HARRR!

I got an eeeemmmaaailll!!! I'm in Blois! It's between Tours and Orléans, and is on the river Loire. It was the capital of the region for awhile, very popular with French royalty...so it's no surprise that the city center is dominated by the château. The population is around 50,000, and it's about 5 miles in diameter.

There's a bit of confusion in the email, which is from the contact person for the Orléans-Tours académie--it says that I'm in a primary school (which is NOT what my first letter said). But when they tell me my placement, it's in a secondary school (which should be right). So I'm guessing that was just a typo.

Next step, email the school (Lycée Dessaignes) and ask if I have housing. I have a feeling I do, because they have students that lodge there. So it might be another year of dormitory living. But in France!!

I still have to wait for the official arreté in the mail, and at that point I can start working on a visa. Once I hear about housing, I'll look seriously at plane tickets.

Patience is a virtue...

...but so is alacrity.

I had an email today giving me the email addresses of all the other Americans currently going to Orléans-Tours. My arreté can come any day now. Really.

Waiting

So, one friend has received her arreté. Apparently, delivery times can vary a LOT between académies, so I've been channelling my unsatiated excitement by researching airline fares. Best offer so far: roundtrip--including tax--$891.10 from Cleveland to Paris.

I need to work more hours.