It’s been a week since my last post and I have spent that time wandering around the streets of my new city, furthering my belief that Paris is indeed home. I’ve been cat sitting two furry little friends, and despite the existence of deep neuroses (on both sides, lol) we have been getting along splendidly. I spend my days enjoying the summer sun while wandering through cobblestone streets and majestic boulevards, retracing the footsteps of the likes of Jean Paul Sartre and Coco Chanel.

It’s been so nice being back and reconnecting with friends. There is nothing more heart warming than picking up the rhythms of old friendships.  Two years later and we carry on without missing a beat.  I’ve eaten better than I have in months, the result of exquisite cooking and good company.

I moved into a friend’s apartment, where I’ll be living for the next few months as I make arrangements for a more permanent housing solution. The apartment is well lit, beautifully decorated and lovely. In the heart of the 17th, I walk by the Arc de Triomphe every morning and am steps from the Champs Elysees. Randomly, I saw Queen Latifa eating at a cafe in the luxurious 8th arrondisement.

The Living Room

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

A few highlights from my week:

I started out Friday by doing some research at the incomparable Opera Starbucks. I’m happy to report that the outlining phase for chapters 3 and 4 are complete. Two cups of coffee and a few wifi cards later I happily crossed another writing goal off my list.

By rich.greenberg

After a quick stop in the Marais to see Martin and Seb and I headed towards Rue Bretagne to one of my favorite Paris eateries, Cafe Charlot. They have the most amazing goat cheese salad. Even though I just had some, thinking about it makes me crave it all over again. The atmosphere is relaxed and the place is always packed. Service is (surprisingly) fast and friendly.

- By winter d’adulescent

On Thursday I met up with some friends to eat some Lebanese food and celebrate Happy Hour on the wonderful Rue Montrogueil. I practically lived here when I was on exchange in 2006, and in the past four years not much has changed. The same fish salesmen are yelling about the freshness of their catches and the little Italian place halfway up the street is still jampacked no matter what time you try to get a table. There is a bustle and energy to this street that I’ve always liked and I love to sit at one of the cafes and people watch.

By life’s a gasp

On Wednesday I headed over to les Bois de Boulogne for a quick jog. It was so beautiful and green that I almost forgot I was in the middle of an enormous city! I only saw a small sample of the park but I’m excited to go back and rediscover more trails and jogging paths.

By vitruve

The days ahead…

I’m really enjoying spending the last few weeks of summer in such wonderful surroundings. I’ll be attending some of my first meet-up groups next week so I’ll let you know how it goes and if I make any new friends.

September is going to be a packed month. I’m going on a hiking trip the first weekend of the month, followed by two weeks in Toronto for three speaking engagements (details to come). Finally, I’m really excited because my parents are going to come and visit me in the last week of September. I’ll be showing them the city and then we’ll be heading back to Switzerland to see my Godparents for a few days.

Meanwhile, as all of this is happening, the Annual Meeting of New Champions (Summer Davos) will take place in China from September 13-15. It’s going to be so exciting to announce the 2011 class of Technology Pioneers and we’re already preparing all the goodies we’re going to launch in the next few weeks.

Someone said to me the other day “before you know it, Thanksgiving will be upon us and then it’s just a race to Davos!” What?! I don’t care what anyone says, it’s still August right now and I plan to savor every single minute.

As you might have guessed by the post title, there are some big changes happening. Everything has finally come together and I’m starting an exciting new chapter of my life. So without further ado, I present to you the Second Foushy Act of 2010. 

New Project: Technology Pioneers @ WEF

I am happy to announce that I have joined the Technology Pioneer Team at the World Economic Forum.  The TP program is an annual award handed out by the Forum to 30 companies worldwide (in start-up phase or in their first round of financing) who are using innovative and disruptive technology to change and improve the way business and society operate.

We’ll be looking at companies that are revolutionizing industries in the pursuit of more sustainable business practices, and I’ve already learned so much just during my on-boarding here. The team is great and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun to help work on the Tech Pioneer 2012 class!

We have three categories:

1) Biotechnology and Health

2) Energy and Environmental Technologies

3) Information Technologies and New Media

We will be announcing the TP Class of 2011 at our Annual Meeting of New Champions in China this September.

You can learn more about the program and nomination process here.

New City: Paris

As of last Monday, I am officially living in Paris. The Forum has generously allowed me to work part time so that I can finish writing  the new book. I will be spending two days a week in Geneva, and the rest of the time in Paris. I fell in love with this city in 2006 and have been smitten ever since. I’m currently subletting an apartment for the next few months while I hunt for a more permanent abode. That’s right, if all goes well I just might become a property owner in the City of Light! I can’t wait to make some new friends and rediscover one of my favorite places. I know it sounds lame, but I get giddy with glee every time I walk around the city, even if it’s just to pick up groceries. Jesse is currently in Toronto for a wedding and will be heading to Africa for a video shoot with the UN World Food Programme, and I am impatiently awaiting his return so that we can start looking at places and enjoying the city together.

The commute is about 3.5 hours but I’ve booked my tickets in the business car which means wifi (sometimes) and an outlet for my machine (always). I’m hoping to be productive during the commutes since I love the train. At the very least, I want to make some progress on my huge to-be-read pile and post some new Foushy Good Reads.

I’ve spent the last week settling in, getting my metro pass, rail pass and gym membership sorted out. I almost feel like a real Parisienne!

By TaylorMiles

New Book: Misfits

I announced this in another post, but work on Misfits is progressing at an incredible speed, and I’m already in the chapter drafting phase!  I’ll be dedicating 2-3 days each week of full time writing and research and will be sharing my progress and interesting tidbits I come across. I’ll be speaking about Misfits as of September and will be updating the speaking section with details. I’ve been working on this presentation for the last few weeks so I’m excited to share it with everyone.  So far, preliminary feedback has been positive which is a great sign.

There are also a lot of other things coming on the horizon, but I can’t mention them just yet. Needless to say, the next few months and all of 2011 are going to be a whirlwind of activities and new experiences.

Thanks for visiting, and come back soon!

Foush