To break my blogging silence, I've decided to take another trip down memory lane. This time, back to the seven months I spent working in Paris during the summer of 1982. I expect this to last for several posts, hence the 'Part I' in the title. Here goes...
A required part of my Engineering with French degree was a period of industrial experience in a French-speaking country between my third and fourth years. The university found me a placement with Renault in a suburb of Paris, and accommodation in a totally different suburb of Paris. At least I became very familiar with their bus and Métro (subway) systems before it was over!
I was allocated a room at "Le Foyer Municipal de Jeunes Travailleurs de Saint-Ouen", to the north of Paris (right below the 'D22' label on the satellite map). It was a very tall building, perhaps 15-20 stories as I recall. As I look at that image now, I see the rooftop and remember when and how I developed my fear of heights. I may go into that later, maybe not. Most of the others staying there were mature university students, or other stagières like myself. Many were foreign, including a large contingent from the countries along the northern coast of Africa. The single story buildings to the south of the tall tower contained a canteen-style restaurant and a couple of recreational rooms. I ate there a couple of times, but it wasn't that cheap. The most economical meals, I found, were freshly-baked baguettes, butter, paté and salad items from the local supermarket. Oh, and of course the 4 franc (about 80¢) bottles of cheap wine!
When I was "home", I spent most of my time just sitting alone in my room, writing in my journal or letters to home. From time to time, other residents would request my help with their English homework or something similar, and I'd oblige for a while, until it became obvious they expected something a little less savory than tutoring. As a rather naive twenty-year-old living alone in a foreign country for the first time, I was probably lucky to have not found myself in any worse situation than those.
Despite working a full forty-hour week, I did spend a lot of time just wandering the streets, taking in the sights and making full use of my unlimited travel pass. Many memories come to mind, and I don't know if I'll get around to writing about them all. Sadly, my extensive collection of photographs from the time no longer exists, but they are vivid in my mind.
Feel free to tell me, in comments, what you'd like to hear about most:
- Working at Renault
- Traveling by bus
- Traveling on the Métro
- The local flea market
- The museums
- The ultra-modern shopping center La Défense
- Picnics in the Bois de Bologne
- Watching the Tour de France arrive in the center of Paris
- The movies
- Eating out - on a budget
- My fellow stagières and what we got up to
- Window shopping along the Champs Elysées
- The traffic
- The 'R' rated stuff ;-)
Part II to follow when you've voted!
Posts
Let's see...
ReplyDelete11, 9, 6, and 7.
Is there any R-rated stuff I haven't heard? If so, add that in there somewhere. ;)
Liz - We've been planning a trip to Paris for years. 2010 will be our 10th anniversary, so in the next few months we'll keep our eye on your blog for some good tips on Paris. Thanks, Mariah/Byron
ReplyDelete1,4, 12, and 10. :) R-rated stuff? Hmm, don't think I've heard that either ;)
ReplyDeleteWould I be too greedy if I said 1-5, 7, and 9-14?
ReplyDeleteFor years I had thought that by this point in my life I'd have spent a year watching the seasons change in Yorkshire, with some jaunts to other places like Cornwall and such; then a summer crossing Europe (with time in Paris and Alsace-Lorraine then a visit to Corsier sur Vevey, Switzerland) winding up on the Amalfi coast before deciding where to go next.
That has grown more unlikely with each passing year, so living vicariously through your memories would be a real treat!
alan