I spent Halloween weekend in Paris. It was even prettier than I had imagined (if that's actually possible). My friends and I ventured to the Louvre, Palace of Versaille, and ended up each night back at the Eiffel Tower (our hotel was right around the block, how lucky were we!). We had a busy few days-- days full of fun, food, *lots of* walking, and failed French-speaking attempts. But while the events of our days varied, and the fun ranged widely, our 48 hours in Paris all had one thing in common-- we were accommodated.
From the second we stepped off the plane in Paris, we were accommodated. Ok, we said to each other, let's head over to Immigration to have our passports stamped. We looked around for signs to figure out which way we were supposed to be headed. Signs, naturally, we're firstly in French. But, directly under the French words were English words. Without any extra effort, we were able to find out where to go; the signs in the airport accommodated us.
The workers at Immigration (and everywhere else in the airport), who were responsible for allowing us into the country, spoke English. The cab driver, who drove us from the airport to the hotel, spoke English. The receptionist at the hotel, who took down all our information and provided us with a room in which we could stay, spoke english. The waiters at every single restaurant/cafe we went to, who all relayed our orders (and even food allergies) to the kitchen, spoke English. The worker at the support desk at the train station, who helped us figure out which tickets to get and what stops to get off at, spoke english. From Friday night to Sunday afternoon, we were accommodated.
I started to think about immigrants and all the obstacles they must face (there are many, I'm sure, but I'm just going to focus on the language barrier here). I can't even imagine leaving everything and everyone you know and fleeing to a place that communicates in a completely different way. I have been so kindly accommodated; I could only hope the same for them.
I went to France for the weekend and I was a tourist. I was a tourist who was accommodated every step of the way. And that makes me realize how fortunate I am, in many different aspects-- I am unbelievably fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to a different country every weekend. I am unbelievably fortunate to have the monetary means to travel to a different country every weekend. I am unbelievably fortunate that 335 million people speak English as their first language and 505 million people speak English as their second language.
I am an American tourist who only speaks English and travels to a different country every weekend. I am lucky to have all the opportunities that I do-- I have no right to be accommodated repeatedly, but I am, and I am grateful.
