Leap of Faith

I am starting the long journey of transplanting my life to Paris. It has been a life-long dream of mine to move there and at almost 33, I am starting the trek. Why the heck not?!? My mum thinks I’m having a mid life crisis, but I feel this falls under the category of following my heart.

This all started in August of last year. August 2016…

Instead of going on a week-long, all-inclusive girls weekend to Mexico, I messaged my girlfriend, Berry, who lives in the UK, to see if she was available the same week. I already had the time requested off from work and I had not committed yet to Mexico. When she said she was available, I booked the first flight to the UK and that was that!

It had been 8 years since we had last been on the same continent, let alone in the same space. Once I arrived, it was as if 8 years had not gone by. We picked up right where we had left off!

I met Berry in 2002. I was 17 and had just traveled 4,000-ish miles and plopped myself in the middle of a country I had only been to for 12 days prior. I was an exchange student through the Rotary organization, participating in their year-long study abroad program. I was placed in my number one pick country, France, and secretly hoped I was placed with a Rotary club somewhere near Paris. Lo and behold, I was!

I arrived in August of 2002. School didn’t start till September and I had no way of meeting anyone in my class prior to school starting. So, on my first day of school, I was the extremely awkward new kid who also happened to be American. After my first class, I remember standing in the hallway, and this girl coming up to me and introducing herself, it was Berry. We became fast friends. Little did I know this was going to be a friendship that would know no bounds.

Fast-forward to the end of 2016. I receive an invitation in the mail for Berry’s wedding and gladly accept! Of Course, duh! I start looking for AirBNB‘s and flights and book when the time is right (I scored some amazing deals using the Hopper app)! Little did I know that this 10 day stay in the UK would rekindle and refuel my love and passion for France. April 2017 rolls around and I am giddy as a school girl! It was amazing speaking French again almost every day/ all day. It was like I was home. It was here, on this trip, that I was invited to Lolo’s wedding in July in Paris!

As soon as I arrive home from Berry’s wedding in the UK, I immediately started watching flights for July and requested the time off from work. Again, Hopper came through and I found an amazing deal on a flight! July finally arrived and it’s like Christmas Eve! It had been 14 years since I had been to Paris and I was more excited than ever! I packed and re-packed my suite case at least a hundred times.  I may have even cried tears of joy on the plane from Iceland to Paris… don’t judge!

Arriving in Paris was the most surreal thing ever. It was like I was meeting an old friend I had not seen in who knows how long. Like going on a first date, my heart beating so fast and my palms sweaty. Was I really here, truly in Paris? The train ride from Charles De Gaulle to the city seemed to last forever. But once I stepped of that train and walked through the station and emerged onto the sidewalk, I felt at home. At last. It was then and there that I knew I was supposed to be there, to live and explore.

Here I am today, October 2017, and I am starting my journey to move to Paris. I’ve never done a blog, but in all my research thus far, I haven’t been able to answer certain questions. So, I figured to myself, why not start a blog that’s transparent about this whole process, from start to finish. With every detail on every step and every requirement just incase there is someone out there who is going through the same process as me. Hopefully my words and experiences will help someone out in the process.

So, sit back, grab a cup of something hot and enjoy the ride!

Bisous
xoxoxo

Sarah