"You're wearing THAT?..." My mom says to me, I can hear the disapproval in every syllable. I look down at the oversized flannel shirt that I'm wearing, a red and blue plaid patterned button down that my dad used to wear. "Yeah," I reply. "I wear this shirt in LA all the time. I love it." "Well..." she replies, "THIS is not LA." I scoffed at that and wore the shirt out anyway, edified by my belief that personal style should not be stifled by location. As I pack this morning for Paris, however, I set the flannel shirt aside in my "maybe" pile before putting it in my luggage. From all the advice articles I've read about living in Paris, the majority say that to have the best experience possible, Americans must try to fit in and look as "Parisian" as possible in order to avoid ill-treatment. This goes against my personal philosophy: if I'm from America (which i am....duh) I should be able to embrace that wherever I am, instead of being forced to conform to local styles of dress. At the same time, however, I will be living with a french family, far from any friends or family of my own, and it's important that I fit in in order to have a good experience. Maybe it's time for me to..dare I say it...conform. Not for anyone else, certainly not for any judgy Parisians, but just to fully embrace the experience...* I'm typing this blog as I pack for my flight to Paris which is in just a few hours. I'm so excited, and SO READY to embark on this adventure of a lifetime. Thanks so much to all my friends and family that believed in me and supported my dream! I look forward to posting again from gay Paris!
*I'm still bringing the flannel shirt though ;)
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