While so far, I have loved France (and French culture), living in Paris has come with many downfalls. While I miss the sun and the warmth of a Florida Winter, what I miss most is the comfort of living somewhere that feels safe. Unfortunately, some fellow students and I have been housed in an uncomfortable living situation.
At first, the most uncomfortable aspect of our housing situation was our 45-minute metro to and from school in the morning. Almost every day, we were spending more time on the metro than we were in class. However, this commute soon became normal. However, as time has progressed, my biggest cultural confrontation has become our living situation. From coming home from class or a weekend trip to discover our doors left open by hotel staff to two large men banging on my and a fellow student’s doors at 1:30 am while high on drugs, we have had our fair share of uncomfortable encounters within our apartment complex. These events occur on about a weekly basis and while I wish it was a problem that would be fixed by the “cultural u-curve,” I do not see this improving before our departure from Paris.
Thankfully, my fellow students and I have come up with creative ways to solve our safety problems. First, we all now sleep with a form of personal protection (whether that be a keychain alarm, pepper spray, or a very sharp kitchen knife). We also scheduled meetings with housing. Also, we no longer leave our complex alone after sundown. These strategies help us feel safer and less anxious about our safety as we go about each day. To further de-stress ourselves from our living situation, we also remind ourselves that in three months, when we return to the United States, these will just be silly stories we tell our friends. Until our return, we will continue refining our personal safety skills and will come back to the US with the most creative strategies to avoid harassment, robbery, and unsafe situations.