Unforseen Paris

I arrived in Paris yesterday and have been delighted by so many things. They've modernized food since I was here ten years ago and there are little lunch spots and bistros and take-away places that closely resemble the food back home. A truly intrepid traveler would be disappointed by this clear sign of globalization but to me, a weary business traveler missing her comfortable home, her friends, her dog, it's heaven on earth. I've been surprised, startled even, by the volume and quality of French that has sprung from some dormant pocket of my brain over the last 24 hours. Words I cannot remember ever learning are now, suddenly and without warning, part of my lexicon. I can conjugate irregular verbs with the best of them. The French have been incredibly gracious and complimentary about this but no one is more surprised than I. My colleagues are delightful, for the first time in my life I have my own office, and it looks out over a little cobblestone courtyard and onto the street beyond, a street that bustles with shops and restaurants and wine bars. As they say over here, je suis bien situee dans un coin tres agreeable (I'm settled into a very nice corner of the world). I feel none of the loneliness I felt during my last stay in Paris. I'm not afraid to try my French, even when I stumble. I don't look away when addressed by strangers on the street - I look them in the eye, smile, and give them my best bonjour. My last long-term stay in Paris was marked by an undercurrent of insecurity and vulnerability and I was consistently afraid to open my mouth for fear I would reveal my foreigness. But a lot has changed. For starters, Obama's imminent presidency gives me more leeway. I have more work experience under my belt and occupy a role I feel comfortable in and confident about. I'm all grown up and it's a far better life.

On the downside, Paris has proven even more dangerous than London. This morning I sustained my first injury of the trip and it's a doozy. It happened as I was rushing to get ready and meet colleagues for breakfast before an important sales meeting with a prospective customer. Not only was the meeting important to Guidewire, it was important to me personally. My first sales meeting in a foreign country, my first sales meeting conducted in French, my first sales meeting with our head of international sales and CTO. I arrived late to breakfast and tried to conceal my injury but our CTO is a pretty savvy guy and realized immediately that something was amiss. "You look different" he probed. Long ago I lost the energy to make up stories to mask my own foibles so came out with it. "I'm missing the eyelashes on my left eye." "Sure enough, you are. How the hell did that happen?" I really wished there had been a woman at the table. John and Ian watched me expectantly. "I had a little accident this morning. I was using my eyelash curler in the bathroom and my elbow was resting on a towel on the counter and the towel slipped out and I went careening into the shower" (I may have dressed it up a bit but that's the crux of the story). Who knew that an eyelash curler can double as such an effective hair removal device? I guess I had one hell of a grip on that little device because 90% of the eyelashes on my upper lid were removed, cleanly from the root, and now covered the rubber lip of the lash curler. It took a few seconds to register, a few more to assess the damage, and a full minute to determine a cover-up strategy. In the end I decided to continue with mascara application and double up on eyeliner to create the illusion of lashes. Ian and John were most concerned with the pain of yanking nearly all of one's lashes out in one fell swoop (not that painful, as it turns out) but I was far more concerned with the nakedness of my left eye. It's an incredibly bizarre feeling and if they ever grow back, I swear I will never again take them for granted. Oh beautiful lashes that protect my eyes from airborne debris, that serve as the perfect vehicle for showcasing mascara, I love you little lashes - every last hair of you. Now hurry back. Please hurry back.

The sales meeting went well and I'm back in the office enjoying takeout couscous with vegetables. No sign of lash regrowth but I'll report back tomorrow. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.