Qu’est que c’est un foyer or what exactly is a foyer?

In the previous entry, I mentioned that I was staying at La Vigie, a foyer on the Île Saint Louis. Before I left for Paris, I told everyone that a foyer is like a dorm, but now that I’m here, I feel that is more like a boarding house. I’ll explain more and then you can decide for yourself.

The occupants of La Vigie are young women between the ages of 18-25. At a dorm, the inhabitants are bound by the fact that they attend the same school or university. There is more of a fluidity to La Vigie, because we’re all staying here for different reasons, though most of us are either attending university or working. In addition, people go in and out on a weekly basis. Some people stay for long lengths of time, like my roommate who has been here for more than a year, while others like me and the other girls from my school, are only staying for the summer. There are people from all over both Europe and Asia staying at the foyer, but I think that the four girls from my school are the only Americans. I’ve personally met people from Italy, Spain, Britain and of course, France. I’m enjoying meeting people from all over. Aaron always teases me about my international complex.

As for the actual building, I think it may have been a home for nuns at one time. There’s a statue of the Virgin Mary on one of the staircases and one of my friends found a plaque that described the building as a nunnery. I get the sense that the buildings are fairly old, especially considering the quality of the plumbing. We have to enter at an imposing wooden door on a narrow street on the Île. Once you go in, there’s a cobble-stoned courtyard with a garden where we can eat. There’s a cat that lives in the garden and a number of people who live here feed it. There’s a room next to the entry way, which is the only place where the WiFi really works, so it’s always crowded with residents. The actual rooms are in the four buildings that surround the courtyard. Think of the standard limestone French building with the shutters and window boxes and you’re on the right track. In each of the four buildings, there is only one toilet per floor and one or two showers. I actually have a sink in my room though along with a desk, a lamp, a closet, and a bed.

As with my residence college at school, the foyer serves meals; however, they only give us breakfast and dinner during the week. We have to cook for ourselves on the weekend, but I’ll save that for another entry. For breakfast, they put out a giant basket of French bread and a bunch of spreads. There aren’t the multiple varieties of cereals I’ve gotten used to at school and no fruit. Like a number of the other residents, I have to drink my tea from a bowl because the set of eating utensils they gave me didn’t include a mug. The dinner consists of either fruit or dessert, a warm plate of food (usually a starch, a choice of meal, and cooked vegetables), either yogurt or cheese, and of course, bread. The food tends to be decent; I would compare it to Wilson on a good night. Once in a while, it can be a little odd. Two nights ago, they served andouillets, which turned out to be a sausage made of the innards of a pig. My French friend later told me that none of the real French people actually took it. Alas for foolish Americans.

I’ve never lived in an all female residency and if I start to think about it, there are certain differences between the environment at my residential college and at La Vigie. First of all, it’s a lot quieter. The first night I arrived happened to be a Friday. Suffering from jet lag, I woke up in the middle of night a number of times. Each time, it was completely quiet. When I went down the hall to the bathroom, I felt like I was disturbing everyone by the horrible noise the floor made when it creaked. I later realized that a lot of the French girls go home for the weekend, but even during the week, it’s quiet way before midnight.

I think it’s also easier to approach people and make friends in an-all female residency. At dinner, it’s not as awkward to just sit down with a group of girls. Everything is simpler and more straightforward. Everyone is very relaxed and no one has a problem wandering around in her pajamas. True, a number of people do that at Princeton, but I think it took me longer to be comfortable doing that.

Finally, the fact that La Vigie is an all female foyer means that are certain rules and limitations. Whenever we leave the foyer, we have to flip our card on a huge board. During the day and until 10 at night, there is always someone at the main desk. If we have guests, they have to sign in and they cannot go upstairs into the rooms.

The picture here is the courtyard as seen from Sully, the building where I live.

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The last time I was in Paris 3 years ago, I made a point of trying to find something the reminded me of each of my friends and I had a mental list by the end of the trip. I never did go back and tell them what specifically had reminded me of them. Now all I remember is that I associated Merry with the mummified cats at the Louvre. My apologies, Merry. This time, I’ll try to actually pass these observations on by recording them here. Thus, Aaron gets a shout out here; however, I’ll try to find something slightly more exciting in the future.