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 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 had forgotten about the fireflies. The tiny little firecrackers that lit up my grandparents’ backyard and once flooded my memories of childhood summers, with their little sacs of glowing goo that sometimes streaked the jar I caught them in to win a slushy from the 7/11 gas station. I forgot that they fly here, too. In fact, … More The Flash of the Firefly
A good number of French people have a hard time saying my name. I tell them my name is Kate, and they repeat “Kay-tuh,” almost a two syllable name, which sounds funny in comparison to my singular American syllable. The lady at Starbucks spells it “Kathe.” I say it to strangers as I kiss them on … More I Am a French Child
After having lunch at Diner Bedford, a cozy, American inspired diner in the Marais, I strolled back through the 3rd arrondissement towards the 1st to get to Anticafe, my favorite study spot. As I traversed the streets to make my way towards the Louvre, I passed Centre Pompidou, turned down Rue Rambuteau, and continued on … More Paris as a Living Museum
The apartment smells like freshly brewed coffee. The smell infiltrates every corner of my new little apartment, seeping out of the French press I left on the counter and the cup that sits next to me on the table. Sunlight is streaming in the window, despite the floaty, thin, white curtains that hang loosely to the … More Falling in Love with Paris All Over Again
I’m sitting in the Frankfurt airport on a 7-hour layover looking out a big window at all the Lufthansa planes. My flight got delayed 4 hours, and, being that it’s the holidays, all the others were full. So here I am sitting at a little table by myself, listening to the same announcements in German over and … More Traveling Humbles
There are a lot of things I’ve been meaning to write about for the past few weeks, but it’s been a very consistent difficulty for me to find time to write about some of the things that have been the most incredible because I get so caught up living in them that I forget to … More An Autumn Stroll
The Transition Artist 