“We are all French Tonight”

Here's why we should support a country going through what the U.S. went through. The attacks of Paris will cause mourning for years to come, as did 9/11. It will only strengthen not only France as a country, but I believe the Europe/US relationship. I love Paris. I always have and after going there earlier this year, I love it and will stand by it even more.

When I heard of the attacks, my heart fell, grew heavy and still continues to go out to the victims of the Paris attacks. I reencountered in my thoughts, not the places that I went, but what the French People were like. The French to American's are very stereotyped and the American's to the French are very judged, but we are a lot alike in many ways. Both countries have a huge patriotic pride, value principles of freedom, and liberty, and both countries have stood by each other in the most horrific times of attacks.

The French, and Paris, were a lot like American culture. They strike a ton of similarities, from the commercials on the TV to the people on the train. But most importantly, what I found was that the French were not as rude and hateful to Americans as I was told before my trip. When we were lost, a man stopped to ask if we were ok or if he could help us (and yes spoke English with us). A clerk at Starbucks, (also spoke English to us) didn't just tell us where to go but got on her phone, GPS'd it, printed directions, and helped us find our way around downtown Paris. In fact, the people that were a bit snippy with us weren't even French at all.

This is why I hope that in the wake of this tragedy, people do Pray for Paris, Stand by Paris, and maybe, just maybe, there will be more understanding and a little less judgment in the world.