Besides volunteering with STCP, I’ve had time to explore Paris, which I’ve really been enjoying. Most of my exploration is just walking and seeing where I land, since there’s always something to see or do no matter where I go. Beyond visiting Versailles, I haven’t done much of the typical tourist things, but I have been trying to experience Paris more as someone who lives here.

In the beginning I was keeping up with the World Cup, and watched one of the games at a brasserie with some of the other volunteers and interns; I have/had a go-to boulangerie (en congé until September, which has devastated me); I've been trying to read Crime and Punishment in French, but it’s been slow going. I spend most of my free time on my research, though. It’s been pretty cool to have my two Laidlaw summers connect in this way: I’m doing my LiA while continuing my project from last year. Like usual, I’m playing a bit of catch up, and I have not had as much time to do it, but some of it has been very interesting, and I'm doing blog posts for it as well!

Something new I’ve been trying to do is say yes to new things: I don’t like being out of my comfort zone, but travelling alone has already put me there, and I may as well have fun and learn whilst doing it. This involves a lot of things for me: interacting with people in French instead of defaulting to an automatic "je parle pas très bien français," getting to know the people I work with outside of STCP, and also doing things on my own like seeing a movie or getting dinner. And for the most part, these things I’ve said yes to have ended up adding to my experience here in Paris.

My cover photo is from a ceiling in the Château de Versailles!