Paris: Week Two, Day Six
Friday, July 7
Today was very tiring for me. I didn’t have the energy to do much.
First, I went to school, as usual. After class, I took some photos of the cool architectural designs on the building.
Afterwards, I went out to search for food. I just wanted a poke bowl with salmon in it. I ended up traveling far away from the school as I hunted for a restaurant where I could actually sit down. Most of the poke restaurants around the school are to-go restaurants. This fascinates me because there is nowhere to eat and people don’t walk and eat in France. Where does everyone take their food to in the middle of the day?
Eventually, I became too hot and exhausted to continue. I sat in a park and rested for about an hour. Then, I stood up to find a place to eat. I got an address for a restaurant with great reviews and set off. On my way, I saw a very cool building covered in greenery. It was so impressive that I stopped to take a pic. Several others saw me and they decided to take some pics too! I thought that was funny.
After walking about 20 minutes, I arrived at the restaurant. It was closed! Chains on the door and everything. I couldn’t believe it because Google said they were open. I reversed direction and headed back to the park that I rested in earlier. There were restaurants there, so I figured I would just get whatever I could find. Eventually, I found a restaurant with a decent poke bowl. I also tried their desert. It was amazing! The woman who served it to me said, “C’est magnifique, eh?” It definitely was. The pictures don’t even do it justice. And, it was delicious!
I hung out there for about 2 hours, doing the whole Parisian eating thing. This is basically where you can’t sit down to a quick lunch. It must be looooong and drawn out for no apparent reason. I studied French, listened to a podcast, chatted with friends and family online, and then finally left.
On the way home, I passed a small church building. I was jamming to music in my earbuds. Suddenly, I realized a man was walking beside me and he was talking to me. I removed an earbud to see what was so urgent. At first, it was basic niceties. In French, of course. But conversation quickly got confusing to me. I couldn’t tell what he was talking about. I explained to him that I’m still learning French. I asked if he spoke English. He said no but it’s ok. I was like, no it’s not ok because I don’t know what you’re saying. Then he began to make very obscene and inappropriate hand motions. It was very clear to me what he was asking about. He was propositioning me! I told him no in several different ways but he continued to walk by me asking over and over again.
I was getting annoyed at this point. The road wasn’t very busy and I was in an unfamiliar area. I couldn’t outpace this guy. There were no shops, no metro, no taxis. Just a long street of apartment buildings. Very little foot traffic. Eventually, I refused to engage in conversation with him. We were getting nowhere and I didn’t know what else to do. I waved him away, put on my best RBF, slid my sunglasses into place, and completely ignored him. It worked! He walked away. Just for my own peace of mind, I took a picture of him as he was walking away. I was very worried that he would circle back or that our paths would cross again before I got home.
I made it home with no other issues. After that experience, I decided to just stay inside for the rest of the evening.
