People keep asking me how I like living in Paris, as if I could possibly answer that question. I can’t think of any one word that could accurately describe my life here. Paris and I have a complicated relationship. Sometimes, I even hate Paris.
I hate the way I have to spend 40 minutes commuting to school every morning on the Metro.
I hate the way the couple sitting next to me on the Metro feels the need to engage in serious PDA. Or the couple in the restaurant. Or in the park. Or anywhere at any time. Please get a room.
I hate that I never know where I am. I have been here for almost two months, but I feel as though I hardly know Paris at all.
I hate that all the food I eat here is so unhealthy. As I write this, I am eating Nutella by the spoonful straight from the jar.
Maybe it is annoying having to ride the Metro back and forth across Paris every day. But it means I have the opportunity to live in this big, hectic, crazy, vibrant city. And at least I don’t have to walk for miles because that would really suck.
Yes, I get annoyed when a French couple feels the need to be all touchy feely when they are literally a foot a way from me. But Paris is a beautifully romantic city and maybe I am just a little bitter that I haven’t found a charming, handsome, tall French boyfriend with a really French sounding name and a château in the countryside…
I have been in Paris for quite some time already, but I still get all turned around on a regular basis. All the time in the world wouldn’t be enough to really know Paris. Every time you think you have seen it all, Paris has something new to show you.
While all the food I eat here is unhealthy, it’s also really, really, really delicious. (P.s. I am still eating that jar of Nutella. Can’t. Stop.) It is impossible to resist the temptations of the boulangerie. Nothing beats getting out of class and going straight to the bakery for a chocolate éclair. Or a macaroon. Or a croissant. Or just an entire baguette. You really can’t go wrong.
Yes, there are some things about Paris that annoy me. But I wouldn’t change them. Because as stupid and cliché as it sounds, I love Paris just the way it is. We have our ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else right now.
Paris, je t’aime.
More Blogs From This Author
View All Blogs
Mimi Price
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Hi! My name is Mimi Price and I am a junior at Santa Clara University where I study French, Economics and International Business. I have been looking forward to study abroad my whole life and I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to study in Paris. By the end of my program, I hope that I no longer feel like a tourist, but feel that Paris is my home. My goal is to embrace all that Paris has to offer from the language to the culture to the history. My hobbies include shopping and eating, so I think that Paris will be a good place for me!</span></p>
