Rouen: La ville

La ville

Rouen is a beautiful city located in Normandy, in northwestern France. It is about an hour from the coast in one direction, and an hour from Paris in the other. This happens to be where Joan of Arc was captured by the English and burned at the stake.

Le bus
The bus (tcar) runs until around 11 pm during the week. I have found that it is necessary to show up to the bus stop (at least the two near RBS) 2-3 minutes earlier than the time indicated online or at the stop. Side note: I haven't really used the metro. The bus is just over a euro a trip, but with a student ID or attestation domicile (for those of us who received our RBS ID cards in early November...), you can buy a bus card for 7 euros 50 and for 22 euros a month (student reduced rate) take the bus as many times as you like!

Cell Phone
I found out, after the fact, that I should have gotten a Bouygues cell phone instead of an Orange cell phone. My Orange phone cost 40 euros (minimum for a phone without a contract) and cuts out after 10 seconds of conversation. I get charged 50 centimes a minute (about 75 US cents) whether I call a landline or cell phone.
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With a Bouguyes phone + card, I could have gotten a phone for 9 euros (+ 20 for the sim card), and paid 20 euros/month for 40 minutes (yes, I know, still 50 cents a min.) + unlimited texting. And Texting is how people communicate around here.
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RBS had an orientation day the week before classes started, which included a visit from Le French Mobile in Paris. They have an unlimited plan that allows you to telephone everyone else with the same plan, but their other per-minute prices weren't much better. The phones were also 40-50 euros minimum. I have yet to see any RBS student with this cell phone service!

Bank
Two banks were suggested to me: BNP Paribas and Société Générale. However someone at RBS said that BNP has a better relationship with the United States (in general, maybe?) and makes it easier to transfer money into student accounts, etc. Plus I got 50 extra euros for opening an account with them!

Money exchange
To exchange dollars to euros in Rouen, if you have a BNP account like me, it seems that you have to venture to the part of the city across the river...between 9 and noon...on a Saturday...with your bank card. However, there is hope! You can also exchange money at the tourism office, which is conveniently located at the Place de la Cathédrale. BNP even informed me that the tourism office may have lower exchange fees



Rue Jeanne d'Arc
marking the place where Jeanne d'Arc was burned at the stake
view of the cathedral from Place de la Cathédrale
Napoleon!
a cozy salon de thé just around the corner from
the Place de la Cathédrale
a soirée for foreign students organized by the student
association Culture Connection!

view of the Gros Horloge down
the rue du gros horloge

the oldest auberge in Europe, now a very fancy restauranta delicious chèvre chaud salad!

Housing and Settling into Ango

Choosing housing was a rather interesting process for me...the summer before leaving chez moi for France, incoming students were allowed to log on to Sharepoint for a certain period of time to see housing options, and on a specific date, select their top three choices in a separate housing portal. I, however, was unable to enter Sharepoint, so I didn't ever get to see the choices. A dozen emails and 2 phone calls later I still couldn't access it. The day of housing selection I put the residence with the coolest name first, ok name second, etc. After a few more emails and midnight phone calls to France, the Sharepoint problem was finally fixed.

As it turned out, I was given the biggest room in Ango (I think it's the biggest) - 16 square meters, complete with a bathroom and mini-kitchen. The other rooms are all single rooms too, but the bathrooms are shared.

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The only issue I had upon arrival (but that I was aware of beforehand) was that you can't pick up your key and move into the residences on the weekend. I arrived on Saturday morning. Hotel Anderson in Rouen, however, was very welcoming for two days for about 50 euros a night, and 7 euros for breakfast.

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Here's some photos!

accumulated alaska airline miles got me a free ticket on tahiti air
direct from L.A. the stewardesses gave everyone a nice smelling
flower that slowly opened up during the flight.

Ango - my student residence ! part of the "cité universitaire du panorama".
i vote Ango the most convenient student residence to live in.
it's a ten minute walk from campus, 15 minute walk to the bus stop (La Varenne), and a 20 minute walk to the Place Colbert (grocery, book store, BNP, pharmacy, pâtisserie, cafés...).
it's also across the street and through the woods to a copy center, free student doctor's office, and some other little fast food cafés.


view from the front of my residence (and also from my window)
and now for a tour!

entering my room on the second french floor ("french" because it's the second floor off the ground, aka third floor). the mirrored door is the bathroom.

my bathroom: small sink, lidless toilet, and a shower smaller than an airplane bathroom stall (teeeeny). warning! you can't adjust the water pressure (water shoots out really hard), and it turns itself off every 10-15 seconds, so you have to push the knob back in constantly. otherwise, yay for unlimited hot water!

view from the desk of my L-shaped room. it comes equiped with a small sink, one burner, and a fridge. i bought my own pots and pans at Carrefour (7 minute bus ride down the street) for 3-4 euros each. the bed has two spacious roll-out drawers and two windows above it.
view from my bed. closet on the right. big window on the left. for about 320 euros a month, there is a ton of floor space. you may need to buy a cheap set of shelves (Carrefour!) to put stuff on since the closet is very small and has no shelves.
the students like to use stylo plume. here's mine, complete
with the cartridges of erasable blue ink !
just in case you're curious, here's what the plugs look like

then one evening there was a random band that played great
big band music for an hour in front of each hall!