From the Erasmus Office
by Poonam Ganglani
My first meal in Perpignan-a salted chicken panini at the Cafet’ BU made me think of my last meal in India before leaving-spicy coconut chicken curry. Suddenly I missed India terribly and felt like calling home. I didn’t have a France telephone number yet, so used a carte téléphonique to begin with. That brings me to Lesson number six: You can purchase your carte téléphonique for 7,5 Euros either from Taxiphone, located right opposite the Accueil, or at any Tabac, the nearest one being opposite the University entrance. Make sure you get a card that gives you maximum time for your country. If you eventually decide to buy a SIM card, Orange is a good option. Be sure to check out the specific call rates pertaining to your country before buying your SIM card, some of the others who took the other popular brand SFR, ended up paying an arm and a leg for INCOMING calls!!
Ahem, back to my story….Relieved and relaxed by now, I decided it was time to start getting things in shape for my 5-month stay in Perpignan. It was quite exciting really setting things up for myself. I started with the basics: trash bags, toiletries, food and a few other things. It was my first of the many many visits to the medium-sized grocery located behind the Cité U, right in front of Quick—Leader Price. Despite its reputation for not-very-high-quality things, Leader Price has served me sufficiently well and deserves the position as Lesson number seven: For day-to-day groceries like personal hygiene items, cleaning items, food, vegetables and the like, Leader Price is just a stone’s throw away from the Résidence and is definitely a convenient option. Keep an eye open for items marked with the ‘Prix Gagnant’ label if you’re looking to economize. Further down, you’ll find LIDL, which is a smaller grocery with a few more varieties in terms of brand.
After a few hours of meandering through the aisles of Leader Price, I trudged up back the Cité U with my five grocery bags, stopping to catch my breath once in a while. The evening passed slowly, and I spent a few hours spilling out my thoughts into my diary till late that night…..
Day Two at Perpignan : I woke up feeling adventurous enough to discover the place on my own (I was one of the first to arrive) and ready for a challenge. The day began with the biggest challenge of all- My meeting with the Secrétariat.
Lesson number three: Be prepared, be patient and be ready with about 400 Euros to pay your loyer and 400 Euros to pay your caution deposit upfront. There may be exceptions for 1st semester students who will be allowed to postpone payment till the credit of the bourse but in any case, be ready to deal with them and explain the situation…repetitively and politely, never daring to forget your Bonjours and Mercis. I Bonjoured and Mercid myself away from the tough situation and then set out to finish the surrounding formalities. Lesson number four: Do not delay in filling in the CROUS contract given to you by the Secrétariat , and get yourself a 59 Euro logement insurance policy from the LMDE office located on the left side of the main University entrance as early as you can.
After my morning at the secretariat, I decided that I deserved to treat myself to some scrumptious food. I headed to what would be my haven for the first few days in the University: a petit cafet’ opposite the Bibliothèque Universitaire, and hence the name--Cafet’ BU. I soon learned my
Lesson number five: Take advantage of the food on campus, at least till you get started with your own cooking. The Cafet’ BU and the Aquarium are good for short-eats, The Resto U offers a full meal at just 2,80 Euros and La Loge located above the Accueil is open even in the evenings. La Tartinerie and the Pizza au Feu du Bois camion located opposite the University entrance are good too if you’re willing to spend a bit more. My personal favourite (till a friend converted my bills to Indian rupees and shocked me that is) is Quick,(good ol’ burgers instead of baguettes!) located behind the Cité U.….I still indulge once in a while!
