a year in paris

Tyler Jade | 23 My little travel journal full of all my dreams, thoughts, and experiences while living just outside Paris in Montreuil, France. All photos posted here were taken by me. my photography website

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seattle//the future

I’d like to continue writing in this blog, I didn’t even realize just how many followers I have, and how much I miss keeping a collection of photos/updates of my experiences. 

Things have been a little weird since moving to seattle. The whole reason I left france was because I had this huge pull to start working on a career path/make good money/keep pushing my life forward. Working as an au pair just felt like an escape from all that and I thought I needed more. Now that I’m back and the job hunt has grown increasingly difficult, I’m starting to wonder why I even left Europe. On top of that I’ve had a hard time finding my place here socially. I constantly feel like an outsider and like I’m just not meshing with anyone. I dont know if this is normal, since this is really my first time outside of my hometown, or college, or being in a place that already had a social community established for me (my group of au pairs in paris).  I also still have the travel bug crawling around inside me like crazy.. so lately I’ve started to look at opportunities like joining the peace corps, teaching english in asia, volunteer programs abroad, etc. I dont know what the best fit for me is.. and I dont know too much about those types of programs (if you have any insight - send me a message!). 

so I guess for now I’m just focusing on self care and the jobs I do have, even if they arent what I want long-term. I have a few projects in the works and will update as more exciting things start to unfold.

[tylerjadeparis]

house goals

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pacific northwest in autumn//

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eldorado canyon state park, colorado // august ‘16

[tylerjadeparis]

I’ve been in a very weird transition phase of my life lately, even before I left Paris. I’m about a year and a half post-college and majorly itching to get my foot in the door with some sort of career path... & having some money back in my pocket wouldn’t be so bad either. It’s weird to think that it’s already been over a month since I left Paris. Since then I've made my job search a full time job in itself. I’m happy to announce that I will be officially moving to Seattle on September 13th and I couldn’t be more excited. Yesterday I applied for an incredible opportunity as an international exchange program manager with a non profit organization that offers inbound and outbound exchange programs for children 9-18. This would be a dream opportunity to continue exploring my love for travel and global awareness, in a way that helps children grow into more intelligent and worldly little people. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, as so far the job search has proven to be a pretty tough venture, but I’m continuing to keep my spirits up and work hard to get where I want to be. 

A few weeks ago I also had the experience of driving nearly 2,000 miles from Florida to Colorado with one of my dear friends. We stopped in Taos, New Mexico to see the pueblo before making our way up to Denver. The amount of sunflowers in these states was an absolute dream and seeing the mountains all around the city got me even more excited for my move to Washington state.

Fingers crossed that a job falls in my lap in the near future and things start to come together. 

xx

[tylerjadeparis]

A collection of my favorite spots, some typical and well-known, others tucked away off the beaten track. My personal guide to seeing the best Paris has to offer.

This past year living in Paris was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I made friends from several different countries, I picked up an internship that helped me discover passions and skills and I didn’t know I had, and learned countless other things about myself as a person along the way. I decided to go ahead and post this map, although I may end up making changes and adding things to it in the future.  This is just a small collection of places I might spend a typical day & I hope it can help anyone else out there discover some amazing spots in the beautiful city of light. 

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For anyone who has seen my ridiculous map of Paris with all the stars of places I've been/want to go, I'm now in the process of compiling it into a color-coded, shareable and much more manageable guide including personalized notes of each place. I may not have learned as much French as I should have this year, but I did learn Paris. (I promise it will look way more organized when I'm finished)

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Again, really bad at this whole blogging thing - but I figured this is something worth talking about. 3ish weeks go I went off and got myself tatted in Paris! Getting a second tattoo is something I’ve wanted for a long time, and when I moved to France it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use it as a way to commemorate my time spent abroad. So I did a little hunting and came across Enfant Terrible tattoos in the 20th arrondissement and found the artist Chimaera (insta: chimaerauniverse).  Originally I wanted some abstract design that was specific to things I was feeling and experiencing in paris, but after finding this artist, and seeing the beautiful flower work she does.. I decided to go for a magnolia as it just seemed to work for me. I later discovered that magnolias were actually named after French botanist Pierre Magnol, which is a fun little coincidence.  Overall I’m really happy with my decision and the incredible work this artist did for me. My first tattoo was a very simple, small design that I had picked out beforehand and went to any tattoo shop that would give me the cheapest price.. so this feels completely different and like I now have a real piece of art on my body. I’m even starting to think about tattoo #3 already... whoops! For anyone in Paris who is interested in getting a tattoo, I really recommend this shop and this artist. & I also recommend checking out a tattoo event happening wednesday june 8th at Le Pavillon des Canaux. For 50€ you can pick from a selection of flash tattoos from some really great artists, plus it’s just a cool place where you can grab a beer or coffee, or hangout by the canal. 

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One of my favorite parts of paris is the abundance of adorable hidden streets like this. Of course places like the Eiffel Tower, Rue de Rivoli and Notre Dame are equally as beautiful in their own right.. but there is something magical about stumbling upon a completely deserted street covered in vines or beautiful architecture. This one is called Cour Damoye, located just off the busy area of Bastille. I’ve walked around this area countless times and only recently came across this street.  Some other great places to check out are Rue Crémieux, and the many passages couverts (covered passages). 

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Currently:

A bit of what I've been up to, where my head is at currently, and what my general plans are for the near and far future. I have now lived in France for about 10 months. I return to the States sometime at the end of July and I can't believe how incredibly fast it's creeping up on me. As of May 1st I have been a college graduate for exactly 1 year and I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around that fact. It seems like just yesterday I was planning my graduation party and I had all my loved ones helping me celebrate and wishing me good luck for my upcoming travels. I can't deny that thinking about it makes me a bit emotional. Not sad, but just choked up at the reality that life moves so quickly and I'm seeing how important it is to embrace each moment.

Since moving to Europe I have visited 9 countries and countless more cities within France. I hope to make at least one more trip before I leave, but it will depend on time and funds. At the very least I plan to see a few more small towns in France. I have had such an amazing time seeing new places, opening my mind to new cultures, languages, and incredibly fun experiences. In the coming weeks I will continue to explore the bits of Paris that I have had yet to see, cuddle my lovely Parisian friends a little tighter as our time together comes to an end, as well as welcome one of my best friends to Paris next week (!!!!)

As for after Paris, this is where things get a little fuzzy. I have no definite plans yet, but here are what my ideas and ultimate goals are: I know many of my family members would like to keep me close and would love to see me come back to Florida. I won't say I will ~never~ move back to Florida, but I do not see it happening in the near future. Right now my main plan is to join my friends in Seattle. I have always loved the idea of living on the west coast and I know that having an established community and group of amazing people to share a house with would make the transition that much better. I have been looking at research assistant positions with the University of Washington, and even looking into possible programs there for pursing a masters degree. A few weeks ago I had a scheduled skype interview with the hiring managers in one of the research departments, however they had to cancel after realizing that their project was moving quicker than they expected and they couldn’t wait for my late return date. This was pretty disappointing, but it also gave me a much needed boost of confidence from the fact that they were even considering me at all. They knew I wouldn’t be returning for months, but were still highly interested in having me join their department. The hiring manager has encouraged me to keep checking for future opportunities with them, and at least now I have a direct job contact when I do arrive in Seattle or apply for other positions with them in the future. So I’m staying positive and seeing what else is out there. Having a job lined up before I make a huge move like this would be the ultimate ideal situation, but I know realistically this may not happen and I may very well have a temporary rough transition period. Another huge reason why having friends in a new city will be extremely helpful. 

I’m really excited about starting my next big adventure after France. Weirdly it feels a lot scarier moving to a new state than moving to a totally new country. Being an au pair is (in my opinion) the ideal way to make such a huge move like this. I had every bit of security I could ever want: a loving family here to guide me in my times of need, an apartment and job already lined up, and a solid community of other au pairs that made initially making friends so much easier. Now I have to consider going back to ~adult~ life where rent, insurance, and student debt are going to drown me with responsibility.. but weirdly I’m not as stressed about it as I have been in previous years. I (hope) for the first time in my life these financial constraints won’t be quite as difficult since I will finally be able to work a full-time and well paying job (or at least better paying). I don’t expect that it will be exactly easy, however it is a nice feeling to consider these responsibilities and feel confident that I can make it work.  So here’s to moving on and moving up! Even if I’m not exploring new countries in the next year, I am equally (if not more) excited to explore more of my own country and get a better grasp on what I want to do for myself. This year has provided me with a lot of great personal insight and experiences that I know I will use to keep pushing myself forward. 

[tylerjadeparis]

Hey, I made a blog for au pairs to meet and find each other. Would you be interested in joining or sharing this? The url is aupairarchive(.)tumblr(.)com

Facebook tends to be a lot easier for these types of things, but I still like the idea :) so anyone interested - check out this new au pair blog!

[tylerjadeparis]

I can die happy now 🌷 #keukenhof #flowers #tulips #travel #amsterdam #netherlands #garden #holland (at Keukenhof, Holland)

[tylerjadeparis]

I have found my place in the world. Currently on French land, overlooking Lake Geneva and its surrounding Swiss cities 🌍🌿 #hike #france #switzerland #Geneva #promenade #beautiful #beautifulday #vacances (at Mont Salève)

[tylerjadeparis]

Day 1: fed a herd of swans, took a boat taxi (?!) across the lake, explored several parks, and had a guy flag me down on the street to tell me he liked my style and to ask for my number. #Geneva is pretty cool so far. Tomorrow: hiking Mont Salève 😎⛰🇨🇭 #travel #switzerland #park #sun #vacances (at Parc de La Grange)

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The little cartoon town of Colmar, France.

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I honestly feel like the luckiest person in the world. I got a whole extra week off of work in April so I booked tickets to visit Keukenhof (the tulip gardens in the Netherlands) and Dublin! Both of which I’ve wanted to see for as long as I can remember. I love my life, I love being able to travel, and I love all of these amazing opportunities that keep coming my way. 

[tylerjadeparis]

(from top to bottom: Sainte Chapelle, Palais Garnier, & Galeries Lafayette) There was a small moment when I let the negative sides of this city get me down. The gloomy winter, the smelly metro, and an unfortunately high number of homeless people. Things that should be addressed when painting an overall picture of what this city really is and recognize that it’s not without its faults, but not to let yourself get jaded when there is also so much extraordinary beauty that Paris has to offer. When I look around at all the incredible detail on almost every single building, I think about how much time and care has gone in to the architectural beauty of this place. Every corner turns to another work of art. When someone tells me that they visited Paris and didn’t care for it, or had a negative experience, it truly makes me sad. Sure, everyone is different and has their own preferences and sees things from their own perspective. But I just don’t know how you could visit something like Sainte-Chapelle and be anything less than blown away. Or how you can live in a place like this for most of your life and not take advantage of just how much there is to do. Living abroad is such a unique experience to see a place with a totally fresh perspective. As a local foreigner. A temporary resident with an expiration date on our experiences. Parisians tell me all the time that I know this city even better than them, but I try to use these opportunities to encourage them to correct that. If someone who has lived in your city for a mere 7 months has seen more than you have in your whole life, use that realization to get out and explore! I know life has a tendency of getting in the way, but its never too late to start.