The New Roommate Moves In Today...

27 Septembre 2007

My new roommate is moving in today! To put it out of my mind, I tried to stay away from the house as much as possible, because I didn’t want that awkward beginning with him and prevent confrontation about Liz’s staying with us. Instead, Liz and I went out to find an Internet café, because we were tired of trying to use the school’s single computer and Liz was now feeling more desperate to find someplace of her own. We ended up finding a really nice cybercafé near the Gare de Lyon, a major transport hub, where many TGV (regional train lines) run to and from. The Internet here is expensive to use, especially if you don’t have a computer or your laptop can’t access wifi. For example, 5€ per hour! The only really nice thing about this access is that it runs so smoothly, unlike the Internet access at the school. I sound almost desperate for Internet…Shows how much it runs my life, sheesh. After using the Internet, Liz and I walked around the area near the Gare de Lyon to see what shops it offered and to allow her to look at purchasing a French cell phone, something I’m going to eventually have to consider. We returned back to the apartment, where my roommate still hadn’t moved in, so we took another walk, this time in the opposite direction of Vincennes. The next portion of Paris is called Saint Mandé and we walked around for a good couple of hours to see what was near my home. I purchased a couple things, like some much needed kitchen and hand towels, as the apartment had none. When Liz and I eventually returned back home, we heard Serge and two other voices in the apartment from the building’s lobby. Afraid to walk in, Liz and I waited in the lobby, when they suddenly appeared. My new roommate was named Mickel. He was friendly and the woman who was with him was his tuteur at school, Madame Sanchez. They were leaving the building so that she could take him to the grocery to buy some things for the apartment. Liz and I sheepishly said hello and went upstairs so that we could watch some TV before I made dinner. A little while later, we began to prepare our meal and Mickel returned home from the grocery. Awkwardly, we all moved about the kitchen until Mickel finished and then we started slow conversation. I briefly told Mickel about Liz’s situation and he was ok with the fact that she would be staying with us temporarily. Throughout the whole night, it seemed like it was Liz and I against him. To give Mickel his own space, Liz and I watched a movie in my room. What a beginning…