After more than two months in France, I can say with some amount of confidence Paris is a complete bore. Actually, that's an unfair overstatement. Paris does has some redeeming factors, but for the most part, I haven't found this city very interesting. For some odd reason, I thought there would be something different about Paris. I expected something special, something characteristically Parisian. I found, instead, Paris feels like every other western city I've lived in. I guess it can be argued that my previous knowledge of French facilitated my transition, making it much smoother than my transition to China. On the one hand, I'm tempted to agree. Language has never prevented me from ordering food here (I've gone hungry for other reasons, but that's another story entirely). On the other hand, I consider my Chinese to be much better than my French at this point. I'm certainly more confident with Chinese. I've had my fair share of language blunders and misunderstandings in Paris; my transition wasn't seamless. At the same time, I don't blame my mild difficulties for my boredom. In the beginning, I was tempted to blame my hectic schedule. I work upwards of 22 hours per week, on top of writing for two different online publications and taking a full 16-hour course load, almost entirely in French. I dismissed this hypothesis for two reasons: the deficiencies in the American education system have made my schedule the norm (with the exception of the French part, of course) and I still get to see some of Paris in my day-to-day activities at work. Even if I usually spend my weekends with my nose in my notebook, I get to interact with the city during the week, however, minimal my interactions may be. Besides, there have been a couple of weekends where I've decided my mental health is infinitely more important than my schoolwork (which I won't remember doing in six months anyways). I left my notebooks in my dorm and explored the city. After realizing my schedule wasn't the problem, I turned my attention to Parisian nightlife. I have yet to experience the bars and clubs in Paris, but I don't have any particular desire to see them. Instead, I go on night walks. I actually prefer the city at night; it's prettier. During the day, everything is a bland sea of gray and beige but at night buildings transform into luminescent palaces. They become beacons of ephemeral magic inviting the passersby to stop and absorb the imagery. The NYU Paris academic building closes at 8 PM and the library closes earlier. Neither one is open during the weekend, for those who are wondering. The school is situated across the river from Notre Dame, next to the Musée de Cluny (Musée National du Moyen ge), in front of the Sorbonne and within walking distance of Saint Germain de Près, all of which are highly frequented tourist hotspots that render the area uninhabitable by the average student. Finding food or entertainment in the neighborhood of the academic building is an absolutely budget breaking endeavor. The only real option is to walk around and enjoy the view. My schedule and my lack of nightlife experience weren't the issues. I sat at my desk for a few hours, stumped, staring blankly at my computer screen while I tried to solve the puzzle. Finally, I decided the issue was either with myself or with the city, or perhaps both. Paris is better suited towards art and history fanatics, and people who don't mind spending exorbitant amounts of money on food and entertainment. I, being a spendthrift with only a minimal appreciation for visual art and a mild distaste for history, do not fit into either of those categories. There isn't much for a person like me to do here. Fortunately, I have found a few fun non-art things to do here. There's Belleville, which I will explain in a later article, and there's the Indian Quartier, which is the perfect place to find sweet treats and cheap tea. I would be remiss if I did not mention I have not yet visited the banlieues, the suburbs of Paris. The Paris most people know and visit is actually only a small portion of the city. The banlieues, being further from the city, are a source of infinite intrigue to me. The immigrant enclaves one sees inside the peripherique (the highway acts as the outer limit of the tourist version of Paris) are present and magnified outside of it, which means the banlieues are concentrated pools of French diversity. I've been advised, however, that certain banlieues are potentially dangerous, and I've been working up the courage to test my street smarts. In the end, I'll probably only bother to visit the Gentilly, as the suburb is only one metro stop away from NYU Paris's Montsouris residence hall. Until then, I will twiddle my thumbs and wait for the semester to end so I can get back to Shanghai. This article was written by Sarabi N. Eventide. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: NYU Paris