FOREIGN ANXIETIES

coming to a different country brought some anxiety. i have quite a bit of anxiety when it comes to me not being able to control and know the situation. as i have gotten more familiar with france and customs and habits, i still have three big anxieties all the time. now don't laugh because these are serious.

1. les bises.

for those of you who are unfamiliar with les bises, that's when french people kiss each other on each cheek. now it's more common with young people to "faire les bises" with people you have just met. we have been attending activities with the young single adults at our church. fhe, firesides, dances.

i am not a touchy-feel-y person. i can be with people i know and am comfortable around, but i am not a hugger. if i don't know you, i don't want to hug you, let alone faire les bises. and you don't only kiss each others' cheeks when you say hello, it's when you say goodbye too. fhe was one of the most anxious two hours of my life due to all of the kisses i was receiving.

2. tickling.

riding the metro everyday becomes a drag. it's usually not super packed, but sometimes you're squished into this metro car right next to people you don't know. and the sweating. i mean it's just gross. there's always that one person standing near you that smells like bo (thankfully it has yet to be me) and it's so hot. i am usually not a sweaty person, but sometimes you just get on the metro and instantly start sweating because it's just so hot. now that i just became completely sidetracked with sweating, there are usually one or two poles in the metro cars that everyone holds on to, and you need to hold on to them, or else you are going to be catapulted into someone else. sometimes in order to hold on to the poles, you have to reach across a whole bunch of people, so errrybody's armpits in de air, if you know what i mean. even though french people would never do it, do you know how afraid i am that someone is just going to reach out and tickle my unprotected under arms? the struggle is real.

3. butt stabbing.

last but not least, my final irrational fear is butt stabbing. over the summer i read this article on a serial butt stabber. and ever since i read that story, every time someone stands behind me in the metro, i'm afraid someone is going to try and cut my butt.

that's it. my irrational french fears.