Rain splashes across my loafers, pooling in small puddles across the pavement, as I hurry down the street - soggy almond croissant in hand. I have been in Paris less than 24 hours, and it seems that I have brought the rain with me. It’s 9:50 and I am scheduled to meet Eloïse, my supervisor and colleague for these next six weeks, at 10:00 to be shown round the office. I glance anxiously down at my screen to follow the map along Boulevard Voltaire, in the 11^th Arrondissement, and I am slightly taken back when I look up at the apartment block ahead of me. I expected a more formal office, but I later learn that the charity brought an apartment to create a more intimate and welcoming environment.  

 After I am buzzed into the building, Eloïse shows me through the door. We great each other and she asks if I can take my shoes off – slipping her own under the hallway bench. I follow obediently, marvelling in the intimacy of the act. It’s a small but significant sign of care in this new space, it says ‘I respect you and I am going to show up as my best self.’

I am given a brief tour. First there is the kitchen, where lunch is made together. There are small touches of joy in the kitchen; in the fridge magnets pinning pictures askew and a letter of gratitude from a friend, in the branded coffee mugs - titled with the values of the charity – stacked next to the coffee machine, in the cupboard of tea with sachets of different loose varieties – a homage to the Darjeeling district of India where one of their field operations is based and their altruistic partnership with Palace Des Thes. We walk down the corridor, wooden flooring creaking as we pass the gallery of photos stuck on the left wall. They capture moments of humanity, people who the charity have connected with, their beneficiaries, and a couple of stunning landscapes taken by Matthieu Ricard himself. Their colourful greeting along the wall speak of the humanity and the connection of Karuna-Shechen.

The doorway at the end opens on a large, shared room – one long wooden desk surrounded by eight officechairs. “We work together” Eloïse tells me, before turning to introduce me to her seated colleagues – Annouk, Marilou, Javed and Eva. I smile warmly, the first of many good souls who I will encounter during my time here. The right wall is painted a burnt terracotta, one of the colours of the Foundation, and it pairs strikingly with the large green monstera at home in the corner, and the vibrant ficus tree tucked next to a wooden storage unit. Two large windows throw light, even with a clouded sky, across the space and invite a view of the six story buildings that line the busy boulevard outside. There are two portraits of Matthieu’s Tibetan masters that sit on opposite sides of the walls. Their presence in the room translates a humble nobility, reminding us of the purpose we serve and the values we share.

A door to the right opens into the first meeting room, the blue room – so called from the colour of the ceiling and curtains that hang across two more windows with wrought iron balconies. Another large desk holds most of the space, where we will also take lunch each day, and bookshelves are piled generously with the work of Matthieu and his friends from across their years, with candles and incense, and with annual reports of the charities. It adds a bright splash of life.

The other door off the main room, which leads back into the corridor takes us to a small bathroom, with shower and sink, and to the yellow room. This second meeting room is far more intimate, a yellow sofa, a cluttering of armchairs, a stool, a desk and a patterned rug. A terracotta arch is painted on one wall and across from that is a large, framed edition of a Tibetan girl and gentleman, one of Matthieu’s photographs, her smile illuminated in the low light of the adjacent window. Above the desk a dynamic painting of yellows and umbers – a painting by Matthieu’s mother who died in 2023 in at 100 years old.

I am led back to the main room, and take my laptop out, preparing to meet for an onboarding session with Eloïse and Catherine, before settling to a day of work. A warmth blooms in my heart at the unexpected intimacy of this apartment, of this sacred home that I have been given the opportunity to share. I am very excited for what this adventure holds.