Paris no paradise for foreign students

Sabine Vogel

Paris - "I really ought to get rid of that," said Malak Maatoug, pointing at the mildew on the wall. A 22-year-old Berliner who studies cultural sciences, he went to Paris under the auspices of Erasmus, a European Union student exchange program, and lives in an eighth-floor garret measuring 12 square meters.

The black spots on the wall above his bed are not the only problem with his dwelling. The window is poorly insulated and the electrical heater in the corner does not work.

"My room was so cold on some mornings that I didn't dare get out of bed," he remarked.

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast," said US novelist Ernest Hemingway, who lived in the French capital in the 1920s. Many foreign students who go to Paris for a semester abroad take leave of such romantic notions during their hunt for a flat, however.

Maatoug's room is a typical Paris student accommodation, namely one that was formerly meant for domestics who, beginning in the mid- 19th century, served in the households of the Parisian bourgeoisie.

"Many students move into a 'chambre de bonne' (maid's room) because they want to live in the city center. For most of them flats are too expensive," noted Alfonso Mostacero, who assists incoming foreign students at Paris-Sorbonne University.

Shared flats among students are less common in Paris than elsewhere and many Parisian students continue to live with their parents.

Monthly rents in Paris average about 22 euros (30 US dollars) per square meter and are higher for small flats. A 10- to 12-square-meter room with neither a kitchen nor a bathroom costs about 400 euros (538 dollars) a month, on average. Landlords are disinclined to renovate the rooms they rent out since demand for them is high.

Domestics in Paris used to eat in the kitchen of their employer, so their rooms seldom had kitchens, not to speak of bathrooms. The toilet is often located, as it was during that bygone era, in the hall and is shared by everyone living on the floor.

Malak's toilet lacks even a lamp, so he lights a candle during his visits. Other toilets have no flushing system, so a bucket of water is used instead.

Finding a place to live can be very difficult for foreign students. Lukas Haupt, a 25-year-old student of economics in Bremen, went to Paris on an internship. A proficient speaker of French, he brought with him all of the documents that Parisian landlords often demand, including a surety from his father, his father's salary statement and proof that his father owns real estate.

"A few times landlords told me right away that they didn't want foreigners because its hard to sue them if they don't pay the rent," Haupt said. He finally landed a rental agreement after looking at 12 rooms over five weeks. The price: 675 euros (908 dollars) a month for 15 square meters.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316687,paris-no-paradise-for-foreign-students.html.