My Life in Boxes

For the last four years of my life it feels like I have always been on the move. From home to university and back every academic term, from university to my summer job at camp, and from home to Paris. Now I am on the move from residence to apartment in Paris and once again meticulously cramming my clothes and books into boxes. This move, though, is a rather happy one. My mom and my sister are visiting Paris for a week and so Iugging my suitcases across the city on the metro wasn’t such a dreary experience.

For me, this is the big finale here in Paris. I just finished moving out of my student residence and saying the bittersweet goodbyes to all the good friends I made along the way, including my two very funny Algerian roommates. They made me a nice French meal as their going-away present and I left them some good old Canadian maple syrup. After I made it to the new studio apartment I went to go pick up my mom and my sister from the airport. They we’re really excited to be in Paris for the first time and their excitement for Paris is definitely rubbing off on me. I feel a bit like I’m discovering the city again for the first time even though I’ve lived here already for about five months.

So far we have surprisingly seen a lot. On their first night here we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, and the Seine at night. On their second day we took in the famous Notre-Dame cathedral, the classic université Sorbonne, the quiet Saint-Séverin, and the rustic bohemian bookshop Shakespeare & Company. It’s been a bonus to all of us to have each other here since my family treats me to food and I point out all of the best deals for them and steer them away from the tourist traps. Tomorrow we are going to visit my church and then take the afternoon on a boat tour of the Seine. Here’s to a week being nothing but a tourist after a full semester of having my nose in the books.