Only Child

When this post goes live I'll hopefully be preparing for breakfast in Paris. When I booked the flight at the end of October, there were no protests there yet. Myself, I am not concerned for my safety as I am not planning to seek out any places that smell of danger and imminent escalation. My Mum, however, made remarks along the lines of "Who in their right mind visits Paris these days?!" as I knew she would. I am an only child and for as long as I can remember, my parents have been worried about me...and I have been doing exactly what they did not want me to. Mum does not want me to drive a scooter? Just pester Dad long enough until he caves. Parents implore you not to visit Northern Ireland (back then, still a rather tumultuous place) during my Erasmus year in Dublin: just say "yay, yay" and then go there anyway. Same with some holiday destinations, such as a planned visit to South Korea a few years ago when - pre Trump, but still - there was considerable tension because of heated rhetoric regarding nuclear strikes. Do I need to mention that I did not cancel my trip?

So. Now Paris. Parents not that happy. Daughter going there anyway.