Foreigners

I want to talk to you about a special day during my recent trip to Paris. All my life I had dreamed of going there. That's why I've studied French in this class for two years now. I saved money and went to Paris for six days. Even after five days I still suffered from jet lag and was a little tired all the time. It was my first trip to Europe. I wanted to go for two weeks but I couldn't leave my dogs, Lady and Bumper for so long.

I loved the museums and streets of Paris, only the food wasn't as good as I'd thought. I had considered going with a tour group, but I am a very independent person. Since I am a letter carrier here in Denver I'm used to walking every day. Plus, I wanted to have a genuine foreign adventure and practice my French.

-Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous savez où est un bon restaurant par ici?
-It depends..  what kind of food do you like?
-Oh.. anything.
-Do you like Chinese food?
-Sure.

They say many things about Paris. They say it is where artists find inspiration.They say it is where people go to find something new in their lives. They say it is where you can find love. Of course, at my age I didn't expect anything like that.

However, during those days, I had many thoughts about my life; I thought if I had been born in Paris or that if I would ever have enough money I could live there. I imagined delivering mail every day on a street like this and meeting the people who live there. I am sure that they are very nice.

I visited a famous cemetery where many famous people are buried. I saw the grave of Jean-Paul Sarté and Simón Bolivar. My book said they were two very famous french writers who loved each other very much and that's why they're buried together. And I saw the tomb of a man named Porfirio Díaz. My book said he was dictator of México for 35 years. It was interesting to be next to such a powerful man who cannot move or talk anymore like I can. I thought about my sister Patty, who died very young, and about my mother, who died of cancer last year. One day I will be buried too and maybe no one will visit me. But I won't care. I'll be dead.

But I am not a sad person. Au contraire, I'm a happy person with many friends and two wonderful dogs. It's just that sometimes I wish I had someone to share things with. For example, when I saw all of Paris from a skyscraper, I wanted to say to someone, "Isn't that beautiful?" But there was nobody there. I thought about my ex-boyfriend Dave, if he would have enjoyed this trip, but then I felt a little stupid because we haven't spoken for 11 years and now he's married with three children.

Then I found a lovely little park. I sat down in the park and ate a sandwich that I'd bought. It tasted very good. Then, something happened, something difficult to describe. Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never know before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All that I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive.

Yes, alive.

That was the moment I fell in love with Paris. And I felt Paris fell in love with me.

De la película Paris, je t'aime (2006). Segmento "14e arrondissement"
Escrita por Alexander Payne y Nadine Eid.