So since we last spoke I've moved flats, countries and universities (I now live just outside Paris). And the world has got in many ways much much darker (Trump.).
I've been settling into my first month in Paris, and after living here for just under two weeks I had my purse stolen on the metro. Any pretence that I'm a cool cosmopolitan gal who can just hop about from city to city, place to place on the metro kind of came crumbling down as I realised I was frankly just a naive tourist bumbling about blindly. I didn't watch my bag, I didn't know how to react when I realised my purse was gone and I was probably a bit melodramatic about the whole thing. If my friends hadn't of been with me I don't know how I would have handled the situation. But this isn't about a spoilt girl losing a material possession, it's about seeing the good in a situation and realising how good people are. My wonderful friends helped me cancel cards, they calmed me down, they made me food, they gave me whatever money they had so I had enough to get by, they spent their last morning in Paris sat in a dingy police station in the 18th arrondissement of Paris whilst I tried my hardest to file a complaint in broken french. We met our other friends for drinks the evening my purse was taken and they offered to lend me money and help me however they could, without hesitation. My friend in Brussels offered me money and immediately asked if I was ok, again without hesitation. My old boss from Brussels has agreed to meet me and give me as much money as I need until I get my replacement cards. And my parents, as always, went above and beyond what they needed to do to help me out and make sure I felt supported and safe. I am so incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people who are selfless, caring and generally just wonderful.
It occurred to me as I was thinking about this, that it's easy to start thinking that the world is full of horrible Trump supporters, people who turn their back on world issues, and scumbags who pickpocket but this all happened on the weekend of Trump's inauguration, where the world was full of signs of love and solidarity instead of fear and anger. People protested on bridges with the motif 'Bridges not Walls' for issues such as Black Lives Matter, LGBQT rights and global warming. The streets of the world were swarming on Saturday with people protesting the toxic mindset that Trump and his new government represent. There was something so so incredible about the world coming together to stand up to arguably the most powerful position in the world, stating that this isn't normal and we will not accept it.
Whilst it may seem melodramatic to compare losing a purse and a bit of cash to massive global crises- sometimes you just need something to bring you back to earth and make you stop and think. As I continue through this year which I'm sure will be full of challenges, both in terms of personally trying to navigate through life in France and globally as we address the repercussions of Trump, Brexit and the migrant crisis, I want to remember this weekend. I want to remember my friends' willingness to help. I want to remember the solidarity shown across the world. I want to remember that love and compassion are far far more powerful than any other force that threatens to take over our world.
This blogpost is a massive thank you to my friends for being absolute angels, and is for Becky, who asked me to start writing again.
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