Another Day in the Life
At the behest of my faithful readers (Mom), I’ve decided to devote a blog entry to my general daily happenings, in time-table form. This way you can all know just about EXACTLY what I’m doing and WHEN! YAYYY! (For the REAL stalkers, keep in mind that Paris time is seven hours later than Texas time.)
7h00: Wake up!
I sleep with my balcony doors wide open since there is no AC, and it’s usually quite pleasant. I have an alarm clock, but the sunlight typically wakes me up a couple of minutes before 7:00. (The balcony door thing is AWESOME except when mosquitos bite your face. However, a friend tells me she thinks they’re bed bug bites. For real. Just… ewww.)
7h45: Breakfast.
By this time I’m all showered and clothed, so I head downstairs for a yogurt and a piece of toast with butter and jam. The jam is some kind of fruit called Coisis, I think, and I have no idea what it is. Haha! I’ve probably been eating hair gel or something.
8h15: Leave the house.
Here begins my daily metro extravaganza. It’s gotten a little mundane lately, so I have begun to take different routes to get to school. I like to mix things up.
8h45: Arrive at Avenue du Maine.
It’s about a 15-minute walk to school from the nearest metro stop, and I usually like to get on the computer before classes begin. My school is on a little street called Rue Daguerre, and it has all kinds of cool little ethnic shops and an open market at the opposite end. Pretty fun stuff!
9h15: French class.
Not my favorite class, but it could be worse. We basically have at least two or three tests per week, and lots and lots of homework in between. My teacher is really nice, but she wants us to have an opinion about EVERYTHING, and sometimes it just doesn’t MATTER (e.g. I don’t really care if middle schoolers in France are required to memorize poetry.)
11h15: French class ends; 15 minute break.
I spend my breaks either on the computer (There’s WiFi in the garden! SWEET!), talking to friends, or sipping a beverage from the espresso/ hot chocolate machine. I don’t really like coffee, so I usually get hot chocolate or just hot milk.
11h30: France Contemporaine.
I’m taking an advanced culture class, which I actually find fascinating. It’s a good thing I like it too, because at this time of day, I start to get tired. Both of my courses are taught ONLY in French, and the profs don’t ease up on us by talking slowly or using easy words. You’ve got to be with it ALL THE TIME, which wears me out sometimes. But yeah, LOVE this class.
13h30: End of the school day!
At this point, my routine varies. Sometimes I go out to lunch with friends, but that can get a little expensive. My favorite thing to do, as it turns out, is just wander around with nice people. Katie and Anna and I can always find something with which to entertain ourselves. Today, for example, we rode the train to the Stade de France, the big stadium on the outskirts of the city. They have a huge movie screen set up there, and people just lay down on the soft grass and watch the World Cup. Today we watched Switzerland beat Togo. Fun time! Other days I just take walks, or go to the grocery store and just marvel at how different everything is. Last week some friends and I tried to find a flea market (sans success), but I always manage to find something interesting and amusing.
18h30: Back to the apartment.
I’m usually home by this time. I like to either clean my room or do my homework before dinner. I’m cool, I know.
20h00: Dinner.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I eat with my host family, which is way fun. Other days I make a sandwich out of really good bread, cheese, and meat, or I go out with friends (EXPENSIVE), or I buy a little panini or something at a brasserie.
After that, it sort of depends! Sometimes I go out with peeps, sometimes I take walks by myself in one of the beautiful gardens nearby, sometimes I just come home and study. I lay out my clothes before I get in bed, and I’m usually asleep by midnight. I like to read my Bible before I fall asleep. I love getting into the Word when the city is finally quiet and my mind is at ease. And then I’m all the more prepared for another wonderful day…
Happy,
Kate
7h00: Wake up!
I sleep with my balcony doors wide open since there is no AC, and it’s usually quite pleasant. I have an alarm clock, but the sunlight typically wakes me up a couple of minutes before 7:00. (The balcony door thing is AWESOME except when mosquitos bite your face. However, a friend tells me she thinks they’re bed bug bites. For real. Just… ewww.)
7h45: Breakfast.
By this time I’m all showered and clothed, so I head downstairs for a yogurt and a piece of toast with butter and jam. The jam is some kind of fruit called Coisis, I think, and I have no idea what it is. Haha! I’ve probably been eating hair gel or something.
8h15: Leave the house.
Here begins my daily metro extravaganza. It’s gotten a little mundane lately, so I have begun to take different routes to get to school. I like to mix things up.
8h45: Arrive at Avenue du Maine.
It’s about a 15-minute walk to school from the nearest metro stop, and I usually like to get on the computer before classes begin. My school is on a little street called Rue Daguerre, and it has all kinds of cool little ethnic shops and an open market at the opposite end. Pretty fun stuff!
9h15: French class.
Not my favorite class, but it could be worse. We basically have at least two or three tests per week, and lots and lots of homework in between. My teacher is really nice, but she wants us to have an opinion about EVERYTHING, and sometimes it just doesn’t MATTER (e.g. I don’t really care if middle schoolers in France are required to memorize poetry.)
11h15: French class ends; 15 minute break.
I spend my breaks either on the computer (There’s WiFi in the garden! SWEET!), talking to friends, or sipping a beverage from the espresso/ hot chocolate machine. I don’t really like coffee, so I usually get hot chocolate or just hot milk.
11h30: France Contemporaine.
I’m taking an advanced culture class, which I actually find fascinating. It’s a good thing I like it too, because at this time of day, I start to get tired. Both of my courses are taught ONLY in French, and the profs don’t ease up on us by talking slowly or using easy words. You’ve got to be with it ALL THE TIME, which wears me out sometimes. But yeah, LOVE this class.
13h30: End of the school day!
At this point, my routine varies. Sometimes I go out to lunch with friends, but that can get a little expensive. My favorite thing to do, as it turns out, is just wander around with nice people. Katie and Anna and I can always find something with which to entertain ourselves. Today, for example, we rode the train to the Stade de France, the big stadium on the outskirts of the city. They have a huge movie screen set up there, and people just lay down on the soft grass and watch the World Cup. Today we watched Switzerland beat Togo. Fun time! Other days I just take walks, or go to the grocery store and just marvel at how different everything is. Last week some friends and I tried to find a flea market (sans success), but I always manage to find something interesting and amusing.
18h30: Back to the apartment.
I’m usually home by this time. I like to either clean my room or do my homework before dinner. I’m cool, I know.
20h00: Dinner.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I eat with my host family, which is way fun. Other days I make a sandwich out of really good bread, cheese, and meat, or I go out with friends (EXPENSIVE), or I buy a little panini or something at a brasserie.
After that, it sort of depends! Sometimes I go out with peeps, sometimes I take walks by myself in one of the beautiful gardens nearby, sometimes I just come home and study. I lay out my clothes before I get in bed, and I’m usually asleep by midnight. I like to read my Bible before I fall asleep. I love getting into the Word when the city is finally quiet and my mind is at ease. And then I’m all the more prepared for another wonderful day…
Happy,
Kate
posted by Katie | 2:48 PM
4 Comments:
Merci beaucoup pour le blog!!!!!! It is exactly what I need to know what you are doing every second of the day. It is now 2:17 am, and you had better be safely tucked in your bed! Love, Meeme
Well life sounds interesting...I can't even understand the people in line at the supermarket who speak Spanish all the time and laugh (and you know they are laughing at you which is why they won't speak in English), and I am around that every day. I also don't understand my professors when they speak perfectly clear English (most of them...some engineering and physics professors...whew). I can't imagine understanding an entire lecture in French. Congrats. Good luck finding a Church. I will keep ya in my prayers.
Bonjour, madame.
It looks like you are waking up just as I am about to go to sleep. :) I had a busy night editing and Tuesday I write my next article. Have a great day! Au revoir.
~ Andy
Katie, I love hearing about what you are doing...and the wonderful pictures you have been sending!! Your Mom tried to guide me thru this reply so , I hope I make it. We miss you but sounds like you are really enjoying yourself. Love, Gee
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