Mon Amour et Paris

9 March 2008
Leaving Delhi is hard but I must say once I arrived in Paris, was working my way through the metro and coming out into the world at Les Halles the excitement of PARISSSS!!!! Started to get me.

Paris as a city must be the most beautiful example and it was the evening rush hour so bubbling with laughter and people finishing work, meeting friends, kissing kids such a great atmosphere.

I am staying in the Marais area, so much to see, lots of little lanes, interesting shops, good food and close to everything.
I always walk in Paris so I can see everything, it is not such a big place.
I was exhausted when I arrived and slept 12 hours but now ready to get going…what to see. This is a work visit just confirming details for a tour later in the year so a few things I have to do and some time to add to my understanding of this city and look, look, look at things.
Leaving Delhi it felt like going off to another very busy few months in the office. There are so many things to organise. Parveen is stuck in Delhi with the booking details, because I have teaching to do I will also get to do a lot of the leg work the next few months…it felt like a lot of hard work to come. When we travel together, we can discuss everything and have two noses to poke into every corner as we look for just what we want in our tours, both can ask questions, both work on crossing all the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s -we have over the years really developed a good partnership.

When I am away we are constantly on the phone, it is lonely now for me travelling…spending time together has become the norm rather than me coming and going…oh well this year I am packing up my house and staring to move my studio and life to India. I will still have to come and go a lot but in the future it will be more often the both of us off.

Life is amazing it can take so many unexpected twists and turns…I would never have had the guts to imagine such a life if you had asked me in the past…I would never have had the guts to imagine I could feel safe and happy with a person like I do with Parveen. I knew I loved him when I met him but it took me 3 years of freaking out to start to trust that feeling and him…since then things have just got better and better. I will always be so grateful to him, he is my rock…he has always been patient and kept saying if love is there then problems can be dealt with keep talking and listening.

We have both during the time changed so greatly, coming from different cultures has been a big obstacle but we very early realised our culture, our language, our history meant we did not always understand what the other was on about and we would often need to back up and check out what the other really meant. I would guess this is the truth for any two people wanting to make a life together but if you share similar backgrounds you may assume to often you know what the other is on about when really just like us you are two very different and there is so much to learn.

Once you get to that stage you also need to both be working on how you can find a mutual space that suits you both.

I am very proud of my man and the life we are building together. It is a novel experience to feel safe and loved and I really appreciate the experience.

Well that is what makes leaving Parveen in Delhi so hard but I have a big day in the office and it is located in Paris today and I will make the most of it!!