Erie Student, Living in Paris, Describes Terror Attack Aftermath

Life is slowly returning to normal in Paris, three days after 7 coordinated terror attacks killed 129 people, and injured hundreds more.

About 10,000 soldiers have been assigned to security details across the country, half of those are centered in the capital.

Many popular tourist sites remained closed Monday.

And many residents say the city is much quieter than usual, that includes one Erie man, who is now living in Paris.

20-year-old Brennan McAndrew was just miles away from the deadliest attack in Paris, Friday.

Erie News Now spoke with him via Skype Monday, he described the city of light as very "quiet."

McAndrew has been living in Paris for the past 3 months. He's attending a French College, Universite Paris VII Denis Diderot, and teaching English at a French middle school.

And because of the terror attacks, he spent the weekend inside his apartment.

But on Monday he had class, and ventured out, like many other Paris residents, trying to return to some normalcy.

He says the city's entire atmosphere seems much "quieter" than usual.

During his commute to class Monday, he says he noticed many are still in a state of shock, "I had to take the subway, which I was a little nervous about, because terrorists have been known to bomb subways in Europe before," said McAndrew. "But everybody seems very anxious and it was very quiet, more quiet than usual and there were a lot less people that were on the subways," McAndrew added.

McAndrew says many students did not make it to class Monday. And his teacher excused absences, as students cope with the attacks, "It was very hard, there was one girl that started to cry in the middle of it, and the teacher said, 'If it's too hard for you can just leave and I'll understand, I'm not going to take roll call today, you won't be marked absent,' in the end some of the people left and there were only 6 of us," said McAndrew. The class normally has 25 students.

McAndrew says while the attacks have frightened him and many people in Paris, it's not in any way leading him to want to leave.
He says residents in Paris have been told to remain vigilant and strong, which is just what he's doing.