Paris: Week One, Day One
Thursday, June 29
The trip through customs was quick and easy. Everyone who had been standing in line forever was irritated by my group that was rushed to the front of the line. I know what it feels like to be those people, so I’m not mad at them. All I can say is “Fly Priemer!” TSA Pre-check only works if you’re flying from the USA (or it’s provinces), or after you’ve arrived in the USA. Outside of the country, it doesn’t count for much. But that flight status…that counts A LOT!!!
The headache started at baggage pickup. Being the first to the baggage line means you wait FOREVER! After about 30-40 minutes, I got my bags and headed over to the RER line. That is the Paris subway. I don’t know. I have difficulty describing it because it’s different from the Metro. But both are trains that run on rails underground. In my mind, they’re the same thing. Comment below if you can explain this system.
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I did find this link online that explains the differences between the RER and the Metro. I guess I get the minor differences, but I still think they’re the same.
I knew my Navigo Découverte card was valid from last year. They’re good for 10 years, but I didn’t know if I could still use it. I was confident that there was no money on the card since the longest pass one can buy is for a month. I went to the booth to recharge my card. The computer there scanned my card and said it was topped up. No need to do anything with it. I called over a worker to help. She insisted the machine was correct (insert eyeroll here!). I hop over to the RER scanner and, of course, it doesn’t work. Meanwhile, people pile up behind me, squishing me into the machine. So, I push through them and go stand in another line to get help from someone who knows what they’re talking about. That guy said I need to put money on the card, which I did. After that, I was all set. It was an hour trip to my neighborhood.
How funny that on my first day on the RER, this happened:
Of course, I missed my stop because I wasn’t paying attention at that point. I immediately got off at the next stop. Terrible idea! There was no one at that stop. It was deserted. The escalator was broken and there was no elevator so I walked down 3 flights of stairs carrying 50 lbs. of luggage, a backpack, and a shoulder bag. Fun times! I gave up at the last flight of stairs. I could even see the exit but I was too tired. A man walking by with his child offered to help. I was hesitant, but he seemed harmless enough, so I agreed. He took my bag down to the door for me. It was very nice of him to not rob me.
Carte Navigo Découverte
Gives you access to all the zones of Paris and the Île-de-France. It can be reloaded with weekly or month passes. Mine has one week and one month on it. If someone steals your card, they can easily place their own picture and name on it. Nothing you can do about it either.
What is the Île-de-France? For those in Richmond, VA, think of the greater Richmond area. That encompasses many cities surrounding Richmond, right? The same is true for the Île-de-France. Several of the areas surrounding Paris are part of the Île-de-France.
I walked towards my new home. Wouldn’t you know it? It was all uphill. And there was construction. I was pushing and dragging this suitcase across all kinds of terrain as I struggled to get it up the hill. Not to mention, people are sometimes rude and just push by. I guess by accepting help from that nice man earlier, I exceeded my quota of helpful people for the day!
After completely passing my building the first time, I finally found it. The sign out front was quite confusing.
That little, copper, rectangular sign posted on the door post is for the AGEFO, where I’m supposed to be housed. The larger lettering above the door had me soooo befuddled!
History Fact about the AGEFO:
“It is at the bend of a discreet square, a stone’s throw from the metro, near rue de Vaugirard, that we discover the charming building at 4 rue Tessier. First built to accommodate young nurses from the Red Cross in training, the building was rehabilitated to make it a residence dedicated to students and approved by the APL. Because of its history, the place accommodates in priority – but not exclusively – student nurses as well as students in the medical and paramedical fields. Welcoming the teams from the Agefo center in Paris, the hostel for female students benefits from a strong human presence which maintains the family spirit of the place.”
The people inside spoke no English. They didn’t seem to be expecting me either. I showed them an email which had the details. Within 20 minutes, they had a room ready for me. Let me just say that this place is confusing! I can’t say it enough. There are no directional signs indicating the important things such as rooms, elevators, kitchen, refrigerators, food storage cubbies, etc. For a directionally challenged person like myself, it’s easy to get lost. And, I have gotten lost often!
The room was not what I expected. Compared to last year, these are meager housing options. The room is 20x20, about the size of a large storage unit. It’s small, but I do have it to myself. That’s important. It is definitely nice to have my own bathroom. I do take issue with not being allowed to eat in my room. I’m an adult. I know how to clean my space. Plus, the kitchen and food storage are 6 floors down. There is only one elevator and on certain days, it never makes it to the top floor because everyone below is using it. One day I was nearly late waiting on this thing before I decided to take the stairs. I guess you can say that I exchanged having a refrigerator in my room for having a bathroom in my room. I definitely prefer the bathroom. I’m just boycotting food until I’m starving and can adjust to the arrangement!
Click the images below to enlarge them.
As the days go on, I’m adjusting to it. I still struggle to have privacy in the room since there are no blinds for the window. The only way to get them covered is to use the outer shutters. These are heavy, metal things which fold up about 4 times to be out of the way. One of them scrapes terribly across the window bars when I open it. That’s a pain. And it can be annoying to my neighbors. I’m trying to adjust. In time, I’ll get there.
After getting settled, I took a long nap, then I decided to go shopping. I used Google maps to find the closest grocery stores. There are two within less than 10 minutes of me. I grabbed my bags and headed out shopping. I started out looking for Monoprix. It is further away, but larger. I got lost, but ended up finding Franprix. It’s closer than Monoprix, but has fewer items. Neither of these stores is even as large as a Food Lion. Think Dollar General in size. These places are fairly small but the groceries are stacked high! The pictures below are stock photos, not representative of the stores near me, which are much smaller.
I bought soap, toilet paper, a couple apples, some crackers, water, grapefruit soda, and a couple other necessities. It didn’t even cost 30 euros. That’s great! So much cheaper than shopping in the USA right now. Seriously, toilet paper alone costs over $26 for a family of four. Yes, we buy the big pack!
After shopping, a visit to the nearby park.
Guess I should have read those hours in advance because I got kicked out of the park! I ended up snacking on my crackers and an apple at my school’s park instead. It’s open until 10pm.
Anyway, while at the park I heard some interesting sounds. If you want to hear the singing, you’ll have to follow me on my Youtube channel. A video of my week will be released soon! In the meantime, subscribe to my blog. This will send you an email whenever the blog is updated.
