As Marie-Pierre was introducing me to assistants, secretaries and other professors, it quickly became clear that a lot of people knew about me; specifically as "the girl with the visa problems." And everyone was very glad to see me! It felt like the French were making up for administration and bureaucracy woes with their warm welcome.
After meeting everyone and getting my schedule and class lists, Marie-Pierre took me to my new apartment just at the edge of Paris, only about a 40 minute door-to-door commute for me by train.
I'm sharing a quirky but nice little apartment with a French student, Sara. She's a bit younger than me and this year is taking some classes at the uni but is mostly studying on her own to prepare for an entrance exam for a speech therapist program. She's really nice and friendly and also loves to dance, so I'll probably start trying out some of the dance classes that she takes.
Our part of the apartment is at the very back of a much bigger apartment that belongs to Sara's grandmother, who doesn't live there anymore. We each have a large bedroom and share a kitchen and bathroom space that's between the two rooms. It's nice and I love that my room has a big window and some good furniture.
There's a nice round table for meals with guests and a large desk
The window gives onto an interior courtyard, so it's pretty quiet and there's a sink in the room which is very convenient
It was so nice having a mantel in my room last year and I get one again this year!
The bed is very comfortable and the armoire is (mostly) big enough for everything
I live on a main avenue that looks straight to La Défense business district at one end and to the Arc de Triomphe at the other.
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