The weekend started on a down note, and ended on an up note.
Day 22:
I woke up, hoping I’d be productive, not sure if I really was feeling 100%. I think I got rather upset at the fact that I didn’t rise as early as I’d hoped.
In order to avoid a morning of scrolling, I set myself to write two letters. And again, the signs were there – I wasn’t 100% into it, but I gave it what I could. I was writing to my very nearest and dearest.
Then I just got progressively worse in how I felt. I reckon not actually having a “get up – shower – breakfast” part of the routine made it worse. I didn’t come out of my room because I had heard a stranger’s voice downstairs and felt self-conscious showering then. Like I should have had cause to worry! I’m upstairs, they’re down, am I a part of the family? No. I’m the lodger. I do differently if I wish. My showering at 11am on a Saturday morning is no reflection on my landlady. But try telling that to me when I am not feeling very there.
Eventually I got out of my room and made tiramisù, ratatouille, and listened to Stornoway songs. It wasn’t a day to put pen to paper anymore. My landlady’s daughter cane back from the film festival she was at in town, and I shared my ratatouille with her, which she said was really good. I’ll consider that a huge compliment from a Frenchperson 😊 Then we spent some time talking about politics, neurodivergence, and family law, appropriate sketches and jokes interspersed. I like talking to her.
Day 23:
OK, we started well, in contrast. I got up and made myself read 2.5 chapters of Machiavelli’s The Prince. I got ready, I made breakfast. My landlady’s daughter and I walked with the dog to the nearest station to see about my Imagine R card – no joy. I can’t get a student card, because I don’t study in France. As for my hideously deformed photo… That can be solved at another, bigger station. I got to post my letters, too. It was a lovely morning.
In the afternoon I debated, and put it to public debate on my Instagram account, finally, whether I go to the theatre, or stay in and study.
Whilst uni work is really not going as well as it could, I think I needed a pick-me-up. My friends were right – I went to Saint Martin and had an amazing time, and came back full of energy. I went to see Un Chapeau de Paille d’Italie. Yes, we did it unbeatably in Eastern Europe, but this one was pretty good.
The other thing is that my landlady’s daughter and I had some of the tiramisù I had made, yesterday. It was her first time trying this dessert, ever, and she said it was delicious. I’m really pleased 😊
So yesterday, things started differently, but ended just as well.
Day 24:
Oho. What a rainy Monday. Today is the first time I took the RER after the bus to work today. I was determined not to get drenched.
Then I arrived, and thought, breakfast, once again, for those of us who rise too late to eat, is in order, and I braved the rain to my favourite bakery, to arrive and find it closed. Of course! They aren’t open on Mondays, or Tuesdays! I thought, well, bother – guess it’s t’other one then, which, in my opinion, isn’t as good. And then the thought hit me.
We have a fridge. And cupboards. And bowls. And there is a shop just 10 minutes from us. And I could save a decent chunk of money.
So fast forward to my arriving into work with a bag of muesli, a bottle of milk and some yoghurt. This cost of this stunt was as much as 4 pastries, which would feed me for 2 breakfasts. The value of this stunt was probably 5-6 breakfasts. Why didn’t I think of this before?
It was a quiet day. I met the head of our Legal department today, who asked me to translate a document two weeks ago. We got to talk about that translation finally. He said it was very good, except for a few anglicisms he could see in the form of tense.
I took this Monday slowly on purpose, thinking that if I went at 1000km/h as I did last week I risked running low on fuel by Thursday, if not tomorrow. I felt tired. I look forward to going home, I shan’t tell untruths. I had some stressful elements to today in any case already, which I may cover in another post.
But later this evening I went to meet some friends in Paris, in the Quartier Latin – the mediaeval part of Paris. I haven’t seen them since nearly two years ago in Edinburgh – French exchange students from Sciences Po (for context, this is the LSE or Oxbridge of France). Gosh was it good to see them. My lips are just recovering from being numb with beer, wine, and laughter as I write this. The thing I love about the French is they make no small talk, but have no trouble joking either.
It was a lovely, lovely evening. But goodness me am I getting back home later than I thought…
Lessons:
Get up and go carpe diem.
What you do is not what other people do – your way of being should not reflect on theirs.
Stocking up on “energy” from an activity you love is just as important as food, drink, sleep, hygiene and exercise. It may just power you through a soul-crushing assignment 😉
Follow up on important emails in advance.
Meet with your friends more often.
When looking for a place to live, in Paris, or in London, make sure to have a metro/tube station very close.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Make sure to keep an eye on the time, and let no person trespass on it.
At Least Afloat 