[07 Oct 19] Normal class day. Things are becoming more routine. I don’t like to lose that feeling of awe every time I walk the streets of this city. I hope the magical feeling of waking to a dream come true stays longer. When I walk the streets of the city I still can’t believe I’m here.
[08 Oct 19] I wish my eyes were a camera, so I could easily take snapshots of everything (and everyone) that I see–without the discomfort of having to raise my phone or camera in front of people. I wish I could store everything I see in a photo or in a video, and keep all these memories forever.
This experience still feels like a dream come true. The things I see now had only been matters of my imagination, as I’ve seen them in countless films, photos, videos. Now I’m right in it.
[09 Oct 19] First exam of the LL.M. program done! Took a snapshot of my desk before starting. We were allowed to refer to our ‘codal’–European Union treaties. Some of my classmates probably had an easier time since half of them are EU citizens. Night out with some of them after the exam!
[10 Oct 19] Our French language professor forbids any English word in class as a policy and discusses everything in French. I feel like drowning, really, like being thrown in the ocean, me gasping for air (words) and catching my breath, with no choice but to (learn to) swim. And swim I will! French class was my only class for the day. The rest of the day stayed at the apartment.
[11 Oct 19] I met up with my frat brod Yael to hang out and explore some parts of the city. I will write another entry on this day!
[12 Oct 19] It was a slow weekend. Stayed most of the time at the apartment, heading out to La Défense for a while. In this photo I took, a young boy looks out to the Grande Arche de La Défense as the metro approaches France’s main financial district. The Grande Arche stands directly opposite the Arc de Triomphe. A giant graffiti that proclaims “We support Hong Kong!” greets commuters at the tunnel.
[13 Oct 19] Almost half of the Sunday parishioners of this Catholic chuch in central Paris are Filipinos. After mass, many would swarm around ambulant vendors selling Filipino food items from chicharon to turon, sometimes even some ulam. This Sunday we went to the Filipino store to have lunch. After lunch I walked across the Seine to the gym.
August 27 – 28, 2019. I’ve never been to Paris, let alone Europe. It was my first time in the old continent! I was so happy to have spent it with my parents, to whom I owe this grand privilege I wouldn’t have otherwise had. I’d like to believe it was also a very proud moment for them to ‘send’ their son to study in Paris, and they were only too happy to see me off from the city themselves.
My first reaction upon landing at the Charles de Gaule airport was that–wow, I never realized how hot it could be! As someone who had only always imagined Europe through countless movies and stories, I had always expected it to be a cold place. Not right now!
As we drove off from the airport to our hotel in Paris, I couldn’t contain my enchantment. It’s like my dream and a lifetime’s worth of imagining Paris, coming to life right before my very eyes. It’s an outstanding feeling.
Our first full day (August 28) was spent visiting Musée d’Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Près, the Panthéon, Jardin de Luxembourg, and then ending the day on top of Tour de Montparnasse. Tiring day! Happy that my parents survived the itinerary I made. I realized it must have taken them a lot of effort to walk everywhere.
