As someone who wholeheartedly agrees with the sentence “Paris is always a good idea” with the effect of getting lost in the streets of the city, I have always wondered what it would be like to live in Paris.. Because before I left, it didn’t take me a long time to realize how beautiful every part of this city, which I thought was “overrated”, was actually.. Now, every time I have free time, I want to go to Paris one more time.. For those who are curious like me, we have prepared a small interview with Burcu Kantarcı on Paris and France, it was very good, very nice.. Especially those who are thinking of living or studying there, look what’s going on in Paris, who speaks English and who doesn’t.
How long did you stay in Paris?
The first time I went to France was for a language course and I stayed in Paris for about a month and a half.. I went two more times during the Erasmus process and stayed for a few weeks these times.. In total, I spent about two months in Paris.
So why did you choose Paris in the first place?
My first trip to Paris was literally my choice. “I’m going to a language course and I’m staying for a long time, so why not stay in one of the most romantic cities in the world that everyone wants to see? I thought. I went very eagerly, but the city is such a touristic city that at the end of the first week it starts to give an artificial taste.. That’s why I put Paris in the last place while I was looking for a school for Erasmus and I chose Grenoble, a small but old city that is a perfect student city and an example of Central European architecture.. I may not have given the expected answer in this part, but although Paris was my first choice for the first trip, the only reason for my subsequent visits was my friends.. There is a common belief that the French are “smug”. Do you really think this is the case?
Some of the middle-aged French have a sensual and bohemian lifestyle, which gives the impression of smugness from the outside.. Generalizations such as “the French don’t speak a language other than French”, “they’re smug”, etc. are a total lie.
Did you find it difficult to adapt to it?
I didn’t have much difficulty getting used to their culture, but it can be difficult to get used to the city order.. Not being able to find a single shop open on a Sunday, or when all the bars close at 12 am, having to take the bike path in the middle of the highway, being able to find a non-touristy place…
What was the weirdest thing for you in French culture?
Breakfast. A big bowl of bitter coffee and toast with butter and jam.
Bars and nightclubs. Is it a bar that closes at 12:00 and a nightclub that closes at 03:00?
Girls. It’s snowing like crazy, while we’re freezing in coats and boots, they can ride a bike in short shorts and flats. It may be difficult to generalize for France, but at least in Paris?
When you turn off the euro-tl dial button in your brain, it seems a little less expensive, but Paris is a money trap anyway…
How did you create a budget, were your expenses more than in Turkey?
Allocating a daily food budget other than accommodation and transportation costs is controlled. I set a day for shopping and I was shopping that day.. In this way, there was nothing that I suddenly regretted, and I also determined in my head how much it would cost me in total.. In the meantime, there is only one handicap that inflates the expenses, and that is the desire to try something new.. At that point, there is nothing to do, especially in terms of eating and drinking, unplanned expenses are made in order not to return without trying different things.
Are there any part time working opportunities? Or is a student living only on family support?
You have to be at least half-immigrant, otherwise they won’t be hiring. Apart from that, since the circulation of local students fills the short-term jobs sufficiently, there are not many job opportunities for foreigners, unless you are going to work in a kebab shop…
What kind of friend environment do you have?
Very well, they’re definitely hotter than us, and they’re simmering faster. They wonder what’s different and take it in. They are very eager to travel, see new places and try different things.. The only problem is they’re more disciplined than us. They live in a planned and programmed way.. It is necessary to keep up with them.
How is an ordinary day in Paris?
Subway, subway, then subway again, bike, bike, walking. Have a panini snack in the park at noon. Subway, work, school, subway strike, home. The dinner you prepare is usually eaten at home or if you have it, you cook and eat it with your friends (although there is such a thing as French cuisine, I have never seen it at home, pasta, sushi and tarts are eaten constantly). If you are bored that day and the weather is nice, you can have a glass of wine and chat on one of the bridges (if possible, on the wooden bridge).. Working hours are less than us, as long as there is no strike, transportation by metro is fast.. Especially a large part of the evening is reserved for the people.
I stayed with the family when I went to the language course.. Morning breakfast is served quickly on weekdays. On the weekends, it’s a little more enjoyable like us.. Bakery products were consumed a lot in Grenoble, people would stop by the market and patisserie early in the morning and buy pastries and fresh fruits and vegetables.. I saw a few street markets in Paris on the weekends, but they were very small, and the people I stayed in did not prefer the pastry products because they were expensive and pastries.. A little lack of housekeeping. The vacuum is not started unless large particles of dust are clumped on the walls.. There is also the problem that most dinners are served with simple and ready-to-eat items such as sushi and fruit yoghurt.
Which region is better for a student to live in? Where have you been?
3. zone, it is too far and the metro ends, but the RER has to wait, there is always a strike in the metro all the time.. 2nd. Good if you stay in the zone. I stayed at Boulogne Billancourt, it was very close and convenient. Apart from that, the region stretching from Montparnasse to St michel is also student-dominated due to Sorbone.. It might be thought, but the prices are not very affordable since it is close to the center.
How is the nightlife?
Not very animated. In general, I saw two types of places, very market places and very cool places.. Bullshit French youth in market places smashing themselves for fun. In cool places, there is a piano in the middle, uncles playing the blues, nice drinks and quality conversation.. Apart from this, there are also touristic places that it is necessary and sufficient to choose one of the most famous ones and see them, in order not to say that I have not seen them…
Do they have similar aspects with Turkey?
What I see as a difference rather than a similar aspect, the average age in nightlife is slightly higher than in Turkey.. Or we always hang out in such places, I don’t know.
Is there anything you say don’t come back without trying/seeing it?
First of all, I’m ashamed of myself because I’m officially licking my spit but, Disney! The paradise that I despised by saying “I can’t spend that much money, I came to Paris, what’s the matter” on my first visit, changed my perspective on life on my second visit.. I seem to have been born again and continue my life as a rollercoster addict.
Secondly attend the Christmas service at Sacre Coeur. The exact equivalent of how to celebrate the holiday in Europe. As a note, if possible, if you see other tourists watching and posing with the camera alert, warn them, do not let them spoil the atmosphere.
For Pastis, don’t always drink wine.. Pastis is a drink similar to our raki, diluted with water but not supplemented with water.. More yellow, less sweet and aniseed. They make large water bottles and carry them around in their hands, especially outdoors, at concerts and festivals to warm up.. I had the chance to drink at a concert during Erasmus.. A large water bottle was circulating from hand to hand.. People were putting them in their beer cans, in their beer, or in their empty glasses.. They were both warming up and meeting and chatting on this occasion.. If possible, if you catch an activity such as a concert, I say go, it’s fun.
For those who say we can’t get enough of reading about France, I wrote what I know here.. You can enter and read, you can reach my vast information. Modesty level: 0