First Vacation: Paris!

Well, everyone I finally did it. I left Benin for the first time in thirteen months in August. The world really does still exist outside of Benin! I took my first vacation to Paris, (of all of the beautiful places) with my parents for ten days. We couldn’t have chosen a better place or a better time. It was amazing (which probably had nothing to do with the fact that I was coming directly from a developing country)! I had been counting down to this trip for months, and the time had finally come. I was so ready!

My first stop was Brussels for a layover. I took in my surroundings slowly, appreciating the carpet, the clean bathrooms with automatic faucets, the smoothie bar, and the departures and arrivals screens, displaying up-to-date information. Then I sat down and enjoyed a real cup of coffee with bread and cheese that was left over from my first flight.

Eiffel Tower and Alexander III Bridge

When I arrived in Paris, I got my baggage and then saw my parents waiting for me. We ran (in slow motion) towards each other and embraced. No really, it was quite precious, smile. Then, we proceeded to navigate a train and multiple metro cars with our rolling suitcases to our hotel (with super-fast Wi-Fi!)  

We spent the next ten days exploring Paris and making a few day trips to nearby towns. We saw churches, all with their unique features, museums, parks, looked out over the city during the day and at night, took tours by bike, bus, and boat, ate delicious food for every meal, shopped, navigated the city by foot and my metro, and chatted at cafes. I reveled at the architecture of the buildings, pondered at the nonsensicality of Versailles, smelled the falling leaves, listened to Parisian French (much different from the accents in West Africa), and savored truffle cream, nutella, cheese, strawberries, crepes, and gelato. I also made a point of using the Laundromat to have my clothes cleaned by a machine!

Rouen

I was surprised to see a great deal of West Africans in Paris. During our first metro ride through the city, I recognized their traditional outfits and vibrant fabrics instantly. On this particular day it was a Sunday, so everyone was in their Sunday best for church! On one of my last nights, we walked around a neighborhood where many West Africans live. There was a market starting to pack up for the night with women sitting on the side walk selling small eggplants, smoked fish, and boiled corn (yelling out “maïs chaud!” or “hot corn!”). Hair dresser shops lined the streets with women getting weaves, and there were even shops selling West African fabrics. It was Little West Africa!

Dahomey Kingdom throne

We visited the Branly museum which has artifacts from Asia, Africa, and South America.  We went specifically to look at the items from Africa, and sure enough, they had an exhibit from Benin.  They were items from the Royal Dahomey kingdom in Abomey (Dahomey was the name before it was changed to Benin). It was great to see Benin in the spot light.

The trip was incredible for many reasons, not the least of which was being able to spend so much time with my parents. My dad was our fantastic tour guide, navigating us through the city on foot, by train, or with the metro. Mom was our time keeper, making sure we didn't dilly dally too much and keeping us on schedule. She was also our planner, fitting in everything we wanted to do at just the right times. I was just along for the ride, trying to soak in as much as I could on our short stay together. We had some “firsts” for this family vacation. It was our first international vacation and our first one without Grace. But, it was successful all around! Sadly, the trip did eventually come to an end and I made my way back to Benin. After a few days of adjusting I’m back and ready to finish out my service.  

I appreciate everyone’s support, encouragement, and prayers!