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This is boring. This whole week has been one of the most boring weeks of school I can recall.

"But, Eric, you're in PARIS! There must be TONS of things to do in PARIS! Can't you just go to museum or a park or a cabaret or something?"

Yeah, everything closes at 6:30, besides the bars, and I don't like bars. And cabarets are too expensive. And this is all beside the point that my Phonetics classes, which end at 5:30, are so crushingly repetitive that they suck all the energy out of you and all you want to do afterwards is go home and watch Dr. Who. So that's what I did all week.

I'm just frustrated because Laureline canceled on me again. I understand she's busy, but this is a little much. And I was counting on there being a Liberation Day parade tomorrow on the Champs-Elysee, but a cop told me there wasn't. Or maybe he just refused to give me the time of it, he just mumbled and shook his head.

In any case, I'll just explore tomorrow, like I've been doing when everyone else has plans.

What I'm feeling isn't even homesickness. Getting back to the US isn't much of concern right now. I just want to travel more. After two consecutive weeks of feeding my childish instinct to explore, the pure, uncomplicated feeling of "what's over there? I think I'll go see," I want to do more, but I'm stuck in a box, with nothing to look forward to but exams and more guided tours. And despite the new things I've found and the things I still want to see, my subconscious is convinced that I've already seen everything. I want out of this city.

Twenty-three days.