Driving in France // Anxiety & Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris

Jul 2, 2016
3 min read

Friends, I've officially been a passenger in three vehicles in France now, and I just have one thing to say about it:

E V E R Y O N E! who has ever mocked, scoffed, judged, orfeared for their lives while driving in the car with me can kindly STUFF IT! Because I have recently discovered that I operate a car like a grandma compared to the drivers here, and you should be so lucky to be a passenger of mine. Seriously, you should be THANKING ME for driving so tame! Goodness gracious! I officially refuse to listen any longer to comments such as "don't you think you're going a little fast?", "hey Jess, that was a stop sign", or my personal non-favourite, "no no, it's okay I can drive"...

I mean no disrespect to the French motorists, truly. However, over my three road experiences, I've heard at least 40 horn honks, seen 12 different two-wheeled drivers cruise between two lanes (is that not illegal here? Is anything illegal here?!) and witnessed 2 disgruntled-driver altercations - one of which was literally 2 dudes smacking each other around in the middle of the 5-lane freeway...#rushhourbrawls

Moral of the traffic-story; I'm an excellent driver, boo to anyone who says otherwise, and I'm probably going to just stick to the metro for the next month...

On an unrelated note - School's in session!!

Well, almost...because it's Saturday...but I'm in the dorms now, so like, it's basically happening!

This morning, I packed up my things, hailed my first Ubër (the least terrifying of my three drives, I should note), and headed into the city to the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris campus! And might I just say, it's F L A W L E S S. I'm still drooling a little over the gardens and buildings and the view from my little room. No offence TRU*, but if you looked like this, it probably would've been easier to get my butt to class everyday...

(*don't worry, though, Thompson, you'll always have a special place in my heart 💙)

Anyway! For anyone who knows me, it might be a little hard to believe, but last night I was having some major panic about this whole thing - I've been in France for almost a week, and I've had time to adjust to the zone change and I was feeling really settled in! But for some reason, when I let myself think about the amount of work I have to do in the program I'm starting, and the language barriers, and all the other 'unfamiliar-and-unknowns', my chest felt tight.

I love adventures! I crave new things! I literally dream of being lost and relying on my internal navigation system and relying on my God to get me around. But there was just something, just a moment of doubt that I let get the best of me and I couldn't shake it. And I couldn't leave my bed. And I couldn't believe everyone I talked to when they told me to be calm and trust it was going to be okay.

And yesterday was hard.

But, if there's one thing I am 100% certain of in this life, it is that tomorrow is a NEW DAY.

Thank you, Jesus. I messaged my Momma, my sister, my brother, and my Michelle, all of whom reminded me that I am capable and strong and brave and that this trip is a blessing. I am supposed to be here, in this inspiring place, with these like-minded people, and I am obligated to soak in as much as possible and have the best time ever; if not for myself, for everyone who played a part in getting me here (and I assure you, that is NOT a short list).

So I prayed. And I slept, and today has been less hard. Today is a good day, and tomorrow will be new, and even better.

*Jessica.