La belle vie

After a 3 week long roller-coaster, I've learned that big decisions in life, make all the little decisions hard to come by. Coming to Paris, or at least coming to Europe on exchange, became a dream thought over a year ago. Fortunately, it also came at a time when I was lucky enough to have people in my life that supported this dream. Once that "big decision" was made, that I was going to try and go on exchange, the little ones started to roll in, one by one.
Little decisions, I've learned, are really the decisions that make a bigger impact on your life than you ever expected. Did I think I was going to get into my #1 choice for exchange at HEC Paris? Did I know I'd be lucky enough to find an apartment in the middle of a gorgeous area with a great Parisian roommate? Did I have any idea that my company would actually be ok with me taking a LOA? Did I know that in the end, all these decisions were going to lead me to being in Paris this fall, and really starting over again?
My plans for coming to Europe started off a little differently than how they've ended up. I imagined moving here with a job in line, and a partner in hand. I ended up with a fantastic school and a chance to figure out what it is that I'm looking for out of my life - for work, for a lifestyle, in a relationship and in friends.
As my first 3 weeks of actually "living" in Paris, are coming to a close, I have been fortunate to make a lot of ground. I've met fabulous people. I've become acquainted with a new academic system and an actual business class in french. I've spent a full day trying to promote myself to companies in Europe, and gotten a good vibe from a few prospects. I've learned that sometimes, decisions have to made and timing is never ideal. It is hard to be far away from the ones closest to you and have to try and share emotions over a Skype call or email. At the end of each day though, I have to continue to remind myself that everything in life happens for a reason. The emotions need to be felt, things need to be said. Each experience, each day, each decision makes us a little bit stronger, a little bit more aware of ourselves and ultimately, will make our lives become just a little bit clearer... Although there are some days where I feel like I live in a bubble full of fog, I know that the stronger I am to push through it, the clearer the outside will be.
This post isn't really something I was going to share, but I felt I needed to write regardless. I want to thank my friends (and fam) for being the absolute best people ever. Without you, I wouldn't be the confident, assertive individual that I am today, and I probably wouldn't be in Paris, where I am truly in my element. Hopefully, fingers crossed, this experience will bring me one step closer to understanding exactly what I want out of life in the next few years (babysteps, right...). Miss you and love you all!