I'm back!

And I'm moving back to Paris next week!

Today we put most of my stuff in a storage space, so finally my moving chaos is coming to an end.

I'll just pack my essentials and fly away to my new chapter of life. 🛩️

I could not be more EXCITED!

I'll be working there as a production assistant at the 'Institut finlandais' for a few months, but before that I look forward to enjoying some downtime in a calm and summery Paris in August.

I can already taste the inexplicable delight of a proper baguette and crêpes in my mouth—I don't know how I've survived without them these past few months in Helsinki?!

Most of all I can't wait to reunite with all my Parisian friends.

That's my biggest piece of news right now, but if you happen to be curious, here's a recap of what's been cooking in my life over the past months. 😄

My Chapter at Balenciaga

I must say that my stint working as a receptionist at Balenciaga's ready-to-wear offices was quite hectic, but memorable.

The learning curve to qualify for the role was definitely steeper than expected. My hardest task was answering the general switchboard number of Balenciaga. At first I really struggled to understand anything the French were saying on the phone, even though I understood them perfectly in real life.😆 But I do have to admit it was fun to answer the phone with an official tone: "Accueil Balenciaga Bonjour!"

The second hardest part was not being too naive! I just couldn't believe in the beginning how many scam calls came through the switchboard, or that suspicious people could try to get a badge from us to steal something worth millions of dollars inside the offices. 🥶

All in all it was a very interesting journey into French work culture, which I found was VERY different from Finnish culture. Let's just say that in Finland it's usually a bad sign if no one compliments your work or encourages you to keep excelling. In France it seems to be more of a good sign if no one says anything encouraging about your work, because it means you're not making major mistakes worth noting. 😂

The best part was obviously that I got to see even a tiny glimpse of the legendary Paris fashion world from behind my huge reception desk (people literally couldn't see more than the top of my head when I was sitting down 🤣).

My Master's Degree Marathon

Last December, I completed my last courses for my degree, and this spring semester I dedicated myself to writing my Master's thesis. A 'thesis' sounds way fancier than it really was though. I considered it more like a longer essay than usual. But of course it really was the first time I'd ever written something that long—over 50 pages in total!

I was entirely focused on that project for a few months, and I took all the pleasure out of it. I truly did enjoy spending hours in deep focus writing it in a library and challenging myself to think new things.

I almost felt like a cool professional researcher!

Even though the best part was the process, it's also been great to have some wonderful feedback on it afterwards from people who've read it.

Post-grad blues?

Of course I felt ecstatic and liberated when I submitted the thesis, but a feeling of emptiness can follow after completing such a big project. I don’t think I’ve really gotten true post-grad blues, but I do already feel a sense of nostalgia towards all my 2,95€ student lunches and listening to the most inspiring professors during lectures. 😀

Mostly, I’ve been feeling inspired about being able to use my post-grad freedom to work on some exciting projects. They've mostly revolved around learning about (online) marketing, which is way more fascinating than I used to think!

In sum, I haven’t stopped enjoying learning new things after graduating—learning is a lifelong endeavor after all.

And writing this newsletter will definitely help in that endeavor!

My plan is to write to you twice a week from now on (Wednesday and Sunday), and I'll test how that feels.

But here it goes: my last greetings from Finland!

Paris, here I come!

Bisous,

Elle

P.S. I hope you've had a great summer so far, and as always, feel free to respond to these emails if something resonates with you in particular. 🥰