July 16th was my one-year anniversary of living in Benin, and in honor of that holiday, I left the country. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been an amazing year, but hey, after a year of living in West Africa, I needed a little holiday somewhere with warm showers.
And that’s what I got: for six days, my family took a vacation all together to Paris, where they have not only warm showers, but also delicious food & wine, fancy-schmancy art, and wireless internet. Craaazy! I spent the week eating as many servings of crème brulee and duck breast as I could, searching Google for anything I could possibly think of (best goat cheese in Paris! YouTube’s most popular videos! Megan Fox’s weird thumb!), and soaking up all of the elegance and developed-nation-ness that France had to offer. Also, laughing with my sisters, who somehow have the same sense of humor as I do (weird), chilling out with Susan and Phil in cafes, and hugging my adorable and oh-so-loving parents.
Important Points:
• Enjoying My Sisters’ Grown-Up Company. It’s strange when you realize that pretty much none of the kids in your family are really kids anymore. The youngest of us, Katie, is already 16 and essentially a Real Live Adult. I’ve been avoiding being a Real Live Adult for several years now, but I guess if Katie’s already there, I kinda have to step up and accept it, huh? There are perks, though: I can now talk to my sisters about RLA topics such as politics, religion and the weather. It’s an exciting time.
• Hugging Dad. No explanation necessary... sometimes a girl just needs a dad hug, and this last year has been one of those times.
• Seeing Susan and Phil. It’s officially been over a whole year since we graduated from college, and no matter what continent we’re on, all of us have changed since then. It was really, really great to catch up with two of my closest friends and chat about what was different, and what, thankfully, is still the same. Plus, we somehow managed to go to three different eating establishments in under 4 hours. That particular skill may never change.
• I GOT A KINDLE! Susan, being a wonderful human being, brought me a bag full of stuff I wanted from America, including grape jelly, dryer sheets, and nail clippers. She also brought me a birthday gift from my best friends from college: my very own Kindle. So cool! It was loaded with classics (which is the stuff I’ve been trying to read more of), and I got to download a book I’ve been dying to read (Suttree) before I left. 700+ pages compressed into one skinny little techno-thing. Thank you so much! Yall are wonderful, sneaky schemers, and I love you all.
• Shopping with Auntie B. It’s nice to have someone who pushes you to buy things you really love, and for me, that’s always been AB. My sisters, AB and I hit the shops on multiple occasions, wearing out the soles of our shoes and the magnetic strip on the credit card with our sophisticated Parisian purchases. White cardigan? Check. New red-coral Greek-ish dress, care of Inamorata? Check. Chocolate muffin? Checkmate.
• Picnic. My absolute favorite moment in the entire trip was our picnic... well, that and our last night out. I guess dinners with my family in general. Something about a good bottle of wine, great cheese, fresh bread, various fruits, and apple tarts combined with a relaxed, giggly family... pretty wonderful. And after a year in West Africa, definitely needed.
Paris, je t’aime. Vraiment, quoi.
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