"Ew, baby, baby, It's a wild world"

Because of this truth below, I will explain my thoughts through songs.

For years, my dream was to live in Europe. Europe (not even a specific country) back then was a monolith representing all that was good and cultured in the world. Over time, my image of it subconsicously developed into a unrealistic fairy tale land where I had to go.

   I felt like the song "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die
Tryin' she
Had one little promise she was gonna keep

Eventually, I looked to Europe as an escape.

Then, about 5 years ago, one of my friends felt the same way. He shared with me his father's response to his desire to go abroad. His father said it wasn't a good idea to go with a motivation of escape instead of adventure, because when one has that motivation, disappointment is always an inevitable outcome of the experience.

It is necessary to find contentment where you are, and not feel like some place else or someone else will give you that contentment. Ask lottery winners; after 6 months, the newness fades, and you return to who you were before winning. If you are a miserable SOB, then you will be a miserable, well-traveled SOB in Europe.And as Kelly Mackin put it, "[A]t the end of the day, there are still bitches in Tahiti."

 Cat Stevens "Wild World" explains this in other words:

But if you wanna leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware

                                        The Avett Brothers "Weight of Lies" also sums it up:

The weight of lies will bring you down

And follow you to every town

Cause nothing happens here that doesn’t happen there

So when you run make sure you run

To something and not away from

Cause lies don’t need an aeroplane to chase you anywhere

This concept struck my 19-year-old mind so greatly, and now @ 24, I know this is a fact of life. Fo' Sho'. Thankfully, acts of fate prevented me from traveling abroad when escape was a motivation. However, once arriving in Paris, I was disappointed, still grappling with my fairy tale images.

A quarter-life crisis ensued (and, yes, I just quoted John Mayer). My parade was rained on.

Then I had to listen to the theme song from Mary Tyler Moore to cheer me up.

"Love is All Around" by Paul Williams

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it

Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all


How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you're all alone
But it's time you started living
It's time you let someone else do some giving

BUT, once I got over my high expectations of my European experience, I was able to take it for what it was and thoroughly enjoy my Parisian, French, European adventures.

And now I feel as free as a...

 Especially when I am in Paris. I fell in love with it.

So now, Joni Mitchell's song "Free Man in Paris" expresses my sentiments best:

I was a free man in Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
There was nobody callin' me up for favors 
And no ones future to decide

And I will be returning to Paris in a few weeks to see the Avett Brothers concert!!!

Boy can they perform...and they are handsome!

Three of these pictures in this post are by Chrissie White. Check her out.