Jessica Goodfellow
joined the Media Club after completing her studies at the University of
Ottawa. She is currently posted in Paris and
has agreed to
give us a taste of the big city..
Across
the pond….
by Jessica
Goodfellow
People
here in Paris have a saying for their weekly routine –
“metro,
bureau, dodo”.
Translated this mean, “bus,
work, bed”. I am coming to learn this
is not
much
of an exaggeration. And this is all done in a very loud, busy, grey
setting. Sometimes
I get the urge to buy myself flowers. I think this is my subconscious
retreat
away from the cement and chaos!
On
the weekend, I feel the need
to ‘de-tox’. I
venture around, acting like a tourist. Sometimes I visit the main
sites. I have
been to Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame. Other times I just go on long,
aimless
walks. I have walked along the Seine and have visited small, cute
villages with
live music and many artists. On these days, I just enjoy the simple
things and
try to forget about work and the stress that comes along with the
expectations
of a new job.
The
city I find has two layers: One is the chaos; the other is the love of
beauty
in everything – food, wine, people, art, fashion, music. The
latter is what is
making me fall in love with Paris, more and more. It is easy to find
charm
here. Culture is just as important as work. You work long hours (9a.m.
– 6p.m.
at least), but you are expected to work just as hard at having
fun.
So,
to follow-up on this expectation, I have visited restaurants of various
cultures with colleagues, listened to live Tunisian music while sipping
on
great wine, enjoyed evening walks
in
mild weather, sought out fellow Canadians through a meet-up group, and
have been
compiling a very long list of experiences I want to eventually have in
this
city.
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