As the end of the semester quickly approaches, you may find yourself thinking a lot of things: how quickly the time passed, how you wish you could stay longer, and how excited you are to return home. I’m torn between not wanting to leave and being super excited to see all my friends and family again. There are times when you miss those everyday things you are used to back home. Here are three things I do when I want a bit of home in Paris.

Find something to read in your first language – While I’m all about reading in French, it’s nice to curl up in bed with a great read (especially on a cold, rainy day). Reading in English, makes me feel closer to home as it reminds of the countless days I spent reading a new favorite. If you’re more into physical books, try Shakespeare and Company (Metro: St. Michel or Cluny-La Sorbonne), which is an English bookseller that stocks both new and classics in a variety of genres. But don’t forget about e-books or audiobooks, which are nice options for long journeys.

 

Eat some comfort food – If you enjoy cooking, making your favorite dish is a great way to feel connected to home. A fun thing to do is invite friends over and have a potluck, where everyone shares their favorite meals. This is especially nice as it gets closer to the holidays as you might not be with family, and it’s nice to celebrate with a group of people. If you’re like me and prefer going to restaurants, find one that serves similar food as your hometown. I recently went with a friend to Breakfast in America, which is an American-style diner in Paris; the food was so delicious, I forgot how much I loved pancakes! 

Also, since I have not yet gone to a Caribbean restaurant in Paris, it’s also nice to eat similarly in restaurants as I do back home. I really love Italian food, and there are some really great Italian places where I’m from, and I had been craving a particular restaurant’s spaghetti bolognese. Luckily, when I was in Lyon, I found this really great Italian place and enjoyed a delicious spaghetti bolognese. 

Watch something familiar – Back home, I use to go to the cinema with friends at least every other weekend. Luckily, most of the movies I would want to watch are shown here in France in the original version with French subtitles. It’s nice because for two hours I could be anywhere in the world, watching a good movie with good friends. Use allocine.fr to find movies that are currently showing, showtimes and theatre locations.