One year ago today, I moved to Paris.

There was a dream I wanted to fulfill, so I finally gave in to the thrill of adventure and I decided to leave the nest. This was no mere whim, but a decision made after years of planning and trying to understand what was my calling in life.

On the 6th of September, I boarded the plane, knowing that this would be good for me.

But good is too dull a word to describe what happened afterwards… my first year in Paris.

The more I gave to Paris, the more it gave me in return. Friendship, knowledge, faith, unforgettable moments, song and dance, happiness, fulfillment, and the utter disbelief that I was leading such as life.

I fell in love with Paris, and Paris showed me how to make the best out of life in a big, busy, cosmopolitan city. It inspired me to become the person I have always wanted to be, and it awed me with its every corner, monument, and scenery.

Today, I turn over a new leaf and leave my student days behind, as I am about to present my Masters thesis, the last requirement for the fulfillment of my Masters degree. “La boucle est bouclée”: one year later, I end what I initially came here to do.

However, this is not the end, merely a new beginning. I have come to Paris with the intention to stay, and stay I will! Indeed, I am going to embark on a new adventure as a research engineer not but thirty minutes away from this idyllic city.

Paris, you have been good to me. A new year has begun: do amaze me, will you?

-J.