The French phrase for the week is: J’ai le soleil dans les yeux. That means: I have the sun in my eyes. Which is frankly quite a dramatic way of saying it’s a bright day, but the French language can be dramatic, so not a surprise.

I found out about the phrase when I was asking B about it during one particularly sunny day. Unlike London where it’s often gray and gloomy, we have a lot of the sun in Montpellier: perfect for afternoon strolls. Montpellier, 1; London, 0.

Although there’s one more thing we have a lot of here: shit. By that I mean, literal poop. I haven’t seen strays the few weeks we’ve been here, so that only means that people who have dogs let them leave their feces everywhere. It’s disgusting, actually. In London people bothered to pick up after their dogs. Montpellier, 1; London, 1.

This week has been pretty productive for us. We’re moving into L’Appartement Vert soon: we signed the lease this week. Our plans have developed really quickly, which is happily surprising but that means we have only a few days to buy furniture (the essential ones, at least.)

Yesterday, we checked out the French furniture store Alinea as well as Habitat for bedframes and sofas. We went to IKEA a few days back but, I don’t know, I’m just not into some of the designs. Funny because I was actually excited with IKEA coming to the Manila, supposedly the largest in Southeast Asia. But now that Scandinavian design has become too…everywhere, I can’t help but feel a bit of Scandisgust.

(Digressing: I remember years back when my ex dragged me around Hong Kong and Sydney to buy plates and towels, which we had to carry back to the Philippines. Not exactly in my list of things to do while on vacation—although I have to say, it was harder to find nicer, affordable stuff at the time in Manila.)

I suggested to B that we get secondhand furniture. While the machinations of consumerism and its consequent destruction of the planet will likely not be incapacitated by two queer men refusing mass-produced objects, the resistance gives some sort of comfort to my mind terrorized by climate change on a regular basis.

I realized though that buying secondhand is more challenging than I thought it would be. Unlike in Manila where there are Facebook communities where people (some of them expats about to leave the country) offload good finds online, I have yet to find a community here that does the same.

There is that Sunday market though at Place du Peyrou: Les Dimanches du Peyrou, a regular event where antique sellers display their wares. I’m thinking of going again next week to check for nice art we could display in our new home.

xx Evan

Writer in Manila

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