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
