I decided to move to Paris when I was 19.  I had spent the previous summer there working on an archaeological dig for five weeks in Provence and I had studied French for the prior five years in school.  During Thanksgiving break away from college, I told my parents of my intention.  I find it very much "of the times" that they wholeheartedly backed my plan and helped me save and find my way.  It was the greatest gift they've ever given me.

I worked and traveled back to Paris and France in the years following the time when I lived and studied there (1992-1994) and continued to maintain links with this place that remains near and dear to my heart.  It wasn't until September 2014 that I was able to travel back with my husband and son.  It was magical seeing it through their eyes.  My husband had never before traveled to Europe.  My son was seven at the time and everything was an adventure fit for a plastic sword and shield (which we acquired at the Louvre on the first day).  We spent a disproportionate amount of time in the Jardins du Luxembourg, where my son fell in love with the playscape and I regaled in tales of my time living along the gardens just a block away.

While much has changed (it seems you don't really need to speak French here anymore and Starbucks has most certainly found its way here), Paris remains a place of beauty, culture, and magic in my heart.  I've experienced some of the most life-changing moments and transformative learning lessons here.  It will remain my teacher and I will remain forever a student in wonder of this place.