I suppose it just wouldn't be right to tell you of only my room and not say anything about the wonderful campus at Cite International Universitaire Paris. It is located in the southern portion of the 14th Arrondissement away from the hustle and bustle of the city center and also away from the tourists. Those that live here come from all over the world to 40 residences from 40 different countries.
Cite University was created in the aftermath of the First World War by the dreams of incredible men. In the inter-war years André HONNORAT, Minister of Education conceived the idea of creating a “campus” intended to house foreign students and thus to contribute to the construction of peace in the world in a place dedicated to international exchanges, where the youth of the world would learn to live together.
Thanks to the support given in the early days of the project by the industrialist, Émile DEUTSCH DE LA MEURTHE and Paul APPELL, the Rector of the Paris Academy and the President of the Council of the University of Paris, the Utopian dream became a reality in 1925.
At that time, the public authorities wished to increase the number of students in Paris. But the accommodation crisis made it impossible to offer those students a roof over their head. The International Campus was at the time a humanist solution to a concrete problem.
The founders of each residence had a completely free choice of style of architecture. This explains the diversity of styles, which combine national references and modernist design. Thanks to this mixture of eclectic architectural styles, the value of the listed buildings and the landscaped grounds, the International Campus boasts an exceptional heritage.
Its first students’ residence, today called the Fondation DEUTSCH DE LA MEURTHE, in homage to the Alsatian philanthropist, opened its doors in 1925. This is the house where I live and all those who received the Ile de France Scholarship.
The University is like a small town having all the necessary amenities one would need close at hand. It reminds me more of Canadian campuses where you have everything you could ask for in a 5 minute radius from your dorm room but it's uncommon to find that in Europe. That's why the Cite is truly a unique setting. It's 10 minutes away from all the Parisian attractions by metro but it seems like you're in another world when you walk through these gates.