A CosmoGirl in Paris

See that girl in white cart-wheeling in front of the Eiffel Tower? That's me. My name is Jess, and I'm CosmoGirl's brand new travel blogger. I'm writing this entry from a quaint little café in Paris, my new home away from home. I originally came here to study French for a month, but I liked it so much that I decided to stay. I'm spending the afternoon much like I spend most my afternoons here – strolling the boulevards, reading French literature, sipping café au lait and eating massive amounts of crème brulée. Not a bad life!

But first, let's backtrack a little so I can explain how I ended up here. You see, when I was in high school, I thought there was only one path in life that everybody took, which involved going to college, getting a job, raising a family and ultimately retiring in Florida. But when I got to college, I realized how dead wrong I was. I was surrounded by thousands of people doing incredible things: volunteering in Indian orphanages, leading Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts, participating in archaeological digs in Turkey, hiking through Patagonia… and the list goes on. I realized I could do similarly extraordinary things, or at the very least, take some time off after college to explore the world.

So here I am. I graduated from Princeton University in June (go Tigers!), and a few days later, I was on a plane bound for Europe. I taught Italian for a high school summer program in Oxford and Tuscany, then hopped around Europe for a month, and now I'm here in Paris. I take French classes by day and baby-sit three adorable children by night. I'm trying to take life one day at a time, leaving as much room for spontaneity as possible. Living abroad has its highs and its lows, but one thing's for sure – it's always an adventure!

But making the decision to travel after graduation definitely wasn't easy. First, of course, there was the money issue. Travel ain't cheap, especially in Europe where our dollar is as weak as ever. Then, there was the pressure to find a job. I had to convince myself that it was okay to not be making six figures a year right after college. And finally, there was the simple fact that I was scared. I was scared to leave everything I found comfortable and familiar and strike out on my own.

But in the end, I worked like crazy to save money and took the plunge, and I haven't regretted it since. I hope that reading about my adventures here in Paris (and beyond!) will inspire YOU to break from the norm and follow your passions, wherever they may lead you.

So tell me: what ARE your dreams for the future? I want to hear all about them.