Well, I’m in Paris. Sunday night we were driving home from Allgäu, and Beata told me that whenever I wanted to leave I could. I had originally asked if I could leave around June 16 and she had told me that I could if they could find someone to replace me. But then I didn’t hear any more about it, so I assumed I would have to stay until July. I assumed wrong. I looked online and saw that I could carpool to Paris for 40 Euros on Tuesday morning, so I sent Ader an email (“J’arrive mardi, d’accord?”). Monday I packed all my things and left. As I was packing, Beata said that no one was kicking me out and that I could stay longer if I needed to. I politely said that I didn’t. I planned on sleeping in a hostel, but then some French friends offered to let me crash at their place. I really owe them.

I was in the car from 7:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night on Tuesday, but I got all the way to Paris for the cost of getting caught without the proper ticket on the Munich S-Bahn. Ader had to work late so I spent an hour at Starbucks. Not wanting to drink caffeine and mess up my sleep cycle, I got something with strawberries. Except even though it was expensive enough, it wasn’t made with real strawberries but some really artificial tasting red syrup. It was gross, just warning you. Then I schlepped my suitcase out to Montrouge to meet Ader at home. One thing I’ve learned from traveling around so much is that if you look pathetic enough trying to get an enormous suitcase up or down stairs anywhere in the world, somebody will stop and help you, guaranteed. Try it, if you don’t believe me…Maybe it only works for girls.

Tuesday night was perfect. Ader and I talked and folded laundry and made spaghetti. Then I fell asleep while Ader watched the soccer game. I woke up around five the next morning, not to a baby crying or people arguing in Polish, but to Ader saying, “Viens dans mes bras.” I went back to sleep until eleven. I didn’t get out of the house until two because I’m completely out of space in the closet and had to organize my massive amounts of clothes. Plus I was enjoying all the un-blocked music videos on youtube. I put my last month of pay in my French bank account, took out a book from the library, and came to Parc George-Brassens to enjoy the sun. I’m not sure yet exactly what’s going to happen over the next few weeks but for the first time in a while I have a genuinely good feeling.