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Learning to Celebrate How Far You’ve Come

May 2, 2018
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Unchecked boxes, incomplete plans and unaccomplished goals.  I always feel like I’m reaching for the next thing and trying to do more, to be more.  And it’s exhausting.  Camping out in the what ifs rarely does any good, but instead it tears you down to the point of helplessness.  As the semester winds down, I’m tempted to ruminate on all the things I could’ve done better: maybe I could’ve achieved more, maybe I could’ve responded differently, maybe I could’ve coped better.

And you know what?  Maybe those are true.

Maybe I could’ve published more.  Maybe I could’ve forgiven quicker.  Maybe I could’ve panicked less.  But the could haves only result in shame and defeat.Portoroz Slovenia Eastern Europe DrivePushing yourself to be your best is a necessity, but rarely do we take the time to reflect on how far we’ve come and celebrate the seemingly little victories.  I constantly analyze what I need to improve on, and while yes, there’s always room for improvement, there is so much to be patted on the back for in my life and yours.

This time last year I was preparing for a summer in France.  I got on a plane by myself and arrived in a city that I’d never been to before and stayed with people whom I’d never met.  I started speaking a language regularly that I was used to speaking several times a week for an hour at a time.  I began grocery shopping and cooking for myself; I paid my rent and credit card bills all in a different language, from a different country.

I think about how lonely and unglamorous that summer was at times.  It was a difficult summer, but I did it.  I found healthy ways to cope like doing pilates with my roommate, finding a safe space and writing a book about the lessons I learned.Borderouge Toulouse France GraffitiThe rest of the year saw immense change, some painful but others exhilarating and life-giving.  The year saw growth in my relationships—a new one and deepening of friendships.  Relationships are hard but beautiful.  I can point back to pain I’d buried for years and see how it’s being redeemed—because it wasn’t and never is in vain.  I learned to hold my head high when I wanted nothing more than to curl up in my bed out of sheer humiliation.

Through my relationship, I’m learning how both he and I are wired, and there’s strength in differences.  In this relationship and others, I began to regain strength and to push shame aside.  Emotions don’t have to be as scary as they seem.

I spent my semester working at a local newspaper as a business reporter.  Orientation on that frigid January day seems like last week; my fear of the unknown feels inches away.  And as my time there is wrapping up, I see how I’ve grown as a writer and thinker.Vox Magazine Journalism Round Trip TravelIt’s funny how we’re so quick to panic and think it’s the end of the world.  Because I look back on this year and see so many of those “this is the end of the world” moments—and yet here I am, here you are.  And we’re stronger for it.

We’re constantly being stretched, and that’s something I’m quick to resent.  I hate being anxious, embarrassed, overwhelmed, confused and out of control, but it’s these times where we grow most and develop skills that can’t be taught.  It’s hard to see over the hill, but it’s those moments shape and refine.Round Trip Travel Ellie Hicks Helmi's GardensAnd oh, how we miss out on celebrating our growth by forgetting where we’ve been and how far we’ve come.  Now it’s your turn.  Grab a journal, start a new Word document, open the notes section of your phone or lay in the grass and let your thoughts meander.

How have you matured these past 12 months?  How have your fears evolved over this time span?  What didn’t you think you could accomplish one year ago?  Where have you been stretched?  What was painful about this year?  What character trait have you developed most?  If you had to summarize this past year, what three key moments would define it?  What emotion defines the last 12 months?

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Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
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About

Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Want free access to my 30-minute travel budgeting course?

Hi, it's been a minute, and I'd love to reintroduc Hi, it's been a minute, and I'd love to reintroduce myself👋

🇺🇸I'm a Missouri girl living in southern France where I teach English to French kiddos and update my blog, Round Trip. I moved here in the height of Covid last fall, and boy, do I have some STORIES that I dish in my brand new magazine (keep scrolling for the dirty deets)

🐝I majored in magazine editing and would love to talk your ear off about the Oxford comma. Oh, and I won the school spelling bee in 7th grade. Yep, I peaked😂

💃I'm a middle child, and I don't let my family forget that. I've always loved the attention, and I suppose that manifests in my addiction to glitter and leopard print.

📖This week I launched Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20-page print + digital experience. It’s jam-packed with articles about how I moved to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to add to your bucket list and how I saved $7,000 to move abroad. I spill the tea on how travel and life abroad has taught me the best lessons about insecurity and confidence, heartbreak and love👀

So very nice to meet you! Bop over to link in bio to check out this week's magazine launch❤️

#introducingme #introduction #magazine #roundtripthemag #aboutme #demoi #frioulmarseille #glamourgirl #glittergirl #leopard #entrepreneur #enneagram3 #enneagram3w4 #enneagram4 #microinfluencer #americansinfrance #americansabroad #frioul #frioulisland #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder10k #marseille #marseillemaville
(giveaway) What's a magazine launch week without a (giveaway) What's a magazine launch week without a giveaway?!💥 I recently announced my latest project, Round Trip: The Magazine. This 20-page physical + digital magazine is jam-packed with articles on how I made the move to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to visit, how I saved thousands of dollars to travel and the lessons I've learned through travel. And lots, lots more!

🎉Here's how to enter my giveaway (it takes 30 seconds!):
1️⃣Like this post
2️⃣Follow moi @round.trip
3️⃣Tag a pal who's missing travel like CRAZY

BONUS: Share this post to your story and tag me to get an additional two entries.

This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Instagram in any way. Winner will be selected at random and notified via DM. No purchase necessary. Flat lay design by the wonderfully talented @mariiela_garciia

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😳Here’s a little secret for you: I was terrif 😳Here’s a little secret for you: I was terrified I would fall flat on my face. Now I’m happy and loving every second of life in France, but let’s rewind the clock back to one year ago, shall we?

⏰I was a mess. Last spring, it’d already been several months since I submitted my application to teach English in France. My heart was set on living abroad. And it was shattered as headlines and exclamation points littered the world with this virus called Covid.

🙈Between March and August, I might as well have had the words “I don’t know” tattooed on my forehead. My heart was constantly in flux: do I keep fighting for a dream that exists only in abstract? Or do I give up my dream to move abroad because life is too complicated or rather it’s just not possible?

🍳I had put all my eggs in one basket. I’d told everyone that the plan was to move to France, and now all of life’s questions could be summed up in a slew of question marks. I feared embarrassment and failure. But more than anything, I had long dreamed of living in France. It wasn’t only a question of pride but of passion.

⏩Fast forward to today: I’ve been living in France for six months, and although it’s not always perfect, I’m in love with my life here. Sincerely. I take walks around my neighborhood, look around and constantly say to myself, “Is this seriously my life?”

❓I get a lot of questions about my life in France. And for this reason along with the journey to get here, I decided to create something. This week, I'm launching Round Trip: The Magazine. It’s a 20+ page magazine (digital or physical — you pick!) filled with stories, travel tips, language learning ideas, bucket list destinations and beyond. Plus, a password-protected online portal with bonus content.

🎊And it's available now — link in bio!

#lacorniche #marseille #marseillecity #roundtripthemag #marseillefr #mediterraneansea #magazine #entrepreneur #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #france
(big news!) ☎️Travel called — it wants you b (big news!) ☎️Travel called — it wants you back. The cabin fever is real as we’ve been cooped up in our homes for the past however many months. Whether you’re booking a flight ASAP or wanting to play it safe for a while, many of us have been daydreaming about travel. We miss the thrill of takeoff, the exhilaration of exploration, the elation of discovery.

✈️That's why TODAY I’m launching Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20+ page physical + digital experience. It’s jam-packed with articles about how I moved to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to add to your bucket list and how I saved $7,000 to move abroad.

❤️My heart in creating this magazine is to provide a more immersive, intimate experience than my blog posts and Instagram stories. 

🍵It’s more than just the practical tips but also the raw + real, juicy deets. I spill the tea on how travel and life abroad has taught me the best lessons about insecurity and confidence, heartbreak and love.

I’ve spent HOURS pouring my heart into these pages, and I’m confident these words will not only help you plan your future trips but also inspire you to chase your passions harder.

Today the pre-sale (and sale price!) is available to my email subscribers. Not on the list? Comment 💥and I'll add you to the list. Allez-y !

#lacorniche #magazine #blogger #bloggervibes #roundtrip #roundtripthemag #marseille #marseillefr #marseillecity #marseillefrance #mediterranean #mediterraneansea #selfpublished #microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder10k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder2k #entrepreneur #france #vivelafrance
Sometimes I just don’t believe my life🙈 Toda Sometimes I just don’t believe my life🙈

Today we took a casual 20ish minute boat ride to a nearby island I can see from my backyard. We hiked up to the ancient fort and danced to music mere feet from ruins — all with views of the Mediterranean Sea and Marseille in all her sunny glory.

I think back to a year ago when my life felt heavy and full of question marks. I think of all the hoops I jumped through and all the doors God opened for me to be here. I think of the daily prayers for answers, long walks to let out the stress and the anxious tears.

And friends, it was all worth it. What a beautiful thing reflection is! What an amazing thing it is to see the pain that was and the joy that is! 

The months leading up to moving to France were absolute mayhem, but oh, I am so beyond glad I didn’t quit when it was hard. Because I am in absolute love with my life in southern France☀️
Been kinda quiet on the socials as of late👀I've Been kinda quiet on the socials as of late👀I've been soaking up the Marseille sunshine with long walks, picnics and the not-so occasional ice cream😋

💪I've also been hard at work. For the past two months, I've been creating my latest project, Round Trip: The Magazine. I've sent out surveys, edited and workshopped this piece for hours upon hours. And I am delighted to say I am all set to launch in APRIL!!

🤔What is this so-called magazine, and why should I care? Alas, in September, I moved to France to teach English — yes, in the middle of a pandemic. It's been quite the wild ride, and along the way, I've been getting lots of questions about my journey here.

I also wanted to take my blog to the next level. As much as I love sharing my travel tips + life abroad peeks on my blog and social channels, I longed to provide a more immersive, intimate experience. Ya know, like a coffee date with your best gal pal?☕

Given that I have a degree in magazine editing, I thought it only fitting to answer the questions, share my stories and dish all the dirty deets in magazine format. And I am sooo stoked for next month's launch!! Want to be first to hear when this magazine drops and to get the pre-sale price? Comment with ⭐and I'll add you to my insiders list.

#microinfluencer #microinfluencers #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #marseille #marseillecity #lacorniche #faussemonnaie #malmousque  #lepetitnice #ansedelafaussemonnaie #mediterraneansea #mediterranean #blueskies #southernfrance #jaimelafrance #vivelafrance #france #francetravel #americansabroad #americansinfrance #americaninfrance #expatlife #americanabroad
🍷😋Best eats + sips in BORDEAUX: 🍦@glace 🍷😋Best eats + sips in BORDEAUX: 

🍦@glaceriedumas_bordeaux Tori and I stayed in Bordeaux for two nights, and we visited Glacerie Dumas twice. Long story short: it was delightful. The first night I ordered ice cream macaron sandwiches. And the second night I ordered their chocolate ice cream topped with chantilly. 

🍜@padang8padang I am always in search of a good bowl of pad thai, and this fit just the bill. My pad thai packed flavor, and I was so bummed that my tummy wasn’t big enough to finish the whole bowl. Reasonably priced and steps away from a darling square. 

🍔@cafekokomo Located in a bubbly square, Café Kokomo serves up burgers, fries, lemonade and more of your American favorites. The best part of all (okay, close) is that they handed out those gummy Krabby Patty candies with our order. AMAZE.

🍇L’Oenothèque: Tor and I decided to make our wine tasting at our Airbnb. We found a wine shop right across from Église Notre Dame de Bordeaux. The kind shopkeeper helped us pick out a selection of regional wines for our charcuterie night, and she even pointed to where they came from on her map of Bordeaux. The shop isn't super active online, so here's the address: 1 Place du Chapelet

What are you craving for your trip to Bordeaux? Save this post for your next trip to southwestern France. Link in bio has more Bordeaux food + activity recs❗

#padangpadangfr #padangpadang #padangpadangbordeaux #glaceriedumas #glaceriedumasbordeaux #glaceriedumasfr #bordeauxeats #bordeauxrestau #eatbordeaux #macaron #icecream #bordeauxdessert #thingstodobordeaux #bordeauxcityguide #bordeauxmaville #cafekokomo #cafekokomobordeaux #LOenothèque #Oenothèque #bordeauxwine #bloggersunder2k #bloggersunder5k #bloggersunder10k #bordeauxfr
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