FROM PARIS, WITH LOVE
The first time I went to Paris, I went with my parents. I was in high school, and we visited all the usual tourist haunts: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Versailles. Ever since then, I have yearned to be back, but Paris is not my dad’s favorite city, so as a family, we have never returned. I resigned myself to waiting for something like a work trip, if I was lucky, or I figured that perhaps the next trip would be when I had my own family.
Luckily, I did not have to wait that long. My previous boss, Anna Sobrepeña, messaged to say that the Filipina Women’s Network had given her an award recognizing her as one of the most Influential Filipina Women in the World. The ceremony was to be held in Paris. Along with me, she had invited members of the team she had worked with: my former managing editor Bianca Salonga and Chino Hernandez, and one of my current bosses, Suki Salvador.
The prospect of Paris is too enticing to give up, so we all said yes and made plans for the trip. After a few visits the processing center to get my visa settled, one fairy godmother to help me on my way, and a couple of Uniqlo purchases to get me winter-ready, it was time to go.
A SENSE OF JE NE SAIS QUOIS
As in all lines in any airport in the Philippines, the one at Etihad was long and winding,
