stop and stare

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in France, pronounce your “R”s like you’re choking.

Living here, I try to blend in as best as I can. It’s not that I need to, it’s that there’s just something about having a full conversation with a French person without them switching to English that feels like winning an academy award. So, I dress the part, I rehearse my lines, and every day I take to the French stage. But sometimes I break character.

To get to work I need to take the city’s tram across the Loire river that runs through town. A wide body of water with islands and sandbanks scattered within. On one side you can see the top of the Cathedral standing proud above the apartments and shops below. The other side shows an island with a park. A small bench sits on the end where you can see lovers holding hands or friends catching up on life.

In one of my first weeks in Tours, I rode the tram when a class of elementary school kids got on. Within seconds the quiet vehicle filled with commuters turned into a raucous jungle gym. As we approached the river, their teacher said, “Voici, La Loire !” (Look, the Loire!) Suddenly the children swept themselves to each side of the tram as if parting the Red Sea. Their tiny noses and grubby hands pressed up against the windows. They oohed and ahhed, mystified. As all of the other adult passengers stared absently at their phones and their books, I shamelessly broke my French character and joined the children with stars in my eyes.

I couldn’t help it. There’s something so exhilarating about a place that is so unlike what you know. I am struck by the beauty of this town the way I imagine a French person might be struck by the grandeur of Lake Michigan or the families of deer who run wild through my neighborhood.

There is a peace and regality of daily life in France. It is a place that feels no need to boast, or to race to be the best. A place that has stood for thousands of years with the assurance that it will stand for thousands more. Of course I break my character. Of course I stop to stare.