FRANCE!

Second Stop: Paris, France with my friend Santa (from Loppiano)

My adventure began as I was boarding the plane, I saw a Chinese girl who was struggling to place her purse in her luggage, and without hesitating I offered to help her…and giving her a simple smile.

Then later on the bus to the center of Paris from the airport Beauvais, I sat beside her, and we began talking…

After all the talking and sharing with her about my travel experience she told me she could really see how I’m trying to help others…but I really only did a small gesture of love, to help, without expecting anything…

We need to love without measure, without expecting anything in return, that is Agape love, the 3^rd type of love. Love that is FREE.

And later I discovered she was a Buddhist! And how amazing because I had met many at Loppiano couple months back, and I have begun reading and learning more about Buddhism. At the end, she offered to give me and Santa a tour of the city one of the days we were in Paris!

But the first day, we rested and bought groceries (which for the whole trip we spent 15 euros each for 5 days) which would be obvious we didn’t choose to eat good food, but HEALTHY food, but I ate instant noodles for the first time in a VERY LONG TIME.

RAYMUN noodles! with corn and chicken

Next day, we toured around with Sunny and another friend Anne, but before meeting them we also decided to do everything on foot in Paris, we live about 10 km away from the centre, and yes we WALKED. Took us about 2 hours, but we made it. And on the way when I walking down Champs des Elysees, I happened out of nowhere to spot a friend! He told me he would be in Rome, but I wasn’t able to see him while I was in Italy. But I happened to be walking down the streets of Paris, and I bumped into him!

we ball together

Nothing in life is a coincidence, each thing happens for a reason, and anything that happens even when somebody else has chosen to do wrong, at the moment we don’t understand, but in the long run, is for our own good. Like how the lady butted infront of us in line of the bathroom, but even though she had chosen to do wrong, in the long run it was for our own good, as I miraculously bumped into a friend, in a city like Paris, without even knowing that he would be in the city.

Since I had a student card, you can get into many museums such as the Lourve, Pompidou Museum (Art museum of modern artist such as Andy Warhol)

at the Pompidou centre: museum of modern art (for free)

typical french style restaurant

relaxing at Luxembuorg garden

Sunny, Anne, Santa

To understand the French culture a little more, and about the people…and one thing I noticed a lot around the city of the young people, many are tuned into their music with specific BIG noise-cancelling headphones… which makes me conclude that yes it is probably another fashion trend, but also the noise and the sounds of the city, or the busy life, really makes the young people want to find peace and their own space. That we as young people are so easily influenced by our environment because we are still forming our identity, and these young people subconsciously want to cancel out these influences, the sounds of the environment, and find what really gives meaning in LIFE. We all search to live for Something GREATER, not just be a nobody, but to be and do something BETTER to help the world!

when words fail, music speaks

And throughout the day, with Sunny who I only met couple days before on the bus, and Anne who I stayed with at Loppiano for around a month, we relaxed, walked, enjoyed a French Baguette as the sights and sounds of Paris roamed all around. 

French Bakery

Anne, Sunny, ME

But throughout the day, I tried to just love as I had first did with Sunny, offering her my sandwich because she hadn’t ate, or giving her my water because she was thirsty, and making sure she was able to understand what we were talking about as we spoke in Italian, a bit of French of course, and half-broken English. Also I witnessed how she was touched by this love we had as she also offered her umbrella to us when it was raining, or offering her bus tickets…and little acts but with GREAT LOVE.

at the end of the day we finished at Sacre-Coeur-
a beautiful church on top of a hill in Paris
overlooks all of Paris

And yes me and Santa, we walked all the way back, and for those that don’t know Paris, it is about 12 km from where we stayed. It was quite an adventure near midnight, (or past midnight on the streets of Paris) we were safe, ALIVE, and WELL.

But after walking probably a total of 26 km in Paris, and finishing a marathon, my pinkie toe was blistered, we rested the whole day after until night time we went out to enjoy a meal like the French do.

yummmmm

We bought a baguette for 1 euro, sat on the bridge overlooking the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the baguette with cheese. YUMM. It is very typical of the French people to buy something and wine and then found a nice spot to enjoy a meal.

And then onto the next day, we journeyed to a community like Loppiano (in Italy where I stayed for 9 months-read past blogs), but this one in France is called “Arny,” because there was a televised Catholic Mass all over France with 700, 000 watchers. Guess what?

Sunny came along as we invited her, and it was her first time to participate in a Catholic mass, and to see the Focolare Movement of France together. We met many people, which one of them she remembered me from when I was young, named Teresa, who lives in France now but stayed in Canada. But most of all I remember the smiles on their faces, the joy that they expressed, and the love they had to always give a hand. And at the end of the day Sunny told me, “the weather was a little strange, I met so many people, I’m so happy and today was perfect.”

And that is my adventure in Paris summed up, love without measure, without expecting anything in return, and you will receive the hundredfold.