Last week, I spoke to a group of freshly-arrived study abroad students at Boston University’s satellite campus in Paris about my experiences not only in the program they were about to embark on but about life as an expat since then. It hasn’t been that long since I was in their shoes, wondering where this brief stint in Paris would take me and hoping my France-French was at least as good as the version I was told I spoke in class. And it hasn’t been all that long since I was in Olivia’s shoes- falling in love with a Frenchman, pursuing graduate studies in Paris and thinking of ways to carve a solid place for myself in my adopted city.  

The first time I met Olivia, of the blog Oh La La Livia, I was struck by her confidence, bohemian spirit and drive to create. But what impressed me most was her courage to settle in Paris when home and family were in Melbourne, some 24 hours away by plane. But she’s come at the right time – making contacts, sharing common interests and plights and even starting a side business are greatly facilitated by social media which was just beginning…

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