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The Belleville District
by Ma Shumin
I live in the Belleville (meaning Beautiful
City) area of Paris. Located at the northeastern end of the city, it is
truly a 'beautiful part of the city'. Hills and parks dominate.
Belleville used to be and still is somewhat of a village. The
cobblestoned streets are narrowed and in this part of town, life is
even more laid back. There are an abundance of little markets that sell
fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, outlining rue de Belleville. Just
down the hill is Paris' second Chinatown which the Chinese shares with
the Arab and African communities. There is a big church right outside
the Jourdain metro station. On the three-minute walk home I would pass
by a Tabac cafe/convenience store, a boulangerie (bakery), two
florists, two bookstores, an elementary school, a real estate agency
and a small Arab convenience store. And it is all an accident how I
ended up in this part of town...
During the summer I had lived in Montparnasse in the 14th
arrondissement, a very French and homogeneous southern part of Paris .
When I had to move in the fall I had wanted to find a place in the same
area as I knew it well. I didn't look into other parts, especially not
the Paris northeastern end, the 18th, 19th and 20th
districts. I had heard a lot of negative things and the reputation is
as bad as New York City 's Harlem . There are too many uncivilized,
new, and possibly illegal immigrants. It is rough, disorderly, chaotic
and dangerous. That was the impression given to me.
At that time I experienced much of the same agony and frustration that
Paris studio-hunters go through. I got desperate (or was it my luck?)
and decided to check out this ad for a studette in the 20th
district. And when I visited it, I knew it was for me! Just like that.
It has been some months since I have lived in this area. I find it to
be very safe and calm. The neighborhood is convenient and well stocked
with all life's necessities. The residents' contented attitude reflects
the charming neighborhood. I am very happy at how wrong those people
were who first told me about this place. As a matter of fact, I am so
happy that I hope to become a weekend tour guide and show tourists and
even Parisians around this area!
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