CHAPTER I: FRANCE

The First Time Is Always Memorable

We always remember the first time of any major life experience. It doesn’t matter if the outcome was good or bad, the memory lasts a lifetime.

France was the first country I visited outside of Australia and I have no problems recalling my time in Paris and Nice. Unfortunately, a lot of the memories I attribute to this trip are not fond ones. In fact, the 6 days I spent in France are among the most stressful of my life. However, before I take us down my dark alley of France, I will reflect on some lighter moments. 

Two fond memories come to mind when I think of France and both are Paris-related. The first was seeing the Eiffel Tower outside my plane window. It wasn’t just that I was in sheer disbelief at its grand stature but laying eyes on the Eiffel Tower for the first time represented the beginning a of new chapter in my life. A chapter where I was no longer tied to the complacent lifestyle I had been living prior. A lifestyle that had left me sad and dissatisfied. 

The second memory is the highlight of my France trip: my day out at the French Open. Roland Garros was the main reason why I went to Paris and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I got to watch three incredible matches including one that went to a super tiebreak in the fifth set with a crowd so rowdy it felt like I was at a football match. I’ve never been amongst a crowd that was so loud and acted with such tomfoolery before. I loved it. However, the highlight of this day was without a doubt the interactions I shared with the stranger next to me while watching the matches. 

I had a blast at Roland Garros today. In fact, today may have been my favourite tennis experience of all time. The crowd was so unhinged (loudest that I’ve been to) that the Mexican tsunami (not wave) caused a delay of game. My favourite part of it all was bonding with a middle-aged woman from Marseille despite the significant language barrier between us: she could only speak French and I obviously only speak English. However, this didn’t stop us from conversing through very broken dialogue and overused hand gestures.  It’s funny because although we didn’t explicitly understand what each other was saying, we still had plenty of laughs. We ended up hugging at the end of the day before we went our separate ways.

~ Paris, France: Day 3

A Snowball of Stress

I had built up the fantasy of travelling full-time for so long that by the time I was ready to go, I was only foreseeing things through a pair of rose-coloured glasses. I was heavily convinced nothing would go wrong and it would just be constant fun and games. Well, it was far from it and my rose-coloured glasses came off almost as soon as I landed at Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport.

In the months leading up to my departure, I had endlessly researched about solo travelling to the point I was probably overprepared. This makes my emotional breakdown about struggling to exit CDG airport so ironic. 

Exiting CDG Airport should be simple right? Just follow the signs that say exit or sortie. Except these were nowhere to be seen. It took me almost an hour to exit the airport all because I didn’t understand the concept of free shuttles between terminals. My assumption was I would walk right out of Terminal 1 before making a beeline for the Eiffel Tower.

Instead, I was on the phone with my mum bordering on tears because I couldn’t find the ticket machine to take the train that allowed me to “escape” the airport. My rationale behind this was that if I couldn’t navigate the airport, then there was no way I could navigate Europe for 3 months. Looking back on it now, I do think jet lag played a key part - I hadn’t slept in 26 hours!!

I wish this airport debacle was my most pressing issue In France, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. What followed over the next few days were far worse and it all started in Paris as I was admiring the Eiffel Tower.

Today I was a victim of the “African bracelet scam”. A man approached me to have a chat while I was at the Eiffel Tower. I made sure I wasn't vulnerable to pick pocketers before engaging in conversation. At first, he seemed nice and we exchanged stories: I shared tales of my life in Australia, and he told me about his family back in Nigeria including a sick daughter for whom he was trying to make money through his street selling. He got my sympathy and he got my walls to come down. Unfortunately, this was my downfall. He gifted me a string bracelet (I can’t lie, it looks dope) and offered to place it on my wrist. However, after completing the final knot he grabbed my wrist and demanded money. Thankfully I was able to break free and quickly walked away with no further issues. 

~ Paris, France: Day 2

While this was a scary experience, it wasn’t the worst part of my French trip. The worst part was Nice because of how lonely I was. 

Before leaving, everyone was telling me how I would hardly be solo travelling because of all the friends I’d make. I heard countless stories of people meeting lifelong friends while they were overseas including my mother who frequently shared tales of her backpacking adventures with strangers in the USA and Mexico. However, I couldn’t relate in the slightest.

I couldn’t have been more alone in France. I didn’t click with anyone in my hostels. I wasn’t particularly bothered in Paris since I was going to the tennis and there were plenty of other things to keep me occupied, but in Nice, this feeling hit hard. I was hoping to find someone that I could go to the beach, eat food and grab drinks with but I never did. I was left to do all of this by myself and after the ordeal I faced in Paris with the scammer, I wanted some company.

Today I felt a bit sad about being alone. By now I wished I had met someone that I could hang with but instead, I’m all by myself and have been for the entire trip. I hope things don’t continue trending this way because it will make a long few months in Europe. 

~ Nice, France: Day 3

My Hindsight Reflection

More than a year has passed and it’s odd seeing my uncomfortableness with being alone considering these days I find a lot of enjoyment being in my own company while overseas. France was undoubtedly the biggest learning curve that opened my eyes to the realities of travelling. Although it was tough to deal with at the time, I believe successfully overcoming these adversities helped me build confidence as a traveller. And if it wasn’t France that developed my confidence, then it would be Italy where I started to experience to true joys of solo travelling.