Living in Paris, I’m Just Another American—and the French Don’t Seem to Mind
My life as an American in Paris is a far cry from what the glamorous direct-to-DVD movies make it out to be. Still, that’s the story I tell.
Kate Gavino is the creator of the blog and book, Last Night's Reading. Her work has been featured in Buzzfeed, The Guardian, O Magazine, Rookie, the Paris Review Daily, and Brooklyn Magazine.
More by this author
“Où est ma nounou?”: What It’s Like Nannying in Paris
His mother said to me, “French mothers can be wild. That one in particular is a monster.”
Learning to Live in France With(out) The Nose Wrinkle
My relationship with my French teachers became more like the ones I had with my therapists: I desperately wanted them to like me.
Is “Paris Syndrome” a Real Thing?
When you don’t have sky-high expectations for Paris to begin with, the disillusionment you find in the City of Light is much more nuanced.
More in this series
Budding History: On Nationalism and Cherry Blossoms
Through myth-making and symbolism, the natural world comes to stand in for potent human ideals.
What Does It Take to Be a Woman Who Has It All?
When we look at women who work, what remains unseen and what is expected to remain hidden?
Stumbling Stones
As a queer descendant of Holocaust survivors, I knew my first time visiting Berlin—a hub of queer life and Holocaust memorials—would not be easy.
