Where to Begin?... Apartment Hunting

I still have a hard time believing that I am back in France and have already been here for a month.  Within that month, so much has happened that I am sure I am not even cracking the surface.  I have met new friends, gotten closer to old ones, learned more about perfumery - my passion, and learned more than I ever could imagine about other cultures.

To properly describe this new journey and give you all a better understanding, I should start from the beginning.  Hopefully this will help you believe some of the crazy stories to come - because believe me.... Some of this stuff is too crazy to even make up.

The rush to get to France was crazy.  Have you ever heard of the saying that "opinions are like assholes.  Everyone has one." ?  Because moving to a different country and asking for opinions certainly reminds you of that.  As soon as I got accepted into the ISIPCA EFCM program, the first question people would ask me after saying congratulations was, "Have you found an apartment yet?  Where are you going to live?  Versailles or Paris?  I think you should live in ____."  NOTE: For any Americans or foreign students wanting to move to France - this is possibly the most stressful task.  I started looking before I was even accepted.  I would look online at a few vacation homes and such and estimate how much it would cost for me to rent a normal apartment.  If you are used to middle-class midwest living standards and prices, BOY, are you in for a shock.  It is so common to find a furnished apartment that is 12 m2 for a price tag of 700euros/month (~$1000/month).  Yes.  You read that correctly.  Per month.   And often times you have to share a toilet down the hall.  I didn't realize how cheap I had it back at home!

Anyhow - I looked for months and months for an apartment.  First we thought, "Let's wait until you move back home from NY so you can focus on apartment hunting."  Then a family event happened and we thought, "Okay, we will wait until the rest of the family leaves and you will have all of August to search for an apartment."  And THEN here came the really fun part.  All of Paris and Versailles was on vacation for two weeks.  Getting in touch with anyone was an absolute nightmare.  So after approximately two months of searching and having no "possible leads" of an apartment, I was turning into a crying emotional.  I was literally driving myself crazy.  I mean, I was moving to a different COUNTRY/CONTINENT - not down the street.  But here is my best advice and possibly the only advice if you remember anything from this post: Go early and physically find an apartment while there. The week before you go, schedule appointments to check out apartments.  Because doing all of this online is a pain in the tush.  I would send emails after emails asking about apartments - the people would either 1. Not email me back 2. Ask for a French guarantor or 3. Tell me the apartment is already rented (even though I doubt it was).  I would literally send copies of my CV in French to show them that I am not some crazy person and that they could trust me.  It worked for a couple of people!

So the day we arrived, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to live in Paris or Versailles.  I take that back... I wanted to live in Paris.  There is absolutely no doubt about that.  But to be "safe", I had set up apartment visits in Versailles and Paris.  The day we landed, we checked out an apartment in the 16th district of Paris.  Oh my goodness...... this neighborhood and apartment was an absolute dream.  I fell in complete love with it.  When you think of France and stereotypical apartments, this is what you think of, right?  Or at least this is what I pictured:



I could see all of the potential in this apartment.  The big windows, the terrace overlooking the quiet street with haute couture shops, and old wood floors, the sun radiating in, the antique fireplace, etc.  It was all there.  I was ready to sign the deal and take that apartment then and there.  The only catch?  It was 900 euros/month.  Doesn't sound too bad, right?  Cheaper than NYC living.  But this time I am not making any money (nor was I in NY).  In fact, I am doing the opposite.  I am BORROWING money.  But I still wanted to take this beautiful apartment.  So that next morning, my dad and I tested what the commute would be like and oh my.....

Public transit is amazing in so many ways.  You don't have to stress - all you have to do is sit your pretty derrière down and read a book.  You get your thinking time.  You don't have that stress of "where do I turn?" or the tasks of "defensive driving".  But this trip to Versailles was like going to a Husker football game... but at 8AM.  Everyone is a toot to get where they want to go.  And who blames them?  So what was supposed to take 40 minutes took us about half an hour to get to Versailles.  We were tired, jet lagged, hungry, and were a part of the sea of people.  I tried to stay positive about it and take that apartment, but you can only lie to yourself so much.

We checked out a room for rent in Versailles that is only a 10 minute walk from school.  It had less than half the price tag of the Paris apartment.  So how could I turn that down?  Down side/Plus side?  Living here is going to keep me super thin.  I don't have the Paris amenities.  Therefore, I have to walk half an hour with my suitcase to do my laundry.  Which costs about 20 euros to do 3 loads. And I have to take a bus to the nearest supermarket or I have to walk for another 30 minutes.  No wonder French woman are so skinny!  All they do is walk!  And I guess they also don't eat and smoke instead.... But that is a long conversation topic all on its own.

But all in all, I have found an amazing place to live.  The room is absolutely ENORMOUS.  It is a stereotypical French HOME.  Old rugs, antique furniture, my bedroom walls are carpeted.  Wait, what?  Carpeted walls?  Yes.  But they sure do keep my room warm and give me a nice cuddle buddy.  I also have a very sweet roommate from India.  - Even though I moved back to France, I feel like I partially moved to India.  So many stories to come. :)

Overall, don't stress yourself (like someone else I know) about finding a place to live.  It will happen.  There is no worries or doubt about that.  :)