Days 10 - 11 - Running in jardins, Rive Droite

So, yesterday after a very long, exhausting class full of snobbery and condescending comments coming from my Civilization prof, I decided to go for a much needed run in the Jardin de Luxembourg. It was indeed, beautiful. I couldn't believe I was actually running in one of the most beautiful parks in France - it's full of beautiful flowers, and it is so well-kept.

After my run, I went to the gym to lift some weights, went back to my room, showered, had a small dinner, and then went downstairs to try to do some work. Derek, the party dog that he is, invited me along with some other girls to go out, so the whole homework thing didn't go very far. We went to this really hip bar called "Piano Vache" - Great ambiance, great guitar music, and a great 10 Euro Cuba Libre. Needless to say, given how little I drink, that was enough to give me a headache this morning, and I wasn't feeling so hot by the time I wake up. Perhaps a rosé pamplemousse or even a Perrier next time. Because everyone knows that Zoloft and alcohol don't mix very well...

Today, I tried reading for a bit at Starbucks, but it didn't really work out. There are so many new things to see and do all around me, a new world of possibilities, and it is just so hard to concentrate! I recharged my pass navigo (my subway card), recharged my cellphone, and then bought myself some grammar and vocab books. We explored a little bit of the Rive Droite with Lucile, saw the Sorbonne, the Moufflettes (once a stinky river, that's how it acquired its name), went to a WONDERFUL patisserie called Paul - My tartalette aux fruits was really like those of my childhood, it was OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Then, Madeline and I went to Carrefour to buy curry powder and cumin to make coconut thai curry with lentils, tofu, spinach (which here, can found in cans), carrots, spicy red paste, onions and garlic. It was the first real thing I've actually cooked here, and it was absolutely delicious! I tried to do more homework after dinner, drank three cups of hot chocolate, two of which had cow's milk (and thus my upset stomach), ate a million pieces of candy from the lobby, and now I'm really not very sleepy. It's 1:25, though, so I should really go to sleep so I can actually wake up, take a shower, and be ready for classes.