I found love in Paris
but is it time to move on now ?
Take a look at any sugar coated instagram image of Paris and it’s easy to understand that romantic notion most people have with the city and why so many people come here to find love.
I came here some 8 years ago and believe it or not the thought of finding love was far from my mind, maybe I don’t like to conform, maybe I am a bit of a rebel. Honestly, Paris was a challenge from the beginning, it never fooled me with romance – not even come the time of instagram, NO! I had a different reality right from the start. Don’t get me wrong though please, Paris is the most wonderful, and beautiful city and I am lucky to live here. However, I just don’t see it through those rose tinted sunglasses most do.
I came, I accepted the challenge, I learned how to take care of myself, I learned to navigate the city alone, I finally managed to learn how to speak French (after far far too long) just by imitating what people said (and my accent ain’t half bad). I made my flat into my own little haven here in Paris where it is cosy and quiet and a spot I always love coming back to. For the most part I made life in Paris work!
In the early days though, I became resentful and bitter because it was so tough to live here. It has built me up stronger and made me into a confident woman (if I may say so myself) compared to the young doubtful girl who came here all those years ago. Trying to survive here and make ends meet while trying to find my career path didn’t leave me much time for the romantic notion that I would some day find love in this tough city.
But somehow against all the odds I did find love in the “city of lights love”! Everyday I am thankful for that and that I now share my life here in Paris with the best life-partner I could ever dream of. Paris has blossomed too over the last few years, it has become modern, fresh, hip, exciting and I adore nothing more than discovering that side of the city with Matt and building our life and future together here. Being here has given us so many wonderful opportunities, it has helped us connect with like-minded people, experience the most incredible things the city has to offer and build our careers at the same time, but we can’t help but think something just still doesn’t feel right.
On a recent trip to Amsterdam we fell in love with the city life there, the people and just the general good vibes and higher quality of life it seems you can achieve there compared to living in Paris. Perhaps that’s just because we are outsiders, perhaps we had our rose tinted glasses on or perhaps that’s just the glaring reality. Who knows ?
Then, this weekend we travelled to my home town in the North of Scotland where we spent a wonderful week with all the incredible friends and family we have there. What a wonderful, beautiful place Scotland is. As we travelled back to Paris we made sure to pick up a copy of our favourite home and lifestyle magazine Country Living | Modern Rustic to swoon over the gorgeous homes and to dream of what we will do with our home one day. It of course only fuelled our other dream to leave the city and settle in the Highlands of Scotland even more. Oh the dilemma! I suppose it’s just more beautiful material for our dream board though. (#homegoals)
These days I wonder if we even need to live in a city. I remember about 6 years ago during an internship here in Paris the head designer said that one has to live in a city to make it, I didn’t agree then and I don’t agree now. Sure we will miss so much of the city and the amazing experiences that are all within our reach but maybe we can live between cities because this is a new age and people are doing that now right ?! Though I’m not sure how displaced I would like to be … I like feeling settled and having routine.
So, here we are back at work on a Tuesday afternoon in Paris with so many questions, wondering where life would suit us more, dreaming of new adventures, wondering where to build our careers and our home together. Yes! we’ll always have Paris but is it time to move on?
I’ve always believed that you can shape the environment you’re in into your own bubble of happiness, and that’s a lesson I learned after leaving Paris and re-settling in Beirut. You can take from a city whatever you want, and leave out unnecessary noise. And the opposite applies as well.. You can be in the “best place in the world” (wherever that is!) and not feel content. So I really feel that the answer is from within. When you are well.. the you radiate this feeling of well-being to the environment around you, and the rose-tinted glasses become permanent lenses somehow.
Gorgeous, motivational words Dima Boulad ! Thank you for sharing xox