Life in Paris

Arriving in France Residential permit According to the June 30 1946 decree (modified), it is imperative to have a student residential permit validating the pursuit of studies in France (or another permit granting a stay in France). A series of documents must be presented in order to obtain a permit: photocopy of passport, “visa de longue durée”, certificate of pre-enrollment (or student card), certificate of residency, documents proving you dispose of sufficient income (bursary or proof that you regularly receive foreign income), a certificate of social security, three black and white photographs and a pre-stamped envelope indicating your address. Inform yourself, as this list is likely to change. For all the requested photocopies, it is necessary to present the original one so that the coherence is noted by the person in charge of admissions. You may deposit your request for admission at the International Social Relay located at the entrance of the CIUP from mid-September to mid-January, from Tuesday to Friday, 9h30 AM to 1h00 PM and 2h00 PM to 5h00PM. After depositing your request for admission, you will be summoned to take possession of your card. It is necessary then to provide a passport as well as a fiscal stamp (sold in tobaccos shops) for the amount indicated on the document summoning you. Medical Exam A medical exam is one of the requirements to fill in order to obtain the permit to stay. You will be summoned through the mail, usually, after reception of the permit. Fees are to be expected for a medical exam. Opening a bank account Upon presentation of a long-stay permit or of a residential permit, it is possible to obtain a bank account. The BNP and La Poste, located in the CIUP, are used to dealing with foreign clientele and have the advantage of being very near. To open an account, it is necessary to provide : - Certificate of Residence - Passport - Temporary resident permit or an official summons The modalities and the delays of the checkbook and “carte bleue” (debit card and or credit card) vary from one establishment to another. The banks charge fees for the closure of an account. It helps to inform oneself on this subject upon opening an account. Lodging help On the condition that certain criteria are met, the students residing in France, whatever their country of origin have access to lodging benefits. From Mid October to mid-December an antenna of the Family benefits is open at the International Social Relay. The documents to present are: the visa, and the certificate of registration, the “care d’état civil (i.e.: Birth certificate) dating back to less than three months (this document can be emitted by the embassy of Canada) and the coordinates of a bank account in France. Medical insurance Students from Quebec benefit from the medical insurance system of Quebec thanks to an understanding protocol between the French and Quebec governments. To benefit from it, it is necessary to write to the Régie d'Assurance Maladie du Québec, 1125 Chemin St-Louis, C.P. 6600 Québec, Québec, G1K 7T3. It is necessary to request the form concerning the social security of Quebec students residing in France. This system exempts students less than 26 years of age from registering to a basic social security system. The covered expenses are reimbursed according to the limits of the tariff of the “Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie française”. It is however necessary to request a reimbursement form from the doctor. The form furnished by Quebec indicates that the covered must present itself to the Primary cash Register. It is nevertheless useless: no file will be opened without having previously received the ascent of a French doctor. The cash registry of the residents of the MEC is the Paris CPAM, located in the 173/175 street of Bercy, 75586, Paris Cedex 12. It is necessary to present oneself to the 1st floor, at the window for international relations. The offices are opened of 8h30AM to 5h00AM, from Monday to Friday. For the Canadian students outside Quebec, it is possible to obtain, before departure, a letter of the provincial system of medical insurance (former: OHIP in Ontario) mentioning that they are covered by their system during their stay in France. This cover allows one to obtain the reimbursement of expenses while in France. In such cases where the medical insurance would not grant this cover, it is possible to buy a medical insurance cover in Canada (for example, with the Blue Cross) or with a French student mutual insurance company. The two most well-known mutual insurance companies are : - La Mutuelle des Etudiants (LMDE) located on 137, boul. St-Michel and open from 9h30AM to 6h00PM on Monday to Friday. Tel. : 01 40 92 54 92. - La Mutuelle Etudiante SMEREP, is located on 54, boul. St-Michel. The offices are opened on Monday to Fridays from 9h00AM to 6h00PM. Tel. : 01 56 54 36 34. “Epiceries” and Supermarkets Several grocery stores and supermarkets are at your disposal in the neighborhood. - The Champion is located on 104, avenue of General Leclerc and is open Monday through Saturday from 9AM to 9h30 PM. - A Franprix is located on 94, street admiral Mouchez and is open from Monday through Saturday, 9AM to 8h30PM. - Another Franprix is located on 11, Rungis street and is opened from Monday to Saturday from 8h30AM to 8h00PM. - The Orleans Supérette, situated at the angle of the street the brix-mesmin and boul. Jourdan, is opened until midnight. The bakeries The nearest bakeries are accessible through the Park Montsouris : - 82, street of the admiral Mouchez. Open from 7h30AM to 1h00PM and from 3H00PM to 9H00PM. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. - 63, street of the admiral Mouchez. Open from 6h45AM to 1h30 PM and from 2h30PM to 8H00PM. Closed on Saturdays and Sundays. - 107, boul. Jourdan. Opened from 7h00AM to 8h30PM. Closed on Wednesdays. The pharmacies A pharmacy is located on 70, street of the admiral mouchez. It is open from 8h30AM to 7h30PM from Monday to Friday and from 9h00AM to 7h30PM on Saturday. The nearest 24h/day 7 days a week pharmacy is the Pharmacy Dehry, on 84, avenue des Champs elysées 75008. Residents would be well notified to bring and stock toiletry and pharmacy products (aspirin, soap, shampooing, sanitary briefcases, bandages, etc.) before leaving Canada, as in France, the cost of these items is higher. Neighborhood Plan For affordable cooking utensils and other useful items : - Pier Import, 55, avenue of the General Leclerc - Not Dear, 119, avenue of the General Leclerc - Bazaar de la porte d’Orleans, 113, boulevard Jourdan The “babillards” of the MEC are another source of good deals. The residents that leave often sell pans, cookery and utensils at a very good price. Public Transportations Paris has a complete system of public transit. Fourteen subway lines and five lines of RER (Network Express Regional) serve the city and the suburbs. The heart of the subway system and of RER is located in the station Châtelet-les halles. The MEC is located opposite the Cité Universitaire station of the line B of the RER. It allows one to quickly and directly reach the heart of Paris. The subway system stops functioning completely shortly before 01:00 AM. The last RER from Châtelet towards the Cité Universitaire leaves at around 00h40 AM. Ensure yourself however that this schedule has not been modified! The first RER passes to the Cité Universitaire station at around 5h15 AM, it is heading for Roissy Ch. De Gaulle. The Paris buses are numerous and effective. The one most frequently used by the residents of the MEC is the PC. This bus, which passes in front of the MEC on the boulevard Jourdan, effectuates a complete turn around Paris by the former trip périphérique. The circulation direction of the PC (1, 2 or 3) is indicated through "internal circuit" (clockwise) and "exterior circuit" (counter-clockwise). The direction of other buses is indicated at each bus stop. The same tickets are used for the subway, the RER and the bus. One can use both the subway and the RER with the same ticket (and vice versa) inside the metropolitan Paris zone, but to pass from the subway to the bus and vice versa, it is necessary to use another ticket. The tickets are sold either in units or in packets of ten in almost all subway or RER stations as well as bus stations. The RATP offers the possibility to provide oneself with cards more advantageous for tighter budgets. It is possible to buy a day pass, a weekly pass, an orange card (valid for a week or a month). The cost of these passes always depends on the number of zones required. There also exists the “imaginaire” intended for students under 26 years of age. This card is valid for 1 year must be requested at an RATP booth. It is necessary to validate one’s ticket in machines designed for this effect. When boarding buses, one must punch a ticket, but one must not punch the passes to travel: they demagnetize themselves! The price of the ticket depends on the zones of tariff where you are traveling. Inside the expressway périphérique, one is located in zone 1. At Defense, one is already in zone 3, and Roissy Charles de Gaulle is in zone 5. It is necessary to buy the ticket that corresponds to the right number of zones. One can request a map of the public transit system in all RER and subway the stations of Paris. In addition to subways, RER and buses, there exists trains for the suburbs. They leave from SNCF train stations and serve the Paris suburbs. For these trains, the purchase of a supplement may be required. Cultural life Paris and its surroundings swarm with cultural activities of all sorts. You will note, while leafing through the following guides, the variety of the spectacles and equally prices! The Guides The Pariscope and l’officiel des spectacles are the two most often used guides. They are published on Wednesdays. One can find within all the cultural and other activities (lectures, riverboats, spectacles for children, athletic activities, restaurants, TV listings, zoos, parks of attractions, etc.). The citescope (free) is published monthly by the CIUP during the university year, and within one will find information on all the shows, exhibitions, lectures, films offered in the houses of the Cite universitaire. The “Guide Michelin” is sold in the newspapers stands, but is available at a better price at Guilbert at 26 and 30, boulevard st-Michel, or at the FNAC located on 136, Rennes Street, or under the “Forum des halles”. The “Paris pas chere” is another guide that has good deals and bargains in Paris, good restaurants for reasonable prices, shops, etc. The modalities and the achievement delays of the checkbook and blue card (debit card and/or credit card) vary from one establishment to the other. The banks demand fees for account closure. It helps to inform oneself on this subject when opening a bank account. The Museums lists Museums located in Paris and surrounding areas appear in the guides mentioned above. All them are coordinated, it is also necessary always to request if it there is a student tariff. The entry in the museums of the Paris city Hall is free on Sunday morning and the entry to the Louvre is free the first Sunday of every months. The libraries It is possible to have a free membership to the network of the libraries in Paris. One can find novels, essays, comic strips, etc. The library Georges Brassens is the library of the XIVe district. It is located at 38, Gassendi street (Subway denfert-rochereau and buses 88) and is opened on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10AM to 7PM, and on Thursdays and Fridays from 1PM to 7PM and on Saturday from 10AM to 6PM. The pizzerias Delivery to the House: Telepizza 01 43 22 72 22; Pizza Hut 0 810 30 30 30 The Movies Several movies or movie chains offer fidelity cards. Certain movie theaters have student prices. Gaumont, UGC and Pathé offer unlimited membership. Video club The nearest video club is the 12/24 located at 93, boul. Jourdan.