcases, one small carry on, my backpack, a heavy jacket and my computer. In the end it all worked out because my luggage was (thankfully) more or less 50lbs. When it was time to say the final goodbye there were more tears from my sister and two best friends. I then made the lonely trek to my terminal. As soon as I got there I plopped myself on a seat and tried to relax by listening to my Ipod. Only problem was I started crying every 5 minutes. It didn’t matter what song it was, one minute The Fray next minute T.I. and I’m just balling. I think it’s pretty sad when your listening to hip hop and your eyes are streaming with tears. Needless to say I think people thought I was having a nervous breakdown and in all fairness maybe I was…. But don’t worry things got better. I should mention that before I actually took my seat I noticed a tall cute lanky kid (19ish) wearing a blue shirt. It strange because I noticed that I based my judgments of people on their vibes or energy. I can tell if I’m going to like/dislike you in 5 minutes. It just so happened that for whatever reason i was getting a good vibe from blue shirt boy. So as I’m trying to compose myself I noticed that my “on time” flight to my layover in Washington D.C. is suddenly not so “on time”. Matter of fact instead of leaving at 11:55am it is now leaving at 12:45pm….. this made me have about a 10 minute window to catch my flight. So I’m fuming at this point and decided to have a little talk with the “not to be bothered” clerk. As I’m in line I noticed blue shirt boy. Suddenly he’s asking about the flight and what time it’s to be departing and that’s when I notice his not so subtle French accent. And Bien Sur (of Course) I ask him if he’s flying to Paris and yes he is. After a tiny bit of small talk I find out that cute French blue shirt boy has a name. Bruno.

I talk to the clerk and there is one seat left for a flight from Chicago and another seat for a flight having a layover in Frankfurt. I, completely dreading the thought of an International layover, quickly scoop up the Chicago flight and make my way over to the adjacent terminal. Moments later Bruno is next to me and apparently there was one more seat left after mine and he’s assigned the seat next to me. We sit and talk throughout the flight and I find out that Bruno was doing an exchange program and living with a host family in New Orleans. He had to return home after learning that his mother was ill. He also gave me the 411 on things to watch out for (thieves and rude people) and cool things to be interested in (soccer and the obvious tourist sites to visit) On the flight to Paris we got split up but I do appreciate Bruno and his openness. It really put me at ease :-)

So now I’m here and all I can say is Paris is amazing and all so new to me. I feel like someone who is seeing things for the first time….. I’ll report more later….


Bious,
Halima