Morning in My Open Window - My Life from Bali to Paris

by Sylvia Bury

Breeze of the new air, a bright sunlight expands the sky
Smooth hanging leaves in the middle of frame of my window
All that I am
In an early morning, deep between the shadows
Curtains move closer to the side
On cold tiles my skin feels the day
Fire within me starts to burst, the universe realizes, this is the beginning
Mark each minute of a new heartbeat
Come we make a way

The story begins…
About four and a half years ago, when we have decided to pack all of our belongings and move to Europe. It was a big leap & a huge change in my life. Leaving it all behind: family, friends, job, and everything I used to know and everything I used to have, back in Bali, Indonesia.

Coming to Paris was not easy. I needed to learn & speak a little bit of French in order to get me a Visa, most importantly, and then to survive, eventually. Packing light as we travelled more than 12000 km away (that's around 7500 miles) and obviously we cannot pack everything. Like a soldier stripped from his family & homeland and all he has left is just a sword and everything he can remember in his head. Well, I must admit, it wasn't that bad, at the end, coming to Paris, but we do sometimes feel a bit dramatic about it.

This was what my life looked like before in Bali:
A middle class 9-to-5 job,
A rented apartment,
A relaxing lifestyle (no cooking, no washing dishes, no doing laundry, just surfing on the beach & doing yoga in the garden with the birds singing – that kind of life)

Just a stone's throw away from our home in Canggu - This is us in Echo Beach, Bali

Sunset in Bali can be quite captivating! This is us in Petitenget Beach, Bali

This is my life now in Paris:
Still on a middle class job - I mean I love working, you know I do, and here of course it’s not a 9-to-5 job as there aren’t enough hours in a day to get what we want and to get to where we want to be.
Still live in a rented apartment but we will move to our apartment soon in a month. We have been waiting for this for more two years and it’s getting closer!
Well, we have to do everything ourselves, literally everything - Yes, it’s part of the survival, now I cook, wash dishes, do laundry & cleaning and all that kind of good stuff.

This is us on top of L'Arc de Triomphe with the Eiffel Tower on the back, Paris

This is what Paris has to offer:
There are so much to do and so much more to learn. Coming here without knowing how to pronounce a lot of words in French, it is always a good idea to walk around and get lost in the small streets of Paris. Paris is always a good idea, they say!

Beautiful parks & Paris has lots of it! Either a huge well manicured-garden or a small & cute square, you will find the one you love the most

Art & History – The traces of the good old days are everywhere you turn your head. It’s true, we cannot just escape from our past

Food & More Yummy Food – I mean, c’mon, Food!!

Wines, ah oui! S’il vous plaît!

Oh! And don’t forget to take time off and travel to the beautiful French regions & countryside. I mean there are much more out there to discover than just the City of Light!

So…
What would you like to know about Bali & Paris? Do you have any questions that I can help with both? Please leave a comment below and I’d love to hear your feedback!
P.S. All photos by me from my previous Instagram posts