Paris: Day 15

Another adventurous day in Paris.

The morning started off well. There is a girl that is almost done with her study abroad who is from South Carolina and had never been to Paris before either. We live in the same building and caught each other on the way out, me to the Metro station (I was running too late for a morning walk) and she to McDonald’s for what she claimed as the best express coffee around. A notable statement in a city overrun with cafes.

She talked about how she did most things by herself and didn’t really wait on everyone else to get in the mood or get their schedules together. Everyone is just too busy and simply too different for that. It made me feel a little better that I’m not the only one that goes to Paris attractions alone. In a way it is nice to keep with my own pace.

I’m a little aggressive, I must admit, anyway.

I have no problems with waking up a 5 am to be somewhere at opening. I thrive on 4 or 5 hours of sleep. And I love scheduling things in the most efficient way possible.

Then I ran into one of the other students on my program waiting on the metro. We chatted for a while about the upcoming week and how school was going. It was nice to have someone to talk to, but I did miss my morning walk. It is a great time to listen to new music I bought and really think on it. It is normally a little chilly so it wakes me up and starts my blood flowing to plan the day and think about things going on in Paris and stateside.

Class is getting a little easier, at least as far as understanding what is going on. I had my final today in my phonetics class. I’m a little sad because I loved honing my accent to the perfect French tones, but I’m glad to be gaining an extra hour of play after class once the week is over.

After class I went to the CEA building to pick up a mug I won in a raffle, it has a map of the metro on it. Super cute even if it is a little cheesy. I just love the metro. I really wish Memphis had awesome public transportation. It gives me time to read and think to myself. And honestly, being on the metro reminds me of NYC. I guess since we are such a global economy, the world really is shrinking as we assimilate our cultures to work together more efficiently. Being in central Paris is just like New York. Most people speak English, there are tons of cultures represented, and it is simple busy amongst the tall buildings. Sometimes I wonder if I am actually in a foreign country.

I did sleep for a while on the flight, who knows!

Next I headed to Paris Plage. Basically this is a summertime event where a good chunk of the Seine riverside is turned into a beach, with extra large beach chairs and mats and plenty of sand to go around. Plus several ice cream stands and cafes. Of course, no swimming allowed (not that you would want to, yuck!). It was great to sit on the “beach” just to read and sleep for a while.

Next I roamed over to one of the two islands on the Seine, Ile de Saint Louis. And it was instantly a favorite. Definitely the quietest place in central Paris and full of quirky little shops, even a puppeteer shop. I could have walked the streets forever. It was like a small town inside of Paris.

Alas, I had homework to do, so I headed home. Well, not before a drop by the mall. Unfortunately, my strapless bra didn’t make it into my bag somehow (that is the 3^rd time this year, I am really starting to collect these things on every trip). Since Europe does not claim Victoria’s Secret, I had to “stoop” to another brand. Here, they have Etam. It reminds me a lot of the Aerie brand. Maybe it is TMI, but regardless, if you are ever in need of undergarments of moderate standards in Europe – now you know.

After a couple hours of homework I went to my favorite Italian place again with the guy that lives next door. He is the only guy on our program and also serves as the local friendly Canadian. Definitely a socialite, but for whatever reason decided to stay in tonight so he joined me for dinner.

Wednesday’s are called social night in Paris. Movies come out on Wednesday’s, not Friday’s and everyone goes out on Wednesday (and Friday too, ha!), so Mouffetard was happenin’. The restaurant even had a saxophone player going. At one point he begins to play some infamous Italian opera piece that you have probably heard before, but I couldn’t for my life think to name, and the chef comes out and sings to the entire restaurant and street for that matter. And an accordion player walks by and joins in. It was a thrilling experience as everyone looked on in appreciation. If only I could get the “foodies” at the Hospitality school to broaden their skills like that!

Over dinner we discussed an interesting topic that I haven’t thought about since my internship with Disney. Experiences such as these bring an odd group of people together that probably wouldn’t normally be friends. In all honestly, I would probably stay away from every single one of these people and their respective friend groups back home, but here, they are all I have. And so we are forced to get to know each other deeper than our stereotypes. I’m not as country as I sound. Sure she is conceited, but she has more interests than what the mirror tells her. Maybe she tries to hard to be different, but she is hella smart and pretty damn fun to be around. And sure, that girl comes off like an idiot that follows the crowd all the time, but you would never know she loves these little unknown films. And maybe that preppy frat guy is more than just a beer guzzler. He is actually pretty smart and reads a book 3 times as fast as me. And at the end of it all, meeting someone different wasn’t so bad after all.

For dinner, I had a 4 cheese pizza, which was a little intense on the cheese. I think I will stick with my plain marinara next time. I don’t know what it is, but having pizza with out the cheese tastes so much more fresh and less greasy. How come I never thought of that? I had a Sirop to drink, which was basically Strawberry water, but it was super delicious. For dessert, I had Arragato (I think that’s what it was called). Basically vanilla ice cream served in coffee. It was perfect and just what I needed for a late night of homework.

On the walk back we got crepes. He had a white chocolate one with caramel and I, one with butter and caramel. My tasted and smelled just like a pancake from home.

Happy.

His was a great one too.

Apparently the shop we went too had the best crepes in Paris according to two of his guide books, but what do I know about crepes? If it had sugar I’m bound to love it.

Today in the happiness project, I read about being serious about play. I realized how little I take the time to make sure I have enough fun in life to clear my head and simply enjoy. And when I think about it, I don’t know what I would do for fun.

What do I really enjoy?

All I do is school and work, which I enjoy in their own rights, but surely I am more than my job and homework. So in an effort to discover my fun, I have tried to pay close attention to the things I find absolutely thrilling, despite its uselessness and taking pictures as reminds on my phone along the way.

Walking in a new city is one.

Running is another. I have missed it the last few days and will hopefully have time tomorrow.

But one thing she mentioned really struck me, too. There are so many things I wish I wanted to do enough to do them. Like be an astronaut, but my lack of physics-comprehension counts that out. I want so many degrees, but there is only so much money and time I have to sacrifice. I want to see so much of the world. I wish I wanted to go clubbing every weekend or even once a month, but I just don’t enjoy it that much. I wish I loved “shopping with the girls” and spending all day in a salon like a chick is supposed to, but I hate being inside. I wish I could snowboard like a rockstar, but I hate the snow.

You can’t change what you like.

But you can change what you do with that information. Instead of wasting my time trying to force myself into liking shopping, I will spend the day pushing to my next mile or learning more about some photography program. Or discover something new in my city.

Have fun.