WHAT IS GOOD?//MOVING TO PARIS//OUGD505

This is an interview with someone who decided to move to Paris for about four months, I thought this would be good to look at as I can hear about the experience of living the Parisian lifestyle from someone who isn't actually from Paris or even France.

INTERVIEW:

Wow, you decided to move to Paris for four months, how did that come about?
I’ve always thought about living somewhere else other than Sweden. It’s not because I don’t like the country, rather because I want to see more. Paris has been at the top of my mental list for quite sometime now. When I visited it for the third time last spring, everything just felt right and it was a place I wanted to experience for a longer period of time. Since then, I’ve been thinking about moving to Paris to see what it would be like. Perhaps you could call it a “test period” to see if the city and I will agree. You never know if you don’t try it, right? And that’s where I am at the moment.

Carin: “Who wouldn’t want to sit on the back of that Vespa riding along the boulevards and avenues all over Paris?”

You’re originally from Sweden, how was the transition to Parisian life?
Well, many things are quite similar to Sweden and it’s not that big of a cultural leap for me as I imagine it could be for others. But at the same time, some things are also very different from what I’m used to. I’m trying to be like a sponge while I’m here, attempting to soak up as much as I possibly can.

One thing that I’m so fond of over here and that’s different from Sweden is the politeness everyone has towards each other (most of the time anyway). For example, you always greet people with a bonjour Monsieur/Madame and when some (that I’ve encountered) leave the bus, often they never forget to call out bonne journée or au revoir to the bus driver. I can’t even imagine the bus driver’s face if I would call out, “Good bye, have a nice day!” in Sweden. It seems like such a small and silly thing, but I really like it. With that being said, of course not everyone is the same. Each person is still different and has his or her own way.

Carin: “I picked up a few sweets from Ladurée the other day. Macarons in different flavours: chocolat, fruit noir, framboise, caramel and the Valentine’s Day special – pamplemousse. I have a feeling I will become a pastry and sweet expert after my time here … or at least I should be after all this eating.”

Can you share with us some of your Parisian discoveries? How about things you like to do … for free?
What I like most about the city is to simply walk around. I know that this sounds like such a cliché but I truly love it. Last week, for example, I walked around the St. Germain area, onto the 7th arrondissement and back again. Just walking, stopping whenever I wanted to, visiting small shops, taking pictures and choosing new streets to discover. It’s so relaxing to walk around alone only with your thoughts while getting to know the city a bit better. I think that my uncle gave me the best advice before leaving when he said, “Make time and plans to do absolutely nothing.”

Carin: “A Sunday in Paris. At first it seemed like the city was packed with people, but as soon as I got away from the tourist attractions, the city was totally empty. On some streets, I was even all alone.”

Another thing that I think you should do if you travel or move to another city alone is to learn to eat, sit or just have a cup of coffee all by yourself, especially in Paris! I often find many people here by themselves, just enjoying being alone. To me, this was a scary situation before arriving since I’ve always travelled either with my family, friends or boyfriend. Sometimes, it can still be quite intimidating. But when you overcome that feeling, you often end up having a really great time by yourself.

Carin: “I could sit in this chair for hours, just enjoying the sun. But since it’s quite cold at the moment, and I don’t want my back to freeze to the chair, I think I’ll have to wait a few more weeks (hopefully, only weeks).”