Packing for a vacation may seem simple, but going on an overseas trip, especially for a long period of time, is complicated. Why does each country have different voltage and electrical plugs? Maybe the foreign countries just love to make the tourists’ lives more difficult. Yes, they really do! Anyways, at least I am just nearly done with my weeklong packing mission which I started last Monday.
Today, I was picking out which jewelry to take to France and was choosing a variety from high fashion to the ones that just simply match my outfits. I was just about to pack one of my favorite necklace – a beautiful pink, ruby red, and gold flower with a transparent purplish red ribbon. Moments later, some of my memories about this necklace suddenly flashed. “I like your Jewish star necklace,” my father complimented to me several months ago. Of course, I responded to him that it’s a flower! A few weeks after my father’s compliment, when I was in a store, paying for something-that-I-do-not-remember, the cashier remarked my same flower necklace, “I like your Jewish star necklace.” After recalling these moments, I realized it was not a good idea to bring this necklace because in France, in particuliar Paris, religious symbols are strictly not to be worn on ourselves in public. During the past recent years, there has been battles and discriminations against other people’s religions over there. It’s quite sad that many people cannot accept other people well. About a year or two ago, there were some news about the French government imposing some laws about not wearing the religious symbols in the public. I wonder if that “bill” has actualy passed. I’ll find out when I get there…