It's official, and you are among the very first to know (nothing like being able to share exciting news with 10,000 of your closest friends):
I am moving to Paris.
For real. Honest. Sans blague. It's not just a dream anymore, it's a reality.
YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Things have been happening the past few weeks, at warp speed in some ways, and opportunities have manifested almost out of thin air. I've been chomping at the bit to be able to talk about it but didn't want to speak (write) until it was certain. And now it is.
Several weeks ago I got an email from a friend, who was forwarding an email from someone she knew (a person I was also acquainted with but had never met). This person had an apartment in Paris that she needed to sub-let as she herself was about to embark on a dream of her own that would take her to live in another part of France for at least a full year. And she wanted to find someone she felt she could trust to live in and care for her apartment, which would be left fully furnished with all the perks: including a washer/dryer, high speed Internet, and more. And affordable, since it's just outside the périphérique and near transportation and everything else I would need to be comfortable.
Oh, and did I mention the outdoor terrace with a view of THE EIFFEL TOWER?
The owner of this apartment needed someone who could take possession in November. Although that felt a bit "soon" to me, I thought there was no harm in inquiring, because you know how you get those little prickles on the back of your neck when something amazing is about to happen? This apartment sounded PERFECT for me in every respect. So I sent off an email... and within about a hour, I got a phone call from France!
After speaking to my new friend in Paris on the phone about her apartment, it sounded even more perfect. And I knew I wanted it. Sight unseen. I mean, what could be better than an entire apartment just showing up out of the blue without me even having to go out and LOOK for it? Could there be any clearer "sign" that this was the right time? The only question in my mind was: could I pull this off right now? Both logistically and financially?
The past couple of weeks it's been a rollercoaster as I have been working through finances and a sea of paperwork to try and get a long-stay visa for France lined up (who would have thought I would one day be calling the FBI to ASK them to fingerprint me and run a criminal check on myself?) There are still many things not 100% settled but I am putting my trust in the Powers That Be, that things will continue falling into place now that the apartment is officially mine (we sealed the deal this afternoon, to both our profound satisfaction!)
It's a scary thing, taking risks in life. For me, this is a big one. But it's not the first big risk I've taken and I'm sure it won't be the last. Experience has taught me that when I take a chance on something I want to do, that even if it doesn't work out exactly as I hoped or planned, and even if it turns out I made mistakes along the way, that I can handle anything that comes along. So although I'm a little scared, I'm far more excited and yes, proud of myself for taking this stretch and going for something I have wanted so badly.
Some people get caught up in the "what ifs" of life: what if you hate it when you go there? What if your money runs out? What if terrorists descend on your apartment or attack you on the streets of Paris? What if anti-American sentiments get even worse?
Could bad things happen to me while I'm there? Sure. But bad things can happen to me anywhere including right here at home. Staying here doesn't mean I'm guaranteed a safe, secure life. And anyway, that's not what I'm looking for. I don't seem to have the need for the standard benchmarks most people call "success" -- a family, owning a home, having nice furniture and a car, acquiring "stuff". Sure, I'd LIKE to have those things and I enjoy the luxuries of life as much as, if not more than, the next person (my past issues with credit card debt, now fortunately behind me, are past proof of my love of "the stuff").
But where I am in my life right now, what's more important to me are the EXPERIENCES I can create for myself, not the THINGS I can have. I figure there is always time to get new stuff, and I'll have plenty of my old stuff squirreled away in storage or shipped over to Paris if I need it.
Oh, and may I just remind those critics of The Paris Fund that the whole idea behind that post was to show the Universe I was dead serious about making this move to France, and that I was open to it happening in any way possible including accepting outside help. I'd just like to point out that this apartment opportunity fell into my lap less than two weeks after I wrote that post with (as some chose to see it) "my hand out". Coincidence? I think not.
The Universe chose to provide in its own way, and it will continue to do so. And I am supremely grateful. And yes, the Fund remains open.
So, fellow armchair (or real life) travelers and francophones, it's time for the pumpkin to turn into the golden coach. Cinderella is finally going to the ball. Please put your tray tables and seatbacks in the upright and locked positions and fasten your seatbelts, it's time for The Bold Soul's Adventures in Paris!
Somebody pinch me, please?
