As the plane approached its destination to the city of love, a young Korean woman plastered her face against the window next to her. A soft smile crept to her rosy lips as the decent beneath the clouds revealed more of the beautiful scenery. The sky was blue, the clouds were stretched like pulled cotton, and the city below was sprawled out in entrancing geometric shapes. What a day to start a new adventure.
After moving at a snail’s pace through customs and retrieving her luggage, Choon-Hee Song exited the airport with a spring in her step - overwhelmed with excitement to embrace her new home. The hustle and bustle of Paris reminded her of home in Busan, South Korea, just without the salty air from the sea port. People and cars rushed past, unaware of the curious young woman watching them with growing amazement. She had never been outside of her own country, never been exposed to a different culture in such an intense manner, and to think she was blessed with the opportunity to finish her studies in one of the most famous cities in the world! Her exhilaration could not be contained.
Seeming to forget that she was due to arrive to the student apartments, Choon-Hee clutched her powder blue sunhat to her head and hurried off to explore the wondrous new city. Shop after shop lined the enchanting cobblestone streets enticing her with beautiful handmade bobbles and trinkets. Her large rolling luggage clacked against the cobblestone loudly earning confused looks from the locals, which the young woman did not appear to notice. Absorbed in her own amazement, she wandered about the streets taking in all of the intricacies of the ornate architecture and the vibrant culture surrounding her. Only the smell of freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery snapped her out of her trance, as she became aware of her monstrous hunger.
After purchasing a scrumptious chocolate covered pastry from the bakery, Choon-Hee seated herself at a small table outside to admire more of her surroundings. The multicolored boutiques across the street humming with people, the sweet sound of fluent French buzzing in the air, and the chocolaty goodness of the pastry combined into a serene sense of happiness. She must capture this moment. Digging through her backpack, she gently retrieved her beloved Nikon camera, secured it around her neck, and then proceeded to snap photos of the street and the people walking down it.
Suddenly Choon-Hee’s attention turned from the whole of the street to a singular figure. A woman cut through the crowd, striding confidently in heels, dragging a large luggage in tow. The scene’s aesthetic resonated within the photographer – she must act quickly before the moment was gone forever. Like a lioness readying to pounce, Choon-Hee lowered herself to get a better angle. Her brow furrowed in concentration. There, perfect! Her camera snapped multiple times, capturing the scene in a pristine manner.
As the woman became only a blot in the distance, the photographer triumphantly straightened herself and proceeded to investigate her prize. The soft smile returned as she flipped through her recent photos, pride swelling within her especially when viewing the newest snapshots of the mysterious woman.
Choon-Hee’s musings over her handiwork were cut short after the atmosphere began to turn from a bright blue to a soft sleepy orange. Looking up into the sky, the young woman started in realization that night was approaching and she had no idea where she was in relevance to where she needed to be. She fished her phone out of her backpack as she returned to her seat by the bakery and typed in the name of the apartments where she would be staying. The phone reported back that it would take around fifteen minutes by car to arrive at Résidence Sarrhail, prompting a frown from the student. While Choon-Hee would never pass up the opportunity to take a walk during a sunset, she was beginning to feel the exhaustion from the long flight creep up on her. She quickly hailed down a cab, relieved when she was able to rest her aching legs for a little while.
Once she arrived at the apartment building, Choon-Hee paid the driver with euros and a polite “Merci” before he waved goodbye and proceeded to his next customer. The young woman then began to make her way up to door 301, excited but also somewhat nervous to meet her new roommates. She wondered how it would be like to live with nine other artists – like living in an intense bubble of creativity. When she arrived at the door, she searched again in her bag for her key, noting that a number of voices could be heard from within. As usual, her lollygagging caused her to be late, but at least she had gotten some good shots during the day. The door opened with a click of the key and she dragged her luggage over the threshold and then quietly shut the door.
Many of her new roommates were gathered on the main floor introducing themselves to each other. Before introducing herself, Choon-Hee took a second to scan each new face. A light-haired man stood looking into the empty fridge, a short blue-haired woman was investigating the kitchen, a tall ginger-haired man was curiously leaning backwards under the microwave (was he smoking?), a dark haired woman was standing in the doorway addressing someone, and – wait, what? The young photographer’s face flushed slightly as she recognized the woman in the living room; she was the confident woman Choon-Hee had photographed while in the city! Frozen in the doorway, Choon-Hee came to the realization that not only was the confident woman even more radiant up close, she also was her roommate. She had photographed her roommate.
Her blush deepened in her embarrassment and she sheepishly sneaked away towards her room, hopping that she was not noticed – although improbable with so much luggage weighing her down. Entering her room, she parked her luggage near the empty bed, laid her backpack down, and then sighed both from left over embarrassment as well as exhaustion. Next time she has luggage, sight-seeing will not be an option. She turned around and caught sight of a dark headed boy unpacking various videogame related posters and figurines. Assuming he was her partner, Choon-Hee took a small step closer and gave a small bow along with a smile. “Bonjour, you must be Vinh. I’m Choon-Hee Song. It’s nice to finally meet you!”