I'm "installed"

I can officially say, "je suis bien installée" (I'm all settled in).

The electrician came this morning, and I have a fully functioning "chambre de bonne" (traditional servants quarters). Mine has been fully refurbished and furnished with new furniture and dishes. I also have an elevator; I'm on the 7th floor. So, I wouldn't exactly say I'm roughing it.

I've been finding all kinds of fun surprises.

First surprise - I found pillows and a comforter in the closet still in the packaging. I just had to get a duvet cover and pillow cases.

Second surprise - I went to buy sheets for my sofa bed and the man at the store told me I needed a double. I looked skeptically at the exact model of my Muji sofa bed in the store. I know things are bigger in the US, but honestly, how on earth could this be a double. A few seconds later, the man had the cushions pulled out and fashioned into a double bed. I felt silly.

Third surprise - Gifts in the microwave! My landlords are so sweet. They even bought a plastic cover for reheating dishes and a special microwave dish for steaming vegetables.



The most satisfying part of my weekend was seeing my landlord just about lose his cool with the good-for-nothing electricians. It makes me feel better that I'm not the only one to have problems with the utility companies in France. It would have been months before my electricity worked if it had been up to me, but M. Collignon (my landlord) refused to let them leave until they came up with a solution. This was the 6th time someone had come to the apartment and determined that the cable was not their responsibility. M. Collignon ended up paying for a private electrician to come by. He was quite disgusted with the whole ordeal.

New apartment!

I get electricity tomorrow (fingers crossed). Until then, I'm chillin' chez Stephanie & Elizabeth. What nice friends I have! And they have a sofa bed!

Oops. . .

I showed up Thursday with my luggage to an apartment cloaked in darkness. Turns out the electricity guys forgot one cable, and so the electricity wasn't ready. Therefore, my landlord wasn't able to install the shelves and curtains because it's kind of hard to do in the dark. I was able to drop off my bags at least, and I'm currently staying with a couple girlfriends.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the presence of mind to grab a few clothes and a toothbrush for the weekend. I remembered ALL of my homework, my laptop, and textbooks. One pair of socks? Not so much.

I'm still really happy I'm out of Christine's place. I really don't know what happened. A month ago she was sharing soup and apple compote and now she's sending me e-mails saying how she is shocked by the state in which I left the room and bathroom. I know I can be messy, but I think you guys know that I'm not the type of person to leave a mess behind in someone else's home. There certainly wasn't anything "shocking" about the room. The trash room was locked in the building so I left it in a sack next to the laundry basket with towels. Dirty towels and trash in a bag, ohhh, I'm such a pig.

I get to ACTUALLY move in and be reunited with my 4 suitcases & 2 bags of possessions on SUNDAY!!!

New neighborhood

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You must be my lucky star . . .

Life is just so great sometimes. :) So, Wednesday I was kicked to the curb. Well, I had some time to sort things out with my living situation, but it certainly wasn't a very happy atmosphere in the Cornanguer residence. I have a feeling something is going on that doesn't even involve me.

The apartment quest began with a whimper but ended with a bang. The only replies I received from my craigslist inquiries were scams to deposit money in sketchy accounts to prove my "genuine interest" in the apartment. There was one apartment that was real, but I wouldn't say it was legit. I showed up and a girl my age showed me around. Quite, ahem, below my usual standards, but I was feeling desperate. Then she introduced me to one the roomies: a 60+ year old man!!! He SLEPT ON A BED IN THE KITCHEN!!!! It was his friends place, he was subleasing, and then renting out the two closet-sized bedrooms for 630 euros/month. Creeptastic is all I have to say.

I was feeling pretty blue after the visit, and my friends really pulled through for me. My two American friends were ready to lend me their pull-out couch near Bastille for an indefinite amount of time, and 3 other friends volunteered spare beds and couches. As much as I'm ok with couch surfing, it's easier when I can live out of my car as I did in Iowa City. As it is in Paris, I have about 4 large suitcases full of stuff. It's hard to surf with baggage.

By chance I happened to lunch with a new gal pal on Friday who recommended I check out the BDE (a student organization at science po) website, and she gave me her log-on information. A phone call in the morning, a call back in the evening, a visit this afternoon and voila voilou, I have an apartment!

It's soooo pretty. The couple that owns it lives in the building and they own one of the former maids chambers on the 6th floor. If you don't know about classical French architecture, here's a brief explanation. The first floor (our 2nd floor) is the prime real estate because back in the days before elevators it was the most accessible and still elevated from the grime of the street. French Haussmannian style (named after the architect Haussmann active in the latter half of the 19th century) style usually consists of 5-7 stories, of which the last one or two stories were normally reserved for "the help". Many buildings have tiny hallways and separate entrances to access all of the floors and the uppermost floors so that the help didn't intrude in daily life.

Now these little lofts are being refurbished and turned into studios for students and artists. Access to elevators has improved (I won't have to use the service stairs) and the quality of the lodging has been upgraded in some cases (Although I've seen a few that make you wonder if you wouldn't be better off under a bridge).

My new landlady is an architect, so my apartment is immaculate. I will take pictures when I move in Thursday. I can't move in yet because they have yet to hook up the electricity, install some shelving, move in more furniture and hang curtains.

The best part of my place is the lighting. I have a skylight! I was afraid I would end up living in a cave, which makes Paris living quite depressing, but that will not be the problem at this place.

For those of you curious enough to check out my locale on Google Earth, type in Metro Segur, Paris 75007, France. I'm right next to the metro on Avenue de Suffren. The neighborhood is very residential, quite calm (from what I can tell) and about 5 min from school by metro (30 min walking). I can't wait to move in!

Crisis/Opportunity

Christine wants me to move out because her boyfriend, who doesn't even live permanently in our apartment, doesn't feel "comfortable" knowing I might show up at any time with friends (Because Sciences Po friends are sooo sketchy).

For some reason I feel like that's not really the issue.

1) Christine never established house rules, and this is the first I'm hearing of the "disruptive nature" of my friends. Rather than establishing new boundaries, she would rather just encourage me to find a new place to live.

2) I bring friends (no more than 3) over for lunch or tea during the day (1-2 times/week) when people are normally at work.

3) The two occasions when friends came over in the evening, we stayed in my room so as not to disturb Christine in the kitchen.

4) I am cleaner than Christine, I am more energy conscious than Christine (definitely not running up the bills) and I am quieter than Christine.

She said I can stay while I look for a new place, perhaps until the end of the year, but I want to get out as soon as possible. I don't want to give her any more of my money. I'm paying as much as I would for a studio in Paris and this is no longer an inhabitable environment.

Cross your fingers!