Amor en Francia

by Jake Devine (Australia)

I didn't expect to find France

For my last semester of university, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go abroad magical Lille. A thriving university city in the north of France, Lille is peak France, diverse, rich cuisine, museums galore, a beautiful city centre, freezing cold in winter... It's really not that glorious but for a small town Australian boy it was the epicentre of my universe and the place where I learnt to open my mind and my heart. Day 1 - I arrived in France with high hopes and expectations and was disappointed immediately. Fresh off 26 hours or so of flight time I stepped off the plane in Paris. Ridiculed for ordered my first coffee/crossaint combo in English (which was culturally insensitive & ignorant on my part) I made my way to the train station. Upon arrival our transport was nowhere to be seen, and we ended up walking 30mins to our apartment suitcases and all. Finally let in to our 120 year old building we made our way past the penthouse and into the attic where I was presented to a room with no electricity, a broken bed (no bedding) and all the vibrancy of a brick wall. I thanked the realtor, sat on my mattress and cried myself to sleep - what had I done. Day 2 - after crying for only the second time in my adult life, I dusted myself off, downloaded duolingo, bought some bedding and got to work. There wasn't another day for the next 9months where I didn't wear a smile. Day 3 - orientation day. I played it safe initially, speaking to other students from Australia, Canada & America before realising I was in a room of highly intelligent people from places like Burkina Faso, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kenya, Finald, Colombia, Brazil and ... Mexico. A country I only knew of from Netflix and American movies, a country constantly depicted as either stupid, deadly or corrupt what would I have in common with a Mexican, how wrong I was. Karla is her name, she has this stare that draws you in, her sensual eyes are powerfully deep and far too easy to get lost in, and then she speaks. Know we all know that Australian's don't necessarily do the English language justice, but when someone speaks their second language better than you do your first, any intellectual pride tends to dissipate fairly quickly. I had to know her, but I knew I hadn't a chance so I retreated back into my comfortable, warm shell. Day 4 and beyond - as the semester went on and I continued learning from and about my wonderfully diverse cohort I kept being drawn in by this Mexican beauty. I don't think of myself as a pervert, and I often judge men for staring, but when she walked by, my brain walked away, my eyes walked with her and all of the blood in my veins walked it's way to my... I think that's a story for another time. I built up a really awesome friendship but that's a skill I have so it wasn't really a feat. I later jumped at the opportunity to do a group assignment with her roommate, knowing it might mean seeing her a little more. Finally, one cold night all the students of the city flocked to the night clubs, consuming alcohol brang is together and kept us warm. As I danced to Latin music I couldn't understand in a seedy night club, I saw her smile and walk towards me, we danced and laughed for hours. I've never kissed a woman unless she leaned in or gestured first, likely out of a fear for rejection, but Karla's eyes pulled me in close, we passionately kissed and as romantic as I see it in my memories I must remember the alcohol and the state of the venue. For the following 4 months of the program we were in separable, I've never learnt so much from another human, and then it was time to say au revoir. Beyond - two 3month stints to Mexico, a one month tour guiding stint in Australia and some impressive progression in this gringo's Spanish skills we are now applying for a permanent residency visa. Amor