Choosing where to live for my first time in an entirely new city (and country!) prompted me to do some soul-searching. Did I want the expected comforts of an apartment and the responsibility that's attached to it? Or did I want the bustling student population just across the hall? And would I have to sacrifice one to get the other?
I chose the guarantee of students as neighbors and didn't have to sacrifice much. Sure, I don't have a private kitchen, bathroom, or living area. What I do have is the opportunity to speak with peers from Norway, China, India, Morocco, and (of course) France every time I head downstairs to the kitchen. And the accommodations themselves are perfectly comfortable.
Take a look at my dorm and the surrounding neighborhood - I couldn't ask for a better arrondissement to call my home for the semester.
Dana F. is the Fall 2017 MOJO Photographer in Paris, France. She is currently a junior studying Cinema & Photography at Ithaca College.