This past summer, I got a chance to go outside my comfort zone. A comfort zone of sameness, a comfort zone of idyllic taming. I got a chance to strut my American pride in Europe. In my travels to Europe, I got a chance to travel to seven different countries, each having its own flavor. The country that struck me the most is not necessarily the greatest European fantasy to dream about. It is not even admired by most Americans. It was a country where Lance won seven straight and soup has a distinct, cheesy flavor to it. It was France.
France is not what we dream it to be. I went to many places in my stay in Paris. I drove in the idyllic sameness of country roads, only to be struck by many ideas to think about in America. In Paris, I saw some very pretty scenes. Kids enjoy being around parents. Bold men are proposing to their girlfriends at every corner. I want to take it in stride. I don’t want to get lost. It gets intense.
One of the first places I went was the Louvre Art museum. The place strikes my knowledge and beauty inside and outside. Outside, I saw French ways of love, intellect, exact satisfaction and right emancipation. At the Louvre, the art museum was something to remember. The Mona Lisa was a big imaginative piece, yet the outcome was so small. I thought Mona Lisa was going to be a big painting that blew everyone away. Security guards guarded their entire bodies to that precious baby. For a million dollars, many want it as their own, but it being so small, it is way too precious. After the Mona Lisa, I saw an Egyptian and modern day Egyptian works of art. The Egyptian showed me how to do the Pharaoh dance and taught me how to walk like an Egyptian. In another room, I was with Frenchmen from afar. It was very comfortable getting to know them along with my friends. The French really enjoy American music. They are very big fans of it. Many of them came up to us before and after the concert and said, “Wow, you guys can play well.” It made my day and the day of the musicians performing.
It was windy. The winds at Luxembourg Garden were howling in all directions. It made the job of us musicians to play harder than before. We were not used to playing in front of thousands of people and it made us want to make our playing even better than before. During one of the songs, my sheet music fell out. Luckily, I memorized it and many people noticed my memorization skill of music. Hard work and dedication do equate to much success. I enjoy working hard in front of many environments. Hard environments with easy winnings. Easy Environments with equally great results, they want something new each time. As a traveler, I learned to enjoy many new things. Hopefully, I will bring diversity to America and have fun with my new environment.