"but is Paris ready for you?"

About 4 years ago, I was sitting on my bed, on my laptop in my freshman dorm room when one of my best friends, Lee walked in through the open door. She was eating a banana and probably intended to talk "real bulls**t" like we usually do, but when she sat down that day, she noticed what page I was reading on the screen.

 "Whatcha doin'," she handed me a piece of the banana.

 "Oh, you know just looking,"

 "That's it. I'm saying it. You have to go. This is the third time, at least, that I have seen you on this website in the last month."

 "Yeah. One day I will, for sure."

 "NO. You need to do it now. If you don't do it now, you'll never go. Seriously, Elyssa. The way that you think and talk about food isn't normal. I like food, Aveen (another of our best friends who lived next door) loves eating out, but you don't just like food, you don't just eat out. You sit there and think about all of the textures and flavors, the pairings and platings. Do it now. I'm going to make it my new life goal to get you to go."

 She was talking about going to Le Cordon Bleu. It was not going to be cheap and I knew that I would not have that kind of money for a long time. About three months later after finishing my freshman year of college, I sat on the porch one morning with my two parents.

                                        (This is my friend Lee in everyday character)

I told them my plan. It consisted of graduating in three years, so that I could use that fourth year of tuition money to pay for it. I listed a few different options of how I would use a diploma in cuisine in my future career. I wasn't completely sure of what I wanted to do with the degree then, and I'm still not completely sure. But, I knew I wanted the skill set. I wanted the experience.

My grandfather was a chef. My grandmother (on the other side) used to bake every person their own favorite pie for Thanksgiving. My father loves to cook. I started scrambling eggs soon after learning how to stand. Food is just a part of my family. When we go to a wedding, no one ever comments on the beauty of the bride or the sincerity of the vows. "How was the food?" "Was it a buffet?" and "You'll never believe how long they kept us waiting to eat while they took pictures..." inevitably are the first questions and comments. It wasn't very long before going to Le Cordon Bleu wasn't a dream, it was something I couldn't imagine not doing.

So, here I am three years later. I graduated in three years. I am paid and enrolled. I have a Visa and a ticket. Today I get on a plane to fly to Paris.

Four years ago, I got on a plane and moved to Jerusalem. Three years ago, I drove up and moved to DC. In a few hours, I will get on another plane and move to Paris. Admittedly, I have a rocky relationship with Jerusalem, but at one point I felt like it was my city. I consider DC my second home. Who knows how I will feel about Paris in a year, but if you follow this blog, you will probably figure it out before I do. 

So, I want to end this post by thanking everyone who has gotten me to this point. You know who y'all are. But specifically I want to thank Lee for sparking the idea in me. And to my parents who continually support me in everything I do (including monetarily!). I chose my parents well- it's probably the best decision I've ever made.

The other day, someone said to me offhandedly. "You look ready for Paris, but is Paris ready for you?"

Let's go find out.