First Impressions of Lyon

I have now been in Lyon for over two weeks, and as a result the immediate fascination with the newness of the culture has begun to wear off.  I am starting to see Lyon for what it is; a place where people live.  

When I first arrived I was immediately surprised by how fast the people move in Lyon, and the Lyonnais’ relationship to space.  In the United States people often tell me that I walk too quickly, but in Lyon I have to make a conscious effort in order to keep up with a Lyonnais.  With their unusual speed, they also use their bodies in a slightly different manner, in the U.S. I have the impression that bodies are soft and vulnerable objects that want to avoid confrontation with things such as bicycles, cars, and other people, while in Lyon I feel like bodies are viewed differently.  In fact, if it were not for the color difference I would say that walking in Lyon is much like playing a game of Tetris.  Where each person represents a block whose goal is not to touch other blocks, but to come as close as possible to everything else as to optimize the space to allow for the highest number of blocks. 

The Tetris metaphor is the best way I have found to summarize my experience, because even though I may spend an hour every day as a block I am still very human, and I feel perceived as one.  An example of this phenomenon took place in the entryway to the metro on my second day in Lyon when the “entry machine” repeatedly refused my ticket, and upon seeing my struggle a French person offered to let me walk through with them.  This example is particularly touching to me because I often interpret the metro as a mildly dehumanizing place because 1) it is underground so there is no natural light, 2) you are expected to take up as little space as possible, 3) you are expected to remain unusually quiet, and 4) you are always expected to either walk quickly or cling tightly to the right.  However, if this humanizing experience in the metro has taught me anything it is that behind the frowns and the occasional newspaper people are still paying attention to one another.