Space Constraints in Paris

One of the first things that a newcomer will need to get accustomed to would be to get used to space constraints in Paris, and its suburbs. Renting an apartment is extremely expensive especially if you are renting by yourself, and it is equally difficult to find someone you can get along to share it with you. If you are lucky to find any of the two, the next thing to consider would be the requirements needed by the landlord.

Since my stay here, I have lived in three different homes. The first and the last homes (as of writing) are with Filipino families, and the second home being the most short-lived one with only one roommate, 6 flights of stairs, a shower in the middle of the kitchen, and a separate toilet that requires one to squat on the floor.

The first half of my stay here in France has been one of the most trying times of my life. Everything at that point has been put to the test, and my own resistance to change has been a constant battle within me.

Seven (7) months of stay here and counting, I am still experiencing struggles from time to time. I have not been enjoying the roller-coaster-ride of emotions here, and to make matters worse I have to deal with space constraints, that have not been directly brought about by my actions. Despite this, I am in a hopeful mood that things are doing great and all I have to do is escape from home from time to time....or maybe starting tomorrow, I won`t really have to.

There comes a time, when we need to take a stand on certain things and stop the bullying of other people. Often, these things are done in a subtle way and if not conscious of it, you will succumb to depression because of a series of things introduced by a third party.

Living abroad is hard, and it so much tougher if you are trying to find yourself. Time and time again though, I test the grounds of friendship...and some with rocky foundations are left to rubble and some with supposedly strong ones, left to matters of faith/fate.

At this hour, I long for a 50 meter pool for me to do laps in----and even with this I am limited to a certain amount of space because it is a public pool and several people are doing laps in the limited number of lanes available. Rarely do we find anything that does not need to be shared---even the nice churches here have to be shared with both locals, and tourists---both believers and non-believers alike.

I need to branch out and meet new people...this is the only way I can bring my sanity back apart from engaging into fitness activities. I can do this, I have survived this far and I shall complete the journey.

Enough said.