On Monday I decided to visit Place de la Republique, to light my own candle for Paris and for the world. It’s amazing how a place of so much sadness and tension, can also provide a tremendous amount of comfort. Visiting this memorial helped me feel unified with the entire city, and way beyond that. Being one of the most diverse cities in the world, I was not just walking among French people and it was not just French people who lost their lives on Friday. Every person I locked eyes with held a look of solemn understanding and I felt a warm sense of community as I walked around the square, as if we were all saying “Thank you for being here”.
I explored this area for nearly an hour, sometimes standing directly in front of that statue, reading the heartfelt notes left by so many people, other times walking back to take it all in from afar. I found it difficult to pull myself away completely, as I think I left a tiny bit of my heart there that day. After only living in Paris for about three months, I can already confidently say that I feel so bonded with this city. I may not have been born here and I still have so much to explore and learn, but the attacks in Paris on November 13th, 2015 were not just an attack on France or some abstract concept, they were an attack on human beings like you and me.
So when people ask if this very real and scary event makes me want to return to the United States, I have to say no. Paris is my home and refuse to abandon this city, this country, and these people that touch my heart so deeply in their time of need. Paris et tout le monde, Je t’aime, forever and always.
Words and photos by Tyler Jade O’Banion
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