Today was a me day.
I'm not sure why I can't seem to sleep in past eight in Europe, but I'm always wide awake before a godly hour. I woke up to a facebook message from Callie, with whom I was supposed to go to a museum, telling me that her night at the club ended fairly late and she would be sleeping in. I knew this wasn't a good sign so I preceeded with my day.
I got myself a cup of coffee and a waffle and climbed into bed for a few more minutes before starting my homework. The exercises were shorter than I thought, and I did better than I expected on them. My confidence was boosted until I started to review the next assigned chapter for our class on Monday. I hadn't learned most of the words for the chapter before, and at the pace we're expected to move during the practicum, I knew that I was in trouble. Thank god that I can take a class pass/no pass.
After finishing part of my to-do list, I got back into bed to watch tv. My stomach was rumbling by 11 so at 12 I decided to venture to Monoprix for my daily baguette, and since I have all the time in the world, I would eat it in the park as I awaited a message from Callie. I got dressed and went out the back gate onto the street. I had just stepped out of the gate when I saw it. There is an adorable used bookstore across the street from my apartment, and there was a bin of books for only one euro! I looked through the bins, but I had already decided on buying a copy of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris the second I picked it up. It's the perfect book for my time in Paris; I live near Notre Dame and just visited the Pantheon yesterday where Victor Hugo is buried. The best part is that there's a postcard written in French that was tucked into the center of the book. I had to have it. The shopkeeper was nice and even gave me a bag for my purchase with a warm smile. I'm going to have to try my best to resist temptation and not buy books everyday.
I was in a fantastic move after my purchase and decided to poke my head into some of the other shops that seemed to not be open during the week. There's a cute toy store and a jewelry store on the street behind my building. I really do like this neighborhood.
I walked to Monoprix to find it jammed with people. I guess people do their grocery shopping on the weekend. I quickly got my baguette, and while I was going to the check out, happened upon some speculous cookies that will make a delicious breakfast tomorrow. The line to check out was long at every register, and was not sped up by the fact that in France you have to bag your own groceries. The woman in front of me had a child of about five and no visible method to take all of her groceries home. She bought a bunch of reusable bags along with her groceries and rounded up her child who had gone to get a toy bicycle that he had stashed somewhere in the store. I was surprised that she could carry so many groceries considering she was such a thin woman. I paid for my groceries and headed to the park.
I went up the stairs to the park and headed towards the Bastille. The path came to an end after a few paces so I plopped down on a bench and started to eat my baguette. Halfway through my lunch I saw a rat scamper out of the bushes and across the path. I had never seen a rat that wasn't someone's pet before and it made me rethink my decision to eat in the park. I suppose I'll keep my park visits to walking only. Welcome to city life.
I got lost on my way out of the park, but soon found my exit and left. I went upstairs and have spent the rest of my day watching tv in bed and studying. I can report, however, that I tried the instant cream of mushroom soup that I bought the other day. I followed the instructions that stated to add a whole cup of water, but my soup did not turn out to be thick and creamy but water and lumpy. It was still pretty tasty. I'll do better next time.
Oh, Callie and some friends went to Luxembourg Gardens today, but I didn't go. She also invited me to go to a club tonight but I declined. I can hear the drunk girls down the hall as I write this. Maybe I'll have a glass of wine and go to bed. With any luck Callie and I will do something tomorrow, but I don't have high hopes.
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