154 Rue de Vaugirard est ou se trouve ma maison

my tropical parisian kitchenParis is a place where I have found quotidian life to be very peaceful yet very frustrating at times. Everything is fairly close and the transportation is quite practical. Nevertheless, it takes time to get errands done. Everything is closed on Sundays, sometimes even on Mondays, and all paperwork of any kind takes ages. When I first got here it really took me 2 months or even 3 to get really set up. I couldn’t buy a cell phone plan because I didn’t have my carte de sejour which is the permit to stay for a year. They give you a temporary visa and when you get here you have to go to a medical exam after two months to get the carte de sejour. Without it you are not supposed to leave France or be able to sign contracts for a year. So then, in December I finally got it and was able to complete my papers.

It also took me a while to figure out where to get food. There are many supermarkets around my area but the health food stores are not so close and expensive. At the beginning I used to eat out many times a week but now I have learned how to cook things that I like and that aren’t as unhealthy. I had the luck to end up in a very comfortable place. NYU got me an apartment 20 minutes in metro from the NYU center in the same line. It is extremely luminous in the evenings and I can see the sunset through my windows. My kitchen is small but a perfect size for me. I have a dishwasher and a washing machine, which makes my life so much easier. When I got to the apartment it was fully furnished and had everything that I could have ever asked for. Since I am here I have also transformed it into my house and decorated it my way. I have created a garden in my room and my kitchen with two bromeliads and 2 beautiful Lilies. I have put post cards that I collect in the way on my walls and drawings that I often make. I think I have made it almost too comfortable since I am so content here that sometimes leaving the house is very difficult.

This semester my classes are not very early. The earliest one starts at nine but all of the other days I don’t have them until 1045-11. I wake up, make my bed, practice yoga and meditation for 40-45 minutes, take a shower, and eat breakfast. It is a pretty long period that takes me to leave the house so I tend to wake up 2-3 hours before my class time.

I spend my free time with some friends from NYU but I have found many friends from Colombia that are here. I have a friend who graduated from high school with my sister and who has been like a sister to me. I have also some French friends but older, like my parent’s friends who have become my friends. I also have a neighbor who is French and Portuguese and speaks Spanish. In general, I have not been alone and I have had the chance to meet very interesting people. Going out here is interesting sometimes but the places to go out are not so good in general. However, I have been to some charming house parties and dinners. Finding taxis at night after the metro closes is practically impossible and last time I tried it took me nearly 2 hours.

This semester I am starting to exercise again here. I have been trying to go to a yoga studio that I found and to walk-run everyday while I explore the city. I feel much better this semester and I have great expectations about my remaining time here. I feel much more at home here now and I am happy to have had the opportunity to come back.