Skip to main content

Sniffling in the City

A beautiful view from the balcony of Bibliothèque François Mitterand
Hello!

I am writing this from the depths of a terrible cold. I guess that it isn't entirely surprising that I'm sick; I can hear people sniffling and sneezing throughout the metro, and this is my first extended stay in a cold climate. But, it is definitely frustrating that I set some semi-adventurous goals on Sunday and then was sick by Tuesday. My host mom took me to the pharmacy, recounted my symptoms to the pharmacist in detail, and had me buy a substantial amount of cold medicine. She was very insistent that "You take medicine, and, if the medicine doesn't help, you go to the doctor". I guess that this is what life is like in a country with an affordable health care system? Since I don't have any pre-existing conditions that could be affected by a cold, I would never go to the doctor for a cold. I've only barely come around to taking medication for colds, and even that is as a supplement to my inherited method of Powering Through It and Letting Your Body Do Its Job.

The Saint Michel metro station sign, a relic of France's art deco period

On Wednesday, I was running late for school when I had two of the most harrowing Only in a Parisian Metro experiences. Firstly, as I was rushing to my metro platform, I saw a badly injured man sitting against the wall with a few people helping him to hold towels to his head and managing the situation. I couldn't figure out how he had gotten injured, but his head was clearly bleeding quite badly. There were a couple people standing uselessly and watching the situation unfold with mouths agape. I decided that the first responders didn't need a twenty-year old with no medical training or experience crowding them while they helped this man, so I (very guiltily) walked on by. Then, just as I was about to take the escalator down to catch my metro, I saw a man running around helplessly while wearing a blanket and not much else. He clearly needed financial resources and additional support that I was ill-equipped to provide, so, once again, I guiltily rushed past.

An aesthetic look at my daily walk to the metro station

As you can probably tell, guilt is a big part of my existence both here and in the United States. I always feel guilty avoiding people in need, especially after deciding to start giving money to beggars and then continuing to ignore them. The thought of walking up to someone and handing them money makes me incredibly anxious. Since I don't have the ability (financially or practically) to give money to give money to every beggar I see, I find myself worrying about my own inadequate abilities to determine who is deserving of financial aid.

Site of my regular trips to look longingly at stationary

I feel like this post and the post before it have such a negative bent, but I assure you that I enjoy my life in Paris most of the time. I have visited the library a couple times, and returned occasionally to browse the papeterie section of Gibert Jeune. (On one memorable Gibert Jeune trip, I spent at least 30 minutes browsing and left with a single highlighter.) I have started simplifying my bullet journalling style, which (as with any minor bullet journal change) has inspired a sort of ~bullet journal renaissance~. I found a British grocery store called Marks and Spencer today, which had many American-style food options. (Do I normally buy lime salsa flavored tortilla chips? No. Did I act as though they were the most flavorful food in the universe? Of course.) Even though I am sick, this week hasn't been entirely wretched. I want to be honest about this experience as it unfolds, even if I have to recount some bad days.
Please enjoy today's self-care based daily log.
Au revoir,
Lydia

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Grouchiest Blog Post

Hello! This post is literally just Grumpy Lydia complaining. If that sounds miserable, congratulations! You have my full permission to click away now. If that sounds like something you wouldn't mind reading, please enjoy and/or suffer through this list of Lydia's Miseries. I was on vacation in Italy all last week, which means that there are many lingering tasks that have not been completed. My flight was delayed on Monday, which means that I missed class, which has led to me being even more behind.  Housing selection was yesterday, and I am trying to force myself to come to terms with the fact that I'm pretty much definitely going to be living alone next year, which will contribute to my depression next year and makes me feel lonely in the present. There are just, like, a lot of lingering thoughts that I cannot find the words to write about.  It is cold and wet and sad outside, which means that a Self-Imposed Walk to Help With Lingering Sadness would probably jus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reviewing My August 2019 Goals

This is an image of my desk during Fall Semester 2018. On the right side of the photo, there is a vintage Singer sewing machine which, unfortunately, does not work. To the left of the sewing machine, there is a crate books inside. On top of the crate, there is a stack of Rookie Yearbooks with a crocheted jellyfish (wearing glasses) on top of it, and a picture frame containing a print that reads "all the time". To the left of the crate, there are a few more books. In lieu of a proper bookend, I have placed a tarot deck (stored in a black makeup bag) and a book-themed Halloween decoration (featuring book spines with the words "Potions", "Hexes", and "Spells") to keep my books from toppling over. I chose this photograph because, unlike my current desk, this desk looks like it belongs to someone who creates monthly goals. Hello! At the start of this month, I made a list of goals. As September 1 draws near, I am l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Friends, I'm Trying to Keep In Touch

Hello, friends! I feel like the only thing worse than spending 85% of your life on social media is talking constantly about the fact that you are no longer spending 85% of your life on social media. However, I must explain that, since deciding to take a break from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I have realized that those platforms allowed me to have a sense of social connection without much actual social connection. It is easy to feel connected to someone when you see the mundane details of their existence on Instagram Stories, watch them have mental breakdowns on Twitter, and read the articles they share on Facebook. Without those sources of information on my friends' lives, I began to realize that I hadn't actually been talking to that many people. Despite interacting with friends on Twitter, responding to their Instagram stories, and participating in conversations in Soka's sketch comedy club's group chat, I wasn't spending much time cultivating my friendship...
Post a Comment
Read more