Moi, un optimiste?

We all know I’m somewhat of a cynic. You might call it pessimism, but I like to believe it’s more a fondness for wit and sarcasm. Either way, I think being in Paris has made me start to see things not only as half-empty, but also half-full… can you believe it?! I bet not. But no really, today was a testimony to this self-realization.

We had our (almost) mid-semester meeting with the USC advisor today to discuss the group’s concerns, emotions, experiences, etc. in Paris. I was so surprised by how many complaints the other students had! While everyone enjoys Paris overall, for the very first time I felt like the most optimistic person in the room! Really my only complaint so far is my super boring Sorbonne grammar course and that’s only because it’s a bad professor.

The general concerns though were not feeling safe at night, having a hard time meeting people, not understanding why Parisians aren’t openly friendly all the time, etc. In my opinion, these are characteristics of any big city and I don’t find it very distressing. Maybe my personality is just better suited for the city, but I don’t think the people here any colder than New Yorkers, I find it equally difficult to meet people in America, and I think I actually feel safer in Paris than in L.A.

I guess I was just really surprised by how naive the others appeared to be about city life. We’ve all lived in L.A. for at least three years, granted in a somewhat sheltered, college environment, but even so you would think one would acquire some knowledge of street smarts. It’s not like I’ve ever truly lived in a city (other than USC) but for whatever reason I’ve never been very ignorant about urban life. To be safe you have to be aware and careful; if you’re wandering the streets alone at 4 a.m. you’re not necessarily asking for trouble, but more likely to find it. You also can’t expect city people to make friends with every person they pass on the street, especially foreigners.

I think another reason I’m feeling more open-minded and optimistic is that I came to Paris expecting to face challenges. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to live in a foreign country, and so I really haven’t encountered any great surprises. Maybe that’s the cynic in me, but it seems to work: fewer expectations equal fewer disappointments. Or, a more optimistic and prolific way of saying it would be through the words of Picasso: “Je ne cherche pas, je trouve” (I don’t search, I find).

But seriously, overall I’m really enjoying France. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, make the most of it all, and not stress over things I won’t care about or remember when I return home, like school work (that’s assuming I maintain my GPA, otherwise I will be forever reminded) … mais, tout la même, c’est la vie, je suis à Paris et je veux passer un semestre amusant!

And that said, I must go now to meet some friends at a bar (I definitely go out more often and enjoy it more than I ever did back home, so that’s also an exciting change, n’est-ce pas ?)