Happenings!

July is coming to an end, it’s hard to grasp that summer’s almost over. Paris is subdued to a heat-wave of tropical measure, and waking up in my little bird nest is not that pleasant at the moment. Sweaty sheets twisted in all directions. Hm. However, I should probably start from the beginning and elaborate on my current situation, rather than go on about my morning sensations (ha! Easily misinterpreted, but totally meant to be unsexual I'm afraid).

So here goes. I moved into a little studio flat in Paris on the 5th of July, it’s situated in the 18th arrondissement, on rue Fauvet no 12. It feels so unbelievably good to finally live in the actual city itself! Although, I wasn’t intent to move as early as I did, my plan was rather to find work and stay on for a bit in Louveciennes. That way, I would have made some money for rent and have enough time to find a little place of my own. As it happened, a friend of mine fell upon an announcement on Facebook that her friend was leaving Paris, namely the girl who occupied my present accommodation. So there it is, an opportunity too good to resist! Unfortunately, that left me rather bare-scraped for some weeks (still am), and every day since has been a bit of a struggle.

Work has been found though! Wasn’t too worried about that in the first place, have been told that there are quite a lot jobs here in Paris, and indeed, that’s affirmative. I started off with Gymboree, an American invention which can be defined as a centre where kids come to play and sing, but not as a crèche or anything but rather a baby-gym (check out website www.gymboree-france.fr). I’m hired as an animatrice, someone who activates the kids, sings and plays with them. I’ll be in charge of the English sessions on Sunday mornings, all in all I’ll be working 6 hours a week. Moreover, I’ve also signed with a souvenir shop called Plaisirs de Paris, also in Montmartre not far from where I live. It’s not a regular souvenir shop with t-shirts and such, but I’ll be selling chocolate, champagne, candy and cognac! Yeah. Could be a bit hazardous, seeing as I do suffer from a major sweet tooth-problem. Oh well. I’ll be doing 30 hours a week in the shop, so it all adds up to a full-time employment. Hurrah! Which means, hopefully, that my days of tight budgeting soon will come to an end? At least, I hope so. So sick and tired of having nothing but pasta and ketchup for dinner…

Gymboree doesn’t start until the end of August, and the contract at Plaisirs starts Monday the 4th, so in the meantime I’ve been doing different stuff, mostly baby-sitting for various families, some in and some out of Paris. I’ve also worked in a (proper) souvenir shop in Montmartre, right next to Sacre Coeur. And to put it mildly, it has not been pleasant. Dreadful hours (it’s opened until midnight), drunk and obnoxious tourists and really unfriendly co-workers. So that job, nah, not for me. I’ll get my pay-check and leave ASAP. Never happened to me before, that I feel that uncomfortable with someone that I can’t stand staying, I’d like to think of myself as someone rather easy to deal with but in that place I just feel malplacée. Maybe I’d felt more inclined to give it a chance had I not been offered another job. It all just feels so disorganised and hap-hazard, the hours were sort of just distributed one day in advance. I can’t live like that, I need to be able to plan ahead!

However my other two jobs are more than organised, I was really amazed by the level of seriousness, me having to sign proper contracts. I even have to go and do a medical check-up before I start working! So I do feel taken care of there. And how I am looking forward to my first real pay check! Ah, like you wouldn’t believe...

My work-out and running scheme has suffered a lot these past weeks, haven’t worn my running shoes in so long! They might not even fit me anymore. But that’s going to change, as soon as I’ll be getting some routine back into my life I sure will pick up my old (good) habits again. And me thinking I’d be so healthy and sporty living on my own, ha! Quelle blague, quoi. But no no, seriously, living on my own comes with a great responsibility – it’s me and no one else who’s in charge of whatever I put in my pie-hole, so I better keep a leash on my indulgences. Starting today then. Right.

Unfortunately, since I now consider myself an employed and dedicated woman with tons of responsibilities, I can’t just pack up and leave the country as soon as I feel like it. Have to stick around for a little while longer, maybe even a whole year. So coming back to Sweden within the nearest future is not an option. I do hope I’ll be able to come home for a visit soon, maybe in October/November around Halloween (Gymboree is closed), but I’m not going to count on it. A must though; I will fight to the last drop of blood for time off during Christmas and New Year’s Eve! X-mas cannot be spent anywhere else but in Sweden. That is a fact. New Year’s plans have already been set, it’s leaning towards Edinburgh in fact. Dear old Dani set my mind to it, so I reckon that’s where I’ll be going. More about that later, after all I have 6 more months to change my mind numerous times.

Have to get on with mine now, will meet up Josefin for lunch. She's been in Bretagne for 10 days so we have some catching up to do, and this afternoon I’m working 4 hours in another souvenir shop at rue de Rivoli, same owner as the one next to Sacre Coeur but a bit nicer personnel. Doesn’t mean I will change my mind concerning leaving though, it’s still shit!

Until next time, look after yourselves and I’ll do the same. Ta ta.
C