Changes

The last few weeks have been quite intense for me here which has come as quite a shock after such a relaxed Christmas. The main change in my routine has come about because I've now 'achieved' my goal to live and work in France. I am a customer assistant at one of the M&S France branches. Currently this means I spend a lot of time hanging up bras and advising people on outfits. The whole experience is helping my French so much and is also a lot of fun.

Cheers, Inception.

Now that I both live and work in France I've realised that I need a new target. Whilst I'm happy to enjoy the moment, I'm a strong believer in having a dream to get you to where you want to be. However currently I'm happy in the knowledge that I've achieved something I've wanted for years. The start of my contract means I am now working or studying for 28 hours a week. This is significantly more than I've been doing since I moved here so I think it will take time to adjust to the early starts and late finishes. But as always I'm doing my best to see it in a positive light. Now I value my free time more.

SU represent.

An example of valuing my spare time could be last night (13th February). A group of people from the Students Union at my university were invited to the British Embassy for a talk on London and Paris. We all dressed up the best we could and had a really interesting evening. Firstly we were greeted the ambassador (!), then we listened and participated in the discussion of Paris and London. Afterwards there was a champagne reception with unlimited drinks and canopés in which we certainly showed our true student colours.

Unfortunately I don't spend every evening at the Embassy (yet). Next week is reading week and I'm looking forward to one of my friends coming down to Paris and also my mum and sister. It's difficult to feel homesick when you have Skype and the Eurostar. I could technically go back to England whenever I wanted (if I had a spare £100+...) What's surprised me is the fact I don't feel like I need to.

Nelson's Valentine's card to our flat

To conclude, I'm feeling pretty happy. I'm surrounded by wonderful people, have easy access to others via the internet and am suddenly getting somewhere! Things are changing but change is one of the only things we can be sure of in life. So, whether you're alone or in a couple this Valentine's, I hope you have had an excellent day.

Alice

#100happydays

"Happiness is a state of mind, a choice, a way of living; it is not something to be achieved, it is something to be experienced." (Steve Maraboli) 

I think we often sacrifice our immediate happiness in favour of a long-term goal and, while this can lead to success, it's an unhealthy way of life. As Maraboli said there is no way of measuring happiness, you can simply feel it. However this isn't always easy.

I recently discovered an online project called "#100happydays" and was immediately intrigued. The concept is simple: everyday, for one hundred days, you upload a picture of what makes you happy. Depending on how much you value your privacy you can choose to use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #100happydays. Alternatively you can come up with your own hashtag or even email the photos directly to the website. The intention of the project is to make you value the moment and become more happy with yourself. According to the website, people who have successfully completed the 100 days "become more optimistic" and "fall in love during the challenge". We will see.

Inspirational messages for a Tuesday...

All this thinking about happiness made me realise that photos each day might not be everyone's cup of tea. Particularly for people who've recently left home, January is a difficult month. After the warmth (both figurative and literal in my case, my flat is freezing) of home during Christmas, the shock of being back on your own is noticeable. I've got a few things in my room which make me feel more comfortable. For example, Helena gave me a calendar with an inspirational quote for each day of the year. Whilst it's very tempting to cheat and read all the quotes now, I appreciate discovering a new message each day.

Ten things to do when the odds are stacked against you.

Another help, currently on the fridge, is a small piece of paper my old school gave me detailing Chris Evans' advice for when the odds are stacked against you. I find the fifth piece of advice most useful, "Get away - to anywhere, be it the other side of the world or the woods round the corner." There aren't many woods in central Paris however there are lots of green spaces to discover. In October I went to the Chateau de Vincennes (to the east of Paris) with a friend. It was pouring with rain as we walked along a country trail and was extremely refreshing. Something I find difficult in living here is the lack of greenery, so discovering that place was very important. 

Now back to me (Miranda reference for those of you unaware). When I was in sixth form I did a photo-a-day project and found the experience strangely therapeutic, if traumatic to look over now. That totalled 623 pictures of dubious quality (e.g. Starbucks, food, selfies) so 100 days should be relatively easy. If you're interested, I'm posting the pictures on my Instagram with the hashtag "100happydays".

What do you do to be happy?