Thursday 30 September 2010

ça rouuuuuuule!


So much has happened in such a short time since i last posted. I signed for my studio and collected the keys on monday. the heaviest set of keys i have ever had. ridiculous. i have 3 locks on my front door, which is a bit worrying. I asked my landlady if i have to use all 3, and she just said "well at least two". uh oh.
it was in a bit of a state when we first got into it. loads and loads of dust everywhere, and a worrying number of anti-bug sprays, but after a lot of time, effort (and money!) spent on it, it's now pretty much perfect. i'm really looking forward to getting it all sorted and settling in. i'm going to spend my first night there tomorrow, to see how it goes. The picture on the right is the view from my bed, up on the mezzanine level.
directly under that is the tiny kitchen, and a door to my bathroom. its small, but perfectly formed, i think. the only slight issue is the dodgy ladder i have to climb to get up into bed. could be a little precarious after a few wines...
I also went to sort out a bank account yesterday. it was a little tricky, as i had no idea what words like 'overdraft', 'debit', 'savings/current account' etc. were in french. still don't really. i generally just nodded and said oui, and signed a lot of paperwork. the only slight problem was that i needed a certificate of home insurance to prove i lived there. the contract wasn't enough. my landlady hadn't mentioned anything about insurance, so i was a bit confused, but it turns out it's obligatory in france. they must live in perpetual fear of fire, explosion or flood. in the end i got insurance for the year from bnp paribas (who i also have my bank account with), for only 60€ for the year. not bad really.
amongst all the admin, we managed to be tourists for a few days. we went to visit Arles, another roman town similar to Nîmes, where i found this amaaaazing sign:
you know you're in france when macdo is on the sign posts.
we also went to Fontaine de Vaucluse, which was really pretty, but also horrifically touristy. there, i found this monstrosity. a lavender lady loo roll holder. should have bought it.
So now, even though i'm really looking forward to moving in and meeting everyone else and making friends, i'm also still really sad that i'm being left behind in a foreign place on my own! i only get sad when i have the time think about it. the only option is to keep busy, and remember that what i'm doing is amazing!! I'm being included into a community, being handed a fairly well paid job, and am having the opportunity to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. it could be a lot worse...
I got given this photo this evening. as if to cement me into the community further:
the woman to my left is Elise, an english and german teacher at the school, who has been really kind and helpful and friendly. I'm actually babysitting for her children right at this moment, while her and her husband are out. I did the same yesterday too! Directly behind me is the headmaster. so typically french. no idea who any of the others are!!
so anyway, ça roule!!

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