Everyone told me the first year in Paris is both the most exciting and most challenging. And no matter how much you try, things will never turn out how you expected. Having lived it myself now, I can say for certain that advice was right.
As 2018 rolled into Paris, I was full of cheese and champagne. Which is about as French as an American girl can hope for. With a kiss from my husband, I said “bonjour” to my first year as a resident of France.
It’s been an emotional six-weeks full of events that led me to evaluate where I belong in the world and where my heart lives. Getting a job, going back to America and having bad things happen to people I love who are far away.
As autumn took over Paris, my honeymoon period with the city continued. Five months in I’m still charmed by this city daily. But building a complete life is taking longer than I expected before boarding the plane in New York. Newsflash: It takes much more…
“America is my country and Paris is my hometown.” Though she died more than 70 years ago, these words from Gertrude Stein continue to encapsulate the feelings of many Americans who followed in her footsteps. Increasingly my own as I feel more and more at…
In early spring, while in the process of deciding whether or not to move to Paris, I came across a quote that resonated with my choice: “There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone.” At that point I…
Today marks two months since we touched down in Paris with all our belongings in six giant bags. Starting a new life (in French no less) is not an easy task, but it is also a privilege I’m not taking for granted.