Kate Gavino

Paris

Author, Illustrator: A CAREER IN BOOKS (August 2022 from @plumebooks), SANPAKU (@Archaia), & LAST NIGHT'S READING (@PenguinBooks)

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Articles

40. Go to the Unemployment Office

3 weeks ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

A few months ago I was laid off from my full-time copywriting job. Can you guess what a common reaction to this news was from French people? A: “I'm sorry. That's really tough.”B: “Ugh. I'm so jealous.”C: “Sweet. Now you can get into a bunch of museums for free.”D: “...and get a discount on movie tickets!”The answer is E: all of the above.
39. Get a French Nanny

1 month ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

I learn the most about French motherhood on Facebook. I keep my account on the decaying husk of a site because of the plethora of mommy groups, where you can buy secondhand baby equipment and get the names of reputable dentists and pediatricians. And most importantly, Facebook is where I learned French moms love Filipino nannies. [Note: If you are not Filipino, please go ahead and read this next paragraph but IGNORE the paragraph that follows it in italics.
38. Take a Cemetery Stroll

1 month ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

I re-read Les Misérables in its entirety every couple years because a) it's one of my favorite books, b) I remain a fan of Hugo's undiagnosed ADHD, and c) I still get a thrill when I read it and come across the name of a street or a church right next door to me.
37. Don't Be a Snitch

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

When you pick up your kid from crèche, there is a hand-off routine known as la transmission. This is when the daycare workers tell you what your kid did that day, and depending on the caretaker, you will either know way too much or way too little. Since many kids begin daycare at three months old, la transmission is helpful for knowing how many ounces of milk they drank or how many naps they took. But by the time your kid is two, the details become a bit more unneccessary.
25. Take the Stairs

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

With motherhood, I've given up on a lot of things. (Looking halfway decent, uninterrupted sleep, a body that doesn't constantly ache -- just to name a few.) But the one thing I refuse to give up: the metro. Taking a stroller on the metro is the equivalent of Sam hoisting Frodo on his back as he treks up Mount Doom. But also add a toddler who has to walk alongside the stroller -- so I guess that makes us Sam, Frodo, and a screaming, angry Gollum/Smeagol.
17. Participate in Cultural Exchange

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

One day my daughter's daycare hosted a cultural exchange day, and we were asked to bring a dessert that represented our cultural background. My first thought was, "I gotta go to the Filipino store and pick up some ensaymadas."My second thought was, "Oh, wait. I guess I'm American, too."In my head, I am first and foremost Filipino-American. This means lechon and Texas barbecue on Thanksgiving. It also means I am a devout believer in air conditioning and putting cheese on everything.
20. Walk a Dog

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

I've been here long enough that the question « Vous êtes de quelle origine ? » or "Where are you really from?" no longer phases me. It's so common that, even if the person asking does have nefarious intentions, I can't summon enough energy to be angry or even annoyed. The question that I find more interesting is, « Quelle race? » or "Which breed?" Usually (and hopefully) this question is referring to a dog. My first two years in Paris, I was, among other things, a moderately in demand dog walker.
19. Choose Your Grocery Store

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

When I lived in Brooklyn, I was proud of the fact that I could clearly differentiate between Key Food, Associated, and C Town supermarkets. (Don't get me started on Western Beef.) Now that I've lived in Paris long enough, I can do the same but for Monoprix, Franprix, and Carrefour. (Don't get me started on Auchan.)If you're in Paris and confused about which one to shop at, let me help you with this handy quiz. 1.
18. Find a Therapist - Again and Again

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

I took a break from therapy when I first moved to Paris. I had been with the same therapist for five years in New York, and during our last sessions, we mostly just glanced at the clock as I half-heartedly tried to come up with new things to whine about. I'm cured, I decided. I graduated therapy!Two months into living in Paris, I realized: oh shit, I need a therapist tout de suite. Everyone I knew in New York was in therapy and proudly so.
21. Learn Waste Management

2 months ago | 888thingstodo.substack.com | Kate Gavino

This is the shittiest time of my life, literally. My daughter is still potty training, and that means accidents and cleaning a little plastic potty multiple times a day. My son is still in diapers, and when it's time to change them, I refer to this as "Wrestlemania" because he does everything in his power to stop us, including kicking, flipping over, and grabbing at anything lethal within reach. Since my day-to-day life is so full of shit, I turn to literature for inspiration.