summer days in paris 🇫🇷🍷 my apartment tour + life updates

Auto-captioned from the film, lightly cleaned. Elena's words, not edited prose.

Oh friend, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Ooh, these days we know nothing. Hello from my kitchen. I know it's been a while. I hope you're not mad with me, but I'm happy you're still here. How are we doing? How's your summer going so far? Woo! I've been trying to make more healthy meals at home cuz I always just feel so much better in the summer. I have been loving this recipe and I make this at home dressing. It's so good. I can't believe this is my second summer in Paris, which is crazy.

If you've been following this channel, I moved to Paris well over a year ago, which is like still mindblowing. I feel like New York genuinely was really not that long ago. I definitely haven't been days on the ground a full year yet because I'm traveling quite a bit, but I really want to make the most out of this summer in a soft way, if that makes sense. I feel like I'm almost feeling slightly nostalgic for a period of life while I'm still in it. So, I really just want to enjoy this summer and be present and get outside.

I think I need to make like a Paris bucket list of all like the small things that I want to experience in the city. I will also share, of course, in case you're visiting and you need some tips. But time just moves so quickly. And I feel like I move so quickly, especially in my like early and mid20s. And now that I'm in my like later 20s, it really feels like a goal of sorts, I suppose, to just be more appreciative and move slower and be more self-aware and just be like attentive and present to like the things I get to experience and like the beauty of this current season of life.

I feel like I have this feeling of like how rare and special it is and fleeting to be the age that we are and the chapter that you're in and the season of life that you're in. Like it's not always going to be like this no matter what. If you're a student, if you're a mom, it's fleeting and it's beautiful and we won't get it back. Truly, I don't mean that at all in a negative way. Just as a way of encouraging to be more present. So, here I am staring outside my window looking out into this insane Parisian courtyard and I already feel nostalgic for a period of life that I'm currently in.

Anyways, that's a lot of rambling. I had a Great Bears class this morning and so I'm trying to be better about getting my protein in. I'm working here at home a bit today to make sure I get out and about in Paris because I can lean introverted and a bit less social if the opportunity presents itself. So, I'm trying to make sure I get out there and I'm enjoying Paris and experiencing it and living it up. Hi. Hello. How's it going? I do not know how to sit in this dress.

Going to hug this emotional support pillow. Figured we should chat. Talk about some life updates. It's been a while. I have done a horrible job of vlogging for like a lot of 2025 kind of after winter. I would like to do better. If you would like me to do better, if you want to see vlogs, let a girl know. I will step it up. I promise. So, I have an apartment that I need to show you. I've had this for a little while. I've had this literally since April and it's July.

So, like clearly I have not been vlogging enough. I love this spot. It's fully furnished. I have a 9 or 10 month lease. They don't really do it here like they do it in the US. Like it's not like you sign on for 12 months or 18 months or 2 year lease. It's like generally monthtomonth, but because I signed with a rental agency, it was a little different. So I have like until the holidays and then my visa is basically up. So I'll have to make some big life decisions. So lots of exciting stuff to figure out.

Feel like my life has been kind of all over the place in my 20's. I've loved moving around and exploring like what the definition of home means to me. Whether that through be through a geographical location, through other people, or just through my own self and the home I create within myself. kind of cheesy, but like that's the journey, y'all. Let me bring you a little closer. It's a bit of a rocky ride. So, I have another um ah crazy update. Oh my god, why is this so nerve-wracking? I've met someone.

Oh my god, am I going to literally cry? Am I okay? Um ah I'm good. This is happy emotion and I'm also kind of nervous and it's also really scary to share private things on the internet. We've met someone really incredible who is just like the best person I've ever met. She's entering her lover girl era. Just feel like over the many years I've loved sharing and connecting on the experiences you have in your 20s. If you know my channel, you know I've also been miss independent do everything on her own for like a very long time.

It's just like so beautiful and healing meeting someone really incredible. I'm not going to go into too much detail about this, but I figured it was also worth sharing besides it being like a big life update. I'm so familiar with the other side, you know, working really hard and like creating that like love within yourself and working on yourself. And I always will think it's like the best journey and most important journey you can go on. Dating can also feel a bit hopeless. I feel like in like our modern day, all it takes is just one person, meeting that one person to like change everything.

And you never know when it's going to happen. Like it can happen kind of completely out of the blue. So yeah, anyways, I'm going to wrap this up, but I'm really happy. Okay, let's wrap this up and get myself together, get a bit of work done, and um do some Parisian exploring. Peace. Paris apartment tour. You have this very small, modest little kitchen. There's a bathroom in here. You have this long hallway and then you have this nice big living room. This dining table I can't wait to host. This area in here has been really lovely.

I really need to switch out this art. I am not a fan. But I love that I have like the classic Parisian fireplace. And then you have my bedroom in here. I love how peaceful it is. The uglier but very helpful for guests room is the second bedroom with these two twin beds. I've already had quite a few people come in and stay. And then here is this bathroom that loops you all the way around. I mean, she's nothing special, but she does the trick. And it takes you back to this hallway, which takes you to bedroom and back into the living room.

If you're a foreigner and you're looking for a place to live in Paris, I worked with an agency called Von Pave. I said social media work. It's helpful if you're a non-native resident, like you're not a French citizen, you're looking for residence in Paris, it is a little bit more expensive than like the general Parisian real estate. But if you're a foreigner, they basically can help you with all like the contractual work to find lease cuz it's really really hard otherwise. It's still less than I pay for like a onebedroom in New York.

So for me, I can justify it. So I'll link them down below. If you're American or from wherever you're looking to move to Paris, it is helpful. Wanting to stay from like 6 months to like, you know, multiple years is very helpful. I need to close this. There's lots of wine to drink. It is so excruciatingly hot. I'm literally going to go to the gym cuz at least the gym has me sleep. I'm not built for this. Good morning. How we doing? It was so hot yesterday that I've learned my lesson today.

and we are going to get out and go to a coffee shop to get some work done because I was dying in my apartment yesterday. It was so hot even with the fans. I'm learning. My American showing and I'm not used to not having an AC when it's 100°. So, let's go check out some cute coffee shops and get a little bit of work done. Also, I finally got the pollen bag that I feel like everyone's always talking about. It's perfect. She's perfect. This color is so beautiful. this bluish gray.

And I love the white stitching and just have everything you need. Honestly, so few places compare to Paris in the summer. I guess today has been a good day. We ran a lot of bearings. We dropped off packages. We dropped film to get developed. We have my suitcase cuz I'm heading to London soon. and then I'll fly to Costa Bravo. If you've been watching my channel for like a few years now, you may remember that I sometimes do those big friend group trips with my friends from New York while doing Spain this year.

It's hard, but it's still so important. Still invest in those friendships and see those people in the country or the place where you're from whenever you can. And unfortunately, it's not very frequent. I'm grateful that we're finding a way and we're finding time nonetheless. I'm really loving this Sisly foundation, Kaito Tint perfection. Let's give her a little pat pat pat. I mean, it's nice in the summer. I really feel like I just do the bare minimum. A good amount of blush, a little bit of coverage, maybe a brown eyeliner and mascara.

And don't forget your sunscreen. As summer is here and in full swing, like years pass, I would usually book out my summer with a million things. I'm trying so hard to genuinely slow down the summer. And I think living in Paris for the last like year has for one like really helped desenter good old late capitalism. need for being like highly productive at all times and like never wasting time. I said to them today, what are we really rushing for? We're just rushing to get to the next day and do it all over again.

If you're like me and you're any of the like girlies that have been a part of productivity culture, you know, it's like all my like honor students that are now burnt out and like many overachievers, being present can be so hard. And I'm like really coming to terms with like being present is a practice. It's not a destination. It's not somewhere you like get to and arrive stay in. It's something that's like this continual process. There's so many little ways you can incorporate it in your life that I've been trying to do.

Like literally just light that bougie fancy candle you've been saving. When I put on lotion instead of like smacking it on my body, like just putting it on with intention and appreciating how it feels on my skin or like stretching before bed. I suck at stretching. I've never been someone who likes like slow movement like yoga. I like to run. I like to do it. We're working on that. I think as you slowly start to get older, like I'm 28, I'm going to be 29 in the fall. They tell you about this, but I think it takes actually getting there to fully understand that with time you just truly are more understanding of like what is important and what's not.

The more time goes on, the more I'm like can't wait to buy a little house in the countryside, live my best life, read books, really getting into cooking recently instead of like 21-year-old me that thought by like my 30 I'd be building some kind of like business empire cuz I thought that'd be a life of fulfillment in like traditional societal success. I say none of these thoughts were revolutionary by any means, but it is something that I've just been like reflecting on recently. Yeah, let that hair out. That is super This seems like sunrises, sunsets, as good as I have my dupe.

My knockoff Stanley that I've been calling Stanley. You get it? What is up with Europe and just like not doing AC in apartments? I should look into this because I don't understand it. It's one of the hardest things I've had to get used to. So, we could have a little check-in chat. I like to do this every maybe once or twice a year. I've been doing this for so long. I am so grateful to have this beautiful little corner of the internet with you guys. And the fact that for whatever reason, this incredible little community of friends has stuck around for literally so many years now, like 8 years, which is insane.

I need a little more support here. I always like to check in and like hear what you want to see. I mean, again, I've been doing this for so long that sometimes I'm like, "Holy smokes, there's like so many new creators." How do you continue to like evolve and grow and connect with people when this space is so rapidly expanding and changing? Basically, what I'm saying is I'd love to know more of what you want on here and on Instagram. I feel like one of the things I always would love to do is to, you know, create content and tell stories around adventure and traveling to really unique corners of the world that maybe there's not as much like media about.

Knowing the local culture, talking about the history, meeting locals. I will always love to do that like adventurous element whether it's like climbing Mount Kamjara or going to like Usbekistan Kyan to travel on the Silk Road like I literally just did a few weeks ago and we're not doing things like that. I love to capture content around fashion and lifestyle and the books I'm reading and the art I'm seeing just the musings and the experiences I'm navigating life through my you know now early 20s to late 20s. so grateful for this like crazy and silly little life I've carved out for myself.

Like thanks to connecting with all of you or if there's any like YouTubers or short film creators you've been loving right now. Like I'd love to know like what's what's catching your eye. As much as I really always enjoy making kind of like a similar style like comforting content as I've done throughout the years. I also like I like to well I like to expand. I like to challenge myself. That's why I've done a lot of like different series over the years if you've been on this channel. And yeah, I think I'm just an interesting crossroads and figured I'd check in.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Also, the curtain is blowing so beautifully in the wind right now. It's so peaceful. I've been listening to music all day and I like this is my first time actually. Got to turn the music off, which I need to do better about doing and just like listening to the sounds of like life moving by. And now that I'm doing it, it's so nice. Look at that. Hi. Hi. I also always enjoy experimenting with tech. And I got this new camera cuz I've been watching a bit of Danielle Simmons, the vlogger, and she recommended this.

And it's fun to have this kind of like handy dad cam. It's fun. And we are headed out. I need these. I know that I could have tried harder in this liquid. Courage is got me feeling smarter. So, I'm hoping I will find the right words to say. Tell me what is left around here other than you my love. Tell me what is left out here other than you Best way to spend an evening in Paris or off to the is off to the 7. We love snack. Oh my god.

Oh my god, you're so good. What are we shaking? Half the bottle was gone. This is us all day. How I feel. Oh, I love girlfriend. It's no secret. We were never perfect, but I guarantee