For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of traveling to Europe. As a child of an artist, I spent countless hours studying books filled with the masterpieces of Michelangelo, Leonardo Da' Vinci, Chagall, and many other creative geniuses.
I remember daydreaming about how I may one day, experience first-hand the glory of The Sistine Chapel and The Louvre Museum, which filled my childhood imagination with hours of inspiration.
Therefore, one can imagine that once I finally planned a trip Paris for the first time, the outpouring of negative responses from family and friends both surprised and disappointed me. They said traveling to Europe was a bad idea, and one family member said, "Europeans in general hate Americans; we are even referred to as ‘The Ugly Americans.’ Why would you want to subject yourself to that?"
A friend said, "Don't you know how dangerous it is to travel outside the United States? I think you should stay here where you will be safe."
While I was defensive at first, I decided to ignore their comments and continued to plan the trip of a lifetime. And upon deeper reflection, the curious being of my nature, also took over as I wanted to find out if such anti-Americanism existed, and if it did, how I might be able to positively change the minds of a just a few Europeans if given the chance.
I am thrilled to say that all the negative comments about how Europeans might act toward Americans instantly vanished as soon as I was in a cab dashing through the centuries-old cobble stone streets of beautiful Paris, rightfully known as "the city of lights."
At the intimate hotel that was well over 200 years old, a down-to-earth French woman of African descent who spoke fluent English greeted me and spent over an hour telling me about the best cafes and restaurants in the area. Later at an intimate cafe with local residents, I conversed with a waiter, and I did not receive even a single unfriendly glance by French people of various nationalities who sat near me, on the contrary, people engaged me in light warm conversations.
My trip continued in this fashion and only got better each day as the sights of the Louvre, The Palace of Versailles, and took a boat tour of The River Seine, took my breath away. I continued to meet French locals, whose ancestry originated from all over the world just like in America, and who greeted me only with pleasantries.
As I look back, how unfortunate it would have been had I listened the negative advice warning me to avoid such a magical city, one that has changed my life forever.
Suffice it to say, the next time I plan a trip to another country, I will refer to the people who originate from whatever enchanting place I plan to visit, rather than people who live in a state of fear about stereotypes or ill-perceived fears.
And as they say in France, "C'est la Vie!"