Why am I still in France?

Salut tout le monde,

Wow, two years since this blog has gotten any attention. However, this hasn't meant that I have stopped writing.

In fact, I've been writing more than ever before. Pen to paper, unapologetic, good old... journaling. Around March of this year, I started journaling almost every day. To say that it has changed my life would be a gross understatement.

Today's blog is about why I am still in France. I get asked this a lot by extended-family, friends, and honestly, people on the internet too. How? Why? What are you doing there?

Simply put, I am an intern. My primary goal is to sharpen my French and to learn and work in a French and intercultural environment. I work at a University just south of Paris and I am learning about mobility programs (study abroad) and how public funds and budgets are managed to keep these programs running (it honestly is way cooler than it sounds, I swear). It has been a very uncomfy experience, where I have had to rethink how I present myself professionally (this is my first real office job) and I have had to really push to overcome my fear of practicing French day in and day out and making many MANY mistakes. That last point is still very much a work in progress.

You may wonder: Kristin... this is your third time in France... you must be used to life there by now?? The answer is.... hell no. This time I am living in a BIG city. It took some major adjusting during my first 3 months here. I felt so overwhelmed, I felt like I couldn't fit in with the coolness of Paris and I felt like I couldn't escape the fast pace-ness of city life (I could never live in New York... because even Paris is much more slower-paced than other major cities).

In addition to primarily focusing my time here on my internship, I have also been diving deeper into what I value, my creative side and surrounding myself with some fascinating and brilliant people that I truly admire. Paris is the PERFECT city for this. I finally feel like I have found a place where every time I go outside, I am in absolute awe.

The goal is to start posting on here more often, as I feel like I am starting to finally find my voice more as a writer. Also, this could be terrible writing but I have realized in the past few months that writing is writing and art is art, and I don't give a sh*t if I make bad art. You gotta start somewhere!

If you are reading this, thanks for coming to my corner of the internet and I hope that you have a beautiful day wherever you are in this world 💛

Quote of the week:

"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your identity." - James Clear - Atomic Habits

Currently reading: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Currently listening to : a whole lot of Solange ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upp6RAVaIN4

Photograph of the week:

Part of the series:

A day in June

Buttes Chaumont - Juin 2022