Hindsight: advice on Paris

Here are a few more things I've been thinking about.

Going long-distance with relationships, friendships, family... it's not easy, and it might not get easier. I still struggle with texting my boyfriend too much and not texting my friends & family enough. Coming back is great, saying goodbye is painful.

Take your time when deciding on jobs. I rushed into a babysitting job on the outskirts of Paris. The family I work for are really nice, but it's a bit of a commute, and people are always looking for someone to look after their children somewhere near you. Don't worry too much about finding something as soon as you arrive. Also, have a think about whether there's something you could do - work, volunteering, internships - that's to do with what you want to do next, or what you're studying now.

Stay on top of your studies. Please. I am, once again, swearing that "next time I'll start revising earlier". Don't let that be you.

Stay in contact with people in the same country as you. Get a SIM card. Have credit. Have internet access, or know where to get it. Cities feel a lot bigger when you're lost and can't get in touch with friends.

Live with other people, at least to start with. Whether you want to go onto sharing or live by yourself, it will help you get to know more people and go out into the city.

Be a tourist. Don't take the city for granted! There are so many free events in the centre, and fab places to explore further out. Have you been to the 20th arrondissement yet?

Manifestation contre le TVA (the tampon tax protest)

On the night of the 14th-15th November, the Assemblée National rejected requests to lower the tax on “feminine hygiene products (tampons, pads, etc) down from 20% to 5.5%. Protesters reacted accordingly. 

The “normal” tax rate in France is 20% by default. A reduced rate of 5.5% applies to “les produits de première nécessité” – water, food, alcohol-free drinks, books, cinema, condoms, sweets… Just to put that in perspective, Coca Cola is taxed at 5.5%. And you don’t need Coca Cola for you to feel more hygienic, or to stop people being disgusted by your bodily functions. And yes, it’s great that condoms are at the reduced rate for tax (and can also be acquired free of charge from some places), but as many people have already said, it’s a lot harder to abstain from menstruation than it is to abstain from sex. Many people worry about the effects of birth control, or can’t take it because of medication, or just want to let their bodies do their thing. (And have you heard about the concept of each person being allowed to decide what to do with their own body?)

“let us bleed without over-taxing us”

This was the second protest I’ve been to in Paris. The first – to show support for women who had been exiled or were involved in the refugee crisis – was a little smaller but involved a lot of the same feminist groups like Osez Le Féminisme and FièrE.

It was kind of strange seeing so many people wearing the objects they were protesting about the price of. Moon cup crowns, tampon necklaces, sanitary pads with “#jesuistampon” written on them stuck to T-shirts. I was a little worried that people who saw or heard about the protest might make a point of this and deem it impractical, but it was definitely visually effective.

“no tampons without money” / “no tax on my uterus”

The protest took place at Place du Châtelet near the Hôtel de Ville and right next to one of the metro station exits. This meant there were a lot of people passing by who came over to ask questions or take photos of the placards and the washing line of period-stained pants hanging between two trees. I’m not really sure how quickly the issue of the tampon tax will be resolved, but it doesn’t hurt to draw more attention to the issue. As one man there said, “sans pression, il y a rien”. If you don’t pressure the government to change things, nothing will happen.

Paris - things I wish I'd been told

Hey. So moving to a new city is always kind of scary. Going to university is scary. But going to another country is a whole other kettle of fish. Here are some things I wish I had known before coming to Paris:

Important things take a long time.

That sounds more philosophical than it is. I'm talking flat-searches, setting up bank accounts, getting a student Navigo pass for the metro. You also have to do things in order - you can't have a Navigo until you have a French phone number, you can't have a French phone number without a French bank account, you can't have a French bank account until you have a French address. 

There's also the matter of bank charges: banks in France will charge you for having a bank account, unlike ones in the UK. Most of them do deals for students and under-25s which give you money off or a charge-free account for the first year. Just keep an eye on that.

The student Navigo (Imagine R) forms are available in metro stations, just ask the person at Information for a dossier de souscription. You can use a mobile or flat phone number on the form, but you need to put one of the two. 

A cheap French phone option is from Free, who offer 2 hours of calls, 50mb of data and unlimited texts to French numbers for 2 euros a month, contract-free. Use wi-fi to Skype or WhatsApp people from home, or look around for data deals if keeping in touch all the time is a big deal for you.

Pickpockets will try and steal from you.

You probably think you're very savvy and won't ever get anything stolen. I think the same about myself but it's important to not let your guard down. Keep valuables in front of you, in a secure pocket (like inside a jacket, in a zip-up pocket or shoulder bag on your front, or in a front jeans pocket if your pockets are big enough). Be especially aware when moving through busy streets or metro stations. 

Street harassment is still big here.

Honestly, it feels like men in Paris are about 30 years behind England. UK men will group up to target women, but here they just don't care. Solo men will make comments to you that are neither kind nor true. I've tried talking to them about the idea of entitlement but my feminist vocab isn't good enough yet. Just make sure to perfect your leave-me-alone face.

But please remember that it will all be okay.

• Maybe you'll find a great apartment first time round. 
• Maybe your landlord will be horrible. 
• Maybe you'll airbnb for a couple of months and be severely underwhelmed. 
• Maybe you'll sleep in the same room as your flatmate. 
• Maybe you'll pay too much rent. 
• Maybe the extra charges will pile up.
• Maybe you'll be living outside the Paris postcode. 

All of these things have happened to people I know, and it's okay. They're all in better places now, and you do have to make compromises but that's the case for living anywhere. My uni doesn't offer student accommodation, so you do kind of get thrown in at the deep end with flat-searching, but it's a really valuable experience, having to learn to do this stuff on your own.

If you have any more worries about moving for uni, I probably have either thought of or done the things you're worried about , or know someone who has. So let me know if you want some help with that. Good luck!

- Alice

75018

So this is something I've been meaning to do for a while, just to sum up the things that I end up doing most often in Paris. I'm gonna try and make a little list for each arrondissement (or district) of Paris to give you an idea of what there is to do there. This is by no means ever going to be a complete or universal list of what to do in each area, but I thought it'd be fun to try. (Also, sorry for the lack of cafe/restaurant listings on these, but I can't really afford to go to that many.)

I live in one of the more so-called "colourful" parts of the 18th arrondissement, near Barbes-Rochechouart metro station. It's pretty much fine; I don't think you're any more likely to have your things stolen here (as long as you keep your wits about you, just as you should in any part of any big city), and the street harassment is about standard for Paris. Men just haven't quite caught on about the idea of entitlement yet. Anyway, I wanted to write this to talk about some of the positives of the 18th, so here goes:

Sacre Coeur

Montmartre is just a couple of streets over from Boulevard Barbes, and 5 minutes' speed-walking from Sacre Coeur, arguably one of the nicest churches in Paris with a great view of the city. Alternatively you can head up from Anvers metro and get a view of the gardens, as well as avoiding the steps by taking the Funiculaire - a total lifesaver if you're feeling lazy.

Editions Baleine

This is pretty much the weirdest shop/gallery I know. And I mean that in the BEST. WAY. It's on Rue Muller, on the run-up to SC from Boulevard Barbes, and it's definitely open on weekends but I'm still not sure about the rest of the week. There are a lot of taxidermy animals and one living cat, and I honestly don't know how they're still in business but I'm so glad that they are. If it's open, go in for a chat and to look at all the things you didn't think could exist.

Halle Saint-Pierre

The Halle Saint-Pierre is just next to the Sacre Coeur gardens and it's worth even seeing the building. Inside there's a really nice cafe with large windows and framed art on the walls, and a bookshop selling art books (both kind of pricey, but a, art books, and b, Paris - what did you expect?).

La Fourmi

A Pigalle bar with a 75018 postcode, this place is well-priced and a great place to sit in or outside. Look at all the decor, think about getting some food, and try and decide how much you trust that "sauna" across the street.

Abbesses / Montmartre

Abbesses metro has way too many steps so for god's sake, get the lift. But Place des Abbesses is beautiful and surrounded by lovely streets to wander down.

Escale

5 euros for a pint of cocktail, 6 euros for a whole pizza. Very warm, long queues. Worth the wait.

The rest of the 18th is still pretty much uncharted territory for me, but I would also recommend Bob's Bake Shop near Stalingrad, the business that supplies the food for Shakespeare & Co's cafe in the 5th. Friendly staff and healthy-but-very-tasty food. Oh, also Boulevard Barbes has a 24 hour bakery. Good for essay-writing.

(To be updated as/when/if I go to new and nice places.)

- Alice

So I’m living in Paris now. That happened.

Packing was a lot more stressful than it should have been but that’s my own fault because I procrastinated over it for so long, but I managed to fit most of the key things from my life in Bristol into two suitcases (I could have cut it down a lot more but it’s tempting to just bring all your clothes, especially when you have a brother who’s willing to bring a suitcase over to France with you). There are a few things at home that are ready for friends and family to bring over when they come to visit, but for the most part it’s all good. Last-minute vacuum pack bags were my savior, thank you Poundland.

I live in Barbès, and it’s a pretty decent area. The rent is cheap (for Paris), my room is lovely, and with the metro it’s easy to get to most places in central Paris within about half an hour. The neighborhood is a little eccentric – I’ve been here for 4 days and have already seen 2 marches down the main road, and the shops here are stocked with enough cut-price bags, shoes, formalwear, and SIM cards for the whole city. We do apparently have a 24-hour bakery though, so I’m looking forward to trying that out, and the Sacré Coeur is 10 minutes’ walk away (or less, if you’re not as unfit as me).

Last night I went to a boat party with my flatmates. The people who organized it are an English-speaking babysitting agency, which is something that I’m thinking about applying to do on the side, and it was really nice to meet so many people who are here for their year abroad, on a gap year, or just felt like coming to Paris. That’s a really good thing about meeting people here – you always have the city in common.

It’s starting to sink in now that this is where I’ll be for uni. I keep having to stop myself from smiling when I’m walking across a bridge on the Seine or when I see people busking on the metro, because that’s not what Parisians do, but this city just makes me so happy and I feel so lucky to be here. I’m very aware that I’m still in the honeymoon phase with Paris, but I’m okay with that. I think it’s good to be a tourist in your own city sometimes, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. At least until I start running out of money.

– Alice

It’s pretty much official now.

I’ve told my manager at work, I’ve put an advance down on a flat-share, I’ve started trying to condense my belongings down to what I can realistically take with me. I’m moving to Paris.

This is the most exciting and terrifying thing I’ve done, by far. It’s not like I’m going it alone – I have a place at an English uni for French Studies, so I know there are plenty of people in the exact same boat. Student finance is going to cover my rent for the year, and I can hopefully do something like babysitting alongside to get a little more money for everyday stuff.

The hardest thing about this at the moment is the not-knowing. I have a tough time making decisions and worry about making the wrong choice a lot, and this is a pretty fucking big change. I know a lot of my friends are going to university this year as well so it’s not like we’d be able to see each other all the time anyway, but it’s still really scary to think about being away from home and almost everyone I know. This past year has been so good, with doing an art foundation year, meeting so many lovely people and starting at what is definitely the best job I’ve had so far, so I’m pretty sad about having to leave all that behind. We’ve been in this house since I was less than a year old so I’ve never had to go through the stress of moving house before, let alone completely uprooting and moving country.

I know it’s only for term time and it’s not that difficult to come back in between to see people, but it’s just such a big thing and I have pretty much no idea how it’s going to be for the first few weeks. I don’t know what to expect and it feels like I’m going it alone, even though I know I’m not. I know it’s not like the movies because I’ve been before, but the feeling I get when I’m there is what swayed the decision. As stupid as it sounds, Paris is a really special place for me. This is something I need to do and hey, if it all goes wrong I’ll get a few brushes, go hang out by the Sacré Coeur, and try selling a couple hundred sketches to tourists.

The next time I write on here will probably be when I’m in the middle of packing stress, AKA trying to restrain myself to only taking a reasonable amount of my belongings over for my first trip.

À plus tard!
Alice