A word of advice to anyone planning to travel to France: don't say "I'm excited" unless you're hoping to get laid.

I learned from personal experience that the expression in French "je suis excite" does not actually mean one is looking forward to something, but is rather an indication of one's sexual arousal.

While funny to discover, I think it's also amusingly indicative of the French culture that doesn't shy away from sex. From the magazines for sale in the bookstores to the news reporting on TV, it has become apparent in just my first weeks that the French have different attitudes about sex and the body.

For example, while watching the 8 p.m. news I saw two specials about sexual health and life in France. The first focused on the growing use of Viagra and similar drugs in France.

The next night documented the use of porn. Apparently 48 percent of French polled say they've watched porn in the last year and one third watch with a significant other. The reporter talking about this was walking around a sex shop with nothing blurred out. Likewise, the camera person interviewed couples on the street about their opinions regarding Viagra.

This isn't some obscure program on an adult channel. It's France 2 news, the equivalent of Charlie Gibson or World News Tonight. And while it was a bit surreal to hear couples discussing their sexual lives as though they were recounting a recent election, it ultimately showed an openness to an incredibly important aspect of human life that too often gets shoved under a rhetorical rug in the states.

The human body and sexuality are things to be celebrated, not locked away under a chastity belt of "taboo" topics and "dirty" subjects. Why are we taught to feel uncomfortable about something so central to human life?

Yes, absolutely, there are ways in which the human body is exploited, from porn and product placement that ultimately degrade all people involved or watching. But there are so many more ways in which the body is celebrated and affirmed. Yet these are often missed by religious Americans because sexuality in general is ruled an inappropriate topic.

However, the ease with which French culture deals with sexuality has become tangibly apparent to me in just these first two weeks. It is not confined only to advertisements, TV programs or music videos. Simply walking around this old European city and looking at the art demonstrates just how natural and a part of everyday life sex and the body are, which leaves me feeling America could do much more to celebrate a healthy sexuality.

I'm not advocating everyone needs go out and buy porn or start walking around in the nude, but I think we'd all be better off if we stopped being afraid to pull back the covers.