Over 400,000 people gathered on the Champs Elysées Avenue for the New Year's Eve celebration, yet the only other person I knew was my Uncle Chris standing next to me. However, we didn't feel like strangers at all. We felt like friends, like we were welcome.
Since New Year's Eve landed on a Sunday, we began our day at an American church within Paris. When the service ended, they opened up a room for refreshments that everyone was invited to. After grabbing a cup of coffee, we were approached by another man who introduced himself and asked us where we were from. He then told us he had lived in Virginia but now lives in Paris and regularly attends church there. Through him we were introduced to another man who lives in California but returns to that church whenever he visits Paris. As we walked outside we were wished a Happy New Year by multiple people along the way.
After breakfast, we walked to the Eiffel Tower and once inside, were met by a lengthy line to walk the 704 steps to the second level of the tower. Initially confused by the multiple lines at the four corners of the base of the tower, we asked an older couple in front of us for directions. They happily suggested the best line for us to get on while also creating conversation with us about our travels. When our paths crossed again on the second level of the tower, they greeted us as if we were old friends and were happy to see that we had made it up the stairs. While also on the line for the stairs, there was a group of men and women in their twenties from New Zealand who immediately sparked a conversation with my uncle and I. They had great senses of humor and kept the long wait entertaining for all of us with stories about their travels and jobs. After walking up to the first level with them, we parted ways. It was an odd feeling knowing that in a way we had become friends, but we would never see each other again. Now I know what you're thinking, how many people could they have met at the Eiffel Tower? But there is one more story I'd like to tell about another simple act of kindness. Over seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower every year, so you can imagine how crowded it was-even on a cool, windy day. So when it began raining, nearly everyone on the second level was surrounding the elevator to get back to the ground. Wanting to find a quicker way down and out of the rain, my uncle and I searched for a nearby staircase but weren't fortunate enough to find one. There was a British family waiting behind us at the elevator who had the same idea. The father of the family noticed us looking for a staircase and, believing he saw one, told us to stay in line with his family while he checked it out. From our spot on line we could see that he had found the staircase down, so we directed his family in the right direction with us. With two little kids that needed time to descend the stairs, they allowed us to go first and wished us a Happy New Year. It was these simple acts of genuine kindness and happiness that made the Eiffel Tower an even greater experience for us.
To celebrate New Year's, my uncle and I went to the Champs Elysées which was crowded with thousands of people trying to make their way to the Arc de Triomphe for the show that was going to be projected on it. By the time we found a good spot to stand in the street, it was 10:30pm, so we decided to just stand there and wait (despite the fact that we had forgotten to get something to eat). As it got closer to eleven, more and more people began flooding the street and we became surrounded by different people every minute. When the crowds finally settled, we found ourself comfortable with the people around us with nobody pushing or shoving. As we were waiting, the man to our right began talking to us about New Year's back home in Poland, his name was Patryk. He spoke to us nearly fluently, despite struggling to translate to English from the Polish that was running through his head. He offered us each a piece of chocolate which, unbeknownst to him, we really needed. When my uncle told him that they no longer sold the same type of chocolate in the United States, he was kind enough to offer us the entire box and insisted that we take it back to the United States. Talking to Patryk allowed time to pass quickly until midnight and when the clock turned midnight, we had a new friend to celebrate the new year with. Not only did he wish us a Happy New Year, but there was a smaller woman behind us that we had smiled at throughout the night just to be friendly approached us. She gave us each a hug and wished us a Happy New Year, telling us that she had come from Brazil. When we began to head back to our hotel we had to say goodbye to our new friends and wished each other luck with our travels.
Spending New Year's in Paris gave me a new insight on approaching other people. We were happily welcomed by so many people from so many places that it opened my eyes to how far a simple gesture can go. A smile, a friendly act or introducing yourself can go so far. None of these people had to do what they did, but they did. And that had a huge impact on our trip and making us feel welcome in this foreign country. I hope to be able to travel as much as these people did and meet as many new friends along the way.
