Topic: Vacation

Author: Chris Dunn

Carefully following all the directions, I place the ballot inside the envelope made out with particular caution not to leave even a character out of place. I don’t want them to have any excuses. Not this time. But in the end I shrug, if they want to steal it, they’ll steal it. There’s really nothing I can do short of raising arms against the state, and I’m too old and too much a coward for anything like that. I have to rely on the integrity of the system, and hope this time the wisdom of the masses overcomes their usual apathy. I want so very much for this country to disprove the lie of the last two years, the thought that we are a bigoted, xenophobic, sexist culture, that we have forgotten all the lessons we learned as a nation in my youth and backslid farther than in my worst nightmares… The possibility is too awful to contemplate, so I screw my hope to the sticking place and hand the envelope to Jill. She’ll place it along with her own in the mail at her work and that will be one less thing to worry about. We have to get all our ducks in a row. It’s almost time for our vacation.

Vacations are meant to be relaxing getaways, but for me the lead up is nothing but stress, and the worst kinds of stress; worrying about what will come, missed connections, forgotten documents, being stranded. I can never truly unwind until we’ve reached our destination. This year is particularly stressful because, we’re going overseas to Paris, which means leaving our home behind and so many levels comfort it’s hard to truly fathom. So many things to organize; Aaron to watch the house, my team to cover my contractors at work, all my games put on hiatus. I want the house clean before I leave. I want to leave no food to spoil in the fridge. And, since this trip comes so close to election day, I need to vote absentee before we leave. I would hate to miss my flight and so miss my chance to announce my feeble opposition to this war on basic human decency.

Why Paris? Twenty-five years ago fresh out of college, I threw caution to the wind, quit my new job, and journeyed across Europe with a pair of friends for an entire month, riding the rails through seven countries, staying in tiny hostels, eating lightly and learning the value and power of my own two feet. If you’ve been a follower of my stories, you’ve heard several of my favorite anecdotes already. It was one of the greatest trips I ever took, and it changed the way I see the world. At age 50, I found I needed a refresher.

The first time, Drew had been our guide. He had already spent years in Europe. He had friends in France, Spain, Luxembourg… He was fluent in French and passable in Spanish. And he knew all the tricks, where to find cheap lodging, how to recognize and avoid the tourist traps, how to navigate the Eurorail system and the Paris Metro. We would’ve been lost without him, and I owe him a debt for taking on the herculean task of seeing us all the way home without ever losing it at our naivete and helplessness. But this time, I’m the guide. This time, the trip is my idea, and - not only do I have to navigate myself around a city I can barely communicate with - but I also have to look after Jill. I spend the months leading up to the journey brushing up on a year of college French on Duo Linguo, and in the end panic and buy a translation app. I don’t want to be stranded with no way to communicate. I don’t want to be looked down on as the boorish American who can’t even bother to learn say, “I’m sorry. I don’t speak your language,” while travelling abroad. All my effort and panic proves unnecessary. So many people speak English in France now. I barely got to ask before they were helping me. The people were very friendly and eagerly helpful. Mostly… Sure there was the cabbie who double charged us and the desperate sketch artists on Montmartre who wouldn’t take no for an answer, but they were exceptions. Even when an Uber driver claimed to not speak English, more often than not, we possessed enough common ground to complete the transaction and even share some humor.

Then on day three it hit me. Why I had had to go back… What I needed to relearn... Everyone needs to visit a foreign country, to go somewhere where you are the minority, where you do not speak the language, where you are an outsider just there because you heard it was a wonderful place and hoped to share in its bounty and beauty. Put yourself in the position of needing others, feel that dependency and then feel the warmth of the connection when someone reaches through the barriers that divide us and helps you just to be decent, just because it would hurt them to see you left lost and confused; in pain. Language is not the way we communicate. It is just a tool that makes it easier. Months of study, and I believe I used my French three times where it made a difference, and even then it was a minor difference meaningful really only to me.

How can you say America is the greatest country with any conviction, if you’ve never seen another one? How can you tout America’s greatness when you have nothing to compare it to? Take a chance! Step outside your prison of preconceptions and misinformation and go and experience the world that’s out there. You’ll find it far more inviting than you expect. The journey may takes hours by plane or sea, but open yourself up to new experiences, and I guarantee it will be worth it. Take a vacation from yourself.