Stop and smell the roses...or the baguettes, I guess

Fun fact about me: I walk really fast. I don’t mean to, but it just kind of happens. 

So why is this important? For me, it’s a representation of a fast paced life. I was born in a city and I spend a good amount of time with people who work in the city. I’m used to crowded metros, people power walking through the streets, and impatient drivers. I walk around slow people, I hate being late, and I can’t stand drivers who can’t actually drive. Even my meals are fast, because I always seem to have something to do (or at least I think I do). This has been my life, and I’ve been pretty happy with it. I get everywhere I need to be, and I have plenty of time in the day.

But then I got to Paris.

Obviously yes, Paris is a city, and a large one at that. The metros still get crowded during rush hour, people still power walk to get to places, and there’s lots of honking, but at the same time, it’s different. I get an hour for lunch at work, where everyone sits around a table, enjoying their meal and the company. People on the island take their time walking down the street, pausing to look at every window display or menu. Meetings and reservations start later than scheduled. It is, without a doubt, a new culture for me, and I don’t know how to handle it. 

Since being here, two entirely different people have mentioned the phrase “joie de vivre” to me. The first was to encourage me to make the best of my time here, and the second because it was some of the only French he knew. But what does that even mean? Literally, it’s the joy to live, or the joy of living. Figuratively, and probably the more accurate translation, it’s enjoying every moment, stopping and smelling the roses every once in a while. I might be a product of a fast paced culture, but I’m in Paris. When else will I spend five months in the city of light? When will I be immersed in a culture like this again?

I came to Paris to study abroad, but my lessons learned here aren’t just about France. While it’s very unlikely I’ll start walking slower, maybe I’ll learn to take life a little slower and finally understand what “joie de vivre” really is.