Life in Lyon: André Allix residency: Inside the building

Life in Lyon: André Allix residency: Inside the building

Like the article I wrote about the André Allix residency, I have divided the article into smaller sections. They are:

• The reception
• The laundrette
• Other important places in André Allix

The reception

My first visit to the reception left me with quite an impression. It was frustrating and this wasn't the only time they annoyed me. The women working on the reception are always very moody, and they are never prepared to help anyone, so the way they treat students and any other administration matter, is always difficult. Everything has to be recorded on paper and when I was there, I had to wait a long time because each procedure was taking so long.

After an hour waiting in the small room, and after having filled in lots of sheets, it was my turn. The receptionist didn't help me much when I had difficulties with certain words. She was huffing and puffing and I could see that she was stressed. I couldn't understand why they didn't use computers, it would make the process so much quicker, especially with the number of international students there. I suppose that the administration rules are different here.

I liked the fact that we were given the choice of what building we would like to live in but I didn't know the locations of the buildings, so I chose randomly. Luckily, I was happy with my choice in the end. I was missing a few papers so later on I returned with the other formulas that I gave to another woman at the reception.

The next time that I had to go to the reception was about my insurance because I wanted to check that my insurance included civil responsibility which my university required. I wanted to make sure my insurance didn't already cover it before going to the bank to buy an extra insurance policy.

I went to the reception early so that I wouldn't have to wait too long, but I was too late and I had to wait for half an hour. After, the woman told me that she didn't have the time or the patience to search for my file, so I had to go back another day.

So I went back later that week. I took a ticket and I waited for my name. There was a different woman that day, and I asked for my folder. This time, she agreed to getting it for me. She looked for a long time, but it was still better than last time. I had hope. But after 10 minutes, she told me that I didn't have this specific insurance and that I was missing a few papers. I could not find the words to describe my anger and frustration. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of service provided by the reception.

On the André Allix website, there was a little section that said that students were allowed to use the fax in the reception. I had a few documents that I had to send to London and the deadline was soon. So I had permission to send the documents abroad. For some reason, the fax itself wouldn't send documents abroad, it was forbidden I think, I'm not completely sure.

The previous times that I had been to the reception to pay my rent had been fine. The process was quick and easy. But then I was reluctant to go because of the recent problems that I had to deal with. The staff were different and the atmosphere was calmer and quieter. So I think I'm still a little hesitant about what will happen the next time I have to go to the reception...

The laundrette

The last two times I went to wash my clothes were a nightmare. I don't know where I can find any other laundrettes apart from the one opposite my building, in building G. The machine on the right was out of order so I started to put all of my white clothes in the machine on the left. A little while later, I realised that I had put my clothes in a black pool of water. It was disgusting. I panicked and put the clothes straight into a dryer. A little later, I remembered that dryers can cause some clothes to shrink, so I stopped the dryer. Then I realised that there was a laundrette in the old fort that was free. In the end, my clothes were clean.

The second time, I went to the same laundrette in building G. The machine on the right was working today, but the other was broken, there was another black pool of water. I washed my clothes, but afterwards they had a weird, humid smell to them. It was difficult to cover the smell with spray too.

Since then, I haven't had any problems in the laundrette. I usually went early in the morning so that it was guaranteed that a machine was free. Still, one morning a woke up extra early to make sure that I could use two machines. When I opened the door which is never locked, I saw something quite shocking. A homeless person using the sink and the mirror to shave. I guess he slept there too.

You can find laundrettes in the following buildings:

• Building H
• Building G
• Building K
• The old fort
• Arches d’Agrippa

Extra information

Socially, there is a big difference between residencies here and the ones in Roehampton since in England, each floor has a representative that is there to help you and welcome new students. In Lyon, I don't know many people from my floor because they like to stay in their rooms instead of socialising and integrating with other people. But really, I think there are too many people here for that.

There is also a large international community of students which is sometimes difficult to integrate into because everyone speaks different languages. But it is good to meet different people from new and exciting countries. I think the fact that people from different universities stay in the same accommodation makes it more difficult to socialise because there isn't one common ground that people can start a conversation about. The building is really large too so you are bound to find people that go to the same university as you and live there, so it is not difficult to meet up with them.

The price of my room is fantastic. I pay a lot less for accommodation here than I do in London which is double what I pay here. I cannot complain!

There also facilities in the building such as a restaurant and a weights room. There are also things such as dance classes, but I haven't done anything like that yet. But if I have anything else to say, I will definitely add it to this article. If you want to use the music room where there is a piano, you have to write a letter to the director of the residency.

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