Reflections on Today

• Based on responses we've gotten from yesterday's post, 5 out of 5 readers think we got scammed. One person gave the guy credit for his set-up, two suggested we ask the guardienne what the deal was, and three mentioned the normal solicitation that happens around Christmas, when donations for the postman or fireman are rewarded with calendars. Can't wait.
• In unrelated news, this afternoon I ventured over to the main BnF location for the first time this trip. I was looking for issues 7 and 8 of a particular journal; they had issues 1-6 and 9. Makes me miss the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, where 90% of everything you need can be found in open stacks, and where materials aren't split between two locations several miles apart. (The BN Département de la Musique, Rue Louvois, has all the archival materials, a few pianos, and lots of books. The Bibliothèque François Mitterand, Salle P (Audiovisuel) has all the recordings, many scores, and lots more books.) 
• While at the library, I noticed that both of the other people at my table were wearing ear plugs. This is inexcusable. It's already a library - how much quieter can it get!? Or maybe it was my incessant tapping that drove them to stuff their ears with rubber. 
• While in transit between the Music Library and the Bibliothèque François Mitterand, I stumbled upon what I think is Paris' "Little Japan," or "Japantown" or what have you. More on that later.
• It rained today. First daytime rain since the day we got here. Feels like winter already!

The Trash Man Cometh

Something weird happened tonight. We were in the middle of making dinner when the doorbell rang. Excited as always that someone actually wants to see us, I ran to open it. There's some guy I've never seen, talking about our trashcan. It took a while, but eventually I realized that he's taking up a collection for our neighborhood balayeurs and éboueurs (new vocab! roadsweepers and garbagemen). It helped that he pulled out a wad of cash and showed me this receipt book with a bunch of stubs from torn off receipts.

Exhibit A

He said they do this once a year, and I apologized for not having understood sooner, but admitted that we had just moved in, so this was all new to us. At the time, I figured that if he had made it into the building, he must have gotten "official" approval from someone - la guardienne, someone else in the building. So I pulled out a 10-spot and handed it to him. He said, "This isn't enough." Which is weird - if you're taking donations, shouldn't anything be enough? I asked how much people usually give. "50." Unfortunately (for him, not for me), I only had the 10 on me. So I said I could mail him 50 (thinking I'd consult with the neighbors first), and asked for the 10 back. "No, this is fine," he said, and handed me the receipt you see above. No mailing address. Just a few stamps and a typically French signature.

We were surprised and confused enough to look into tipping your garbagemen, and found nothing. (The closest we found was this explanation of situations in which you should tip in France.) Can anyone tell us whether this was legit? Or did we just get scammed?

Finding Apartments II - Craigslist Scams

I'm a big fan of Craigslist - I've bought a bike, a bookshelf, and a rain barrel through it; I've also found piano students through it. But so far it's been terrible for finding an apartment in Paris. Out of seven emails I've sent, five or six have come back as probable scams. How do I know they're scams? I don't, really. But the below apartment should not be listed at 800 euro, and the owner should probably be in town if he really wants to rent me the place.

More interesting is the pattern that I've noticed in emails I've received back from inquiries. Check out this one, which is downright scary:

Some of this information seems relevant to someone renting their apartment, but address? religion? how many months can you pay upfront? Seriously???

The pattern becomes even more obvious with this next email:

Now, Maggie and I don't want anyone accusing us of being anti-West African missionaries. But surely you'll agree that there's something fishy about all of these appartements chouettes that are surprisingly cheap being rented out by people who 1) can't be around to show you the place, 2) have recently moved to West Africa, and 3) don't care when you move in/represent the apartment as always available.

In conclusion:

1. If the price is too good to be true, it's probably not true.
2. Stick to French-language sites (like pap.fr or fusac.org).
3. NEVER agree to send a deposit without having had someone see the apartment for you.
4. Consider finding your place through an agency (which will charge a fee), which saves you the trouble of figuring out which ads are scams and which are legitimate.