－Omid-X to Esperan-M (his mother)－
My beloved lifegiver, whose gentle chanting and recitation of our ritual and sacred words have always warmed my soul and brought new energy to my life, I have started my new journey of fleeting visits to cities around the Earth.
As you can note from the bottom signature, of all the places, I landed in Paris, the city I have already been to, and the home-town of my closest earthling contact, Henry Dimplefink.
Paris is the capital of France and it is very famous on Earth. Every love-stricken person wishes to visit it, with or without his/her lover. It is also called the bride of the cities of the world. According to some of the statistics I have read, it is the most visited tourist site every year.
Henry was telling me that when he moved to Paris about 40 years ago (Earth time), the city was just as beautiful as now, with much renovation work going on. He told me that those days the French were very proud of their language and often-time snubbed foreigners who could not speak the language, especially if they spoke English. It is one of those run of the mill statements that always brings approval to many Anglo-saxon visitors to Paris with statements like: «Oh yeah man, I asked for help in getting direction, but the woman said she does not understand me!»
I asked him what he meant about ‘those days’. And if he thought the French are no longer proud of their language? He responded that they are still very proud, but many of them are now more receptive－and sometimes even eager－to respond in English when asked about directions.
Henry also told me that the French are very peculiar and that France is both loved and despised in Europe. An important German businessman－Germany is another one of those European countries with an important, and mostly not so happy a history－once told him that France is often a pain in Europe and creates tensions, but what they do is necessary and constructive for all of Europe.
He also told me that in spite of the anti-Americanism on the surface, and the insistance of the French foreign policy about independence and freedom from the US, France is very much intertwined with the US. French intellectuals and military people played a role in the American independence, the statue of liberty is a gift from France, and in fact a good portion of the US－what has been called the Louisiana Purchase－was sold by the French to the then burgeoning US for a relatively low price.
Henry concluded that even though many French disdain America and often criticize their mentality, diet, and lack of supposed world knowledge, deep down many of these same people long to live the American life, if they could. I am not sure if I subscribe to this last statement, but I have decided to make frequent returns to Paris during this journey of fleeting visits around Europe.
From Paris, France - 11 April, 2024 (Earth)