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I Have Lost Nothing But Myself (Literally)

View from the student restaurant where we ate lunch
Bonjour!

Yesterday was a much better day. I cannot say that it was easy, and I cannot even say that I didn't get lost. But, it was mostly "good lost", and I think I'm getting better at navigating the city/finding my way back. I'm probably the worst person to give advice, but here are my tips for navigating Paris with no sense of direction.

  • If you don't have Wi-fi or data, always look up instructions ahead of time, screenshot them, and put them in a folder on your phone with the name of your destination.
  • At some point, you might look around and think that you missed your turnoff. If you were on the correct road before you missed your turnoff, please do not turn onto some other road hoping to connect with the right road. I do not know why I ever think that this is a good idea, but I have made this mistake multiple times.
  • If you can locate a metro station, you can probably navigate the metro system to arrive at a more familiar area of the city.
  • If you have to ask for directions, try to ask for the next road on your route rather than your final destination.
Anyway, as difficult as the past few days have been, I really enjoyed yesterday. I got my new SIM card, which means that I can finally make calls in France. I spent many hours wandering around the Latin Quarter. I found a well-stocked French-language bookstore (s'appelle Librairie Compagnie) with many affordable book options. I bought a copy of my favorite play, Cyrano de Bergerac, in the original French for 2,90 euros ($3.38 USD). I want to practice my French while I'm here, and reading a familiar play seems like a good solution. 

Overall, I am doing much better. I still spent a fair amount of time finding my way around Paris, but I am safe and fed. I am hopeful that everything will work out in the end. 

Au revoir,
Lydia

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