Fall 1986 I flew from Buffalo to NYC, long layover at JFK (or was it LaGuardia?) and on to Paris where Professor McCreary was waiting in the airport for several of us in the fall Paris program.

We spent the first week living in a hostel – sparse shared rooms with bathroom & showers down the hall. & We were given a list of places we could contact to set up our semester housing. Some students in my program knew one another already and some knew no one (me included).

Housing ranged from old maid’s quarters at the top of 8 flights of spiral staircase (yes, I made that climb once) to shared places in la banlieue (suburbs) that had a real kitchen & shower.

I chose a shared appartement in Creteil about an hour (two changes on the metro) from the center of Paris at Odeon where my classes were held.

Two other classmates also lived there and a French guy who rudely made fun of my French so I learned quickly not to speak to him (ugh- not fun).

I haven’t been back to that suburb in any of my returns- but maybe sometime I will take the metro trip out. It’s a haul though, and I mainly spent all day & evening in Paris anyway. Slept in Creteil but not much else.