Un peu plus stresse

Today was a bit more hectic. Marilu and I went walking around this morning so that she could show me all of the "hot spots" for shopping, etc. Great to find so many places close by! I believe that Monoprix will be my new go-to place for just about everything -- think Target? Plus a grocery store upstairs. But they have everything from clothes, to make up, to back-to-school supplies.

The goal was to get to "Piscine Keller" which opened around noon. We finally found it, and waited for the doors to open (along with about 60 others). I wasn't exactly sure what all was going on, but we got to the front of the line after about 10 minutes and Marilu asked about signing up for a club/group. The woman responded by saying that I could come back around 5pm to do a "niveau test" and then I would be assigned a group that would practice once a week. Yes, une fois par semaine. I believe when I first started swimming at the age of 6, I was at least going twice a week (right, Mom?). Anyways, it will stay on the list for open swim possibilities, but that's about it.

Marilu was then nice enough to treat me to lunch! We stopped by a Lebanese restaurant that made sandwiches (chicken or beef) with meet that was rotating on an enormous skewer. We watched them make our "poulet" sandwiches by taking a pita, lining it with a white-ish sauce (almost like hummus?), then adding lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and then shaving chicken into the middle and pressing it like a panini! Pretty darn good.

I then had my "langue orale" class for about an hour -- nothing too excited. I left there with the intentions of finding another piscine on my list -- Piscine Saint Germain. After not at all following the directions I had written down (not intentionally not following them), I eventually found it, and looked at the pool -- 5 lanes, 25m. Definitely another open swim option. THEN, (a highlight of the day?) successfully used the Metro BY MYSELF to get home. Quite an accomplishment.

I then had my first baking adventure....I decided, since no one was home, to go down to "Simply" which is the larger grocery store nearby -- only about 5 minute walk. I had intended to try chocolate chip cookies, but after being unsuccessful  in a hunt for brown sugar, I changed courses: shortbread. And sure enough, I could find butter, flour, cake flour, and superfine sugar. So I returned home, not knowing where anything was, and proceded to make shortbread dough by hand (literally). Since I wasn't sure how to use the oven, I waited for Alain to return home who thankfully said "biensur" I could use the oven, and gave me a thorough instruction on how to work it (this was after he looked terrified thinking that I was going to put the plastic glad-ware bowls in the oven....I know I'm American, but come on). So I transferred the dough into a METAL pan and baked it at what I thought the corresponding Celsius temperature was....Anyways, all in all, it didn't turn out too badly. A little doughy and thick, but with those incredients, which are then coated in sugar, how bad could it be?

Not much to say on dinner -- sauteed chicken with pureed broccoli (that was a new one) that she melted in the microwave (think frozen pesto cubes), and some of the couscous from day one. Not bad at all, but not very exciting. And can you tell that I'm a bit food centered? I guess I find it one of the most interesting ways to see differences (and there's so much crazy food here) and similarities.

Had a lovely finish to the day with a walk around the Champs de Mars with Katie which is where I took my picture of the day (which is another part of this I'd like to continue). Pretty spectacular, huh? I think it's infinitely more impressive at night.

A tout a l'heure!