Slanted Rays

A statue on Boulevard Saint-Germain, photographed after a (very) late lunch Hello! This post is a bit more scattered than my usual content, because it was initially formatted as a numbered list in an attempt to curb my temptation to go into long tangents about stationary. On Sunday, I noticed that the blanket on my chair was moving. Please enjoy this footage of an adorable stowaway and a Very High-Pitched Lydia voice. I bought some new stickers! The dinosaurs were an exciting find, and they have already gotten some positive attention from my classmates. I saw the animals dressed like Native American people stickers, and was oddly amused by the peculiar ignorance and image of the Americas that has to go into a French company marketing these stickers to French people. However, the weird irony of it all was lost when I (an American who understands why appropriating Native American cultures is wrong) purchased them, and now they are a guiltily-used bullet journal accessor...

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 s...

It may look like I was looking out near the top of a verdant hill, but it's actually a wall with moss on it. Bonjour! I'm going to format this post a little differently, by dividing it into three sections: "What's going well?", "What's going poorly?", and "What do I want to do during the upcoming week?". I feel like I haven't been doing as many new and exciting things recently, so I am including the last list to encourage myself to branch out a little bit more. What's going well? I found a Chipotle in Paris! I am getting better at navigating my daily life here in Paris. Using the metro, walking around without getting lost, being mindful of my homestay's rules...all of it is getting easier. Please enjoy this video of me navigating my building's elevator I chose to take 18 hours of class per week, in the hopes of improving my French and having some sense of routine. Thus far, I have not fallen behind,...

This whole section makes me want to be much more invested in clothes than I am. When I was a small child, I honestly believed that I had never been to a department store. I read all these nineteenth century books that featured department stores, and dreamed of the day when I would get to visit one myself. Imagine my disappointment when I realized that the J.C. Penney's in the mall was a department store. Despite my very public distaste for shopping, I had thought that department stores would provide a new and transcendent shopping experience only to discover that my family had been dragging me through a department store all along. And then, on Thursday, I found the store that I thought existed only in my dreams. It's name is Merci, and I am absolutely floored by its existence. Imagine visiting the store from  The Paradise,  except it's the twenty-first century and none of the attendants try to speak to you. (My introverted self is loving the lack of customer serv...

One of my favorite photos that I have taken, outside the Gare de Lyon metro station Bonjour! Yesterday was my weekly day with six hours of class, with my first class starting at 9 AM and my final class ending at 5 PM. After this long day, I returned home to find that my host cat, who I love dearly, had thrown up on a piece of my bedding. My host mom was away for the night, so I just kinda wrapped it up and put it on the floor of my closet. I was very hungry, so I went to the boulangerie. I somehow managed to butcher the name of the pastry that I wanted so badly that the person behind me ordered for me. But, I returned home with my pastry in hand, and I was able to savor it until my normal dinner time of 7:30 PM. A dismal and busy day Since my host mom was away, she had instructed me to choose the food that I wanted from the options she left on the stove and microwave it. There were two fish options, and I normally dislike fish, but I was like "Why not try? Maybe I...

Stained glass chicken at the Madeleine metro station Bonjour! Yesterday, I went to a location of the CROUS, Paris' student restaurant, that was on a docked boat. The restaurant is near the Bibliothèque François Mitterand, which has a copy of every book ever published in France. Nearly everything, including the outlet stores and the movie theater, has "bibliothèque" in the name. I'm definitely going to go back and visit the library soon! Le Barge CROUS Today was my first day of class. My French professor is very friendly and helpful so far. I am the only American in my class, and the majority of the students in my class from Japan. Who would've thought that I would cross continents only to once again find myself as the only American in a French class with predominantly Japanese students? There are many people in my class who already live full-time in France, including a Catholic priest from India who is also a professor of philosophy and religion...

#25 in street artist Jae Ray Mie's Expressions Idiomatiques series Bonjour! After a week filled with new people and experiences, I decided to try for a more restful day yesterday. I spent the morning lounging around the house, and enjoyed cold pizza (the true taste of America) for lunch. On Friday, I found some really cool street art while I was walking to the pizza place, so I decided to go back and photograph it. I love the creativity and intricacy of street art; it always feels as though I have made a discover in a way that no art museum can replicate. Aladdin and Jasmine take the streets of Paris! (by street artist Toctoc) This one has strong Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children vibes. My personal favorite piece of street art In an effort to avoid wasting away at home, I decided to go to the papeterie section of Gibert Jeune to buy some pens, because the pens that I brought from home are on the verge of death. As stressful as my study abro...