Eric Gaskins Vol 18: Travelling: Literally or mentally………
I’ve been thinking a lot about travel these days. Maybe it’s just a desire to escape, to find someplace fresh and new or just to revisit a place that gave me pleasure and a sense of adventure. This summer hasn’t afforded me the luxury of escape, but that hasn’t stopped my wanderlust. I’m working on a memoir, my first ever book and that has brought many places and times from my past to the surface of my often clouded memories. I keep going back to my first trip as an adult to Europe, Paris to be specific. It was the ultimate awakening for me that would influence and inform my life to this day.
At 20 years old I left the safety of home to become an apprentice design assistant at the venerable House of Givenchy. This was the Givenchy of Audrey Hepburn fame and the man who created some of the most timeless fashion of the last century. I lucked into this trip by chance and not a little force of will. I’d just graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio with a degree in Fine Arts. Knowing that I wanted to become a fashion designer, I put all of my energy into making that wish a reality. As good fortune shone down on me then, as now, I made contact and found my way there. The rest is history, but what is particularly amusing about taking that “trip” was the way it all came about. Most people plan their trips with careful attention to the details. That isn’t really my style. It never has been. I’m the type who buys the ticket 2 days before and packs the morning of departure. My journey to Paris and a year at Givenchy was not terribly different.
I met him in New York at his suite at the Carlyle Hotel on a Wednesday and was invited to start the following Monday. Even in my book that was a bit of a rush. As this all came as a bit of a surprise. I’d done absolutely no planning; no ticket, hotel reservations, nothing. So I did what needed doing. On Thursday I called a travel agent, ran around our tiny town in rural Massachusetts buying a camera, got some new Levi’s and a couple of shirts, a new pair of loafers and some sneakers and set about packing. My ticket was for the following night so there was little time to do more. Thank God my passport was in order. That left me just enough time for a last meal with my Mother and sister and a very short night’s sleep.
The next thing I knew, we were on our way to Logan Airport in Boston and I was saying Good Bye to everything I’d known. Somewhere in my mind I knew that that was the end of my childhood, the safety of home and everything familiar. Waving to my Mother, both of us in tears and boarding the plane was almost surreal. Flying through the night was even more so when I thought about being between my clearly defined past and the unknown of my future. The reality of this “trip” hit me then and there at 35,000 feet. At that altitude it’s impossible to change course. Like all trips, you have to give yourself up to whatever lays ahead. A rudimentary understanding of the language, assuming it will be foreign, and a sketchy idea of where you’re going are all invaluable tools. I had neither. My language skills consisted of high school Russian and a year of intensive Italian; NO FRENCH! There was also the issue of where I would stay. Everything fell into place when I landed but not without a few bumps. That’s the beauty of travel and adventure. The unknown is the whole point. Once I was settled in an over priced dump with the added amenity of lice and a desk 10 feet away from Givenchy’s desk, all was well in my world. I learned how to design and developed into the man I am today.
That “trip” was still the most exciting one I’ve ever taken. I’ve seen an awful lot of the world in the intervening years but nothing quite touches that experience. It just shows you that planning or not planning makes little difference. The whole point is to get there, be there and savor every minute. Sooner than you know, whether it’s a year or a 10-day package, you’ll find yourself headed home. I will always be thrilled to see the NYC from above as the plane approaches the airport, but mostly because I climbed out on a limb and took a peek at someplace new.
Bon Voyage, Buona Viaggio, Gutte Reise and Happy Trails!
Eric Gaskins ….. The Emperors Old Clothes
blog comments powered by Disqus