O my...

I turned in my notice at work today. AAAH. I mean, I definitely need and want the time off to prepare, but that means that I'm really going and it's not just this distant event. Far from distant, I leave in...28 days.

Twenty-eight days.

No cardboard box...

I've been emailing the English teacher who I will be working with, and he's going to let me stay with him and his family until I find an apartment. Whew!

I also found out a little more about my teaching responsibilities. I'll be teaching small groups; some students will be about my age--I'll be discussing current issues with them, like global warming and genetically modified foods. Others will be in the 16-18 age range, and I'll hopefully get to talk about British and American culture, literature, etc. I'll get to meet the classes in my first week and each teacher will give me more specifics.

Visa and a foyer

Today I got my visa in the mail (speedy little whippersnappers!). AND my plane ticket confirmation/ISIC card/health insurance confirmation. Whoa.

I also got an email back from the Foyers de Jeunes Travailleurs in Blois (kinda like a hostel). They said they would be happy to welcome me for seven months, at the rate of €305 rent + €85 food a month. That's aboooout $500 a month, total. AAAAH. And that was for the room that was 12m2. They also had an 18m2 room, at €340 rent + €85 food ($540), and a studio apartment (!) for €365 rent + €50 food ($530). At first, I thought, "ack, my MAXIMUM rent per month was going to be €300. MAX. But then I realized that this includes food. I am gonna go out on a limb and say that I can't feed myself for €85 a month any other way. Plus, I can still apply for the CAF (state housing aid for po' people, even foreign language assistants). So, say I go for the studio apartment, the CAF would pay for either €140 or €285, depending on whether the foyer in Blois is "conventionné"--government-subsidized--or not. Say this foyer IS "conventionné"--then it costs me €130 a freaking month!!! Including some food. Without the subsidy, it'd still only cost me €275.

I'm thinking I'll get over there, stay with whoever the school sets me up with, look at this foyer to see if its safe/clean, meet with any corenters that I might want to meet with, and check out the local real estate magazines. I'm just a little nervous about hostels...or foyers that resemble hostels....