A Holiday Homecoming
Happy New Year friends,
I hope the holiday season was as relaxing, stress-free, and wholesome as the chaotic time of year would allow. For the end of December, I was lucky enough to fly home to LA for the holidays. With winter in full swing in Paris, my constant state of feeling frozen became a large part of my day-to-day life and I couldn’t wait to be home in the SoCal sun.
After one layover in London and a few in-flight movies later, I finally arrived in LA. Note, personally I think that flights are a means to an end. They’re expensive and at the end of the day, all that matters is that you get there with your luggage in tow, but I will say that after flying on AirFrance, Virgin, and Delta, I would rank AirFrance and Virgin higher than Delta. For economy tickets, Virgin had significantly better food and ambiance on the flight. If you happen to have the choice between airlines, my personal experience would place Virgin and AirFrance as solid options for international travel.
Okay so back to the good stuff. When I landed in LAX, I was welcomed home by my parents who have been eagerly awaiting my arrival. Four months abroad went by so fast and in many ways it felt as if I had dreamt up my life in Paris. A dear expat friend of mine mentioned to me that once I live abroad, coming home will feel like you’re living a double life. You will feel torn between two worlds: the home you left behind and the one you created abroad. She was right of course as coming home gave me this strange feeling that no time had passed and my life would simply continue as if I hadn’t been away. My room was exactly the way I left it and my closet was still full of clothes that I wasn’t able to take with me. Once I settled in, I felt this strong sense of familiarity and safety that I had taken for granted. The smell of my dad cooking something delicious downstairs, the sound of my mom wrapping presents as she played Christmas movies in the background, and the nearby sound of my brother tinkering with his stereo. I missed this.
I took a few days to regroup and recover from my jetlag. I binged Saturday Night Live since it’s unavailable for streaming in the EU, went for a sunset walk, and wrapped small gifts for my friends that I had brought back from Paris. But with only ten days or so at home, I crammed as many social plans as possible into my schedule. Here are the highlights:
Day 1-2:
Slow mornings at home
Sunset walks
Homemade breakfast with all my favorite comfort foods
Day 3:
Dad’s homemade beef and bean sprouts for lunch
Quality time by the family koi pond
Photoshoot with Fanny Chu for Raphael de Lacroix (photos coming soon!)
Day 4:
Lunch at Cara Cara with old work colleagues
Coffee date with Kornelia
Dinner with my favorite college friends
My first time trying oysters!
Day 5:
Coffee date with Jasmine
Long beach happy hour and sunset cruise down PCH with Sally and Ivy
Day 6:
Afternoon tea with Aileen
Draft Reflections 2022 blog post
Day 7: Christmas Eve
Afternoon walk with Kimberly
Family dinner at Kagura
Walk through Candy Cane Lane to see Christmas lights
Day 8: Christmas Day
Matching jade bracelets with mom. Handed down from my great grandmother.
Mom made me the cutest photo album containing photos from my move to Paris.
Family potluck lunch and gift exchange.
If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, this would be it.
Day 9:
Brunch in Seal Beach with Prathy
Coffee date with Julia in Palos Verdes
Family dinner at Furaibo
Day 10:
Cafe Coffee Dose with Kristen
Dinner with Danielle
Day 11: Family Day
Quick brunch with Paige
Family day at the Academy Museum
Lunch at Yuko’s Kitchen
Shabu Shabu family dinner followed by homemade mochi
Day 12:
Pack to return to Paris
As I am finishing up this blog post, it’s past 2am and the jet lag is clearly winning yet again. My precious time at home was spent trying to be present and grateful. Now that I’m back in Paris for good, I’m not sure when I’ll return home or be reunited with my friends and family again. Simply knowing this makes living abroad feel a little more uncertain than last semester. Though the weather isn’t as cold as when I left, the constant grey skies and chilly days makes me yearn for the comforts of home.
Until next time LA, thank you for welcoming me home.
xx
Kiana