While in Paris we stayed with an Italian Graduate student named Marco. Marco lived fairly close to the center where he worked in a bakery while he waited for school to start. Marco had only been in the city for a couple months by the time we stayed with him, but by that time he had procured a flat that he was very pleased to have.
Because Marco was a student, he received a 200€ subsidy from the government to assist him with his rent. This meant that he only had to pay 400€ rent, which was a really good deal considering where he lived in the city. But, when you consider the size of his apartment, this still seems like quite a steep price.
His apartment really shouldn't be called an apartment at all - it should really be called a large closet. The floorspace was a roomy 10 square meters, including a shower, bed, kitchenette, small couch, and table. The design was really brilliant. The shower sat in one corner next to the raised bed; the extendable table and shelves were under the bed; the kitchenette sat on the end of the floor where the roof angled down due to the roof; and the couch was crammed into that same corner. For the toilet you had to walk down the hall - where would it have gone otherwise?
What is really impressive is just how comfortable we all were living in that small space for four days together. The couch folded out and became a mattress for us to sleep on the floor. We all sat comfortably around the table eating dinner together on those nights. We were so welcomed by him and had such an amazing time it was as if the space was much bigger than in reality.
We will never forget Marco and his enormous hospitality in a tiny apartment.
