July 2024
All things Paris
A few months ago, I set out to attend at least one event in Paris each month. I felt like I hadn’t been making the most out of Paris, and I wanted to change that - especially while the days are long and the weather is nice.
This month, I went to an event at Shakespeare and Co. Michael Donkor was there to talk about his new book grow where they fall. I haven’t read any of his books before, but I saw the posters for the event and the book sounded interesting so I decided to go. I asked a few friends if they were free, and no one was so I went alone. I haven’t been to an event alone in ages, so it was nice to remind myself that I can still do it (and I that I enjoy it).
I celebrated 5 years of being PACS’d with my partner! We went out for dinner at Les Résistants where the food was so good. We had a bottle of orange wine which was great. We’re not big on anniversaries, but we felt like we had a lot to celebrate this time including my first official tour as a guide.
I’ve spent a few afternoons this month working from libraries with friends. I usually go to the BNF Mitterrand because there’s always space there but I’ve been in different parts of Paris so I’ve been checking out different city libraries. Working with friends helps keep me motivated to get the work done. I’ve been focusing on research for my tours and preparing for my French nationality interview (I don’t have a date for this yet).
July is also the month of the national holiday in France. So on the 14th July I watched the fireworks. It’s been a few years since I last watched them. We had a good view of the Eiffel Tower, but it wasn’t the right angle for the drones but I still had fun.
I celebrated a friends birthday, we played an escape game and then went out for dinner both of which were great. We did unfortunately just missed out on solving the escape game. In my team we were all meeting each other for the first time which made it harder. We played the the casino heist while the other team played the plane. They have a metro room which I really want to play sometime.
I picked up a new bike (second hand) bike this month! I’ve been thinking about it for a while but there were two things that made me realise now is a good time. The first being a bike trip that I’ve planned for September where we’re going to be cycling 90km in an afternoon. It’s been a while since I’ve done this distance and I don’t ride my bike often so I’d like to do some training before then (mostly to increase my average speed). And the second reason being I did some co-working with a friend, but it would have been faster for me to cycle there than to take public transport. I love my old bike, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving it for long periods of time, so I wanted a second bike for using in day to day life.
I cycled home with my new bike, and I love it. It’s very different to my old bike, but I’m excited to get out more by bike. Cycling through Paris is a fun experience, but I get overwhelmed by traffic (and other people on bikes).
Olympics
July brings the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics. I know a lot of people here who are not at all interested in the olympics, but since I live here I’m going to make the most of it. I don’t see myself ever travelling to see the olympics because I don’t follow any sports and everything related to the travelling (mostly transport & accommodation) gets so expensive.
I’ve created a blog to write about the olympics. You can find it here. In July, I have seen the Olympic Flame, the opening ceremony (live, on a screen not in person), the cycling time trial, and the urban sports venue (while the women’s skateboarding was on). I have a few things lined up for August and September which I’m excited for!
Day trips
And I’m back with my Île-de-France alphabet project! It’s been a while since I’ve done a day trip because I’ve had other things going on but it’s nice to be back. I’m now almost half way through this project with the goal of ending before the end of summer (because day trips are nicer when it’s not raining, cold and dark).
While this wasn’t part of the alphabet of Île-de-France project, I did go on a day trip to Cergy to the Ile de Loisirs. I went with a friend on a monday since we’re both freelancers and didn’t have work (we’ve got to make the most of the freelance schedule!). It really wasn’t that busy - I imagine on a weekend when it’s 30°C it would be packed. We started off the day by going to the aquapark which was so much fun - I felt like a child and I haven’t laughed so much in ages. We then walked to the beach were we had our lunch and enjoyed the sun. After lunch, we went into the pool (and even did the water slide). The Ile de Loisirs had loads of different activities for all ages so I’m sure I’ll be back sometime.
All things blog
I’ve been working a lot from different libraries across Paris - there are over 50 different ones that are ran by the city. I’ve started a blog post where I write a bit about each library.
I’m in the process of applying for French nationality, which is honestly just a lot of collecting paperwork and waiting. I need to start brushing up on my French history, but I have such a hard time deciding on what to focus on, so I’ve created an article where each day I can get a person, event and rapid response to focus on. I’m honestly so proud of this - it’s simple but it’s effective. I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed with where to start, so I end up not focusing on anything. With this, I don’t have to make the decision, I can just start.
After watching the Olympics opening ceremony, I added a pop culture part - I missed some of the references and it will be good to brush up on that too. I had a lot of fun researching that and coming up with a playlist. I also have a blog post with my Olympic experience
Back when I was a student and then later a teaching assistant at Ironhack I wrote an article on my experience there which was published on DEV.to. I have also put a copy here, on my personal blog because learning to code was a life changing experience for me.
Books
I’m part of a book club where each month we meet for brunch or dinner to exchange books. This month we went back to Extraction Coffee for brunch and I love the food and vibe here. You have the table for an hour and a half, so they don’t like it if people in your group are late.
We’re in the process of seeing if the book club continues and then we’ll select the books for our next rotation which starts in September if everyone wants to continue. We’re taking July off because a lot of people will be on holiday. I didn’t get a July book because my book neighbour was away, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to read any books.
I read Yellowface this month and it was so good. It gave me a lot of anxiety, and I wanted to scream but wow. This book was recommended to me from someone in the book club and I always trust his recommendations. I love reading books that are suggested by friends because it feels personal and it means I have someone to talk to about the book.
I also read the once and future witches. I wasn’t hooked on this book like with some other books I’ve read recently, but I still enjoyed it. Parts felt like they were predictable, but parts were a surprise. I like how the story of the three sisters evolved over time and how their views of past events changed when presented with more information.
I also started to read trainspotting. I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve read in Scots which makes it much slower for me to read. I feel like I’m losing some of the impact of the book because I’m thinking too much about the words. There are so many characters who all have multiple names which I’ve just accepted that I won’t remember who is who. However the book, wow, so so good. It’s a heavy book, and covers a lot of hard subjects but I’ve enjoyed it.
I bought the book grow where they fall after the Shakespeare and Co event but haven’t started reading it yet - I will hopefully start it in August. Only the hardback book has been released so I bought that despite preferring paperback books (they’re easier to read especially while on trains).
Work
I gave my first tours of the Eiffel Tower and they went well! Super happy to be starting work again in a very different field - for the past 5 years I’ve been a developer! I really enjoy the research part and talking to people about what I’ve learnt. Parts of being a tour guide are out of my comfort zone, but I’m sure with time it will get easier. I loved being a dev, but I missed working with people.
I also had an interview at Shakespeare and Co for a part-time bookseller position. I had spent some time preparing for the interview but they still asked some questions that I wasn’t sure on how to answer. The two questions that stumped me the most were “what book would you recommend to someone who’s not native in English but is looking to get a book to practice?” and “name an author that has been in the news a lot recently”. Happy to share all of the questions if you’re also applying in the future!
I got offered the job, but had to turn it down before 28 hours a week (4 days a week) is too much for me to commit to on top of the guiding.It’s too bad because I honestly think I would enjoy it.
Journalling
It’s been a while since I last made it to a JoClub session because I’ve been busy on weekends. But I was able to make it to the BYOS (bring your own songs)- Life Pivots and Shifts and it was such a vibe. I love getting to discover some new music while reflecting on the different prompts.