Describing the shared values of our COCO colivers in a nutshell, Vancouver-born Kyle Bastien and his partner Renee Graham have been one of our longest standing members of the community. Residing in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, Kyle and Renee first found themselves relocating to France’s capital from Los Cabos, Mexico after planning Renee’s birthday trip to Oaxaca, after commenting about the price comparison of both places. “It began as a joke about the hotels in Oaxaca charging ‘Paris prices’, and of course, the choice between the two places was obvious, so we ended up in Paris for her birthday” laughs Kyle.
Living in Mexico at the time and coming out of COVID, the trip went wonderfully, and inspired the idea that moving to Europe could be a real possibility. If there was ever a sign to take the plunge, it came imminently, because as luck would have it, the villa the couple were living in was sold, giving the excuse they needed to impulsively make the move.
Condensing their belongings into 17 pieces of many overweight and oversized luggages later, Kyle and Renee found themselves immersed within the COCO Community, through a quick Google search for coworking spaces. Two years later, Kyle delves into the biggest differences between his former life and living in Paris. “Having lived here long enough to see what it’s like when the novelty wears off, I’m going to be blunt - as my perspective is from someone who has created a life here for two years, and not from being on a romantic getaway or a year sabbatical from their career.”
Kyle references the famous William Burroughs’ piece of literature, aptly titled ‘Naked Lunch’ – the title equates ‘a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork’, a somewhat metaphorical conclusion of a feeling that everyone is familiar with - the glass-shattering moment of the rose-coloured glasses coming off and you see the world in a completely new way, as though for the first time.
Exposing the big divide between North America and l'art de vivre à la française, Kyle cites the obsession with efficiency and the expectation that everything must always work in the most effective way possible. “You are judged by the mastery of this” he says matter-of-factly. “We lived in New York for seven years, which I recognise is the global epicenter for this mentality and way of life, and I’ve definitely been corrupted by it”.
Kyle reflects on how constant travel and exposure to different cultures can manifest in other aspects of their life. When asked for an example of this, Kyle beams at Renee’s fascination for materials and passion for developing innovative packaging systems. “She is all about challenging traditional corporate practices and putting sustainability at the forefront, and has found inspiration during our travels to think about doing things different to the norm.”
But taking their practices and craft to Europe has come with its own challenges.
“In North America, we always want things to happen right away - or expect results tomorrow at the latest, whereas, in France, it might be two weeks from now or maybe even TWO MONTHS… and you just need to be OK with that.” He goes on to note the differences between running a business in the States versus now. “Europe in general and Paris in particular seem to have resisted the horribly dramatic pace we’re used to in New York. People do not have the same expectations of service, and those delivering the service seem to feel less of a pressure to deliver it all that efficiently. This can be frustrating, especially when you're actually trying to live in Paris and be productive.”
Amongst their favourite things in Paris, Kyle suggests the best part about Parisian-living, which we wholeheartedly agree with – “You can be randomly walking out your door and wandering through a time capsule of history, even unwittingly. We also have access to the best wine here, and connection to local agriculture with the farmers’ market – it will be hard to exist without them”.
As for their engagement with the Coco Community, Kyle has noticed the driving force between the colivers. “I see the common thread being a sense of adventure and the spirit of doing something different with your life. I am beginning to recognize a certain quality in people who act on crazy ideas, starting with, ”I want to live in Paris for a year". I think most everyone would love to do it, but how many actually make it happen?”
The premise of finding a decent place to live, which arguably is one of the most administratively painful experiences in Paris can also be credited to COCO, says Kyle. “I don't think we would have stayed nearly as long, if at all, had we not met Frederic and Albert. It is very hard to find long term accommodation in Paris without spending a fortune, and without COCO, it would not have been sustainable. I know people who are native Parisians who cannot find a decent place to live, so for foreigners it would be even harder. We were living in apartment hotels before we got our first COCO apartment, which is not sustainable long term.”
As for parting words for the next adventure-seekers looking for their next chapter in Paris? “The reality of living abroad in different places isn't always dreamy romantic bliss - it can be hard sometimes and you can't just go home, you have to live with it...and hopefully, you come out wiser! But thanks to the uncommonly wonderful people at COCO that is Frederic, Albert, Nino and Olivia, it makes it all the better.”
You can find Kyle and Renee’s next adventure by following them on Instagram:
@a.renee.graham
@kyleroderickbastien
