Chi Connection Paris 2012

Chi Pride! My Alpha Chis posing with our hands spelling out our Greek letters

With sisters from classes of the nineties through the 20-teens, I spent the afternoon over wine and ...fries (I know, not so dreamy nor even so French) along the banks of the Seine at the Paris Plage. Oh, Paris Plage, the fake beaches set up annually along the Seine and the canals in northern Paris, complete with sand, boardwalk, vending stands, and even toilets complete with running water, all constructed for the French to stand in spiritual unison alongside their less fortunate compatriots who won't have the luxury to spend a month planted on actual beaches. I kid you not, the French bring the summer vacation to Paris for those who can't afford to travel out of the city. The seriousness with which the French take their summer holidays never ceases to make me laugh and yet, in spite of my puritanical "sensibility," I'm watching a part of me internalize the idea that weeks off from work each summer is a sort of necessity and maybe even a human need. Sometimes I think I could get used to the idea of a culture that seriously values their full month of relaxation and freedom each summer. If you give it some thought, it's not such a bad idea...