Journal de France

The following is not a true story. However I did in fact go to France, and therefore this is inspired by my adventure.

March 18th

"We're sorry for the inconvenience, but the flight from Dollywood to Paris has been delayed 2 hours."

Sighs and groans go off around me. Please, it's just a little rain...

The too white walls, and the overpriced airport food are just about to drive me insane

when a girl around the same age as me comes and sits next to me.

"Ever been to France before", she asks.

"No, never", I reply.

"Me neither, I jumped at the chance when a representative from my work was needed for a conference there".

"I'm going for business too!"

"Really where do you work?"

"I work for Editorialized, maybe you've heard of them?"

"Of course I have! I just work for an architecture firm, but I've always been interested in fashion."

And just like that a new friend was made. Two hours were gone before I knew it and I was one my way to France.

I have to admit that I've always been a little scared of planes.

It just does not make sense that thousands of pounds of metal can just lift up off the ground.

I try to keep my mind off of this anomaly and focus on the trip ahead of me.
I think back to my conversation with my boss only a few weeks earlier:
"Are you sure you won't need me during Stardoll Fashion Week?"
"Yes, like I've told you, we just hired two new staff members." Kylie reassures me.
"And it's not just a one way ticket right?"
Kylie laughs "And how would you ever help this company wandering around France for the rest of your life?"
"Okay, I guess I'm just freaking out a little."
"That's exactly why I wanted you to go on this trip! You've lived in Dollywood all your life, it's time for you do get a dose of culture."
"That's what fashions all about, right? showing your culture? Who you are?"
Kylie nodds
"But what If I come back completely changed?"
"Then we'll hope it's for the better"
With these thoughts running through my mind, I doze off.
My dreams are filled with strange images of people walking around with mini Eiffel Towers on their heads, and people with Mona Lisa simles. The last thing I recall seeing is Kylie with both of these, waving me good bye, as I board the metro, to be forever lost in it's darkness.


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March 19th

"Ding, Ding. We are now beginning our final decent into Charles de Gaulle air port."

Only the persistent dinging wakes me from my slumber.

The first thing I notice is the smell of airplane food. Slowly I open my eyes.

Expectantly, I look out the window, and am disappointed to see heavy cloud cover all around.

Some childish part of me believed I'd be able to see the Eiffel Tower already.

I thought of my room back home. Various things with the Eiffel Tower could be seen in all corners of my room. It's such a symbol. More then anyone could have imagined it would become when it was made over 200 years ago. It's such a perfect mixture of the modern and the elegant, and when it lights up at night...

"Excuse me, are you waiting for something?" I looked to my left and noticed that the plane had already landed, and the person next to me wanted to get out.

"No," I reply, "I'm getting out now."

I stand, and grab my carry on from the rack above.

I feel dazed as I walk off the plane and vaguely follow signs until I reach the baggage claim.

Then it hits me.

I. Am. In. France.

A huge smile spreads across my face as I pull my baggage outside and get a taxi.

I have to say I was disappointed with the scenery outside of the airport, but I knew it would get better.

It wasn't long until I saw Paris's lone skyscraper. So out of place like a knife cutting the sky amongst a row of spoons, blending perfectly together.

My hotel is in the 7th arrondissement, the same area that the Eiffel tower is in.

As we approach the 7th arrondissement I see beautiful building all around me.

And at the end of the street, tucked away in an alcove of fog, stands the Eiffel Tower.

The real, live, three dimensional object.

As I'm still trying to swallow this fact, we pull into the hotel Tryp de Saxe.*

Inside I exchange pleasantries with the lady at the front desk, and then receive a key for room 12+.

I've always found it odd that people took such lengths to avoid superstitions like the number 13...

I slide the key in the door, and bing, the light turns green. I pull the handle, and open the door.

I droop my bags, and head straight for the window.

It's not a view of the Eiffel tower, but it's a view of Paris all the same.

I look at the itinerary Kylie gave me:

'March 19th-enjoy your first day in Paris!'

Well that should be easy enough to do, I think.

Tired of sitting in the airplane for so long, I decide to go for a walk.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, and leave room 12+ and take a deep breath of french air.

Somehow it tastes so much better than Dollywood air...

I walk down a street, and am surprised to see a sort of farmers market happening.

I walk though it and see various things being sold. Cheese, bread, meat, fresh produce...

The french language surrounds me, it's a romance language indeed, and I'm in love with it!

After a few minutes I reach my first destination: The Eiffel Tower.

It draws me in like flies to a light.

I ask a nice tourist if they'll take my picture, gesturing to my camera, unsure of what language they speak.

They oblige, and the documentation process begins.

(This is actually a real picture of me, with a pixalated face slapped onto it, lol)

The rest of the day is a blur. One monument after the next.

Everything I've seen in pictures in real life.

Somewhere in between seeing Les Invalides and Notre Dame I realize something.

People actually live here.

It's such a odd thought to me that I take a pause.

This is such a different life style than what I have known my whole life.

I'm experiencing a culture shock.

I sit down on a bench over looking the Seine river, and across the way I see two small children playing.

I can't help but think of my childhood. The big city, with skyscrapers every where.

Sometimes it seemed like they cut up the sky so much, it wasn't there at all.

Just a metallic, and materialistic world.

Shades of pink are now being reflected onto the Seine from the setting sun.

I'd been so preoccupied, and excited about being in Paris that I hadn't even realized how long it had been since I'd eaten. Now that I noticed this, I was famished.

I retrace my steps until I arrive at a creperie I saw a little while ago.

I order a crepe with jambon et fromage, and, for the first time since arriving, I feel lonely.

Diner has always been such a family oriented meal for me, a time to share how your day was...

"Pardon, est-ce que vous vous appellez Lia?" A guy had approached me while I was deep in thought.

"Eh, Oui, parlez-vous anglais?" I reply.

"Yes, I just had to ask! I recognized you from Recherche Magazine", He responds with a french accent.

"Oh, really? I didn't know people in france read that."

"Well not many, but when you're involved in the industry as much as I am, you read everything."

"Oh, you're in the industry? As what?"

"I'm a fashion photographer. So I assume you'll be at the meeting tomorrow?"

"uhh", I look at my itinerary, "Yea, I guess I will be!"

"Well, I'll see you then. My name is Aguste, by the way."

"Okay, à demain"

I look at my itinerary again: 8am - Meeting
No other information is given, but the location.
I guess I'll just have to dive in head first, and hope it all works out.

*Tryp de Sax is the actual hotel I stayed at in Paris

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March 20th

"Here we have gathered fashion, modeling, and photography experts from all over the world."    

I had been at the meeting for precisely 15 minutes, and three things were clear to me.

The first was that  there were some very important people in this room.

This was making me nervous, and I was beginning to wonder weather I was in the wrong room. 

The second was that the room smelled strongly of cheese and it was distracting me, from what I was positive was a very important speech.  

The third was that someone kept turning around and sneaking a look at me before quickly turning away.  

Three, two, one: she turned around again.

I tried my best to ignore this, my nerves, and the smell of cheese, and concentrate on what was being said.

"We have all come to the fashion capitol of the world to discuss the past, present, and future of these industries. We will begin the day with a presentation of the history of all three of these things. So without further ado, I present to you the professors of of Belmont University."

Applause sounded throughout the room, and I absentmindedly joined in. I wasn't expecting a history lesson...

"Those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it," A peppy blond was saying.

She continued, "Fashion has become a vicious circle of repetition, and that is why, before we talk about the future of fashion, we must talk about it's past."

She then went on to showing a full-fledged power point of fashion from as far back as it goes really, up until the early 20th century. My head was spinning from all the images, and the room still smelled like cheese. 

I was piecing together everything that I saw when the lady began talking again.

"Now I want everyone to break up into the groups of their profession to discuss how we can create something new in your area of work."

She then directed models, fashion designers, and photographers in to the right areas.     

  I ended up with the most beautiful people in the room: the models, of course. 

I was seriously doubting that I belonged there. 

I looked around and saw Aguste across the room. When he saw me looking at him, he winked. 

I took a deep breath, and focused my attention on the people around me. 

"Well I guess we should all introduce our selves?" Said a dark haired man, with an Italian accent. 

And so we did. There were so many different accents! I couldn't even place half of them! 

And there was that girl who had been looking a me earlier. Her name was Ariel. 

She had pale skin with piercing blue eyes, and curly black hair. 

She definitely fit the model profile. 

The Italian guy, named Marcel, continued to take charge. 

"So let's brain storm," he said, "What is something new and ground breaking that we can contribute to the future of fashion, as models. 

Before I knew what was happening I had opened my mouth, and words were spilling out: "Well I don't think it's so much that the models need to change, the human race will always find it's own definition of beauty, and models will change accordingly. I think it's more of how we use the wonders of humanity to our advantage."

I could have sworn I heard jaws dropping. 

"I mean," I rushed on, "The human body is capable of so many different poses, that are locked up because of gravity." 

"Under water modeling." Ariel said in a low voice. 

"Exactly!" I replied.

"That's where I've seen you before!" She declared, "I saw this beautiful underwater editorial, and you were the model." 

Again I was shell shocked that people actually knew me, recognized me. 

Me, from little Dollywood.  

For this one moment, I even forgot that the room smelled like cheese. 

Everyone in the group seemed very intrigued with the idea of underwater modeling, and we quickly dove deep into discussion. For how many minutes, or hours we sat there discussing it, I do not know. But by the time we finally had a well thought out idea, and plan for the future, the meeting was almost over. We slowly drifted back into our original seats, while the meeting was adjourned. 

I was glad the conference lasted 2 more days.

Because I finally felt like I belonged.

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More coming soon!