A weekend with my dearest A

You know what’s the hardest part in living in Paris? It's seeing people come and go. Meeting new people, making new friends all the time and then having to say goodbye. Paris is a place where everyone wants to come but why can’t they stay here? When I first came to Paris and worked as an au pair, I had au pair friends from all over the world. But most of them were in Paris just for six months or one year and then went back to their country to start their studies or whatever. But it was okay back then, even though I knew that I had come to Paris to stay, I understood that for most of my friends, Paris was just a phase, a fun experience, but their life was somewhere else. I spent wonderful time together with those girls and it’s great to see them when they come to Paris for holidays. But yeah, I knew that they were not going to stay, same for all the exchange students or other "gap year in Paris" people I've made friends with. This fall W and G, two of my old aupair friends came back to France to study and that's awesome but soon they will be leaving again...

But it's so much worse when you think that someone is like you. When you think that someone loves Paris as much as you do and is never going to leave. And then suddenly that person decides to move. That happened to me this summer. There used to be me, A, M and T, four foreign girls in Paris. We spent so much time together, sometimes only two or three of us but all four always when we managed to organize our time. Sometimes we didn't have time to see us that often but I still knew that my girls where near me, that I could talk to them or meet up for coffee whenever I wanted. We were all so Parisian, if someone asked us for how long we were going to stay in Paris, we would say that we were not going anywhere, that Paris was our home. I took us four for granted and that's why I was so shocked when A and M decided to leave. A started her studies in Stockholm this fall and M moved back to Hawaii. So now there's only me and T left of us four. I miss us all being together and I feel like a part of me is missing. I often think about one evening this summer when we were at M’s place. We spent hours lying on M’s bed, just talking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. We didn’t know it back then but that was the last time we were all four together and I don’t know when the next time is going to be.

But this weekend was wonderful because two became three for a couple of days: A came to Paris! I can’t even explain how great it has been to have her back here. And normally I don’t even see T that often because we’re both so busy but this weekend I got to spend a lot of time with her too. That was amazing. And I know I’ll be crying tomorrow when A leaves because A, Paris is not the same without you!

lunch catch up in le Marais

so cute A. And the cheescake was yummy too

girls night

T trying on A's new jacket



Walking around in le Marais



A's French breakfast on Saturday morning

When I came to Paris almost three years ago I didn’t know anyone. And like I said, in the beginning most of the people I met left Paris quite soon. But this year I’ve made many new French friends and got closer with some I already knew. That makes me really happy and I feel like I’m finally finding my place here and getting into the French life.

Examples from this week: (yep I know, I should study more and socialize less…)

Wednesday night I went out with my Finnish friend E and we bumped into this group of really fun French guys.

me and my clone, the other blond Finnish girl who has the same name as me and who also used to live next to me and work at the same place than me.

meeting French guys is easy, right E?

 

Thursday evening I had dinner with S, P and two other French girls. S, it was so nice of you to invite me too, I would love to get to know you better.

P attacking S's apple pie

 

Friday afternoon I met up with S and R, my favorites from my old school (L and L you should have come too!)

And Saturday night I spent a perfect soirée with A,T, M (now I’m talking about the Australian M, not the Hawaiian, don’t get confused with my letters ;)) and the best French people we know.

I'll never let you go

A stole my jacket!



party time!

I’m so grateful to have you all in my life and I’m also really grateful that I make friends easily even though I live in a foreign country. I know it could be a lot more difficult. And all my friends who are not in Paris I miss you and you’re always in my thoughts.

xoxo: Emi

 

Ps. J and M, I know you might have to or want to live somewhere else sometime in the future and I’m already a bit concerned about that. If you ever leave me I don’t know how I would survive.