I’m creeping up on the 6-month mark of my move to London. As I write this, I’m sitting on the Eurostar, watching the French countryside roll by as the sun sets over little towns and farmland and the gut twisting knot of tristesse and nostalgia slowly loosens its grip on my stomach. … More Living Between Two Countries: a heart in Paris, a home in London
After 8 fairly sleepless hours on the plane, the cabin lights clicked on and I realized they were serving breakfast. It felt like I had barely blinked since the weird chicken in some sort of creamy sauce had been served, and suddenly an unidentifiable pastry was being placed before me. I checked the time on … More How to Live in Two Time Zones
A little over a year ago I was in a bar celebrating the French Rugby team’s qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was monumental. Rugby 7s had never before been an olympic sport, and the French team had never set foot in an olympic arena. On the evening that I celebrated France’s qualification for the games, I celebrated … More The Olympian from Afar
I celebrated the Fourth of July in France. An American friend and I wanted to have a barbecue to celebrate, but since we both live in apartments where barbecues aren’t allowed, we decided to go for the next best thing and head to a park in Paris. We threw a picnic. I only have a … More Why I Am Happy to Celebrate America in France
I walked in and immediately dropped my stuff by the nearest table, relieved to finally be able to be in my little safe haven, tucked away from the fickle Paris weather. “Tu vas bien ?” A familiar face asked. “Ouf, oui, mais j’ai trop faim,” I replied as I plopped myself down in a chair. … More How It Feels to Be at Home
I pass them every single day. I recognize them. The man in the metro who walks around with a small, dirty espresso cup after he plays the same, disjointed melody that might be Frank Sinatra, might be his own composition, on his clarinet. The heavy set woman with her hair covered who sits on a little … More The War on Pain
It’s raining again. The weather has become a popular topic of conversation these days. When I pass the cleaning man in my apartment building as I head out for a run, and he asks how I’m doing, I smile and tell him that I’m doing well, and himself? And he tells me he’s well too, happy … More A Sunless Summer in Paris
I ate my salad standing up, as I watched my steak gristle in the pan with the butter, onions, and mushrooms that I had tossed in. A TEDxtalk played on my phone next to me as I watched my sizzling meat, glancing over every now and then to see the charts that the speaker was … More Living in the Belly of the City of Lights
Over the course of the past three and a half years, I spent roughly 8,000 minutes in a classroom. I listened to lectures, took notes, wrote papers, crammed for tests, over-flooded my already busy schedule with internships and part-time jobs, and checked all the boxes that would land me a degree. Then, in about five minutes, … More Becoming Adult: More Transitions and Growing Pains
Someone knocked on the door. “Uh, Linet, someone’s at the door!” I called out, unsure if I should answer it. A face popped into view through the window next to the metal door, and Dorcas’ eyes peered in. Her short hair, cropped close to her head, bobbed as she nodded in greeting. Though I had only seen … More How Making Friends and Understanding Culture Are Directly Tied
The Transition Artist 