The apartment that I'm staying in is very old and a bit quirky. (When I texted my friend Kim, who is visiting next week, that it is quirky, she asked "should I be scared?" Scared-no. Prepared-yes.) It looks like a Parisian apartment (go figure). While it is roomy and I’m sure very expensive, it lacks some of the amenities that I would get if I were staying at a hotel. Although, staying in an apartment does make me feel more like a Parisian.

When I was looking for an apartment, I basically had three criteria: 1) close to the office, 2) has a washer and dryer (no way did I want to have to figure out a Parisian laundromat), and 3) has internet. Well, the landlord pointed out that the washer is broken, so everything has to air dry. And, as of yet I have not gotten the internet to work (this stress me out the most, I was depending on the phone that is set up through my computer and being able to googlemap and HopStop how to get around). Also, the bathtub is broken—luckily there is a separate shower stall.

The toilet is in a separate wash closet that is even smaller than the lift. I understand now why French people aren’t fat—they wouldn’t fit in, literally. I am a small person, so I’m sure from my perspective that these spaces are much bigger than from a normal-sized person’s perspective, so it's good I'm not claustrophobic. It’s also good that I’m not afraid of the dark; the wash closet light only decides to work part of the time, so the other 75% of the time it’s pitch black.

Another amenity you don’t think about is window screens. Since there isn’t any a/c, you need to have the windows open. However, with no screens, you can’t keep bugs out of the apartment. Thus, there is a family of flies making their home in each room of the apartment. The upside: through those screen-less windows are amazing views of the Sacre Ceour and the Porte Saint-Denis. Check it out, you can see my apartment in the first picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porte_Saint-Denis

I was worried about there not being enough sheets and towels, so I had my mom and Marianne bring their own. I need not have worried, there is a huge wardrobe in my room with five shelves of linens (see my picture). I found a towel easy enough (however, without a dryer, the towels aren’t exactly Downy soft), but bedding was a different story. After we settled in, all I wanted to do was sleep. My bed had a fitted sheet, but there was no top sheet. I pulled out probably 7 different linens, but none of them was a regular top sheet; I kept pulling out duvet covers, table cloths and fitted sheets. I finally said “screw it”, covered myself with a fitted sheet and said “bonne nuit.”

Update: Jacques at the office was kind enough to lend me a dsl cable and voila, my internet works. My apartment seems much more charming now that I’m connected to the rest of the world.