ebadger | The Art of Travel

The Art of Travel Personal Essay: Erin Badger

It is strange to think that just two weeks ago, I was at the Eiffel tower with our study abroad group. Staring up at the twinkling lights of one of the world’s most iconic buildings is definitely a humbling experience, to say the least. While watching the beautiful structure light up, it is easy to be hypnotized by everything about it. From the tower itself to the many people sitting in the garden, all mesmerized by the magic of the city of Paris.

Before coming to France, I spent a lot of time on my own. I had recently moved into an apartment and though I do have a roommate, she is often at work or with relatives who also live in Austin, so for the last four weeks before leaving for Paris, I had gotten very used to living by myself. I was buying a lot of pre-made frozen meals to avoid the arduous process of cooking a real meal, consistently slept in until 11 a.m., and would often walk around my apartment with no pants on. Living in Paris for five weeks with a group of nine other people forced me to change my habits. For one, no more walking around without pants! We were expected to be up early for our daily excursions, so no more waking up at 11 a.m. As incredible as Paris’ épiceries are, with their wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, they definitely lack in the area of frozen meals. Despite these stark differences, I found myself quickly adjusting to this new routine and even enjoying this new way of living.

While waking up early enough to enjoy a quick breakfast and teaching myself how to cook simple meals were little adjustments that enhanced my time in Paris, I noticed more significant changes too. The biggest change in my daily habits that I experienced from this study abroad trip was the number of social interactions that occurred on a daily basis. From ordering an espresso at what became my favorite boulangerie before class, to having profound conversations with people who quickly became close friends, these interactions showed me the importance of genuine connections with others.

Some of my favorite parts of the trip were staying up late, sitting on the balcony of Maison de Norvège and talking to people from the study abroad group. It was through these late-night conversations that I feel like I truly got to know everyone and why they were choosing to study abroad in the first place. These chats helped me to realize the importance of getting to know someone on a personal level; of really understanding who someone is as a person. It is from these types of connections that allowed me to appreciate those present in my life and crave relationships with new people.

Nothing could have prepared me for the incredible, unpredictable, life-changing experience that was the Art of Travel. I am so grateful for this experience. I will take what I have learned in Paris and use that to better myself as an individual. Though it may seem harder to do in the city of Austin, the things that I have learned in Paris will help me to create new connections with strangers and to cultivate the relationships with the people in my life.

Photo Essay: captions can be seen with Speaker Notes

Les échecs d’un étudiant français

Invisible Strings

Born in Alsace, France in 1860, Albert Kahn grew up on the border of France, Germany, and Switzerland. At only ten years old, Kahn was just a child when the Franco-Prussian war broke out, which deeply affected him. Growing up with war constantly around him, Kahn understood the struggles and misfortunes of life. Instead of letting this pain demotivate him or shatter his hope for the world, he was led down a different path. He took this knowledge of the world and used it to connect others through passion and understanding.

While walking through the Albert Kahn museum and learning of Kahn’s life, I couldn’t help but think about all the people I know in my life and how there are so many other people in this world that I may never meet. I was reminded of a theory of the world that my grandma used to tell me about. She was convinced that everyone on Earth is tied to an invisible string. This string pulls you to where you need to be in life and leads you to all the people you are destined to meet. This theory of life explains the different ways of connection and relationships that humans have with each other.

I think Albert Kahn perfectly demonstrated this theory with his work. Through his photography, he not only captured the good and celebratory parts of life, but also the parts that some may want to forget. He purposefully created images of people struggling, of people in states of distress. Just like how our invisible string connects us to each other, Albert Kahn’s photos bring people together. They show what it means to be human.

I had the chance to talk to a couple who were sitting in the gardens of the museum. I did not talk to them for very long, but their story really stuck with me. While I didn’t catch their names, they seemed to have lived such interesting lives. The woman was from Paris and on a date with an Italian man. Despite their different home countries, they somehow found a way to meet each other. Perhaps it was their invisible string that pulled them together; something that sparked a desire in each of them that led to them falling in love. Perhaps it was my invisible string that pulled me to them; to spark up a short, but meaningful conversation that changed the trajectory of my day. Perhaps it was our invisible strings pulling us to each other, as we were both at the same museum, on the same day, looking the beautiful gardens and learning about the incredibly inspiring things that Albert Kahn did to help connect others.

https://museemagazine.com/features/2019/10/22/feature-albert-kahns-archives-of-the-planet

Pursuing Passions

The hot sun beats down on your back as sweat drips down your entire body. It pools around your face as you walk through the cobblestoned roads. Everywhere you look there is something to see. Vendors are on either side of you, with merchants who have crafted the art of selling their work. This is what it is like to walk through the Montreuil Flea Market on a Monday afternoon.

A man lovingly polishes the dust off a mahogany table underneath his tent. It is clear that he has used great detail to create and care for these objects under his tent. Surrounded by what may seem as random and insignificant objects to others, this man has made a living of creating things. He fashions the best furnishings with his handiwork and nurtures them until he can give them to someone who cherishes his workmanship.

A lone dog strolls past the merchants, sniffing the booths of the vendors. Groups of pigeons flock over to eat crumbs off the ground. The shopkeeper shoos them away, protecting his perfectly crafted bureaus. Even the slight brush of a pigeon could ruin his efforts. Maintaining flawless work is a crucial part his job. Finding someone who appreciates his craft just as much as he does is very important to him.

Walking through the Montreuil Flea Market is an experience to be had for sure. Being surrounded by such impassioned people is so inspiring. Seeing the devotion that these shopkeepers have for their craft makes you realize the importance of finding what makes you happy, what gives you purpose in life.

Classmate Portrait (Enrique in Paris)

Born in Austin, Texas, Enrique Bustamante is visiting Paris for the first time through this SEU study abroad trip. He is very excited to get out of the States and see what France has to offer. He is a Spanish major at St. Edward’s University, graduating in December of this year. Despite never having been to France before, Enrique does have experience with traveling to different countries, as he frequently visits his family in Mexico. His parents left their life in Mexico to come to the United States, where they raised him and his little sister. Considering how Enrique has lived in Texas his whole life, it is no surprise that there are challenges that come from exploring an unfamiliar place. Despite his reservations about coming to Paris, Enrique is tackling these challenges head-on.

Q: Do you feel connected to your family’s Mexican culture?

A: Yes, I do. My parents never really embraced American culture like a lot of Latin-American families do when they go to the US. They don’t really celebrate American culture or care for it, and they don’t speak much English.

Q: When did your parents move to America?

A: I want to say ’98.

Q: Do you think it’s hard for your parents, being immigrants, especially in America when the politics are so polarizing?

A: I don’t think so. They’ve been here so long already, and we live so close to a liberal city. It just doesn’t seem like we’re affected too much.

Q: Tell me more about your family. Do you have any siblings?

A: Yes, I am second to last out of six. We come in pairs, so [I have] three sisters, two brothers.

Q: Are you close to your siblings?

A: I guess. It’s hard to know them. I grew up by myself in the U.S. and they grew up in Mexico.

Q: What was it like being raised away from your siblings?

A: It was unconventional. In a way, I was raised like a was the first child. My parents left their oldest child when he was ten.

Q: Why does the rest of your family choose to live in Mexico while you and your parents are in America?

A: It’s really expensive [in the US] right now. And it’s harder [to move] now cause of different policies.

Q: Were your siblings born in Mexico?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you think you differ from your siblings?

A: I think they had more freedom than I did [when they were growing up]. My mom kept me behind closed doors, like I couldn’t go out too much when I was little, whereas my brothers and sisters, they were free to roam.

Q: Is it hard to get to know your siblings and stay connected with them since they live so far away?

A: Yes. It’s kind of hard to understand each other’s circumstances. I feel like my brothers and sisters invalidate how I feel sometimes because they think that living with my parents was easy when it really was kind of hard. I had to go through a lot of what they did and it’s kind of hard to understand when we’re so far away.