Adventures

Faux Judy

The part of Judy will be played by a shortish, frumpy man for the next several days.
Well, maybe not. I could just write something flowery about Judy's early days and experiences in France, but it will be in my voice and tone and not the voice of Judy that we have come to love.
So without further ado, the reason you will not be hearing from Judy for a few days is, in her own words:

will you log into my zahblogs account and do a little maintenance for me, please? The site is blocked for the school computers :-(

I need you to approve any comments that are waiting and also post a short
note saying i won't be able to be back on until my internet connection at
home is active. I ordered DSL service today, so i'm hoping that it won't
take too long to be up to speed after my phone line is installed. I hope
i ordered it correctly ;-)"

So good luck and good night to all. Check back soon for more exciting news.

Andy

Maintenant, nous attendons

OK, i have my apartment, renter's insurance, bank account, and telephone number. The snag with the telephone is that they can't turn on the line until someone comes out on October 3! This means no internet access at home until after that, so i am using one of the computers at le collège Pierre Mendès-France.

Dominique and Hervé have been so helpful. My studio apartment is full of furniture that they have lent me: a bed, 2 tables, 4 chairs, a TV, a radio, and more.

More later...

Dominique was perhaps a little optimistic…

So, the schedule Dominique came up with would have worked if not for the real estate agent. She was not even in the office when we went there yesterday, and the lease had not been written up. According to the secretary, writing a lease takes 2 hours! Dominique was floored by this (it's nice to know a French person can be shocked at how difficult the French can make things :)). We made an appointment to return today at 10:00, but last night the agent called and told Dominique she had not even done a final walk-through yet from the last tenant. This would be done today, and i can sign the lease tomorrow at 10:00.

This morning at 9:00, we went to open a bank account for me, for which we need the address of the apartment. Dominique suggested we stop in at the agent's office to make sure of the correct address before opening the account. The agency, however, doesn't open until 10:00. Argh! So, we went to the bank and told the very nice woman there that we needed to open an account but had no address yet. She took all my information and determined the type of account and bank card i needed, and she agreed to have everything ready for me to sign tomorrow at 11:00. After we finished with her, we went back to the agency and got my address, which i will send to those who want it.

Tomorrow is the big day! I hope this works out okay :)

Wow, and i thought I was organized!

Email from Dominique today:

Dear Judy Good news. I visited the flat : it is OK but there 's only a fridge, an electric range a cupboard. The flat is free right now so you could move in next Monday. You'll need to pay 1 604 euros and the rent for the end of September. I hope you have the money!! Anyway it's booked for you. Next Monday, I 'll introduce you to our principal, then we'll try to move a few things into the flat... I can lend you a folding bed, sheets and a quilt. a table two chairs... I cancelled my classes at university on Monday so I can be with all day. On Tuesday, I'll pick you up at about 9.15 so we can open an account in a bank and find an insurance for the flat. It's compulsory. The problem is that you 'll have no wages until the END of October, so you need to come with quite a lot of money... I have class on Tuesdays till 5 but I'll be free on Wednesday for the phone etc... and to do some shopping if you want... I manage to know how much you'll earn a month : it is 983 euros. That's it for now Good bye, see you soon Dominique

Bottom line: i need to get access to my money ASAP when i arrive, and Dominique rocks!

Breathing space

I have now been in Illinois for a week, and i finally feel like i have a chance to breathe (and write a post).

I think i have agreed to take an apartment in Lillebonne for about 430€/month. Dominique called me the other day to find out if i was interested in it, but the connection was so bad she sounded a little like Charlie Brown's teacher. I think it was a combination of heavily-accented English and my cell phone :) I guess i'll find out in a little over a week what i have really agreed to.

I have traded my Georgia driver's license for an Illinois one, so, if i decide to, i can take advantage of Illinois's agreement with France and avoid the dreaded French driving test.

Now i need to finish unpacking and decide what i will be taking with me. Wish me luck!