apartment, food, money

Check, check, and check!

What up, everyone!

I got an apartment today! Yes, the wait is over! It only took me three days to get a place to live so now I can breathe a little easier. Now I just need a bank account (hopefully I'll get one on Tuesday) and a cell phone (which will come, like, 10 days after that). The month of October is going to be a crazy one, I feel.

Ok, so here's a description of the house:
it is RIGHT next to the walls. The walls that make Avignon the "walled city" to protect the Palais des Papes. Yes, that's right. I live by a palace. You gotta walk down a lot of narrow roads that all run into each other in order to get to my new apartment sur le boulevard de saint thomas d'aquin. The house goes straight up three stories, there are green shutters on the bottom two fenetres (windows) and the whole thing looks like we just took it out of a period film. For REAL (oh - non sequitor: in France, the period is called "les regles" so that means... we're regulated by our periods? periods have rules? rules for not getting pregnant? just something to think about...)

Anyway, Darija, another assistant (from Bosnia!) has the top room that's the Blue Room. It is very cute and has maps all over the walls and it's nice and big and there's tons of space. I get the room next to her, also on the top floor, and it has more of a tiny theme going with it. The bed is freakishly small (no for real - I think only the elementary school students I'll be teaching would be able to fit on it). Mickaela thinks that the house was built in the nineteenth century - I'm going to check on that. Mom, Dad, you can't wait to see it, I bet! Hahaha it's so awesome and it reminds me of old school stuff in England so thanks for all those trips to l'Angleterre pendant ma jeunesse parce que maintenant je suis contente avec mon logement. Whoa that was French. Well, you know.

So Darija and I are going to live on the top floor in two separate bedrooms. Our rooms over look le boulevard which is right by the school where Darija is going to work so that is awesome. To our left is the wall of the palace and if you go right you will be heading into town towards Place de l'Horlage, one of the meeting places of we assistants? Us assistants? I think I'm getting my languages excuses (I'm going to blame faulty bilingualism for just not knowing some things ;) ) Our really really old landlady lives on the 2nd floor. Her name is Mme Jaula (don't know her first name) and she's approx a million years old. Mickaela says she's "French bourgeois" and we're lucky to know her because she's old school and... well, I think that's it. She's decorated her house beautifully. She lives only on the second floor - she's got it hooked up to the hizzy! Bedroom, office, kitchen, prob a bathroom. That's pretty tight.
Below Mme Jaula is the first floor (aka le rez-de-chausses) and that's where Darija and I will live the rest of the time. As in, the first floor is where we'll use the toilet, the salle de bain (the shower and bathroom), and la cuisine (the kitchen). When we leave the kitchen we will step out onto the patio! Holler! We have a patio! Hopefully we'll be able to have les autres assistants over for tea or something.

Was that the most boring description of an apartment ever?
I like that we're living next to the walls in a quiet part of town. We're only approx 10 minutes from anything (10 minute walk - if y'all are gonna visit, don't forget to stretch!). I love walking everywhere and it's a good thing, too, because of all the fromage and pain there is to eat! (cheese 'n bread). France is stunning.

Oh yeah, speaking of food...
Had another eight million course meal tonight
no appertifs (that's ok!)
pumpkin soup for starters. with bread
main course: pork chop, mixed vegetables, eggplant (i've never had eggplant!)
salad and cheese (three types of mild cheese. Mickaela's kind enough not to spring Stilton on us)
dessert: apple cake baked-goods kind of thing. and custard. heaven on a plate.

Breakfasts have been amazing, too.

Back to the apartment:
Rent is 310 euros a month
everything except heating is included
Rent is due on the first of every month
There are three keys - this woman has been broken into twice before! who would do that!?
there's no oven (boooo. i wanna make cookies!)

Oh yeah - Europe is crazy expensive, y'all. I suggest you wait for the dollar to gain some oomph befor eyou get here. It's $1.40 for every euro. So here have been some expenses:
Rent and deposit: 620
carte 12-25 (for train): 49
cash on hand: 100
chez mickaela: 80
So that's at least 850 euros so far. In four days. That's $1200 gone. What the bananas!?

But, as depressing as that is, it's also like this: I'm only going to be here once in my life, doing this thing once, being with these people once, eating this food once, singing karaoke like this once, etc. I'm going to carpe the diem out of this town and this country and this continent and I'm going to take a million pictures and hug a million people and see a million things and it's all gonna be amazing. So I know I'm going to spend a lot of money. But it's going to be so worth it. Because remember: I live here. With these people.

Tomorrow I am going to go visit my two schools in Sorgues. I have to catch the 8.15 bus which will arrive at 8:45 even though my meeting is at 10h because the only other bus to run is at 9.45. So is France. Fingers crossed! I'm scrrrred like whoa!