Return to Paris

“And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived.”
From The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

After an absence of barely two months I returned to the city of lights.  This time with a completely different purpose.  Instead of a three day holiday with a friend,  I was leading a group of twenty teens and adults from Minnesota on a ten day educational tour.  With them were my immediate family,  none of whom I'd seen in eight months.

Before arriving I had an idea of what I was getting into.  This was our eighth trip of this kind. Without a doubt I knew I'd get to see and do little on my own, most day to day organization would be mine, and I'd be tired all the time (It's what I get paid the big bucks for - ie I only had to pay for my flight) When I put it that way it makes it sound awful,  but if I didn't love it I'd stop doing it. 

So why do I take out precious time to lead the little Minnesota ducklings to places around the world?  It's the people.  The students are hand picked and vetted,  they study all year and become "experts" on a couple of the places.  Most of them have never been on a trip without their family or been outside the US. They are smart,  innocent, and excited.  Because of this they are not your average American tourist (that would be the lady getting a tour of the Garnier Opera House who asked the guide what an opera was - not kidding,  I was there and my jaw did drop). Yet their enthusiasm gives my jaded eyes a new vision of the places we see. When I see students crying with joy or exclaiming in excitement,  I can't help but feel it with them.

On this trip that was especially true.  They were a passionate and engaged group. Even better,  they were well behaved.  I don't think we've ever had a group more responsible or prompt. And man, could they hug a wall! Every time we got off the metro they'd move to the side as if a magnet was pulling them there - do great!  While these might not be the most interesting traits for a group to possess it is the most wonderful (not to say they didn't make up for this with other aspects of their personalities,  they definitely take the cake for loudest and wildest of any trip to date).

My primary responsibility on the trips has been transportation.  For the past five tours we have taken public transport whenever possible.  There's nothing like taking the metro to get a real feel of a city. I really enjoy getting the group from point A to point B. I seem to have an innate sense of navigation and it's almost a game sometimes. Because of this the students often just follow me like little ducklings after their mother (on this trip they actually called themselves that). However, became the source of some humorous situations when they are released for free time.  Near the end we had about an hour before dinner for doing whatever they wanted in the area.  After writing down who was with whom,  myself and two other leaders were heading out on our own. As we discussed what we were going to do,  I realized that one group was still standing in front of me. I began to back up,  they followed - all eyes on me as if they were waiting for me to take them somewhere.  Anna (my sister) gave them a little shooing motion and said "off you go, you're on your own." We waited for a moment then took the long way so we'd take a different crosswalk.  The funny thing is that we had full faith in their ability to do it and were not surprised when they made it to the meeting point just fine. It was actually a group with a leader in it that got lost.

The trip was great and I was beyond happy to see my family again after so long a separation. It makes me realize how much I miss everyone in Minnesota but at the same time so glad for the opportunity to live in the UK.