A Year in Review: 2024
Hi friends,
One year closes and another year lies ahead full of endless possibilities. But before I dive into all my hopes and dreams for the New Year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my second year living abroad in Paris. Starting with all of my favorite things:
Favorite Looks:
As per usual, most of my wardrobe is second-hand or vintage. There are only a few pieces in my closet that are new and these items are usually gifted or bought on sale. The longer I’ve lived in Paris, the more neutral my wardrobe has become. It’s not that I don’t like color but rather I find that it’s easier to get more wear out of pieces that are virtually guaranteed to go together in a way that still feels fresh, chic, and effortless.
Favorite Places:
The Kering Open House featuring a curated collection of archival Balenciaga Haute Couture
My dear friend, Raphael de Lacroix’s Parisian studio
Chanel’s 19M studio
The Loewe Foundation Exposition at the Palais de Tokyo
The staircase of Musee Carnavalet
The Olympic flame over Jardin de Tuileries and the main fan zone at Hotel de Ville (city hall)
Inside Palais Garnier, Paris’ main opera house
The view from my dear friend Ivana’s old apartment
The Museum of Design in Copenhagen
Japanese afternoon tea treat at Ogata with Lana
One of my favorite places to grab a coffee, Dimanche Pigalle, part cafe, part vintage shop
Maison Hannon in Brussels
Maisons-Laffitte Castle
Favorite Moments:
My dear friend, Ivana’s bday celebration
Graduating with my Masters in Luxury and Design Management
The first rose of spring from my balcony
Sitting front row for PFW
Receiving the cutest citrus tree and making phone charms for my birthday
Hotel hopping with Lana
Lookbook shoot for Bareyt by Pauline
Inside the world of Maison Anastasia Mathiotte
Hosting my dear friend, Ghazal’s bachelorette party
Watching the Paris Opera perform for Fête de la Musique
Celebrating two years in Paris with Ghazal
Visiting Palais Garnier, the most beautiful building in Paris in my humble opinion
Trying on looks for Raphael de Lacroix’s launch
The first focaccia bread of spring
Visiting my Danish friend, Louise, in Copenhagen
Matching nails with Alexiane
Hosting Friendsgiving
Now with anything in life, every choice comes with a price. As the holiday season came to pass, I found myself feeling something that I rarely ever feel: homesick. Generally, I don’t find myself feeling homesick as I’m usually too busy trying to fight for my visa, but now that it’s winter and the seasonal depression is setting in, I find myself daydreaming about sunset walks by the beach, my dad’s home cooking, and the familiarity of my family home.
For weeks, I told myself that this is the choice I made and it was inevitable that one year I would find myself alone on the holidays but nevertheless, I couldn’t help but lean into the sadness and miss what I know is waiting for me back home.
As the status of my new visa is still unknown, my future here still feels foggy and uncertain so in the meantime, I’m determined to make every day here count. Living here with such constant uncertainty has kept me grateful for the little things and motivated to fight for the life I want to continue to live. Here are some of the things that living in France has taught me:
On Speaking French: Working in an environment where I’m forced to speak and listen to French all day is one of the best methods for me to learn French. In general, it’s true that I get lazy and if I can get away with speaking English I will, so my best advice to anyone is go off the deep end and put yourself in (safe) situations where you have no choice but to speak the language.
2. On Work-Life Balance: Compared to the US’s work to live culture, France is very much about living to work. Some may argue otherwise, but in my experience so far, working hard is an ideal state of mind but working to the bone is considered to be almost ridiculous. Here life is meant to be enjoyed for its simplicity and balance. It’s not to say that French people are not working hard with long hours and drive, but I think that there is a general understanding here that life should be enjoyable and time outside of work should be valued.
3. On Friendships: Similar to the nature of making a lot of new friends during your first year at college or university, overtime some people stick around and other ones fade away. I feel like when I first moved here, I was so focused on making as many friends as possible and it didn’t matter as much how strong our bond was. But now that I’ve lived through multiple seasons of friends who’ve come and gone, I feel like making friends is very similar to dating. It’s so exciting in the beginning but in actuality, you don’t really know if you’re friendship will survive the test of time.
In the end, real friends make time for each other. For some people, it might mean seeing each other twice a year, for others it could be once a week and that’s okay. Ultimately, I value the connections I have with my friends and the emotional support they provide me with when life throws a curveball.
4. On Dating: The question still gets continually asked both here in Paris and back home if dating is any different compared to the US versus Paris. Overall, I feel like the dating process is the same with all the highest or highs and lowest of lows. This year, I made it my mission to stop putting dating on the back burner and go out every once in a while. With a series of dates under my belt, this year I learned: 1. A slow burn is probably for the best 2. Romance is a necessary ingredient but it can easily be found in the simplest of forms 3. Attachment like trust, should be earned not given.
With all that being said, I will continue to be a hopeless romantic and hope that the universe rewards those looking for the cherry to put on top of their life’s sundae.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and musing. I hope the New Year treats you well wherever you are and I wish you health, happiness, and hope for all of the beautiful possibilities of a fresh start.
Much love from Paris,
Kiana