Good morning! It looks like it will be a cloudy day here in Paris. Today I indulged and slept in until 10:30am, and had a slow breakfast. I am living in the 8th arrondissement with a host family who I will be staying with this fall while I study abroad at the Sorbonne. The family is amazing. They are kind and really emphasize that this is my home too, at least while I am here. Anyways, this weekend they are away at a wedding, and left me with a kitchen full of delicious food. I am thinking of staying in for the day. Reading, writing, bubble bath?! Who knows! I am really worn out from my week of work.
It’s funny how tiring I find my days here. Last week in particular was really busy because of all the meetings that I went to. Also, there was a family friend who was visiting Paris, and I met up with her most evenings for long walks and dinner. Every day this week I left at 9am for the trip out to Cachan, and then I would not return until 11pm. Long long days….So, now I am reveling in the idea of staying home.
But enough about my days. I am sure you are asking: where is the philosophical part of this post? However, at least I believe, that analyzing how I spend my time is philosophic. I could endlessly think about how I schedule each day, and what kinds of activities I make time for in my week. It is an attempt to understand how to live well. A dear friend of mine told me that learning how to live well is the most fundamental aspect of life. We all want to live well, and it is remarkably hard to do.
For me the question boils down to playing with the limits that are embedded within our daily experiences. How long should I stay in the lab in Cachan? Should I put up with my employer wanting me to stay late? How do I know when I have read ‘enough’ articles on interdisciplinary to call it quits for the day? I could go on. Every single action that I make has a limit. Even now I am wondering when I should end this post….. The point is to be aware, even mindful, of how these limitations structure (sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way) how we live.
I’ll leave you with that thought, and go on to a new post that is more directly related to my internship here.
-Axio