In 2018, I was just a new graduate, and I didn’t have much money that time besides the money that my grandmother gave me every month. So I had to use all the money wisely. I was quite thrifty with everything I wanted to buy. I even spent much less when I was in England taking the Acting Course. While in England, I met this Russian guy named Dimitri, who had run away from his home to New York since he was 19 years old. We became friends, and together we decided to continue the Acting Course in France for another 3 months after finishing the course in England.

After two weeks spent getting the visa to France, I finally landed at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Paris, arriving around 6:00 pm. However, it took a little bit of time to get out of the airport, around 7:00 pm. Having read from the guidebook, I would have to take the underground to Gare de Lyon Train Station and catch another train to suburban.

So I started the journey, following the sign to the underground station. Unfortunately, most signs were written in French, but I eventually managed to the station. When at the station, I still struggled to find how to purchase the train ticket. Most train officers did not really help much. Then I spent a little bit of time seeing what others did when buying the machine ticket, plus still asking the train officers until I got the answer.

But the problem continued, and I still struggled to pass through the barrier gate. The gate didn’t open even though I inserted the ticket properly. Then, fortunately, I got help from an Indian guy speaking English with a French accent. He told me that he would insert his ticket, and I needed to run as fast as possible once the gate opened. Finally, we both were in! I didn’t lose anything. Nothing was stolen, thank god!