Sorry no newsletter the last two weeks. I just didn’t have anything in particular to say and my bandwidth was taken up by a swirl of pending changes.
My daughter and I have spent the summer exploring some potential opportunities for her in Paris, but now we’ve decided to switch gears and put that on hold for the moment. By the time you’re reading this, we’ll be back in Nairobi for a bit. If you can believe it, the Voice of America situation - and therefore our family limbo - is still not resolved but nonetheless we expect to be home in the Republic of Takoma Park soon. (Note - Ok, I admit that’s a vague and super-compressed version of our convoluted situation, but that’s the gist of it.) Looking forward to getting back.
There are many things that I liked about Paris, maybe more than I used to. I won’t try to give a full Paris review, but the city itself seems to be culturally vibrant and doing great. There’s a better mood than I’ve sometimes found in the past. I even noticed the French people are a bit friendlier than I remember.
For me personally it was a chance to use various open mic nights around the city - and playing outdoors - to focus on my music performance. I’m grateful for the chance to grow and for a lot of really positive response. I felt seen and heard, people made it clear that what I was doing resonated with them. Can’t ask for much more.
Believe it or not I didn’t come across much anti-American sentiment, or outrage about what’s going on in our country. They do ask about Trvmp, and occasionally Mvsk, but they are not nearly as obsessed as Americans are, or as we might think others are.
The French people I’ve interacted with seemed pretty chill, open, and interested in talking to an American (granted I do try to be a good brand-ambassador). I still sensed a respect for American culture, and maybe a desire for the US brand to not collapse entirely.
The young guy working the counter at a cafe in our suburb came over and chatted me up in earnest for a good while and was profusely shaking my hand by the end.
The guy running the local pizza place once studied in DC and was quick to tell me he prefers life in the US.
On the way home from a late-night open mic in Belleville, a young French-Arab-African guy across from me on the Metro started asking about my guitar and where I was from, we had a great three-station chat about music and life.
Waiting around before a recent open mic here, in Montmartre (see top photo), I overheard a French singer-songwriter say (non-sarcastically, I think) ‘oh shit, there are Americans here, I hope my songs are good enough’.
As I wrote last time, the first open mic I did about a month ago was on a barge. It had a strong focus on Americana and people loved it.
At our local cineplex, Superman was packed but I also went to well-attended one-off screenings of the original Blade Runner and Jaws.
At least some of the US soft power legacy seems to be holding for the moment.
Still, as I’m inevitably made aware every time I’ve been abroad for an extended period in the past (including London and Prague, my former dream cities), France is not home and probably could never be for me.
Yes, some things are better in Paris, in general the texture and organization of life is more sane. Probably many things are even better in, say, Copenhagen or Tokyo.
That must be nice if you’re Danish or Japanese. Good luck moving there to partake long-term as an outsider. Not sure how many digital nomads Portugal can absorb, or how long a person can exist in that kind of liminal state. Ok, some expats make things work, especially if you have the language, money, and/or family connections (I do have wonderful in-laws here). Yes, we had a great expat experience in Kenya thanks to work, school, and creative connections we made.
As I often say, one of the main lessons I’ve had to learn over the course of life is that it’s not where you are - it’s what you’re doing where you are.
While the right environment (including basic well-being and freedom from harm) is important, it doesn’t just mean the most beautiful place or most well-organized society you can find.
The right environment also means the place where you are the most empowered. For most people, at least those with some level of privilege, that means your home. Where you have the language, you know how things work, people know you, you have deep life experience.
Maybe that’s why when I was home in April-May I enjoyed it, despite preparing myself for a dystopian hellscape. Granted, Takoma Park is a kind of refuge. Believe it or not I was actually a bit reluctant to leave for Paris, though of course I’m super blessed to have had the chance to be here.
Time to go though, for now.
I’ve been thinking we may need France to help carry the torch if the US falls further under the boot. Keep in mind there are dark rumblings and thugs on the march across Europe too, and the world’s biggest countries are all sort of a lost cause at the moment. It’s a bit scary to think France is perhaps the main country left with a modicum of global influence and power - and nukes - that is still a bastion of culture and values.
At my performances in Paris, I often started off by introducing myself as being from the US, along with some variation of:
“Dangerous times in America.” Then only half-jokingly, “We’re counting on you, France!”