Living La Rêve in Saint-germain-en-laye

Sometimes, (who am I kidding), most of the time, I need a little reminder that I’m doing the right thing. Three years ago, I stumbled upon the MA of Global Communications at the American University of Paris. I applied to the program in late 2011 (in addition to a couple of others), accepted the opportunity to become a masters student abroad in mid-2012, and nearly one year ago, flew from New York (to Reykijavík) to Paris to embark on this adventure. I’ve good and bad days—more good than bad, thankfully—but it’s still tough to wrap my head around the fact that this is real life. It’s not so much a dream come true as it just feels worlds away from everyone and everything familiar. Only my Mom, sister, Anna, and Leslie are somewhat aware of what it’s actually like.
About a week before I came back, I had lunch with Meghan (grilled cheese, to be exact --god bless America) and mentioned just that in our conversation. “But Danielle,” she said, “this is your real life right now. Let yourself enjoy it.” She is such a good freaking friend.
July has been a tough month for me. I didn’t exactly want to leave New York. As soon as I got back, I started interning full-time (literally, I went straight from the airport to the office), I moved apartments, and I completed a directed study research paper I wasn’t exactly prepared to write in the first place. I’ve been tired, anxious, tired, and stressed out. My poor boyfriend probably knows this best and our relationship was under strain because of it. My friends didn't see much of me at all, and I missed them.
But, everything changed this weekend. Friday, I stopped by my friend’s bar for a happy hour beer. The boy met me at my apartment afterwards with sushi in tow. Saturday was spent running errands, and days like that make me feel like a grown-up, in a good way. That night, I caught up with a friend over 5-euro mojitos, ran home for a quick dinner, and then met other friends at a cocktail bar. I didn’t get home until 6:15am. And Sunday, when I did wake up (at noon), I still had one last outing to look forward to.
Anne, Deanna, Lauren, Lillian, and I ventured to Saint-Germain-en-Laye for the 400th birthday of Louis XIV’s gardener, André Le Nôtre. Lauren’s pup, Daisy came, too. The massive château gardens featured works by various contemporary artists, thoughtfully scattered throughout the manicured landscape. We wandered through the grounds, took lots of pictures, relaxed on the lawn, and ended on a sweet note with expensive gelato. It was basically perfect; the kind of day that made my expat doubts a distant memory.
So, this is real life, huh? It's awfully wonderful.