From Amy Thomas, author of Paris, My Sweet. A love affair with Paris, New York, sweets and, now, a little girl named Parker.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Daily life in Paris
I normally feel worlds apart from my colleagues. Different countries, different lives. Different experiences, different perceptions. But then every once in awhile there’s an actual exchange—a lunch, a party, a meeting, a conversation—where you realize, oui, nous sommes tout le meme. We are all the same, no matter how we dress, how we ad-dress each other, how we work (or don’t) together. We’re all the same… but different. At the end of the day, everyone in this silly little world—English, French, German, Canadian, whatever—is pretty much the same. We all just want to be recognized and appreciated. For who we are.
I feel like the English teacher that I am, but I sense an interesting incident that led to this realization. Would love to hear it.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... well, it wasn't a specific incident per se - just a night out with colleagues, but it was a great night. Everyone's been working a ton and is really stressed out and we're never social outside the office. But then - over good wine & cheese, bien sur - everyone comes together, loosens up, shows their smiles and their personalities and, you know, everyone just wants to have fun! I feel like the French - gross generalization, I know - are not fun. So it's always wonderful to cut loose with them. :)
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