“Bienvenue à Paris,” this phrase, welcoming me to Paris, had been ingrained in my mind for about two hours as I stood waiting for my luggage, struggling to maintain a calm demeanor as I frantically tried to calm my nerves internally. This vivid memory of my flustered self on the first day of my semester abroad in Paris creates a stark contrast to my "traveller" self a week later, making itineraries of the list of places I wanted to explore. Soon enough, I had booked all my trips, my mind now filled with fantastical ideas of the places I was about to visit instead of concentrating on my midterms.
Travelling comes with expectations. My mind constantly bred possibilities for my experiences outside of Paris. Being a college student in Europe with the liberty to travel in more than 25 countries (courtesy of my Schengen visa), the peer pressure to “enjoy” and “go crazy” was more than palpable. In an effort to loosen the strains of peer pressure, as well as to satisfy my own wishes of learning new cultures and languages, my reasons to travel became increasingly muddled.
A trip alone to Lisbon changed that, however. It was the first time that I was not overcome by the urge to experience everything at once, from visiting all the touristy places to going to clubs at night. Being alone in Lisbon, away from the comfort of friends and school, I fell more in love with travelling than I had ever had.
Learning French had been a crucial reason for my decision to study abroad in Paris, apart from my interest in travelling around Europe. Thus, my bucket list included the French culture and lifestyle along with a list of European cities. The difference in languages has always been of great interest to me, a factor, which pushed me to do a minor in French. Hearing strings of phrases in unfamiliar languages can be daunting but if one meets the right people, it can be the most pleasant experience.
Language, exposing one to the culture and customs of a place is only paralleled with food, which, for me, is the soul of a place. Food has always been an instant source of happiness for me and unique gastronomical experiences are what I live for. I might not be always ready to jump from a cliff in the name of adventure sports but I would never refuse an opportunity to try unusual food from different places (except Octopus, I have limits).
As I travel to various places, the culture constantly changes and while museums and monuments are a good way to learn the history of a place, it remains a superficial scan of culture instead of an active interaction with the city. Travelling recounts a narrative in each place I visit but only through the lens of a flâneur. Wandering through streets without a specific destination in mind can be alarming, for the fear of getting lost, but sometimes, getting lost is the best way to experience a place. If living in Paris had taught me anything, it was to appreciate the city through the eyes of a flâneur.
The history and culture of a place allows me comprehend its social constructions of reality and as I learn more about the customs of people in various cities, I tend to lose the stereotypes, through which I see the people of the city. Even though generalizations are how we make sense of the world, ridding ourselves of the limitations of stereotypes can lead to our own growth, in my opinion. Being a tourist may feed on those stereotypes but being a traveller allows me to build my own views without the weight of preexisting stereotypes. Travelling, thus, is a privilege for me, to learn, grow and ofcourse, eat.
