The Big Day.

Sometimes, I laugh a lot for no reason at all. Today, unfortunately was one of those days.
Today was the big day. I had lots of very important things to do: washing, buy a printer, buy a sim card, pick up my bank card and cheque book.
I planned to do my washing early to give everything the whole day to dry. But, as I had a late night/early morning last night, I couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough, so that's been moved to tomorrow. Besides, washing was the least of my worries.
I decided to take a trip to Meriadeck to purchase the printer. So I grabbed the houses granny trolley (in Australia, only old people use them. Here, everyone does. So I don't feel too much like a weirdo) and took the bus. It wasn't as hard as I had anticipated. The guy who served me didn't speak any english, which I was glad for, because it meant that we had to make it work in french. On the way home is when the smiling started, and I knew what was coming. I let out a small giggle as I was getting onto the bus. But saved the biggest giggle for when I was off the bus and walking home. I think it probably had something to do with the fact that I had successfully just negotiated a printer, ink and usb cable purchase without speaking any english and it wasn't that hard. Regardless of it's motivations, I must have looked quite a site walking down the street with a printer duck taped to my granny trolley giggling away to myself.
I didn't bother setting it up when I got home, just got it out is it's box and put it on my table. I then ventured back out to pick up my bank card and buy a sim card. Again, these things were not nearly as hard as I thought they would be. I now have my own french number! In celebration, I bought myself a fruit tart.
After getting back home, I set everything up and made sure it was workable. Then went for a run. This was by far the best run I've done so far, ever. I ran 4 kms along the quays, and then was feeling adventurous so wound my way back through back streets. I discovered more in this half an hour than I have in the two weeks I've been here! I found tens of back street, small cafés/restaurants (what I've been looking for this whole time), a fountain, a children's play ground (this looked particularly funny squashed between old buildings), an art store, a fabric store, a vintage clothing store, and heaps of smaller chic clothing stores. I will admit that I was a tad lost at one point, but it's so hard to be completely lost here as, if you take a street that runs to your left and isn't facing east or west based on the sun, you're heading towards the quays. But it was definitely the best thing that's happened so far.
When I got home, my housemate had made crêpes for dessert! I ate pork stir fry from last night and then settled in with some nutella and crêpes. I'm now just test printing and uni reading.

I deserve a biscuit.