Laughter

My arrival in France was overwhelming. I had a slight case of culture shock. It seemed like everywhere I turned there was something new, but in reality, it was all the same. The hustle and bustle all begin quickly upon arrival. We attempted not to catch jetlag meaning we did everything in our power to stay awake. I toted my luggage up four flights of stairs and anxiously searched for the air conditioner to cool the room. However, that is a luxury we have in America… not France. I did have a window that allowed for a beautiful view of Toulouse and nice air flow. After dropping my bags, we visited the “Walmart of France.” If you want to learn about the culture of a country, visit the grocery store. This is where I felt out of place. The workers that spoke English was limited, everything was in French, and attempting to find foods I was familiar with was difficult. The culture shock was a mixture of being outside of my comfort zone and being exhausted. This feeling faded throughout time but still lingered…
After classes one day, I decided to walk around Toulouse and visit the city. I stopped for gelato and on the way back to my apartment I decided to stop in the park and enjoy the outdoors and the fountain. While I was sitting there I was reflecting on my journey thus far. A few benches down from me was an elderly lady in her late 80’s. We were watching pigeons fight over a piece of bread. Every time the pigeon attempted to peak the bread he would toss it over his head. It was quite a sight. We laughed and laughed together. It was in that moment, I realized how precious laughter is. Laughter is a language that we are all fluent in. It brought peace to my soul and refreshed my mind. I was in a completely different “world” with a language barrier, but I thoroughly enjoyed communicating with that lady. A language barrier is only as big as you see it!