narrative 1!

This year I feel much more at ease surrounded by a culture so distinct from my own. Everything seems a little less intimidating concerning the language barrier. Now I am realizing that it is the times during any interaction when things don’t go at all as I am planning that are the most amazing, something totally new to me and interesting happens. I have had many wonderful encounters with Parisians over the past week, it is so true that with a little effort most are happy to help or chat with you. One of the most memorable of these was when a friend and I were walking down a random street near my apartment searching for lunch. We walked past a tiny little Japanese restaurant and peeked in the window where we saw a little Japanese woman smiling up at us. We wandered a little further, and feeling less welcomed elsewhere, we went back to the restaurant where the woman was still seated, thrilled we had come back. Between broken French and English we managed to order some sushi, the whole time she was just laughing and smiling and telling us the correct pronunciation of French words. When we ordered water she taught us how to ask for a jug of tap water, so we didn’t have to pay. Even though we could hardly talk to one another we were all engaged through out the entire meal. She made it clear how happy she was to have us in her restaurant, eating her food, and we tried to get across our appreciation of her cheeriness. As we were leaving she shoved some candies in to our hands and told us to come again.