THIS IS IT!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Well it's finally here, in less then 23 hours time I will be on the Train leaving Waterloo, and England, on my way to Aulnoye!!

I'm currently printing out loads of photos to take with me, (got about 100!!!) So no matter what my flat looks like I can cover the walls with photos!

I'm pretty much packed, though there are still a few things I somehow need to stuff in!! I got some Vacuum bags from Argos, which are great, it means I can take all my bedding, and towels (since the flat doesn't have any!) I've managed to pack most of my clothes in the bags, too, though I still have 3 big suitcases!! (Thank God Mum and Dad are coming too, I wouldn't be able to bring half the stuff without them!!) I have no idea how on earth I'm going to get it all home again, but I don't need to worry about that yet!!!

I don't think it's quite hit me yet that I'm actually going, it's weird I keep thinking of all the little things I'll be missing, like English food, and reading newspapers, and watching TV (though I think I may have been able to persuade my Dad to get a DVD recorder, so he's gonna record stuff and send it to me!!!) I think the point it will actually hit will be on Thursday when Mum and Dad go Home, and I have to stay behind. That is the day I am least looking forward too, but I've decided that I'm not going to actually decorate my flat in any way until then, that way I'll have something to do on Thursday evening, and Friday.

I don't know yet how long it will be until I can get Internet, hopefully if I have a phone line, it shouldn't be that long. I've found a company called Neuf, that has wireless Internet, phone, and TV for 30Euros a month, I think it works in Aulnoye (Well at least the town was in the list of places it covered!) It sounds pretty good, I wasn't actually aiming for wireless Internet since it is just me in the flat, but I have always had wireless Internet on my laptop, so it would be strange to have a wire in it! And the phone and TV sounds good as well, I wasn't actually going to get a TV, but apparently I get TV on my laptop, (and if anyone has a spare TV they want to lend me...I wouldn't say no!!) Especially as it means I might actually get to see the 4th series of Lost (I don't have Sky, so missed the entire 3rd series, if it wasn't for finding the transcripts online, I wouldn't have a clue what was going on!!) Apparently they also have 'Heroes' in France as well, they are just about to start the 2nd series, although unfortunately due to the BBC being so far behind, I haven't seen the end of the 1st series!!! Which means I'm just likely to get really really confused!!

Unfortunately it may take up to 4 weeks to install it....What am I going to do without Internet for 4 weeks!!! I'm hoping that there will be Internet in the school or something that I can used, failing that, I'll be in the library!!! The strangest thing will be not having anything to do in the evenings!! No TV and no Internet = one bored Becca!!!! For this reason I have got about 10 DVD's to watch, so that should keep me amused for a few days!!!

Well that's it from me in England, Tomorrow I leave for France, I'm staying one night in Lille, before travelling to Aulnoye on Tuesday, I get the keys to my flat, and after dumping my stuff, I'm going to look round the town. My responsable said that she would find a hotel for Mum and Dad, although, she hasn't told me if she's found anywhere, so that could be interesting!! In which case Tuesday afternoon will be spent looking for a hotel for Mum and Dad!! Wednesday will probably be spent buying all the stuff I need for the flat, and food (that is quite important!!!) And then on Thursday we'll travel back up to Lille so Mum and Dad can get the train back Home, and then I'll get the train back to Aulnoye :(

Hopefully I might be able to find somewhere with Internet next weekend, so I can write about my flat and stuff, If not I'll update when ever I can.....

Till the next time....

A bientot!

Becca

Have Accommodation!!!

Yeay I have somewhere to live!!!

I got an e-mail yesterday from my responsable saying that she had spoken to a letting agency and could I transfer some money to a french bank account. I was like, hang on a minute why, I'm not just gonna hand over money for no reason. So I emailed her back asking what it was for, and she replied that she had found me a Studio Apartment, and so I needed to pay 2 months rent as a security deposit, 520EUR (I just realised there is no Euro sign on my keyboard!!) Plus the agency fees, for them finding it, which is 260EUR, It's a bit annoying that I have to pay the agency fees, (I'm hoping if I ask nicely I might be able to get my dad to pay that!!) but at least I have somewhere to live, and the rent seems to be only 260EUR (£179) a month which is waaaaaaaaaaay less then the £310 I was paying all last year!!

Unfortunately I have no idea where abouts in the town it is, or what it is like, I presume it will be furnished, and at least have a bed, wardrobe, drawers, chairs, table, bathroom and kitchen, (with fridge, stove, sink, oven, possibly microwave, kettle, toaster, washing machine) and preferably it'll have some cooking utensils and cookware and plates, cutlery and bed linen and stuff, or else I'll have to spend a lot of money buying it all which I don't really want to do.

It would also be brilliant if it already had water and electricity and a phone line so I can set up the Internet, but I'll guess I just have to wait and see, (fingers crossed!)

Well all I really have to do now is spend the next week panicking.....um sorry I meant packing of course!!!

Might have accommodation maybe....?!?

Well I finally got an e-mail back from my responsable, after e-mailling her twice in the past week! The 1st thing she said was in English...Don't Worry! So I am putting complete faith in her, that she will find accommodation for me...she said she was looking, and that I might be able to live at the collage... but only during the week...well that's not very helpful! I would actually like to have somewhere more permanent if possible!!! I hope she can find somewhere soon!!

I've also now got my NUS Extra card, which seemed a great idea to get at the time, cos it also included the ISIC, and it seemed from the NUS website that it was the only way to get the ISIC, I then found out after I ordered it, that I could have actually got the ISIC direct from the ISIC website for £1 cheaper! The Nus extra card has ISIC written on it, but it looks different, I just hope they accept it in France, or else that will be a waste of £10!

The British council also have kindly sent me another copy of the instructions for how to translate my birth certificate (the original was in my suitcase!) so now I can do that. I'm gonna scan all the important documents and save them on my laptop, so that way I'll always have a copy!

The main thing I need to do now is pack!!! Hmmm trying to fit 7 months worth of stuff in 3 suitcases.....fun fun!!!!

Only 11 days to go!!! AHHHH!!!!!

FOUND IT!!!!

Found my Ticket!! It was in the cupboard with all the catalogs.....obviously...why didn't I think of looking there!!!

I'm working my way through my list of things to do....I've written to the Headteachers of the schools, I've e-mailed my contact in Aulnoye to let her know when I'm coming (no reply yet though :( ) I've sorted out insurance for whilst I'm there (over£200, woah!!) I've brought a Youth discount railcard, which should hopefully be sent to my home soon, and I've brought a ISIC (International Student Identity Card) so hopefully I can get lots of lovely discounts whilst I'm in France!!

Still got a fair bit to do though, and I haven't even thought about what I'm taking with me yet...Think that will be something for me to do the week before I go!!

Got my Ticket!! Lost my Ticket!!!!

So I finally got round to buying my train ticket last Friday, It was only £40, which still isn't as good as the £30 I could have got if I'd brought the ticket 3 weeks ago, but Mum paid for it anyway! (I did try to pay for it honest, but the site just wouldn't accept my card!!)

The Tickets arrived yesterday...return tickets for Mum and Dad, (so they can help me carry stuff over, and settle in) and a single for me, Leaving Waterloo at 10:43, arriving at Lille Europe at 13:24 on Monday 25th September. I opened them, showed them to Mum, and then left them in the kitchen.

That's the last time I saw them....Mum and Dads are still in the Kitchen....but mine has disappeared! I have no idea where it has gone, Mum tidied up the kitchen, but says that she hasn't seen it, I've looked everywhere but can't find it either!!!! AHHH!! This is not a good start, at this rate I won't even get to France!!!!

I've e-mail the contact at the school to say when I will be arriving, but haven't heard anything yet...she said that she would find me somewhere to live...I hope she has!!!

Well here's hoping my ticket turns up...or else this will be a very short blog!!!

3 Weeks to go!!!

I know it's not exactly 3 weeks but i'm gonna be away at the weekend so thought I'd write this now!!

I can't believe i've only got a few weeks now before I go!! It seemed really far away before I went to Canada, I could say 'I'm going to France in September, and it was ages away...well now it is September (practically!) and I am soooo unprepared for going!!

I currently have a masive list of things to do before I go, the 1st of which is book my train ticket, I think i've put it off cos once i've done that it makes it more final! I also have to contact the person who e-mailed me before to let her know when i'll be arriving, write letters to the Directors of the schools to introduce myself, sort out insurance, copy all important documents, translate my birth certificate, take pictures of my local area, buy loads of stuff, work out what clothes I want to take....plus probably other stuff I can't think of right now!!

AHHHHH!!!!

In other news I have been in contact with an American girl who will be in the town near me, and we have arrange to met up sometime in the 1st few weeks, so that will be nice, something to look forward too! I'm hoping to contact a few more people too, so hopefully I'll have a few people near me to meet up with.

Will write more soon, (maybe when i've actually done something!!)

Becca

Arrête has arrived!!

Finally I got my arrête! I now know exactly which schools I will be working in! My time will be split between 'Ecole Stievenart' and 'Ecole Joliot Curie', The blog on the left is from Joilot Curie about when the 9 year olds went to the beach, it doesn't matter if you can't read the french, the pictures are good, I can't believe that in 8 weeks time, I will be teaching some of those kids!! AAAH!

I got some more infomation from the British Council today together with a book about being a language assistant, they also included contact details for the previous assistants, which as I said in my last post, the town I'm in has never had any previous assistants, so thats not too helpful for me, but there was someone who was in a town near me, so I might e-mail them and see if they have any tips.

In the meentime, I'm trying to get together 'English things' to take with me, I went to Windsor on Sunday, and got a few postcards and a model London bus and taxi, I want to get a map of the UK and an 'English' Bear as well, and then need to take photos of Ashford, and my house and family and stuff.

Oh and by the way, The police phoned to say that they couldn't find my suitcase, it hadn't been handed in anywhere, and the was no CCTV on the train so they don't know who took it. It is now extreamly unlikely that i'll ever get it back, which is a shame. I now need to start replacing all the stuff that was in there, which is something I hadn't exactly buggeted for, and is very annoying.

Anyway that's about it from me now!

Oh if you want to see the photos of the town it's at http://aulnoye.free.fr/sommaire.htm