I Lived Like a Parisian for a Day
COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in lots of things that I enjoy doing, but possibly the worst change to my life has been the fact that my travel plans have been put on hold. One of my favorite things to do has always been exploring new places and going abroad. Learning about different cultures, immersing myself in a new lifestyle, and finding beauty in unfamiliar corners of the globe have always been things that I have looked forward to. That is, they were until the global pandemic. As I sat at home doing online university in the midwest, dreaming of the day that I will finally be able to travel again, I decided that it might be interesting to live as someone else belonging to some other culture in some other part of the world might. So why not a French girl? Paris is one of my favorite cities and as a travel connoisseur, I thought it would be fun to bring a bit of French culture to my life in Nebraska for a day.
Although I have six years of middle school and high school French under my belt and I know a bit about Paris, I knew that before I began my day I needed to do some research. So, I contacted my French friend Chloé, who was a foreign exchange student at my high school a couple of years ago, and asked her what the typical day of a French girl entailed. Chloé explained that French culture is largely based upon food and told me that my day should feature at least one stop at a bakery along with restaurants for both lunch and dinner. Some of the other highlights that she explained were finding a cute neighborhood to walk around in, going to an art museum, and, of course, wearing a very chic outfit. But, overall, the theme seemed to be showing appreciation for your city and the culture around you. I can understand how easy it must be to appreciate Paris or any other charming French city, but I wasn’t so sure about showing my appreciation for Omaha, Nebraska.
When I woke up on the morning of my French day, I first assembled an outfit that consisted of a black bodysuit, pleated grey pants, black heels, and of course, a red beret. Yes, berets are cliché, but Chloé assured me that some French girls really do wear them. I curled my hair and did my makeup in such a way that gave me toned-down eyes and a bold red lip.
Photos by Emily Bauer
As I observed myself in the mirror before heading out for the day, I realized that I liked the look for myself. I wouldn’t normally draw so much attention to my lips, but the cherry red color made me feel very confident. Plus, I’m now a strong believer that we should all strive to wear berets more often.
After getting ready, I began the day with a butter croissant and macarons from a quaint French bakery near my house paired with Earl Grey tea which I made at home. I don’t usually start my day with breakfast, but I found that it’s much easier to incorporate breakfast into your day when it entails a fluffy, warm croissant. My next task was a trip to Omaha’s local art museum, Joslyn. Of course, it’s not as grand as the Louvre or the Orsay, but the art collection is beautiful. I encountered paintings by the likes of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, and Degas-- all impressively big names for an art museum in a small Midwestern city. I had been to
Joslyn many times before, of course, but this time I really tried to put myself in a Parisian mindset. As I stared into William Merritt Chase’s “A Summer Afternoon in Holland”, I found myself feeling the same sensation that I do when I travel-- something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
The next item on my agenda was to stop for lunch. Luckily, Omaha has a very cute French cafe near the art museum called La Buvette. I ordered a salad and enjoyed the Parisian atmosphere, but what I enjoyed the most about lunch was the conversations I had with my friend who accompanied me. The French concept of sharing good conversation and a good meal at the same time is truly one of my favorite things.
My French day was put on pause for a bit after this since I had to snap back to reality for a calculus class, but after that was finished I headed to a cute neighborhood to walk around in. I feel like everyone has that one neighborhood in their city where they love to drive through and look at the nice houses-- so, in the spirit of being appreciative for my city, that’s exactly where I went. Plus, this particular neighborhood had brick roads which really added to the European vibe.
To end the day, Chloé had told me that it was very French to go to a bar or club in order to enjoy the nightlife. This sounds like a perfect ending to a perfect day, but unfortunately I’m not 21 and bars and clubs are closed due to COVID. So, my friend helped me come up with the next best thing. We met some friends of ours on the top of a parking garage and raised champagne glasses of San Pellegrino, all while wearing slip dresses in 20-degree weather. It may not have been the most French thing to do, but I learned that French culture is really about the connections you make with others (usually while enjoying some kind of food or drinks). I’m never going to forget freezing on top of a random parking garage with my friends-- and that’s something I would’ve never done had I not attempted this challenge.
After all was said and done, I realized that it was much easier to appreciate Omaha than I thought it was going to be. There were so many aspects that I took for granted that are actually very cool and very European if you stop and consider them. As an LA college student, I’ve always talked about how I want to get far away from the Midwest, and that’s still true, but I’ve learned to see the beauty in where I’m from. That seems to be the most Parisian thing of all.
