Dear Nice,

The first time I landed at your airport, I was shocked to find out how hot it was. Last week, when I revisited you after more than a year, I was also shocked to feel the lingering summer heat.

But that is where the similarities end.

The first time the plane touched down at the airport, everything was new! I was excited about my course and unable to speak a word of French. You were an adventure, the start of life after what felt like an interminable amount of time cooped up at home.

This time, however, coming to Nice felt comfortable. I cannot say that coming to Nice was like coming home. I haven’t stayed here long enough, I was in my little foreign-students bubble (but what a diverse bubble it was!), and I don’t speak French well enough. By all measures, I’m not very integrated, not like before when I was in France. But there’s still something to be said for familiarity and comfort. There was, for example, my favourite tea house. When I was living here, this was the thing that reminded me of home – mostly through carrot cake and bubble tea. During this visit, the teahouse reminded me of Nice and the kindness that people have shown me here.

There’s also something to celebrate in progress. I’m still not fluent in French, but I can now have simple conversations – this feels like such a huge achievement! The streets are no longer unfamiliar and I have favourite spots that I wanted to revisit; knowing the city is a reminder of all the time I’ve spent here. And of course, just coming back to Nice reminds me that I finished my course and made lots of friends while doing so.

It was fun being able to bring my family around. We went to Eze this time – something new for a few members in the group. This was probably my fourth visit to Eze and I loved how it reminded me of all the previous trips, from the first time I visited (and hiked down Nietzche’s path) to the third time when I actually used the French Rivieria pass. It reminded me that memories can be layered on top of each other and that the familiar and the new can coexist at the same time.

So thank you for hosting me right after COVID-19 and again this year. I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Nice or even France, but I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to spend some time with you.