Out & About: A Cowetan’s Adventures in Europe
By KATIE ANDERSON, Special to The Paper
In May, I really took the name of my column to a whole ‘nother level. I went WAY out and about – overseas.
A belated graduation gift to our kids, our trip took us to London and Paris for nine days. With dreams of hanging with the Royal Family and baguettes, cheese, and wine for every meal, I planned the trip within an inch of its life. I was excited, and also intimidated. I had only been to Europe forty years ago with my grandparents. I might as well have been wearing a neon sign saying “HEY Y’ALL, WE DON’T SPEAK BRITISH OR FRENCH. WE ARE DOING OUR BEST.”
In London, even though we speak the same language, it’s not the same. I was fascinated to hear their terms for things. Lift = elevator, tube = subway, crisps = chips, chips = french fries, uni = university, innit = isn’t it, etc. A big sign on the tube says to “mind the gap.” There really is a gap, sizes of which vary, between the trains and the platforms, and you really do have to mind it, lest you fall in, never to be heard from again. Well, it’s not that dramatic, but you could get hurt. So, mind the gap!
In Paris, we were ready to try out our new, fresh Duolingo (free version, obviously) skills. Fortunately, most everyone spoke English, and they were spared from wasting their valuable time while we searched for words we didn’t know. I did try to say small things here and there, and beamed with pride when I asked for sugar for my tea. Small victories, guys.
One of my low points in Paris with the language was when I ordered a baguette, of all things. Seems simple, non? Well, I ordered a baguette and then she started saying words back. Lots of words. So I just said “yes.” Then she asked a question, and I didn’t know the words there either, so I just said “yes.” She then held up a baguette and I said “yes.” And then, she held up another baguette. And, you guessed it, I said yes. Sigh.
Fellow Cowetans, I apologize. I tried to represent us well. I really did. In that moment, though, I felt like David Sedaris in Me Talk Pretty One Day. It was humbling. The story ended well, however. She eventually put a beautiful baguette in a bag and I paid for it. She even smiled at me. I feel sure that she was thinking whatever the French version of “bless your heart” is.
Despite all the language barriers, and not really knowing what things were going to be like, we fared pretty well. Honestly, people in both cities were friendly and nice to us. They turned out to be more like us than I expected. They dressed like us, laughed like us, were tourists like us, had good manners like (some of) us. They gave up subway seats to elderly folks like us. They helped when we didn’t understand the announcement to switch trains and told us what train to take. (No telling where we would’ve ended up!)
It is reassuring that once I got over my apprehension about looking and feeling different, I was able to learn about these different cultures and expand my mind. Traveling is fun and stressful and beautiful and crazy and tiring and energizing and humbling. This trip was a good reminder that wherever you go, people are people. I hope you’ll discover the same wherever your adventures take you this summer.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
