Trying to have an interactive conversation with a Parisian is hard, especially when you are constantly searching for one.

In hopes to push myself further into the Parisian culture I have been walking around all week looking for that special someone to mingle with. All week I was constantly thinking about potential victims, and analysis how I would execute my interactions with these people. When walking home from the metro after our visit to Giverny today I was again plotting in my mind where this interaction might take place when a light bulb went off in my head. DING DING DING. I realized that I had a wonderful interaction to write about that I had totally overlooked.

I love to eat bananas in the morning for breakfast. And this habitual routine of mine is what coincidentally lead to my cultural interaction this week. Over the past few weeks I have been visiting the same fruit vender on my street. Every time the same old man is there to sell me my bananas. Slowly our relationship has begun to bloom and we have started to greet each other and treat each other differently. At first our interactions started with formal greetings followed by enthusiastic but slightly robotic merci(s) and Au revoir(s) from my end. During my most recent visit I entered the shop around lunchtime when it was very busy. Even though it was busy the old man looked over and greeted me with a “bonjour” and a warm smile. I smiled back echoing “bonjour.” After picking out some tasty bananas I went to stand in line. When I got to register he smiled and said “salut ca va?” I smiled and reposed, “ca va, et vous?” And he echoed back “ca va. ”He knows my French is limited from previous visits, but he was still kind and curious as to how I am doing. This really made me feel special and embraced. Ironically I over looked this interaction. This is because I was over analyzing what an ideal cultural interaction would look like. For the weeks to come I am going try and evolve and let the chips fall as they may.

time for some new bananas looks like another interaction!!!!!!