Fifth Year in Heaven

This time I am here with a fifth anniversary celebration article in Paris. So five years ago today was the day I came to live in Paris. As every year, to evaluate the general situation of the past year; I want to share with you what I expected, what I found, what I think about Paris, and what is going on. What I share in this article may be a review of my own life, but it will also be a review of my own life.Living in ParisI think it will be a guide on the subject.

Before I start this post, here's what I've written on every anniversary to date: A Year in Heaven, Second Year in Heaven, Third Year in Heaven ve Fourth Year in Heaven I re-read my articles in order, starting from the beginning. Very briefly, I see that what I thought when I first settled in Paris and over the years, I still think the same today: This is a paradise... I died five years ago and I have been living in this paradise for exactly five years.

Some people I interact with may think the opposite of what I think, but I haven't changed my mind on this issue. I take full advantage of the benefits of living in France and do my best to deserve it. Because common criteria for being human: You will not steal, you will not lie, you will not harm anyone, you will be respectful to others, you will appreciate freedom of thought.. From now on To make life beautiful:

A lot of You will study, you will position art in an important place in your life, you will value multiculturalism, you will hold ethical and aesthetic values ​​in high esteem, you will approach people with respect regardless of religion, language, race or gender, you will take into consideration that the only truth in life may not be your truth. This list goes on and on. When you shape your life according to these common values, which we all know but often miss in the hustle and bustle of life, no matter where you are in the world, you have already crossed a certain threshold and life is laid out before you with all its richness; It is up to you to live it properly; Of course, by doing justice to every breath you take.

I always felt good, from the first day I came to Paris as a tourist years ago to the moment I completed my fifth year in Paris today. It had been a long time since I learned to make peace with life, and when I learned to make peace with myself and learned how to make peace with others, everything started to flow like butter. When the education, manners and upbringing I received are still valid in Paris, then one does not have much difficulty. He is at peace with himself, at peace with the world, and lives in peace.

Benin my keyword, in Paris today as it was five years ago.huzur“. Paris is a peaceful place for me, despite all its crowds, all its complex ethnicities, and all its tourists. This is how I feel the moment I step on the street. My home was already the castle of peace in my life in Istanbul, but in Istanbul, especially in my last years, as soon as I went out on the street, this peace - except for the very few hidden corners - disappeared. In Paris, I have much more room to breathe, and I never stop feeling like I'm alive by taking it into my lungs.

It may seem unbelievable to many people that living in Paris for so many years and everything is so good. I no longer have any trouble convincing anyone. So far, the negative experiences of those who have had a longer or more intense dialogue with Paris have not knocked on my door. I still haven't experienced the feeling of loneliness in this city. I like being able to be alone with myself whenever I want and getting together with people I care about whenever I want. I now have a circle of people here that I think are very valuable.

In Istanbul, where I was born and raised, for years and years Of course, I protect and preserve the friendships I have built. I do not forget to go to Istanbul every 3-4 months to see my wife, my friends and of course my family. But believe me, these trips are just to see the people I love; Otherwise, there was nothing I missed about Istanbul all this time. I'm not saying I don't miss Istanbul; The Istanbul I miss is an Istanbul that no longer exists, that's why I say it is not possible for me to see current Istanbul to add any value to my life. So in this sense, my situation is more pathetic...

I'm not in love with Paris; Mine The only city I love is Istanbul'Stop. However, current Istanbul is not the Istanbul in which I was born and raised. How should I say it, even though I still love like crazy, now severe incompatibility Istanbul is like my first and only love, from whom I had to live apart because of. It's not right to talk big, but it feels like we can never get together again, and of course that pains me. In this sense, Paris is not my new love, it is my lover who consoles me to make me forget Istanbul. I don't know if I can fall in love over time. Maybe I'm one of those extreme romantics who thinks "one falls in love only once in one's life".

After accepting that my Istanbul was no longer and could never be, living in Paris became easier. I already came here of my own free will five years ago. Those who read the previous part of my story know; My target was not Paris directly, I found myself in Paris as a result of a kind of "weaving the webs of fate", but it was completely my choice to leave Istanbul and live in another country. Of course, I did not take this decision lightly. I also wanted life in the city where I was born and raised to continue with the grace that I was educated in, but that Istanbul changed, transformed, became a situation where I could no longer live, and I made such a decision years ago and stepped into Paris exactly five years ago. As I said, the details of this story are in my previous articles.

Well What happened in the last year; What's getting better or worse? First of all, Pariste.Net started to take up most of my time, almost all of it. This is both a good and a bad thing. It's a good thing, because it reaches a very wide audience and I've managed to be the first resource that anyone who comes to Paris and does research on the internet turns to. I am very happy about this, but I constantly write new articles because I run out of topics to write about. I have written 90 articles in the last year, exceeding 450 in total. Can you imagine? Exactly 450 articles written on Paris! Now that the A blog that not only tourists but also tour guides read I realize that I managed to create it. This is a very nice feeling.

I don't just write, there is also updating them. As of March 2017, I reviewed all my articles one by one and updated around 400 articles that needed to be updated with their links and photos. Well The last update date for all these articles on Pariste.Net is March 2017! Since I will continue to update many articles regularly every month, you can imagine what kind of workload I am under. Well, besides the countless e-mails Facebook, Twitter ve Instagram There are questions coming through. I try to answer each of them one by one, but I know that sometimes I spend a full day to give these answers :) I get such good feedback that it always gives me strength; Sometimes, when I feel tired, I shake myself with such messages and comments. That's why every comment, opinion and suggestion is valuable to me. I would like to thank you once again from here.

While I could not keep up with the current situation, Megby Publicité reached me in the summer of 2016 and said they wanted to meet me. We determined a day and met, and when I met the owner of the agency, the sweetest Şirin Hanım, the course of my life changed once again. He is such a hard-working person that he said that he wanted to go with me so that I could break into the calm and happy cocoon I had woven for myself in Paris and turn into a butterfly. Of course he didn't say that, but that's how I understood it. The person I am in right now, who makes me tend to work like crazy, is Megby's owner, Şirin Hanım, and she is the one who throws a wrench into the wheel of my quiet life :)

"Thanks to Megby, I'm so coy"Pariste.Net TV Vlog Project“We implemented it together. I resisted very much at first; Even though I love taking photos, I don't like being in front of the camera.to translate movies“I said many times that I didn't like it at all, but they insisted on putting me in front of the camera and we started making videos about Paris. So, this time I've tried to do what I've been trying to do all this time with my articles on Pariste.Net. Pariste.Net TV Youtube We were going to do it on. Believe me, this is not as easy a task as it seems. What kind of effort is behind it, what effort does it require... Ms. Şirin always motivated me when I was trying to be a whiner, and it looks like it will continue like this. If you want, you can take a look at my YouTube channel and watch my videos. subscribe to the channel And if you share your favorites on your social media accounts, there is no one happier than me.

For example, if you want, watch my video above. This video “my paris“ he explains. Although all the videos are in Turkish, I did not want to use any language in this video; I thought that when people from all corners of the world watched, they would understand what my Paris was like. Since you are in a corner of the world, it is important for me that you watch and evaluate.

I think it will become clearer why Heaven is my Paris. Of course, this is it. Vlog When I accepted the job, my already busy work schedule increased exponentially! I had to go to the agency at least one day a week for shooting and at least one day for editing, and my whole day started to be spent in a closed office environment :) Most of the time, I thought to myself, "Oh my God, what am I doing here?" I keep saying, but when I think that the videos we make make people's trips to Paris easier and more beautiful, just like the articles on Pariste.Net, I say to myself "keep going". As long as the feedback from you is this good, I will continue this project at full speed. So, a crazy work pace awaits me for a while...

One of the best things about the summer of 2016 is the things I want to see around Paris, the things I dream of visiting and photographing again for the blog post. Fontainebleau Castle, Vaux le Vicomte Castle, Chantilly Castle, Pierrefonds Castle, Compiègne Castle, La Roche Guyon Castle, Malmaison Castle beautiful castles like Monet's Housewhere is located Giverny, near Fontainebleau painters village Barbizon We visited beautiful places such as. Since I have a total of 12 castle posts so far, spending almost every weekend in a castle has made my paradise, Paris, even more of a paradise. And then I don't count the ordeal of sitting down and writing these down; "I'm sorry people"joy cake, no work, no energy, wandering aroundLet him know :)

No lie, of course I've been traveling and dusting myself :) In the last year IstanbulI've been to a few times, but besides that, Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Granada, Ronda, Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo, Madrid, Düsseldorf, Mönchengladbach, Hamburg, Bodrum, Lisbon, Amiens, Vienna ve Rio de Janeiro It was among the places I visited. All of them were wonderful, but among them, the Andalusian holiday and Rio were unforgettable.

As you know, as someone who always celebrates his birthday in winter, I had a dream to celebrate it as sea-sand-sun on December 10th, and last year Martinique I made this dream come true with this holiday. This birthday, my dream came true by going to Rio de Janeiro. For this reason, I am aware of how lucky I am and believe me, I appreciate it very well.

For example, my Rio de Janeiro holiday photos on my personal instagram account When I shared it, a few people I didn't know criticized me for wearing a swimsuit :) That's when I remembered once again why I was happy to no longer live in Turkey. On the beaches of Rio, as on the beaches of France, almost everyone was swimming in swimsuits; In other words, people were dressing as they wanted and undressing as they were comfortable, and it was no one's business. The main thing is to leave people alone; to feel comfortable. I'm telling you, heaven is not just about greenery and blueness; Freedom is the most beautiful heaven...

Actually Martinique I should have written about my holiday in Rio de Janeiro as well, but this time I really couldn't find the time. I have already visited so many places, but since I haven't had time to make all the innovations I will make on Pariste.Net, I am not thinking of moving to other cities - for now - but after publishing the 500th article this year, maybe I can start writing about other cities. I want to write about the beautiful cities of France first, and then maybe my top ten cities in Europe? Wait a minute, everything comes with time.

One of the things that made me the happiest in the past year was D Media Magazine, one of them Marquette Two different magazines wanted to interview me. I was very happy when these two separate interviews were published in two separate magazines. in this row The total number of readings of Pariste.Net exceeded two and a half million, Vlog It also contributed to making my face more recognizable. It has become more common for people visiting Paris to recognize me on the streets, stop me and say hello. Well, thank God, people also want to meet, have coffee and chat, but as I tried to explain above, I am a little sad that I cannot find such a time. I would also like to spend time with each person and have a nice chat, but this does not seem possible.

I take such fun photos, but I am aware that I am still at the very beginning of the journey. I still have a long way to go. These things are not easy at all. When I first started, I never thought it would be this difficult. The difficulty is not because of the difficulty of the job, but because the time is limited and there are only 24 hours in a day in a human life. Otherwise, I have not lost any of my strength and energy; Some days I spend ten hours in front of the computer. Sometimes I wander the streets of Paris for hours without even holding a mobile phone, but I have to admit that I cannot jump on random trains and go to far-off places as much as I did in my early years.

One of the negative aspects of having a blog in Turkish was that Turkish became very dominant in my life in Paris. In this sense, I am lucky in a way, I have had the chance to express myself very easily in my own language, but this time my French, which I have carefully developed, is not progressing as fast as I would like. Yes with my French friends exchange I continue my meetings regularly, yes I can read French books without a dictionary, there is no problem in watching movies, but I am still not at the point I want to express myself by writing in French as well as my writing ability in Turkish. For this, I have to stay away from Turkish, but then I can't spare time for Pariste.Net. Let's see, we will find a middle way :)

Even though I am someone who has voluntarily decided to live in another country for a certain period of time, I have found myself saying, little by little, "expatriateIt would be a lie if I said I didn't start feeling like "i" :) So much so that even though I was in Paris expat Even though I have a good life as someone who benefits from the blessings of this place, I know that I will not be accepted as a real Frenchman, so I find myself in this sense. guest I see it like. Well, living in Turkey no longer seems like something I can do with love as much as it used to; In this case, as I said, I found myself saying "expatriateI started to feel like. My opinion on this subject is not clear yet, but my mixed feelings are like this at the moment.

Just as a "foreigner" who settles in Turkey will never be accepted as a native of the country, but will remain a "foreigner" accepted with the most tolerance, the same thing applies here. Although, due to my living standards, I have never encountered a situation that would make me feel like a foreigner, but I am aware that everything can change suddenly due to the nationalist movements that countries have entered into recently. So come on a little bit Let's talk about some of the disadvantages of living in Paris, some of the negatives in my opinion:

First of all, just like everywhere else in the world working in paris It's a bad thing :) If you have a nice job as much as you want, if you need to earn money to live, regardless of your status and income, you are a worker, not a boss. 🙂 Well, since I am not the grandchild of a pasha, the idea of ​​"having to work" is not a pleasant feeling at all, but at least the work I do makes someone's life better and easier; Especially spiritual job satisfaction enables you to overcome many difficulties. Expat If you start your own business like me, your problem is different. Well, since there is no other way for now, we have to happily continue our work :)

Especially Pariste.Net TV Because of this, I have to go to the agency frequently and there are situations that require me to work in the office until late hours, so I started taking my car out of the garage more often. However, I used to be someone who only used public transportation and was very happy about it, but since the agency is in the north-east of Paris, I have to go there by car. If you have to drive in Paris and its surroundings, I must say that you will not enjoy it very much. I used to think that Europeans obeyed the rules much more, but unfortunately this is not the case :) driving in paris It's one of those things that takes the fun out of life. I think the best thing is to use public transportation, in fact, the best thing is to walk, walk, walk...

As we moved out of Paris and towards the east, my Heaven ParisTraces of me are slowly disappearing. Of course, there are beautiful places there too, but it is a fact that you will not encounter very pleasant images in terms of quality of life, especially in regions where intense migration and unintegrated immigrant groups predominate. Already after seeing these places The Other Side of Paris I also had to update my post. my paris than before smooth It was a nice place, but as I explored the east side of Paris, its flawed face became more visible to me, I can't deny that.

Another development in Paris that upsets me is DefenseThe boulevard in front of my house in RER-E It turned into a construction site due to extension works... Fortunately, the trees in front of the house up to the sixth floor remain the same, but they destroyed the lush park in the middle of the boulevard and cut down the huge trees; Yes, I couldn't believe it either but They cut down giant horse chestnut trees, twenty meters tall, without mercy… That being the case DefenseThe walking path from to our house is the same as before heaven's Garden not in consistency. It may still be beautiful, but as I said, the middle of the boulevard has become a construction site. Grand Paris Project within RER-E'S Saint Lazare Stationline ending/starting at DefenseIt is extended to pass through . Of course, this is important for increasing the value of our house, but money is not everything. What a wonderful life we ​​had, now it looks like there is construction for a few years. However, when I leave the house and raise my head to the sky, I can continue to greet the branches of the tree reaching towards the sky; Let's see, time will tell the rest.

Until today, I always said "I have been living in Paris for so long, nothing has bothered me even once", but I have to admit that this feeling of boredom has been very frequent and frequent in the past year, especially due to the consecutive terrorist events in Turkey. I lived intensely. As we were entering 2017 in Vienna, when the attack took place in Istanbul on New Year's Eve, I really felt like I was broken and at that moment I lost my hopes for 2017. There have already been many terrorist incidents in France and in various cities around the world, and this incident added salt to everything. I wanted to stay away from social media for a while and clear my mind, and I tried to cleanse myself by not paying attention to anything other than the blog for fifteen days. It was a really difficult process for me. Now we are living as if everything is fine until the next big attack...

Everything is fine in my own life, in my inner world. I don't know whether I should be happy or guilty about this, but I am aware that this life is one time. That's why I don't want to spend it feeling sad or worrying about things. I spent my childhood watching the news on TV every evening saying "this evening, so-and-so coffeehouse was raided, so many people died." I was very scared while watching this news. I've come to this age, not much has changed. I don't know when and where death will confront us, but I intend to do my best to do justice to this world. This is what I can do for now to make the lives of others better: With Pariste.Net, I try to add color to the lives of not only those who will come to Paris, but also those who live here, and make their lives easier with useful information.

My intention is to make the lives of those who love Paris even though they will never be there. One kind to so many volunteer coaching I provided the service. The questions I receive are endless. I do whatever I can to motivate people and help them hold on to life. As I said, this world is one time and our right to live is very valuable. It has been a long time since we learned not to glorify any system that sanctifies death. Our sacred right to life Because.

This is how I live my share in this heavenly city. My goal in the next year is to complete the 500 articles I have in mind, to keep all past articles up to date, and to prepare at least 50, at most 100 beautiful Paris videos. I also have a priority to spare more time for myself outside of work and to create environments where I can wander around like in my first days of idleness in Paris, let's see if I can manage it :) Also, this year, I did myself a favor and started pilates, believe me, it was like a medicine...

Of course, I plan to travel a lot in the coming period, but not just to travel, but to go out knowing that every place I visit changes and transforms me and beautifies my soul. My whole life's goal is to always be with the right companion, not to offend or hurt anyone, and to make life easier and more beautiful.

Next year Sixth Year in Heaven I don't know if I can prepare an article. The first five years were very important for me and I completed these five years with flying colors. Even if I die, I won't be sad anymore :) If these annual general situation evaluations are a guide, I will write again next year if life allows. Let us aim to progress well on our path.

I would sacrifice my life even for one day of the things I experienced all this time in Paris. in summary. I had such beautiful, enjoyable days that I always felt like a human in this city.

Wishing you many nice days.

"life thank you"

With love…

Related Articles:

• A Year in Heaven
• Second Year in Heaven
• Third Year in Heaven
• Fourth Year in Heaven
• Sixth Year in Heaven
• Seventh Year in Heaven
• Eighth Year in Paris
• Ninth Year in Paris