for paris is a moveable feast
hemingway said it best
Coucou! (Hi friend!)
Earlier this April, I spent a few days in Paris – the second trip I’ve made to the French capital this year. I was in the city for four days during a rather cloudy February with my friend Lola, and, most recently, I spent another five days with my friend Helise in the sunny spring.
Both trips have been wildly different, not just because of the weather. I spent time as a tourist with Lola and then, like a local, running errands with Helise, who was born and raised in Paris.
This isn’t my first time visiting the French capital. I’ve stayed a few days here and there since I was seven. Before February, my last visit was in 2022, after a short trip to Strasbourg. So, I’m familiar with navigating the Metro (with luggage, though I do not recommend it) and recognizing different landmarks along Rive Gauche and Rive Droite. In short, I have a baseline understanding of the city.
Cont.
France, particularly Paris, is inspiring and charming despite its cultural, political, and societal imperfections. And I agree with many; it’s easily romanticized, overhyped, and stereotyped.
Emily in Paris on Netflix depicts just that. I dislike Paris, which is home to beret-wearing social media influencers taking selfies while holding a baguette, or the ‘fact’ that French people are rude because ‘it comes with the territory’.
I believe the city is a monumental place that encourages you to make what you want from it and will also profoundly shape you in return.
No wonder that plenty of writers and artists hold so much love for the city. Paris is a place of historical convergence, a gathering of creative communities whose legacies shape the present. Hemingway puts it best:
If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast.
There’s an element to this place where whoever is lucky enough to set foot in the city will inevitably be changed right to their core. So many have fallen in love with Paris from afar that it becomes a dream to move there one day.
And for yours truly to get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, lucky enough to say these following few words, I feel stunned, grateful, and hopeful for what’s to come.
I’m moving to Paris.
Yes, me!
I’m beyond excited to share that I will spend a year studying in France for my degree. While the city is definitely a plus, I’m really going because I want to grow in my professional capabilities, and this is where I will learn it all.
I’m looking forward to so many things: eating good food, familiarizing myself with French politics, making new friends, and overall just learning and growing.
This newsletter will keep you well informed and updated. There is much to write about, and I’m eager to share each step of the journey here.
Be sure to let me know what you want me to cover, and I’ll try my best to document everything (with photos!). I aim to send dispatches this fall when I make the big move. Until then, you’ll get some last of Edinburgh (for now) entries and summer adventures.
Everything about this is surreal. Thanks for reading, and until next time!
I don't know why it took me a week to read this, but it genuinely made my day. So excited for Paris and hopefully do a joint bday in this city. You should def do 10 diff reviews of croissants and hot chocolate from 10 different places.