« Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that. » ~ Bill Shankly
Dear Friends,
Today France became a world champion in Football World Cup. Until recently, I was not into football, but discovered the crazy joyful fun of watching the matches together and teasing my foreign friends during the competition. I like France. It has been my home since September 2007, I studied here, I met great people, fell in love and became independent financially (finally, phew, this was something!). I learned a new craft (totally unexpectedly) and grew up (a little bit). I will never be fully French, neither totally Polish. After living abroad for more than a decade, I apparently speak English with French accent (I am working on it!), still love pierogi and appreciate the naughty French habit of questioning the status quo (ok, let’s be fair – questioning every single thing). I am a bittersweet mix and hopefully took the best from both sides. 😀 I strongly believe that we can be happy, wherever we are. Merci, la France, my adoptive country, for the opportunities you gave me, for offering me the environment where I could learn, have fun and contribute. I would like to see you smiling more often; being a little bit more open to various accents and origins and slightly humbler (this one is nearly impossible, I know!). But hey, lovely Frenchies – today we are champions, let’s show off a little bit and make some noise! 😀 Vive la France and the whole world – we are all nomads and a unique, beautiful and original blend of languages, cultures and experiences!
Love,
Paulina
« I had a meal last night. I ordered everything in French, surprised everybody. It was a Chinese restaurant. I said to this Chinese waiter, ‘Look, this chicken I got here is cold.’ He said, ‘It should be, it’s been dead two weeks.’ » ~ Tommy Cooper
« We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it. » ~ Marge Simpson
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The poem has nothing to do with the above text, buy hey – who told it should? Enjoy! 😀
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Nothing belongs to me
My home is in the moving
My heart is empty
Hungry for connection like a wild wolf
Woof woof 🙂
And fresh like a forest after a summer storm
At times, it feels heavy under a tone of teardrops
Intense like a big blue ocean not-that-pacific
I resist hard not to dive deep or weep
Then I relax, with a silent yes on my lips
And it all becomes like a warm friendly hug
I breathe in and out
It flows freely
It cleans my clutter
It purifies my spirit
I feel safe, soft and sure
Like a sunny silk sky
There is enough space
To let it all in
The good
The bad
The ugly
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It comes and goes
I say welcome
Please be my guest
Let’s have a tea
Let’s chat (I’ll try to shut up)
And we’ll simply be together
For a long tender while
Then the wind will come
To take you somewhere else
While I’ll still stand here
Like I am
Purer
Emptier
Richer
***
« I’m an adaptable nomad. I love Paris, I’ve been living in Los Angeles and New York since 1990. I love London, too. My roots are inside of me. » ~ Julie Delpy
« A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places. » ~ Isabelle Eberhardt