Travel Bag

As I’ve mentioned in my About section, I’m an Australian gal living in Paris.

This is how I got here…

It was the end of 2002, I had been out of University for a year. I was still living at home, life was sweet. I’d been working as much as possible to save up for nothing in particular. My cousin Nat had headed off to the UK, and suggested I head over too. I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to go. I didn’t know if it was the right timing.

I’ve always had an interest in acting and theatre, and so I decided that if the auditions I had coming up didn’t go my way that I’d get out there and see the world. Well the auditions didn’t go my way, and so I found myself wondering if I’d make good on my word. After work one day, I stopped at my usual coffee place for a take-away, and as I was set to leave I looked across the street and saw Flight Centre (ok… it has always been there, but this time it was like a beacon). I thought…
ok let’s just see what the prices are like, how do I go about doing this?
Inside I met a super travel agent, British by birth, who was so encouraging, not pushy and genuine. I found myself leaving with a seat on hold for Thai Airways at a date some six weeks into the future.

After some discussion, I found more encouragement than not, and so within the week I was withdrawing cash to pay for my ticket. My Working Holiday Visa arrived the day before I left (thank goodness I was home when the courier came by). That flight was potentially the longest, most nerve-racking flight of my life.

I ended up in Guildford, Surrey… just a short train ride from the hustle of London. Things were so good there, my self-imposed, six month goal of staying in the UK came and went in a blink.

In my second year I took some dance classes, and found myself very much enjoying Argentine Tango. And here is where it get interesting. I met my now fiancé, a great-looking, charming, french man. Meeting my very own Frog Prince, might have put a hold on my tour plans, but it hasn’t stopped me experiencing different cultures. In fact the cultures I have experienced, I’ve experienced more in depth. In our first year together we visited France several times, and I saw Mountains like I’d never seen before. I ate cheese like I’d never eaten cheese before. I leant to ski, and I learnt to snowboard.

The end of my British visa could have signaled the end of it all, but somehow we found ourselves moving to Italy. We lived in a town called L’Aquila, an hour and a half from Rome. (L’Aquila was in the news this year after suffering a devastating earthquake). In Italy I learned about their fashion and food. We were there for about three years.

Our plans to move to France went awry somewhere along the line, and I ended up home in Perth for a good portion of last year while my Frog Prince stayed hidden away in the Mountains with his family. Having done battle with consulates, embassies, airlines and more for over twelve months, we’ve finally installed ourselves in Paris. I love this city, and I love living here.