My Spring Birthday: Parties, DIYs, and Reflections
Hi friends!
It’s been some weeks since I’ve last written about my latest adventures in Paris. Between my hosting friends visiting from LA to traveling around Europe for Easter break, I haven’t had much time lately to breathe. After returning to Paris last week, I jumped straight into preparations for another interview followed by party prep for my birthday party that I hosted last weekend.
In all honesty, I was feeling so overwhelmed and stressed about my internship hunt that I almost didn’t want to host anything for my birthday this year. On most days, the weather is grey and cloudy so even my seasonal depression has barely recovered from the long winter. But then the thought crossed my mind that I would be turning 28 regardless of if I chose to spend it alone or surrounded by friends and I supposed if I was going to get rejected from another job, I might as well be surrounded by friends who believe in me.
Part 1: The Party
So after a very anxiety filled week on the job hunt, I decided to host a small gathering at my place along with dinner plans at a local Korean BBQ restaurant for those who couldn’t make it in the afternoon. Here are the highlights:
The Menu:
Fresh baguette with brie, assorted cold cuts, and olives
Homemade Matcha Olive Oil Cake. Recipe can be found here. I simply added matcha at the last step.
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not my best work but still turned out delicious.
Chips and dip
Fresh Strawberries
Bubbly Citronnade
As always, my little gatherings always have a theme. This year, I decided to host a DIY Spa Afternoon for friends to relax and make face masks at home. In general, my birthday party was just another excuse to eat snacks and relax with friends since all I really wanted to do was enjoy the company of my favorite people. Also, I love baking and I’ve definitely had to get more resourceful with my baking methods since I still don’t own an electric hand-mixer. During my party, my friends surprised me with giant bouquets of flowers and showered me with the most thoughtful little gifts. To me, the most treasured gifts are the sentimental ones. Handmade cards, little home decor items, and fresh flowers are some of the things I love most.
Afterwards, my friends and I had dinner at BigBang, a KBBQ place located in the Fifth Arrondissement. This restaurant has a special place in my heart because it was the place where my first French friend, Alexiane introduced me to her group of friends here in Paris nearly eight months ago. Ever since then, everyone has been so kind to welcome me into the group. Through this singular moment alone, I became part of a family here in Paris and my circle of friends has only grown from there.
Part 2: Bday Celebrations Continued:
Since my birthday fell on a Monday this year and I was lucky enough to not have any classes scheduled this week, I asked one of my friends, Ivana, if she would spend the day with me. Originally, I was thinking we would just spend the afternoon at one of the free museums in Paris but my friend, being the generous soul that she is, surprised me with an afternoon filled with all of my favorite meals.
First, she surprised me with lunch at Jun, a beautiful new Japanese restaurant located in the Sixth Arrondissement. Since we were dining together on a Monday afternoon, the restaurant was fairly empty allowing us to feel like we were having a private dining experience. The restaurant itself was stunning and reminded me so much of my family home. Built with in a contemporary yet distinctly Japanese style, the aesthetic of the restaurant felt elevated yet welcoming. One of the most memorable features of the restaurant was the ceilings covered in faux Cherry Blossom branches. From the open sushi bar to the thoughtfully places flower arrangements, this restaurant felt like a destination in itself.
Between the two of us, we shared the following:
Starters:
Shrimp Tacos
Seared Tuna Sashimi (my favorite)
Crunchy Tuan Roll
Main:
Dragon Roll
Black Cod Roll
Dessert:
Matcha Tiramisu with coffee jelly and red bean
Assorted Mochi Ice Cream
After lunch, she had another surprised waiting inside Galerie Vivienne. Inside the ornate halls of the passageway is a small tea house called Le Valentin Vivienne. Amongst an array of delicate pastries and tea, the tea house also serves small batches of gelato. Though there are dozens of places to have afternoon tea in Paris, there’s something truly special about having tea inside Paris’ iconic Galerie Vivienne. The tea and pastry we selected were absolutely delicious and the most perfect birthday treat. Though tea service isn’t serviced in a triple tiered tray, I would highly recommend this place as a more affordable option for afternoon tea.
For dinner, another friend joined to make quiche at my place. After eating so much all day, it was nice to cook something easy and simple at home. Also, it was my friends’ first time making quiche and I was so pleased to show them how easy it can be.
Part 3: Reflections
As of now, I’ve been living in Paris for eight months. If you ask my friends and family back home, I’m sure they would tell you that it feels like a lifetime. If you ask me, it feels like I’ve been existing in another life entirely. Moving abroad is a privilege and a luxury in itself. The financial burden alone is enough to deter one from venturing out into a new life. I was one of the lucky ones. I had (barely) saved enough to pay for my French Masters Program and housing with the money I had earned from working in entertainment and fashion back in LA. It was really important to me to be as financially independent as possible since I felt like living at home so long allowed me the luxury of saving.
With the finances strategically set aside, all that was left was my boldness; the confidence to brace the uncertainty of a new life abroad with no prior family or friends to lean on. After having developed my social circle very quickly and landed (just by luck) the most amazing apartment I could ever dream of, my life in Paris couldn’t have fallen together any better. Due to a combination of luck, determination, resourcefulness, and pure guts, I somehow managed to make my dream a reality. Even to this day, I still can’t believe it.
To many people, it looks like I’m living my best life and I am. But I must admit I tend to share the highlights more than I do the disappointments as I’m sure most people do. What people don’t see is the perpetual fear that I hold not knowing what my professional future will look like and the endless a trail of administrative tasks I have to do as an expat (visa, banking, medical card, etc.) It took me eight months to get money from the French government that students are entitled to to aid with housing. One month just to open a bank account, which may not seem like a big deal but without it you cannot have any utilities under your name. If I could sift through all my expat experiences so far, I would tell my younger self the following:
Having a different vision of happiness is a blessing not a curse.
Keep doing all of your hobbies. Likeminded friends will follow.
Itemize your budget. Meal prepping is the best life hack.
Mom and Dad will miss you more than you think. Call home often.
Living with roommates is a window into life as a local. It’s actually one of the best thing to happen to you.
Don’t wait until the last minute to do laundry. The laundry mat closes with or without you.
Be direct and specific with your expectations regarding school and work.
Networking is just as important as making new friends.
Electricity is expensive especially in the winter. Invest in a space heater, curtains, heavy blanket.
The French are just as embarrassed about their accent as you are about your American accent. Trying to speak in French is a learning process and worth the initial embarrassment.
As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope this blog post gives you a little window into my current life here in Paris outside of just the pretty pictures I like to post. I do have every intention of returning to Youtube soon with new vlogs so stay tuned! If you have any thoughts, suggestions or questions, feel free to send me a DM or a note in the comments section down below.
À bientôt!
Kiana