The journey!
4th September 2017. Okay, today is the day I’m moving to Paris. After months of planning, waiting and hoping that everything turned out well – the big day is finally here. I travelled to Paris by car and after a six-hour drive from Düsseldorf I arrived in the city of love.
Not so lovely is the traffic in this city. So, if you decide to take the car, keep in mind to book a place in a car park because finding a parking place on the street is almost impossible. It was so convenient to take the car because you don’t need to worry about your luggage – some other good alternatives to reach Paris are the train, the bus or even the plain (just keep in mind that the airport is about 30 km away from Paris). In my situation, a family member drove with me and took the car back home which was retrospective a good solution because you don’t really need a car here. The public transport network is very well developed. The next metro station is never too far away and the metro itself drives every two minutes, so forget looking at the train schedule like we did it in Germany.
When I arrived, I couldn’t wait to see my apartment! For me, this is my first own flat ever which is especially exciting. There are many possibilities when it comes to finding a good place to live in Paris. Living in a flat share, in a dormitory, living alone or in a room that is offered by a family – the possibilities are endless but whatever you choose, it will be expensive! And the standard is different than in Germany. For example, I live in a 27m² apartment, which is very big for Paris. I have one room with two couches, a kitchen and a bathroom with toilet (and no, it’s not self-evident to have your private toilet or bathroom here). For me personally, it’s totally fine – I feel so comfortable and home in my little apartment! Also important is in which of the 20 districts (Arrondissements) you live in Paris. For me as a woman it was very important to live in a safe area so I choose to stay inside of Paris because the suburbs aren’t famous for their safety, even though the rental prices are cheaper. I live in the 19th Arrondissement which has no fancy sights but rather represent the real Parisian life. The supermarket and the metro station are not even ten minutes away and there is a big range of cafés and restaurants.
Last Monday we had our orientation day at the Paris School of Business. A few days earlier a few of the Macromedia students already met, so you already know a few faces on the orientation day. However, the University is pretty good to reach with the public transportation because it is located in the 13th Arrondissement. A lot of skyscraper catching your eye and between these is a small, red building – the PSB. Inside, we have a cafeteria, an inner yard and probably much more we haven’t discovered yet. The day started with filling out some documents, organisation stuff and a warm welcome speech. The stuff, the students, actually everyone at PSB was so kind and obliging! After that we were separated in small groups to get to know each other. Personally, I didn’t expect so many people. We’re around 200 study abroad students and besides us 10 from Macromedia, there are quite a lot of German speaking students. The nationalities are from all over the world and it was pretty cool to meet so many different people. Getting in contact was so easily because everyone was so open and friendly. After the “get to know” we listened to another presentation about the school, their students, the French people and culture, the student associations and everything we need to know. After the official part of the day we went home and change for the welcome party!
Paris is the most beautiful city to live! My first days here were pretty busy because I wanted to see everything this place has to offer. The Eiffel tower, Sacré Cœur, Notre Dame, the Marais, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe – it’s just too much to see in one day or even one week. You can just start to walk through the city and see the most beautiful places. Besides that touristy life, even the real life is a little dream, but there are also some challenges like the language. Most people are friendly and also willing to talk to you in English but I really recommend to speak at least some words or phrases in French. The prices are also something you just have to live with. It’s normal here to pay for a glass of Nutella around four Euros or buy some cornflakes for six Euros. But anyways, we already explored so many places and I can’t wait to see everything this city has to offer!