Oh Paris

Oh Paris, where do I begin? Being here for the first time since leaving fashion school feels awfully nostalgic.

This city has always held a certain significance in my life. I find myself yearning to return every so often; to breathe in the French air, indulge in local cuisine and immerse myself in artistic splendour. Just a year ago, I was attending what was once my dream school and attempting to conceal any notion of guilt – guilt for loathing the situation I was in, my course of studies, and the life I lived in Paris. I remember enduring hours of mistreatment in school, in an environment which was anything but creative, to come home to a tiny (and terribly expensive) apartment to anxiously ward off a family of rodents and heat up a plate of the only food I could afford. I remember sitting at the edge of my bed and burying my face in the palms of my hands, wondering if I would regret the decision to leave. Today, I do not. Sure, the following months proved to be upsetting – I would meet people from all walks of life who continuously judged me and my return to the island. Fast forward to today, though, and my life is so very different and satisfactory that I could not imagine having gone through with my plans of living in Paris.

Yet, I cannot stay away from this city for too long. Despite the unpleasant memories, there have been fantastic ones too – and I have always been able to relate to the lifestyle here, far more than that in Malta. So as I consider which city I will next call home, Paris is once again an option.

This is the city in which I can aimlessly wander through the streets with no fear of being judged for taking a thousand photos as is often the case back home, but instead, be approached by polite strangers with a genuine curiosity for what I have created. This is the city in which I am able to dress in any way I desire and be inspired by the way others dress. This is the city that always motivates me to put my ideas on paper, the city of endless possibilities – and that is why I am back here today, and probably why I will be back here in no time.

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