I did buy a plane ticket for September - December. For some reason that was cheaper than buying a one way... don't ask, I don't understand it either. The plus is that now I'll definitely be home for Christmas and I know that makes certain people very very happy. I'll have to buy my January - July flight closer to the end of the year because you're only allowed to purchase tickets for 330 days in advance. Did you know that there's a "September 11 Tax" on all airline tickets now? I did not know that and find it funny. It seems like a ploy to get people to pay a tax and not complain about it. Anything with September 11th attached to it is untouchable (God I hope that doesn't mean Rudy Guliani is a shoe-in for president.) so why not rename a tax to cover the fear people have about terrorist attacks? Irrational American fears are a completely different subject that I won't go into here... let me continue. My ticket is with US Airways, who were by far the cheapest ticket I could find. I know that a recent study put them in the bottom 3 airlines, but I'm hoping that was motivation for them and that by the time I arrive at the airport everything will be fine.
Next is the apartment. When I got the first email about my position from Catherine Ferant, she's in charge of the Eure-et-Loire region, she gave the name and phone number of a man who "rents to all assistants". I wasn't sure, but I talked to some past Chartres assistants and they said he was great and spoke English so I called him. He's fabulous. An older Frenchman who was an English teacher most of his life and now enjoys renting small, totally furnished, apartments to language assistants. Very exciting. Deborah, the assistant who lived in Chartres last year and has been my saving grace so far, sent me the picture below. That's my new landlord, M Roques, and another assistant from last year. How cute is he?
He has a few apartments available, three different sizes, and therefore three different prices, so he's sending me more information via actual mail, he doesn't have email, and when I arrive I'm supposed to go to his office and he'll show me what's open and I can move in right then. Deborah also sent me a link to pictures of the apartment she rented from him. The pictures are a little hard to figure out, but it gives you a general idea. If you'd like to look here's the link. He owns two different buildings, but they're fairly close together. Here's a little map. You'll have to hit the plus sign once or twice to zoom in a bit. #1 is the train station. #2 and #3 are the two buildings that I might be in. So it's in a great location. The famous cathedral and downtown area is the large open looking space to the right of everything.Now I'm just waiting for that little piece of paper from France so that I can go to Chicago and get my visa. Hope everyone else is having a great summer!
4 comments:
Salut!
That's great news about the apartment. Cheers to not being homeless in France!
I'm so jealous! I fear I will be homeless when I touchdown in Paris on 9/17. I guess it can only add to the sense of adventure and make for great stories years from now.
Hey! I know those photo's are a bit confusing, but it was a 3 room apartment (bedroom, dining/living room, and an extra small room). You'll see it when you go to sign your lease, cause it's what M. Roques is currently using for his office. He might even offer to rent it to you, as he only rents that one to assistants (there's access to the cellar, i.e. all the electricity meters, and water controls, etc). He doesn't trust French people down there. Go figure!
P.S. Forgot to sign my name to that so you'd know who was commenting, anyways... it's Deborah :)
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