The only thing more terrifying then moving halfway across the world all by yourself at the age of 18, is moving back home. My year in France brought me more joy, meaningful friendships, incredible experiences, and opportunities to travel then I had ever experienced before. How was my new normal ever going to compare? Had I reached my peak? I went from living in an amazing studio apartment in a city with a population of over 2 million people, the best food in the world, more museums then you could possibly visit, and endless opportunities to living with my parents in a tiny village within a tiny rural county. My hometown, Bloomfield Ontario, has a population of 576 people. My entire hometown could be represented by a typical Parisian queue. There are a few restaurants, several wineries, a lot of retired people, and a beach. I absolutely love the County and am beyond proud to call it home, however, I found it extremely difficult to adjust to such a drastic change of pace. It was scary, just as all change is.
After my summer at home, I packed up all my shit and moved to Kingston, Ontario. Although it still didn’t compare to Paris it at least had some young people, a handful of good restaurants, and a few fun things you could do to fill your spare time. In September of 2017, I started studying to become an accountant. I never was passionate about it, and I never thought that it was the most exciting thing in the world, but I was happy. I had met some really fantastic people, moved into my very own one bedroom apartment*, and had a 4.0 GPA. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that I may not have been as happy as I thought I was. I was already questioning my career choice and I wasn’t even done half of my education. Now that you have a little bit of my history I’m bringing us to the present tense.
You may be wondering what this all means for me and why this blog post is coming at you nearly TWO YEARS after I have been home? What the point of it is? Honestly, I DON’T KNOW! I don’t really know what to do or where to go from here, but I do know that Paris wasn’t my peak. I know that there are great things in store for me and I know that I have an incredible support system walking alongside me every step of the way as I am trying to figure out what my next steps are. I have a few options for next year that I am seriously considering. I know I am going to continue to pursue a business degree but I have no idea where that will be happening and what it will look like. Only the Lord knows at this point, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Julia
*the featured image is my living room. I want to be buried on my couch!
Parisian Princess 