I have not taken the time to write a lot of blog entries lately. As Desmond put it to me, “you’ve really dropped the ball on the blog”. The reason for my lack of writing is that when I realized our first year would be over before we knew it, I decided I needed light a fire under some of the things I had wanted to accomplish (learning French). That meant taking a break from blog writing for a while. To motivate me and focus my efforts, I committed to taking a French exam, which, after so many years out of school, was incredibly stressful. I am happy that I did it, am even happier that it is behind me and am now pleased to take some time to look back on our year.

We have lived almost exactly twelve months in Paris, through four seasons and a year’s worth of holidays. We survived the summer heat waves and a cold, damp winter. We discovered new holiday traditions and found ways to celebrate our own in an unfamiliar country. We saw France’s men’s football team win the world cup, witnessed the gilets jaunes take to the streets to protest social inequality and watched Notre Dame as it burned. We acclimatized to French school and work schedules with longer days and more homework. We travelled on metros, trains and airplanes and had more family adventures in one year than we have had collectively in our girls’ lives to this point. We bought our fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, cheese, bread and desserts in small specialty shops and outdoor markets, mostly minutes from our apartment. We learned to speak French and to notice and appreciate beauty. We fell in love with long dinner parties and the famous French cheese course. We walked much, much more than we are used to and drove much, much less. We missed our family and our friends from home and made new friends from around the world. Our perspectives widened, our world views were challenged and we collected a years worth of experiences which have changed us forever.

We are back in Canada for the summer. We are mostly looking forward to seeing the people we have missed. The girls are also excited to play in our local playground and have pizza from our favourite restaurant. I am excited to see the big Alberta skies and to sit in a quiet spot outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. Houman is looking forward to being away from the stifling Paris summer heat

People ask us: how was your year in Paris? The simple answer is, it was amazing. But the real answer is that it was amazing for 1,001 reasons and not just because we were living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and not just because it was always easy. There were hard moments of homesickness, frustration, and fatigue. The blessing is that these moments brought us closer together as a family and that they were counter balanced with the excitement of all our new experiences.

Taking a year away from your regular existence is a gift. We know how exceptionally lucky we were to be able to do it and to have the opportunity to spend another year in Paris is the icing on the cake. Our next year is dedicated to deepening our experiences: more learning, more travel, and forming a deeper relationship with the country we have fallen in love with. Coming home to Canada is the perfect pause, giving us a chance to reconnect with what we love while thinking about where the next year will take us. Happy summer, Canada and à bientôt, Paris