This post title is thanks to a Spotify playlist that is both a bop, and the first thing I think of when I chill in a park.
Today I’m coming to you from Parc Jean-Remeau in Mont-de-Marsan fresh off of grabbing my carte de sejour (temporary residence card for France) and lunch. At 0530, I woke up laying diagonally across my bed and worried I had missed my alarm (I hadn’t…phew). 6 AM came and I rolled out of bed, leaving my place at 0640 so I could go to Morcenx to catch a bus (that was 15 minutes later than scheduled…typical) headed to Mont-de-Marsan.
I hadn’t been able to purchase a ticket through the travel app before getting on the bus and when I asked the bus driver if I could buy the ticket on the bus and he said “no worries, you can go up without it” (score!!! free bus ride!). I arrived to Mont-de-Marsan around 0900 and had an enjoyable walk to the prefecture office before settling in for a two-hour wait for my card. We’re not even going to talk about the picture on it….who am I kidding? Of course we are! The picture on my card is not a good one (if you know me, you know I do not take good ID pictures ever…hopefully I never get arrested because I could only imagine how bad that picture would be) but I have permission to stay in France until next January!!
After leaving with my card, I walked around a bit before settling down at a brasserie to eat lunch all on my lonesome (…gulp…). Usually when I eat by myself I get a lot more anxious during the meal but today, surprisingly, I was fine. And, to make it even better, I spoke only French and the waitress and I were able to have substantial conversations (only about food but a win is a win) so I successfully ordered a poke bowl (without fish) and a drink. I took my time eating and then made my way to the park, where I am now, seeing a man with a neon yellow zebra fanny pack walk by me as I sit on the grass typing away as I wait for my host mom to be done with her work so we can head back to Mimizan together. The weather is def giving spring vibes, I’m comfortable (borderline uncomfy) in a tank while sitting in the grass with the sun.
Update after getting back home: My phone died before I met Clem so I was a bit stressed but I used one of the most important lessons from childhood, if you lose a [host] parent, stay put and they’ll find you (I had texted her before my phone died telling her it was a possibility and asking if she wanted me to go to her or stay at the park…she responded “ok” hence the stress)
Tash the Traveler 