I spent my last few days trying to appreciate the small things that I came to love, including the outside of the Louvre at night, the Seine at sunrise, and salted butter anytime of the day. One of my last days was the most memorable... I went to the Bulgari exhibit at the Grand Palais, walked along the Champs Elysees with a vin chaud, and (somewhat expectedly) spent the last of my euros at the original Hermes boutique.
I also had a ton of packing to do! I was amazed at how much stuff I had accumulated during my stay. And since I prioritized Hermes over cab fare, I had to haul my luggage on the train to the airport... According to the scale at the airport my luggage weighed more than I did (impressive considering the amount of food consumption during my stay), so it was a pretty Herculean effort to travel with everything on public transit. I managed to make it to the airport (barely and with the help of a few willing Frenchmen) and left without incident just a few hours before the snowstorms paralyzed European airports for everyone else.
It was difficult to leave, but I was also so happy to see my family and Matt again. I had an amazing holiday at home with my mom, dad and brother, and was reunited with my favorite dog, Penny.
Sadly, my Nana passed away shortly after I got back, but one of my favorite memories is of her telling me about her trip to England when she was about my age. I wish I could remember more details, but I definitely recall being inspired by her sense of adventure and independence. I feel there are some parallels between my trip and hers, and hope that I inherited some of her strong will and wry sense of humor. I’m missing her a ton and regret not being able to share this with her, but I think she would have appreciated the effort I made to experience something new.
It was a bit of an adjustment to come back to Canada after being away for that long. It’s obviously not a huge culture shock, but I definitely noticed the little things - more space, people actually understanding what I say (most of the time), less butter... I’ve tried to incorporate the French way of living in little ways to my life here - I appreciate walking everywhere and urban density, enjoying coffee, wine, and everyday pleasures, and keeping a good work/life balance (although that’s never really been an issue!) I’ve also noticed that my eyes still constantly seek out images to photograph and I usually stop if I smell baking of any kind - I consider both habits as precious souvenirs.
Besides a few behavioural and appetite adjustments, I think I gained the most from just having such an extended break. I cherish the time I had to relax and reevaluate and refocus. I feel I have a clearer vision of who I am and what I want to be. When I reflect on my time there, I feel somehow stronger and more sure of myself, like I can accomplish whatever goals I set (or ‘go straight to the top’ as my Dad likes to say). But I also recognize this trip as totally dream-like, and that break from reality actually renewed my drive to make a difference in the community that I consider home. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I had to live in Paris, and will always reflect on the beauty and adventure I got to experience, but am acutely aware that I have more meaningful contributions to make and am excited to be back where I can start.
Just after New Years, I went back to Saskatoon with Matt and stayed there while he finished his last semester of law school. We went on a trip to Mexico in May and moved to Vancouver just after that, so that’s where I am now (and probably will be for good!) I’ve been working for the UBC Faculty of Medicine as a researcher and, even though my head is still spinning a little, I love it. We found a great apartment and are thinking about adding a kitten to the family... So, things have been generally really awesome! I’m thinking about keeping this blog going because its been really looking at pictures and writing something other than research - The next posts may not be as glamorous as Paris, but I’ve learned that real life is just as entertaining! In the meantime, here are some pictures of my last few days in Paris...
The Bulgari exhibit at the Grand Palais (I admit there are a ridiculous amount of necklace close-ups, but they were outrageously beautiful!)
The exhibit was staged in really angular, black lacquered walls that looked like a jewel-shaped jewelry box. The ceiling was really low compared to the actual height of the Grand Palais, but there were a few open places...
There were original sketches...
... and an entire room devoted to Elizabeth Taylor! One of the quotes projected on the wall was from Richard Burton saying, "the only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari"
Following the Bulgari exhibit I went to the Hermes flagship, which had a window display done by Pierre Herme! It was obviously a sign I had to go in...
And the last photo is kind of random, but its the Christmas display at Lanvin, right across from Hermes... I thought it was pretty funny
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