In addition, this lifestyle had a romantic feel to it. And that is what many people look for when they relocate to Paris, or, as Nietzsche saw it, the only true home for artists in Europe. Every day, people arrived in Paris with a teeny tiny Picasso or Hemingway in their stomach, carrying A Moveable Feast as if it were a sacred text.

The schedules in these schools left you with lots of free time on your hands between classes to explore every corner of the city. You quickly got to know it by heart, every street and alley, and you could survive on the salary and just live, if you lived prudently. And when you are young, poverty is just another life experience that will most likely improve dramatically with age.