An Interesting Week

The past two days haven’t been especially exciting, but they have been interesting.

First, there was the bank fiasco. I believe that there are certain institutions in France which are meant to sort out those who can be successful residents from tourists. The first hurdle to jump through is the visa process. I’ve done that. Then there’s the metro. I’ve definitely figured out the ins and outs of that.

             Sidenote: I’ve been asked to provide a little more description as to what I mean by metro. In Paris, the metro is an underground train system, much like the subway system of New York. There are fourteen lines, almost three-hundred stops, and maybe just as many rats. It’s extremely fast, extremely efficient (once you learn how it works), and smells like a mixture of hot engines and urine. Very tasty. There are also the above-ground bus system and the RER -- which is like the metro, but way creepier (and takes you outside the city limits).

Back to the French screening process. This last one is the most fun, I think. The last way to sort the residents from the tourists is the process of getting a bank card, which has been my latest adventure. Apparently, you cannot get your carte bancaire (bank card) until you have money in your account. You cannot deposit cash into your account until you get the bank card. See where the logic starts to make the mind reel a bit? Now I have to wait until a) a transfer goes through or b) the AUP bursar gives me a check in exchange for 100 euros. Very fun. I highly recommend French banking as a way to spend your weekend. It’s fun for the whole family! (But only one at a time. They won’t let more than one person through the door at the same time.)

Thursday was actually quite nice, with very little stress. I woke up early(-ish) and headed in the direction of “Graphigro,” an art supply store in the 15^th Arrondissement.

             Second sidenote: Shortly after naming my blog “On the Seventh in the Seventh,” I realized that I don’t technically live in the seventh. I live in the fifteenth… just across the street from the seventh. I’m taking advantage of my artistic licenses, though. “On the Seventh in the Fifteenth” or “On the Seventh Across the Street from the Seventh” don’t really roll off the tongue too well.

Apparently, every Sunday and Wednesday, there’s a local market set up underneath the above-ground part of the metro.

Graphigro was a great deal farther than I thought it would be. Through the buildings, I could actually see where the city ended and the countryside began (which was pretty amazing). Everything went off without a hitch. I got my supplies (with student discount, thank you), took the metro home, and was able to finish my art project – a “Parisian still-life” – before getting to class.

We worked with charcoal today, drawing a strange scene of white-painted fruits. Here’s my first attempt in charcoal:

And my second attempt, in conté crayon (like charcoal, but harder):

One fantastic thing I got out of art class: a free museum pass. You’ll probably never hear from me ever again, as I’ll be lost in the Denon wing of the Louvre. (Not)

Oh, I also realized/had it brought to my attention that I haven’t put up any pictures of my apartment. So here you go:

Desk/Kitchen Space and Window

Shower/Sink/Front Door Area



Front Door and Bookshelf (Sooo Exciting)



Bed and Clothing Storage (There are Dali paintings and cover art from the magazine The Stranger up there now...)



Desk and "Closet" Space



This is the view not from my window. Rather, it's the view from the top of the stairs looking into the courtyard.






This is the view from my window. If you look out the window and down, there's a seven-storey drop with windows from other apartments that open into it. At about eight every night, people start cooking dinner, and the smells drift up. Mostly it just smells like curry.

 The first night in my new apartment, I had my window open, and I kept seeing this light. It was really starting to freak me out until I realized it was the spotlight from the Eiffel Tower.

   

This is looking down the seven flights of stairs. A bit Hitchcockian, no?



This is in front of my apartment building. A bit blurry, but I think it gives you an idea of where my apartment is.