I have no night vision
Try getting from the kitchen to your room at 9:30pm after dinner with no lights on because “electricity is expensive in Paris”
I walked into the front door, my door, and the wall multiple times. Once, I smashed my finger in the doorjamb. I began leaving the pool of light from the kitchen very cautiously, walking like a zombie with my arms out, until I could reach the safety of my room, glowing from the eiffel tower in the window.
French dogs ride the metro
They are incredible well-behaved on it, too!
They will calmly make eye contact with you, maybe even wag their tails, but never jump
People don’t pick up their dog poop
Despite signs next to my house saying “care for our quartier!”, I would always have to be cautious about my step
It takes like 12 buttons & doors to make it outside of any building ever
Actual daily process: Unlock door, lock door, go down stairs, put key fob on door, open door, press button, open door, press button, open door, get outside
A whole baguette is not that much bread
Once I realized this, nothing stood in the way of my bread-eating dreams
A baguette a day keeps the Americans away!
The only restaurant (not café!) I was a repeat customer at was a soup dumpling place
It’s called Jixiao’s Buns, it’s right next to the Seine, and their soup dumplings are the best things you’ve ever had in your life (order the JX Shengjian pan-fried buns au porc et maïs)
Additionally about the doors: many of them have a frame all the way around, including below the door, so make sure to step over the threshold
I tripped so many times on my way anywhere
They have 60¢ espresso vending machines!
get the café latte without sugar
they are not that good, but when you’re on your 15 minute break of a three-hour class, they’re the only thing you want
They don’t have real tacos.
There are stores all over Paris proclaiming “tacos” within, but these are truly more like burritos, pressed in a panini press, and filled with inexplicable ingredients (like chicken nuggets).
It felt like home.