Living Alone in the City of Love

I worked so hard for hours on end searching for an internship in Paris because it is known for fashion. After a couple phone interviews with some companies, I landed an internship with what seemed to be the perfect internship. I was so excited. I had a countdown on my phone for months, and I started packing 2 months before I left. Soon enough I said my goodbyes and headed to the airport. I was thinking I'd be gone for 3 months and taking the fall semester off because I wouldn't get back in time.

I was way too excited to sleep on the plane so I watched the movie "Dior and I" for the 6th time. Both of my parents came with me for a week to see Paris and make sure I was living in a safe area. When we got there we went straight onto a tour bus because our hotel rooms weren't ready yet. This was the best way to get a feel around the city and get my bearings.

We spent the week adventuring around the city and seeing all the tourist sites. I was sad to say goodbye to my parents and honestly a little scared. I knew ZERO French (except merci) and I knew nobody in Paris. I started my internship in Paris and at first I loved it. I embraced living in a city that has so much history. I loved learning about it. I would go find all of the offices of the designers hoping to meet one of my idols like Karl Lagerfeld or Raf Simons. I even saw THE MOST AMAZING museum. The museum of Christian Dior. I cried 5 times while being inside there(not an exaggeration). If you are a fashion nerd like me you'd understand.

I am the type of person that loves to travel and adventure on my own. After a month it took a toll on me. Each day I woke up and went to an internship where only one person in the office knew English, nobody would talk to me and I would get yelled at in French. I am so thankful for my parent's. They both set alarms for 2 am(Minnesota time) and would call me to say good morning. But after a couple weeks I was getting sad, lonely and I was getting disrespected at the company I worked for. I still was making the most of living in the most beautiful city by exploring after work each day. But one day during my lunch break(which some days I didn't even have time to take) I called my mom crying. She said to me "Paige just come home, it isn't worth it". I didn't go back after my lunch break and did not hesitate to head to my Airbnb and start packing. At first I was ashamed and took this experience as a failure. It was not a failure at all. Living in Paris was the most amazing experience and I would not take it back for the world.

There was so many more stories and adventures that I did not mention. If you have any questions send me a message here .

XOXO