SarahDoes city size impact your life?
This may seem self-evident, but I’ve been realizing more and more that the answer is “yes”, especially if you don’t have a car. It’s not just a matter of shopping or flashy entertainment; it’s also harder to find groups or events to meet people, especially those of a similar demographic/life situation.
I do find it interesting how city size feels relative. Héricourt is cute, but also very small with under 10,000 residents. (That might sound like a lot of folks, but for comparison’s sake, the University of Waterloo has over 30,000 undergrad students.) When I first explored neighbouring Belfort or Montbéliard, they felt comparatively huge. Despite this, locals still think of them as small. Our académie’s training was held in Besançon, and as the province’s capital it honestly felt like a metropolis to my newly-small-town self, but I still heard comments that “it’s not that big”. If I still lived in the Toronto area for comparison, I’d probably agree.
I recently visited Paris again and was struck by its sheer enormity. The metro is a labyrinthine spiderweb of different routes, not even including the above-ground or grande-ligne trains, making Toronto’s 4-line system pale in comparison. I seem to end up in Paris for only a couple days at a time, but I have the feeling that I could spend an impressive amount of time there and still not see all the interesting or famous things the city has to offer. Could I imagine living there? I’ve met several people who have done so, and loved it, but notwithstanding some fluke I don’t think I would. It’s just too massive, too hectic.
Is there a perfect city size for everyone? I’m inclined to think not. Most of my colleagues don’t live in town, but for each person I meet that is in a neighbouring city, there is another in the countryside village with their family (and/or horses). I’m sure there are dozens of studies about how rural/urban living impacts wellbeing, but I find it likely that there is a connection with personality and previous experience, not a one-size-fits-all.
This topic reminds me of the saying, “grow where you’re planted”. As someone who has been moving every four months for school/co-op and likes it that way, the mantra doesn’t always resonate. However, sometimes one finds oneself somewhere they didn’t expect. Even a fantastic place can feel ridiculously lonely at the beginning, though I guess the ideal moral of the story is that things turn out in the end if you try to keep the faith and continue to try to find/create community.
In case you care: how are things going in my little town? Quite good, these days. 😊 Near the beginning I found it a bit of a shock to live alone in an isolated place, even though my colleagues are welcoming. Transportation challenges thwarting a couple of my plans didn’t help my outlook. After an encouraging day of training with the other assistants, I remembered that I’m fundamentally a social being and decided to try to find an apartment in a neighbouring city. However, lately I’ve had second thoughts about moving out. Everything’s felt different after the Toussaint vacation, and to some degree it’s also my own motivation to stubbornly keep leaving my room. It’s encouraging to feel like I’m getting into the swing of the work, and I also have a slowly growing network of assistant and local friends, which is honestly helping my state of mind so much. Some of these folks also have offered couches or rides, which makes it possible to do things after 9pm. I may still move eventually, but saving money by staying at the lycee (yet spending less time here) is starting to look like a viable option. On va voir.
Practical tip – if you’re applying to TAPIF next year
If you’re applying to be a teaching assistant in France, you get to check off what size of city you’d be willing to work in. Personally, I’d recommend not checking off the smallest city size.
I got placed in a small city (just under 10k), and while certainly some people do live here, it still poses a challenge for making friends and catching a train anywhere after 9pm. Everyone seems a bit surprised I don’t have a car, though I don’t know anyone who can afford one on an assistant salary. I’m starting to feel more comfortable here, but honestly a big part of that is befriending a few more people with cars and couches where I can stay overnight if needed (thanks <3), as well as travelling more on weekends. Living at the school itself is a lucky option in terms of finances, but it can be easy to feel isolated, so I’m seriously considering moving to a more active city.
That said, I feel lucky; I know people who were placed in similar or smaller cities who didn’t even have train lines, or who only had transport options a couple times a day. Other assistants are placed in or near huge cities. As with so much of TAPIF, a lot of it is luck of the draw (and to some degree also your qualifications).
Ultimately it’s up to you, and you could also be offered something different than the preferences you submit. Small-town living can be amazing, but just keep in mind that its reality is much different than study-abroad-in-big-city vibes. Either way, bonne chance!
Bisous,
Sarah xo