So I’ve come to France out of curiosity, I didn’t have a particular plan. I just wanted to check it out, to have a gap year after my linguistic studies back home.
And then life happened.
I was open minded and just went with a flow I guess.
I came to France as an au-pair in 2009. And I’ve got very lucky with my French family where I stayed the first year. I’m still in touch with them by the way.
That was one of the best years of my life! Easy work, a lot of salsa parties, new friends from all over the world, first French boyfriends …
After this I’ve decided to stay and study at la Sorbonne ! No sooner said than done. Then my internship found at a party has been followed by a 2 years alternance contract (a great deal!). Then I magically found my first job (a graduate program actually) and changed my student residence permit to a working permit which was a huge step on my immigrant path.
After working in Russia, France and Hong Kong I was back to Paris again. I continued in my company as an international engineer on big European projects in warehousing and supply chain.
I did an inimaginable in France: I’ve got an engineer position with engineering school (a really impossible thing in France but look at me haha).
It was all very good looking from the outside but I was feeling as if I’d taken someone else’s chair.
But where is mine then? That is a very good question and a long path before I found it.
I’ll tell you next time 😉
Xoxo
Yours truly,
Yulia