Student Blogs/Stephannie in France
This entire summer has been a count down towards the day of my trip to the beautiful city of Paris. The day before my departure I could not wait. I was getting everything done, making sure I had all the documents required, saying "see you later" to all my friends and packing the last minute things. I now have realized I packed too many things and I wish I have thought about it more instead of "I might need it all at one point". At first I thought I would need business attire because it is a business school, however, there are not many, if any, business events. We are very spoiled at Sprott, where there are events for business students every week. Here in Paris, however, blazers are very popular to wear on a daily basis. I put all the documents into a folder to make everything easier, and had it all separated for each occasion like residence, bank, school, travelling, etc.
The day had finally arrived and I could not believe I was leaving! I woke up very early and started the day like any other day. I started a journal and have been writing in it every day since. I got all the last minute errands done and had a great lunch with my family. They took me to the airport and I was ready to start this great adventure. I had always lived with my parents and had not been away for this long before, but I have to say even though I miss them everyday I am doing really well. I have learned to do everything on my own and it has been a great learning experience. Going back to my departure date, my family and a few friends came to the airport to say "see you later" and we had Timmies coffee for the last time. My plane was late but nothing bothered me because my dream was going to come true in less than 24 hours (or more like in 10 hours)!
I arrived and I still could not believe it was real. Was I really here? I have waited for this day since I was a little kid and as soon as the pilot said "Bienvenue àParis", I knew my dream had come true and I was in the city I was meant to be in. Most people call Paris "the city of lights" or "the city of love", but for me it will always be "the city of dreams come true." Upon arrival I met with Edson Sierra (another BIB Paris exchange student) and our first day was very tiring. We took a taxi from the airport and we are so glad we did. The subway system in Paris is amazing, however, when you have 2 suitcases, 1 carry-on, a backpack, and a night in an airplane, a taxi is definitely worth it. What we did not know that you can book a shuttle from the airport anywhere in the city for much less than a taxi, so I recommend you (next Paris BIB explorer) look into the airport shuttles in Paris. You need to book in advance too.
My first week was filled with tourist attractions and trying to get all the important stuff done. I got my French phone number right the way. It is very simple! You get it from a vending machine. There is no contract involved, it's unlimited and you can call Canada for free! Crazy, eh?
That week I also got my bank account and attempted to get my "carte de séjour" which is the residency card for international students. However, the bureaucracy in France is very different than in Canada. You learn that things are done very slowly and they use paper for everything. Nothing is done online or on the computer. Getting residency also took a long time. In fact, Edson and I were homeless for one day because they would only admit 7 people per hour and we were not in the front of the line, so we had to stay with our friend Streisanne until the next day. The next day we woke up at 5:00 a.m. and we were part of the first 7 to receive our keys, and we were still there until 12:00 p.m.
The first impression of Paris? It is an amazing city, very beautiful and full of history. The architecture is incredible. All the streets are picture worthy spots and the people are very nice. It is hard to speak French, however a lot of people in Paris speak English and they all want to practice their English when they can. French is a beautiful language. It is amazing to see how little kids and everyone around you speaks it, and each day you can understand more and more. When you are in the metro the only thing you want to do is listen to all the conversations and try to understand as much as you can. I believe I have improved since I got here, even though most of my friends are international students and my French friends want to practice their English. Sometimes it is funny when I am speaking to my French teammates! They speak in their English and I speak in my French. Whoever listens to us would not be able to understand, or would think we are crazy.
I am studying at Université Paris Dauphine. The school is located in the 16th district, a very nice neighbourhood and very close to the Arc de Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower. The school is very small compared to Carleton, but it is very easy to get around, and if you go to the 7th floor you can see the Eiffel Tower from up there. It makes you want to study and enjoy your time here as much as possible. I have joined the volleyball team at Dauphine and it is amazing! I made friends with my teammates and I love every second of it. I have practices Wednesday and twice on Fridays with a game every Thursday. The coaches are very nice people, and they are very welcoming to international students. I love the atmosphere. It is very easy to join a team at Dauphine.
Right before school there is an intensive french seminar for all international students. It is paid separately, however I would recommend you to take it. It is only 8 days and it is a very intensive 4 hours a day with a small break in the middle. It really helps you to improve your French and it helps to get over your fear of speaking, if you have it like I did. It is also a great way to meet all the international students, who will be in all your classes. It is lovely to get to know the city while meeting the other international students, you get to got o different spots in the city after class.
The school, like the residence offices, and bureaucracy in France is very disorganized when it comes to signing up for courses. During the summer, you are asked to pre-register for classes online, however, it does not mean you are in the class. Once you've arrived, they will give you your schedule if you registered for international office courses, however if you registered for master or bachelor courses, you need to find the schedules which are posted across the university walls. It is very different for us, but for French students it is normal and they do not know how it would be if everything was online. Another difference is that even after you have your schedule, you have to attend your first class, and once you attend your professor might have to select people to be accepted into the course, and some people might not get the classes they were signed up for. Advice: sign up for as many classes as you can and get to your class early so you sit close to the professor and get recognized on the first day. Even though it is complicated, it teaches you how to deal with different systems.
We are all here to study, however, everything in Europe is so close that you cannot take it for granted and need to a explore this beautiful continent. The first month was hard, with the intensive french seminar, first week of class and getting everything organized in Paris. In October I had the opportunity to travel to Leeds, Amsterdam, Mont Saint Michel and London. Every weekend was very exciting! A different adventure by a different form of transportation. I took the bus with Megabus to Leeds, it a very very long journey but super cheap. I also took the bus but with Eurolines to Amstredam. It wasn't as long as my trip to Leeds but again, very cheap. Mont Saint Michel was a trip planned and organized by the international students club from Dauphine. We had a coach bus and everyone from Dauphine got to know each other. It was a great weekend with French students and students from all over the world! I took the train to London with Eurostars. It was very comfortable, very convenient and very very fast. It took a little more than two hours to get from Paris to London, however it was more expensive.
Here in Paris, every class, every trip, anything that involves the international students, means there will be many, many different cultures. It is amazing to learn how different some things are or how similar others are. The amount of knowledge I have gained abut different countries since I have been here is incredible. I love to travel and I love learning about different cultures. This has been a great learning experience so far and I have friends from all over the world now, so my knowledge keeps growing.
It is very easy to travel anywhere from Paris, and it is very cheap. There are 4 airports you can choose from, many different train and bus stations, and they all have different travel times every day.
And like everyone other BIB student's apartment, my little residence room has become a hostel for other friends BIBers who would love to visit this gorgeous city. I've had many people over, and it is amazing to show everyone around, be a tourist guide for the weekend, tell them everything that I know and what I have learned about Paris, and also explore the city with them.
I've wanted to visit Paris since I was a little kid. I wanted to have dinner at the Eiffel Tower to celebrate my 15th birthday. I have never had the opportunity to visit, but when I started BIB I knew this is where I wanted to go. I've been here for 2 months and it is still a dream and as exciting as my first day here!
I have learned a lot about the tourist spots in Paris. I have been to the Louvre twice (and probably have seen only 10% of it! which means I will be visiting it again a few more times), I have been to the Musée d'Orsay twice and I love Impressionism. I go to mass at Notre Dame every Sunday and it is only 15 minutes walking from my residence. I have walked and biked all over the town, and still have not been to half the places I want to explore. The streets are beautiful and there are so many museums and attractions in every neighbourhood.
Biking in Paris is very easy. I have an annual pass which means I can bike as much as I can whenever I want. These bikes are called velib, you can get the bikes in the many locations all over Paris and drop it off anywhere you would like on the million locations of the city. This means you can take a bike to school, to other people's house, to a restaurant and any location you would like and you don't have to worry about getting it from the same location you have dropped it off. The bike will be left in one of the parking locations and you can take another bike from another location later on. It is very easy and very convenient.
Of course, I have been to the Eiffel Tower plenty of times, but every time I go there I just think how wonderful it is and how I don't believe I am actually here. On my birthday my dream finally came true. It was not my 15th birthday, it was my 20th, but it is was still amazing. I had two friends with me, (Streisanne and Edson) and it was a wonderful night, and the food was amazing.
Coincidentally, I am taking a course that is all about Paris, its arts and its architecture. I have learned the reason the apartments in Paris are built the way they are, the reason the roads and avenues were designed the way they are, and the history behind each monument. I highly recommend you take this course at Dauphine, it is called "Paris, cité des arts".
Another amazing pass-time very close to Paris is Disneyland Paris! I have the annual pass and believe me, it is worth it! The park is very close to Paris, only 35 minutes by subway. I have been 3 times already and it is a great thing to do on a sunny day or whenever people come to visit. They always want to go, which means I get to go with them, and I have acquired a lot of knowledge about it all.
I know it took me a long time to post my blog with the getting ready and the first couple of months, however I plan to post as much as I can to share my experience in Paris and in Europe and to post helpful tips and advice to other BIB students thinking about coming to Paris.