The following personal essay is part of the anthology, Portal: Gateway to Adventure (Studio5, 2015) edited by Marily Orosa. This book was just released and is available from Studio 5 or email marilyo@yahoo.com.
The Kindness of the French
by
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
Copyright 2015 by Cecilia Brainard
Copyright 2015 by Cecilia Brainard
IN THE SPRING of 2013, something happened
to me in Paris — it had to do with my perception of that city, of my husband,
and of myself.
May 2013, my husband, Lauren, and I flew
to Paris with the intention of spending three nights there. One evening was set
aside to have dinner with our friends Max and Christine who come from Lyon but
would be in Paris just to see us. After our short visit to Paris, we’d rent a
car and drive north to Belgium and Normandy. Lauren had it all mapped out:
flight, hotels, rental car. He loved planning trips. We enjoyed travelling,
although visiting France made me a bit wary. During my prior visits there, I
found that the clichés said about the French being rude, arrogant and
condescending seemed true. Parisians answered in French even when I spoke to
them in English. In addition, I had discovered that some vendors and taxi
drivers had been dishonest with me, all petty matters, but annoying.
