The opening notes of Liniker’s Zero seep out like moonlight on a river, and from that very first song — her band’s debut track — you are pulled into her velvet world.
Another day, another coronavirus-related restriction. President Macron announced last night that a curfew will go into effect in certain cities in France— including my Lyon adorée— from Saturday until at least the next 4-6 weeks.
In Better Than I Imagined, the listener floats on H.E.R.’s velvety “heys”, her voice syrupy over the clear notes of the piano keys and bright drum beats. There’s a mellow jazziness to the song that soothes despite its treatment of a conflicted relationship.
Yesterday I arrived back to Lyon after 41 straight days traveling. I am left wonderstruck by a trip that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to see Europe without tourists. It was absolutely wild. I mean, I saw the Roman Colosseum with just a couple of other people in the arena for company. Rome itself was empty compared to normal summers. I can’t emphasize enough how unique this was. Of course, there were other travelers, but they were mostly from fellow European…
Distinguishing Performance From Action Header art courtesy of the talented @shirien.creates As voices swell around the world advocating for racial justice and Black liberation, I feel more hopeful about real change happening in regards to systemic racism than I have in years— since Trump got elected, to be exact. It’s exhilarating to see all the support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, though disheartening to know that this wasn’t sparked from words and wokeness but rather from the tragic…
Quarantined in France I’m delighted that my essay on my confinement experience in France was published by The Culture-ist, a wonderful online travel magazine. It is passionate about covering topics that inspire its readers to travel widely, give back, and live well. Check out my article at this link if you are curious about my reflections on togetherness during this difficult time. Feel free to comment below and let me know how you are doing, beloved subscribers!
The Facts When I imagined my year abroad in France, I never once pictured experiencing a level 3 nation-wide quarantine. But c’est la vie, I guess. It is day two of the official coronavirus quarantine in France, and life feels unreal. All schools, restaurants, bars, cafés, cinemas, etc. are closed— even parks. Only essentials are open: supermarkets and pharmacies (and the occasional boulangerie because it’s France and bakeries are vital). Everyone who can work from home is doing so. If…
In French you don’t say “I miss you” but rather tu me manques— “you are missing from me”— which I think is wonderfully poetic. Being in France away from home, it strikes me how accurate that phrasing is. Despite my love of being here there are moments when I feel an acute sense that home and loved ones are missing from me, as if a hollow space has been carved out from my chest. Sometimes when my mind drifts to…
I will never stay at a hostel again! (Jk I literally stayed in an 8-bunk hostel room days after the chateau, but you know.) Departure One Friday night in mid-October my host dad came home around 8 p.m. and told us to pack our bags: we were headed to the grandparents’ chateau. As one does. We hadn’t planned on leaving until the next day, but it’s a spontaneous household, so we took off in the night after an hour of…
Or, the reasoning that led me to my next step: living in France as an au pair The last blog post I wrote here was about a weekend I spent in Lyon, France a year before — at the time of writing, I had no idea that I would return to this city in just 8 short months! Life can be funny that way. I graduated from college this summer — a phrase which still feels weird to say. For…