Puzzle Pieces

The final days of my stay in Paris were spent with my brother Alex in a small suburb called Bagnolet. When I first moved to Lyon, Alex was preparing to move to Paris and as such we both embarked on new ‘homes’ near the same time. Throughout the few days I spent with him, I learned of his adventurous spirit and desire for travel and new experiences.
 

One of my goals in coming to France was to get to know my family better while gaining a greater sense of where and how I fit in and connect to this newer familial puzzle. It was enlightening and refreshing to get to know my brother on a more personal level, all the while learning more about our similar drive and motivation to seek and seize new opportunities. While Alex was born and raised in France, he traveled extensively in Australia & New Zealand for 6 months a couple of years ago, and speaks very good English! As such our communication was a mixture of French and English, with Alex speaking mostly English and me French! Our time together was spent talking about travel, watching episodes of ‘How I Met your Mother’ (avec les sous titres en français), guessing at music quizzes, catching a film, eating sushi and touring around the Museum of Architecture. I learned of Alex’s enthusiasm for adventure and his love of skydiving and desire to one day operate a French boulangerie in possibly Australia! His personality is one of a go-getter and he continually strives to find new and exciting opportunities while spending less time and energy on ones that are not conducive to his goals…. A definite inspiration for me as I am learning to listen to my inner personal motivations while letting go of the things that don’t sing to my soul.

My final night was spent with Alex and his girlfriend enjoying an authentic French dinner of fondue and raclette at a tiny restaurant, in a cellar-like basement room with stone walls and low ceilings, called ‘Pain Vin & Fromage’. A great ending to my Parisian holiday, with a corner of this new puzzle revealed…

A sincere thank you to Alex and Bérengère for welcoming me into their home,

and for an enjoyable final few days in Paris!