I explained in the "why I want to be an assistant" thread that I really want to work in a ZEP - I feel I can relate to students in that type of environment due to my background. I have read just just about everything on this forum about that subject, and while some people seemed to have culture shock and the banlieues, other have expressed amazing experiences (and have expressed that there is a camaraderie at the schools that lacks elsewhere). I am going to specifically ask for a ZEP.
I also want to (2) live affordably. Those are two things that I want. Add (3) proximity to Paris to that list since people (my little sister for example) may visit me while I am away.
The answer was easy at first - ask for Versailles or Creteil. The thing is, working in Parisian suburbs means either you live in the suburb affordably and close to work (both pluses for me) or you live in Paris expensively (or with a roommate) and have to commute. Obviously, I'd rather live in the suburb. But how is it living in Parisian suburbs? I know the studios are reasonably priced in banlieues (important because my girlfriend may stay with me for around 1-2.5 months), but would mentioning wanting to work in a ZEP and putting a Creteil and Versaille as #1 and #2 be an invitation to be put in a position where I have to live in Paris or somewhere VERY dangerous?
I've been to and walked around Saint-Denis, in what seemed like one of the worst parts - really bad looking, not too far to the east of Stade de France - with my camera on my waist. Sometimes I got looks, but I just looked back, like I belonged. But that was in the day time and that was one place. Night is different, I would assume, and putting your preferences for such a large region must be like Russian Roulette - and like I said, it's not really about where I work but more about where I'd be able to live.
Basically, are the Parisian suburbs THAT bad for those who live there? I wouldn't stand out like a wore thumb, looking "ethnic" myself - in France, most people mistake me for North African (I'm African-American but Irish grandmother) but that may be irrelevant. Would it be a much safer bet to work to work in a ZEP in Rouen or Amiens or Reims?...rent and experience wise (while having to be farther from Paris). At the same time, I suppose I could always live in a Paris suburb that's less "chaud" while working in another Parisian suburb where people wouldn't suggest living. I just want to be relatively safe - not necessarily Paris safe or Manhattan safe lol - but relatively safe. Is it usually possible to move somewhere both cheap and relatively safe in a Paris banlieue not far from any given school where I could be placed? I need your experiences and the experiences of people you know.
Thanks in advance.