While SA is having a long weekend, I wish for the same. I am completely exhausted today and can hardly walk on my feet. Paris has many faces, kind and cruel. And it can be extremely cruel on your feet and legs if you prefer to walk, searching the kind faces.
After writing my English test and having an interview last Friday, I was surprised when the school informed me already on Monday that my application has been approved and I can commence my studies in October. I know it won't be an easy road, especially since the classes will be in French. But I have realised that if I want a professional life in France, the only way as an étranger will be to obtain a diploma in France. The good and bad news were that I was told I'll have to work while studying, otherwise I won't be able to obtain my diploma. Bad news as I was counting on the fact that with 6 days of class in a month, I'll have enough time to study and read the books that will be in French. And now I won't have that luxury, meaning much more stress!! Good news as we would have been out of pocket with our move to Paris and it will help our budget, as the company will have to pay me while working & styding at the same time. And also good news as the school will help me find a job and they have the network in France which I do not have.
Since JL started working in Paris in January, we were talking of moving to Paris. Even though the TGV between Reims and Paris only takes 40-45 min, one has to drive to the station, park, walk, in Paris one has to get from Gare de l'Est to the office. It all adds up to close to 3 hours per day. Having travelled between Jhb & Pta for such a long time, I know that in the end, it drains you. He also arrives late in the evening and we are now only having dinner at 8.45/9 pm (I think one of the reasons for not being able to loose weight, even though we're accusing the washing machine of shrinking our clothes...). With my upcoming involvement in Paris it is unavoidable to move, as the cost for two people to go by train to Paris on a daily basis is about the same cost of renting a minute flat.
Over the past few months we were discussing several options - selling our house, renting very small, renting little bit less small (small is the only affordable option in Paris...), buying another house close to his family. Finally we have decided to keep our house to have breathing space during the weekends and rent very small in Paris. I still don't know if I'll survive in a very small space during the week, but time will tell.
Both of us being particular in where we would like to live, I've said I'll walk the various arrondissements of Paris. For those who do not know, within the ring road around Paris, there are 20 arrondissements. Outside the ring road does not count as Paris. Due to the metro being so dirty nowadays and during peak hours almost impossible to use as it is so packed with people that you might have to wait for 4 or 5 trains before you can manage to squeeze into a little space on the metro, while being crushed by people and clinging to your handbag to protect it against the thugs that people are warning you against, we have decided we both prefer to walk rather than using the metro. It should be there only for an emergency or foul weather. Fortunately my school is less than 1km from JL. Hence, during the last month or two, as I had to go to Paris quite a few times, I combined my visits with an 'observation' of various arrondissements.
The first visit was negative - scrap that arrondissement from the list... The next visit was more positive, I found a place that is wonderful, almost like a little village within Paris. I got more excited. Slowly but surely I got to know the various faces of the different arrondissements, even giving in to a request of JL to have a look at two that are a bit further off which will force us to use the metro. Unfortunately I was so focused, that I never remembered to take a camera with me (once living there, I'll do it again, but at a slower pace...). Yesterday should have been my last day, I was hoping to finish with my list. But with breakfast with two SA friends, a lunch with another South African, and 15 km of walking, I through in the towel while still having one hour left. I just couldn't walk anymore. My feet were raw (and I have confirmed last night that the skins are off). I took the metro and waited in JL's office so that we can walk together to the station. We had to walk, as we had an appointment to visit an available flat on the way. The building from the outside didn't impress us, but the location was perfect, as it would have been so close to both his office and my school. When we arrived there, I told him we cannot enter, we do not have a code. At that moment two people came out and we entered. In Paris you'll often see these big doors and think behind it is the building, as the doors are fit into the building that you see. But once those doors open, they open on courtyards, sometimes beautiful interesting courtyards. Not yesterday, it opened on a courtyard yes. But the building was in a bad state, not well maintained...JL tried to phone the lady, as we only knew it was on the 4th floor, but not which nr and it turned out there were different doors leading from the courtyard. No luck, but as we had time, we took the lift in the one building. Looking at each other, none of us impressed. We walked downstairs still unsuccessful to reach the lady. By then 20 min had already passed. Back in the street JL received a sms from the lady to apologise, saying she left a message on our house nr that the flat is already leased (the add only came out the previous morning). We ddin't regret it though, knowing we cannot live in an environment like that.
My walk of yesterday took me through a beautiful park, but sadly the railway line running through the bottom of it (I'm not sure if it is still being used) was invaded by homeless people. Rubbish were scattered all over the place, chairs were standing around and along the railway a group of people were gathering. Halfway through the park I was thinking by myself that I am crazy to walk alone, I do not think that it can be safe. Fortunately there were a lot of people jogging and I took the shortcut to get out quickly. It is sad to see Paris deteriorating like that and the graffiti is getting worse and worse. To my dismay I've catched a teenager writing on the metro's window. She stopped when I told her that what she is doing is horrible. And when I got up from my seat I told her that it will cost her and her future children a lot of money to clean all this merde one day. Not that I have confidence that she'll not repeat it in the future. It was obvious she is coming from a troubled background and it is sad that the government is doing so little to clean up Paris and to find a positive way to improve the lives of the poor. And for those of you that might be mislead by the media, like so many French I fear, it is not the Sarkozy government reigning in Paris, but the socialist party. Hence I do not have much faith in their current elections, especially as the media is blatantly one sided and influencing the public. Shutting all opposition of the socialist party or distorting what they are saying. So much so for so-called democracy... I also walked passed another beautiful park, but by then it was to take the metro back to JL's office, my feet and legs could no longer carry me.
Back to the property market in Paris. For the uninformed. For us, buying is out of the question in Paris. With R1 m you can buy 10 m2 (in case you think I make a typing error, I'll write it out, for one million Rand you can buy ten square metres). In fact, 20 m2 might cost you R2.5m! To rent, for R15 000/m you can find about 40m2 (and less in the more expensive arrondissements...). So 40 m2 is what we are searching for. Saying we cannot live in less. Not sure whether we can even live in 40...
You have to take into consideration whether the building has a lift if it is on the 4th or 5th floor, it is not evident.... You have to take into consideration whether it is on a noisy road, whether it gets some sun, whether it is bright, whether it is on a metro line convenient for us, whether the heating is electricity or gas (big difference in price), whether it is one amount for the building or whether consumption is measured individually, whether ...... etc etc etc. But the worst - in Paris you can tell your landlord today you are moving out that same day. The landlord will have a new tenant that same day... There are such a shortage of flats, especially more affordable ones. You can make an appointment (like us for yesterday evening), but the day later when you arrive, it is already leased. You can go and have a look at a flat and say you want it, but if somebody else rock up after you with all the required paperwork before you, you won't have the flat. The luxury of considering a few options and playing them off against each other does not exist. You need to go with your papers and if you then feel more or less comfortable with what you see, you need to take it immediately, even if there might be another one on your list that might interest you more. This is so against my way of operating - so think of me in the next month as our search continues....
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