A family vacation abroad can be a growth experience for all concerned! We were lucky enough to have my nineteen-year-old niece Catherine accompany us on our recent trip to France. As you can see below, she is a lovely, thoughtful young lady... and just a bit wise beyond her years. Enjoy! - Meg
From Catherine:
“So here I find myself making my first trip to Europe at the ripe old age of 19. For ten whole days I have left my parents, my five siblings, and many friends thousands of miles away.
I have temporarily abandoned my customary routines and habits. I am doing, seeing, and exploring things I have always dreamed of – and feeling overwhelmed in the process.
From the art high produced by roaming through the Louvre to baking like a roasted chicken on the Bateaux Parisien tour along the Seine, it’s been an adventure.
By traveling in such a diverse group, I am constantly forced to slow down and step outside of myself, to live in the moment and see just how much little things can affect me.
In order to help my grandmother, I am literally learning to slow down.
My tendency is to walk at a much faster pace than my grandmother can handle. By strolling beside her instead, I’m noticing many details that I otherwise would have missed.
My preferences are superseded by her needs, reminding me that I’m not the center of the universe. I walk at a slower pace and I carry more than my technical share of bags, but I am presented with the opportunity to gain even more.
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to help my aunt keep her sanity by taking care of the little things that always get in the way
The need to accommodate my cousins has helped me re-learn to see things through a child’s eyes, to take time to really see and explain. I have been exploring various museums with the oldest, which has given me a whole new perspective.
While visiting the Conciergerie (a former palace and later the prison of Marie Antoinette), I read the information panels with him, explaining what he didn’t understand and filling in the gaps. By trying to create vivid word pictures, his interest and imagination were captured and he may have even learned something in the process!
It also deepened my experience as I saw a child’s young and fresh reaction to the terribleness of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.
Visiting World War I and World War II sites, we saw the ultimate sacrifice made by these men and we gained a deeper appreciation for each day we have.
The English writer G.K. Chesterton once said “There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject. The only thing that can exist is an uninterested person.” Through past experiences I have realized the truth of this statement and now I’m trying to impart this wisdom to my cousins. We’re making up stories when boredom overtakes them; we’re playing memory games and honing observation skills.
We’re trying to live in each moment and find some element of joy and wonder in all we do.
Yet I feel like I’ve been sitting in French class for too long. There were many days when I felt a brain numbness from constantly attempting to translate everything around me. Relying upon the little French I remember and the fact that French is a Romance language ( I’m taking Latin classes), everywhere I go, everything I see, and everything I hear makes my brain go twice as fast trying to make some sort of sense of it.
Kneeling at Notre Dame cathedral during Sunday Mass, I was struck by the thought of just how many people have knelt in that same place; thoughts of the men who put in so many hours, days and months of labor – not for pay – but simply to create a beautiful house for God.
At the Louvre, L’Orangerie, and the Musee D’Orsay, I saw some of the greatest artwork ever created. Yet just next to it a beautiful building had graffiti all over it.
Walking the streets of Paris, the struggle between old and new is quite apparent, as the old, traditional Parisian buildings are contrasted by the modern monstrosities next door. And this symbolism seems to extend even deeper, reflecting the internal conflict of so many as to whether they should go along with what’s new or stand by old principles and standards.
Whether it’s finally seeing priceless works of art in person, gazing heavenward at intricate architecture, or trying to not get hit by impatient motorists while crossing the street, I can feel the history surrounding me. I can feel the spirits of those who came and went before and put their hearts, hopes, dreams, and sweat into everything around me.
And I slowly begin to feel a sense of peace, as my own place in time becomes clearer.
I do love Paris.
I love the architecture, the baguettes, the way it preserves the past while looking to the future. But now I’m ready to go home. I’m ready for some quiet instead of incessant street noise.
I miss my family and the familiar, even though I have immensely enjoyed the new and the different.
In the meantime, I’m learning to embrace the French way and live a little more deliberately. I’m learning to slow down and live in the moment, to linger over each meal, to stroll through a park and down busy streets, to be profoundly grateful for every breath I take.
No, we won’t get to all the sites going through Paris in this way, but is that what really matters? I’m choosing quality over quantity, choosing walking the streets, seeing, listening, soaking in a different culture.
Just being, not always doing. I’m trying to open my eyes to what’s around me, trying to learn new things, and I might just be growing into a better person for it.
Isn’t that the best part of an international vacation?”
Recommended Reading:
Trying to picture your own kids in Paris? Start planning your next great family vacation with Fodor's Around Paris with Kids, 3rd Edition: 68 Great Things to Do Together.
Related Posts:
You can read my perspective on our trip (it was great!), in American Kids in Paris.
Keeping with our family travel theme, please enjoy, The Importance of Family Vacations.
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