New address.
Emma Fox
2eme etage
19 Quai des Salinieres
33000 BORDEAUX
France
The world
The universe
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Saturday 21 November 2009
So, I haven't updated for over a month now ... but this time there is a valid excuse! It's been a pretty stressful month ... just after my last post my dad came to visit which was really lovely. Then it was our half term and only a few other Erasmus people were still around so it was a bit lonely. And then we had the biggest nightmare ever with accommodation!
So when I left you last, we had a beautiful, cheap apartment on the quays. Well, when the others went home for half term Mel left me with a list of things to do to sort out the apartment, including going to an agency that the proprietor had told us to go to for the internet. So I went to this agency, but it was an estate agent, and the woman there was really confused as to why I was there asking about internet and was asking me all about the apartment and then asked me if I had come there to pay my rent. So I sat down with her and she couldn't find the name of the proprietor on her database which really confused me. I was already a bit confused about the names because the name on the contract was different from the name we were told to write on the cheques. AND the contract had a heading which said it was a contract for three or six years, and Mel had already signed it. I basically convinced myself (and Mel in England) that these people were fraudsters. They were on holiday in Costa Rica at the time and Mel and I bombarded them with calls and emails and everything, completely ruining their holiday. We went back to the estate agent the day Mel came back and spoke to someone far more helpful who explained to us that the proprietors were an unmarried couple which explained the two different names, and the contract wouldn't bind us for three years, it's just the normal form contract for renting an apartment here and we can terminate it with 3 months notice anytime we want!
So once we had that sorted we posted the cheques and a letter apologising for disturbing them on their holiday, then we got a call from them when they came back arranging to meet them to get our keys and stuff. So we went to the apartment and they were there, they're both really really lovely. However ... when we walked into the apartment, there was a TV on the floor, two mattresses, two laptops and two suitcases from Montreal. It was quite creepy really, at first I thought there were squatters, then it occurred to me that squatters wouldn't have laptops ... either way, long story short, it turned out that one of the agents who the couple worked through had signed a contract to rent the apartment to these two Canadian guys while the couple were on holiday, but hadn't told them, and they hadn't told him they'd found us. So then the couple took us for a drink while they were frantically calling this agent guy and getting really cross with him. They basically told him he had to find us somewhere to live and not charge us agency fees, so we ended up arranging to go and see an apartment the following morning. It did end up being the apartment we are now living in, mainly because we had no other choice. It's not ideal - there are only two main rooms so the three girls are sharing a bedroom. The proprietor also wouldn't take 4 English students, so Patrick has had to get a room in university halls but he's bought a sofa bed and stays here lots anyway. Luckily, the bedroom we're sharing is massive, the building is gorgeous (Victorian, and on some kind of protected list) and it looks over the river still. The rent's not bad, defo much better than what we were paying at Teneo anyway. It took us over two weeks to get the internet so we kept having to go to McDonald's to use the wifi and now we've got it it's not great but at least we have somewhere to live!
So yeah, that's my accommodation story. In other news, Geo came to visit for a week which was amazing. We did three of the museums (cos we're all cultured, like) - Musee d'Aquitaine which basically shows the history of Aquitaine, the Musee des Beaux-Arts which is OK but quite small, it did have a really good exhibition by a modern artist called Francois Dilasser though, and then the Centre Jean-Moulin which is a war museum and was really good. And it was just really nice to see George again after over two months. It's only three weeks until I'm home now too so not too long!
I've had my first ever exam here today as well. It was 4 hours long which is insane - they're 3 hours but we get an extra third of the time because we're erasmus. I think it went OK but I don't really want to say that because it's so hard to know how you've done and it was definitely nothing more than "OK". Unfortunately now we've got TD work to do for Wednesday so we can't properly relax.
I'm starting to really miss England as well now. It's not so much missing the people anymore, though I do miss everyone, but missing the country! That sounds stupid but I miss everything being in English and being easy! I can't wait to come home over xmas, it's a shame I've got so much work to do but it'll be so nice to see everyone. And to sing! One of the things I miss most is definitely St Mary's and I can't wait to get back. I'm also in discussion with John (for anyone from St M's reading this) about organising a tour over here so watch this space ...
I can't really think of much else to say! You'd think more would have happened in a month but it literally has been mostly taken up with stressing about accommodation and revising. I've sent off three training contract applications now - for Burges Salmon, Pannone and Forsters, and I've got 8 to go!! I'm quite enjoying the application process though and I'm starting to feel like I've got the hang of the application forms now. Apart from that, really nothing else has happened. We're nicely settled into the apartment with everything sorted and now I'm just waiting on my erasmus grant, which I could do with pretty soon please Nottingham!!
A bientot mes amis
xx
So when I left you last, we had a beautiful, cheap apartment on the quays. Well, when the others went home for half term Mel left me with a list of things to do to sort out the apartment, including going to an agency that the proprietor had told us to go to for the internet. So I went to this agency, but it was an estate agent, and the woman there was really confused as to why I was there asking about internet and was asking me all about the apartment and then asked me if I had come there to pay my rent. So I sat down with her and she couldn't find the name of the proprietor on her database which really confused me. I was already a bit confused about the names because the name on the contract was different from the name we were told to write on the cheques. AND the contract had a heading which said it was a contract for three or six years, and Mel had already signed it. I basically convinced myself (and Mel in England) that these people were fraudsters. They were on holiday in Costa Rica at the time and Mel and I bombarded them with calls and emails and everything, completely ruining their holiday. We went back to the estate agent the day Mel came back and spoke to someone far more helpful who explained to us that the proprietors were an unmarried couple which explained the two different names, and the contract wouldn't bind us for three years, it's just the normal form contract for renting an apartment here and we can terminate it with 3 months notice anytime we want!
So once we had that sorted we posted the cheques and a letter apologising for disturbing them on their holiday, then we got a call from them when they came back arranging to meet them to get our keys and stuff. So we went to the apartment and they were there, they're both really really lovely. However ... when we walked into the apartment, there was a TV on the floor, two mattresses, two laptops and two suitcases from Montreal. It was quite creepy really, at first I thought there were squatters, then it occurred to me that squatters wouldn't have laptops ... either way, long story short, it turned out that one of the agents who the couple worked through had signed a contract to rent the apartment to these two Canadian guys while the couple were on holiday, but hadn't told them, and they hadn't told him they'd found us. So then the couple took us for a drink while they were frantically calling this agent guy and getting really cross with him. They basically told him he had to find us somewhere to live and not charge us agency fees, so we ended up arranging to go and see an apartment the following morning. It did end up being the apartment we are now living in, mainly because we had no other choice. It's not ideal - there are only two main rooms so the three girls are sharing a bedroom. The proprietor also wouldn't take 4 English students, so Patrick has had to get a room in university halls but he's bought a sofa bed and stays here lots anyway. Luckily, the bedroom we're sharing is massive, the building is gorgeous (Victorian, and on some kind of protected list) and it looks over the river still. The rent's not bad, defo much better than what we were paying at Teneo anyway. It took us over two weeks to get the internet so we kept having to go to McDonald's to use the wifi and now we've got it it's not great but at least we have somewhere to live!
So yeah, that's my accommodation story. In other news, Geo came to visit for a week which was amazing. We did three of the museums (cos we're all cultured, like) - Musee d'Aquitaine which basically shows the history of Aquitaine, the Musee des Beaux-Arts which is OK but quite small, it did have a really good exhibition by a modern artist called Francois Dilasser though, and then the Centre Jean-Moulin which is a war museum and was really good. And it was just really nice to see George again after over two months. It's only three weeks until I'm home now too so not too long!
I've had my first ever exam here today as well. It was 4 hours long which is insane - they're 3 hours but we get an extra third of the time because we're erasmus. I think it went OK but I don't really want to say that because it's so hard to know how you've done and it was definitely nothing more than "OK". Unfortunately now we've got TD work to do for Wednesday so we can't properly relax.
I'm starting to really miss England as well now. It's not so much missing the people anymore, though I do miss everyone, but missing the country! That sounds stupid but I miss everything being in English and being easy! I can't wait to come home over xmas, it's a shame I've got so much work to do but it'll be so nice to see everyone. And to sing! One of the things I miss most is definitely St Mary's and I can't wait to get back. I'm also in discussion with John (for anyone from St M's reading this) about organising a tour over here so watch this space ...
I can't really think of much else to say! You'd think more would have happened in a month but it literally has been mostly taken up with stressing about accommodation and revising. I've sent off three training contract applications now - for Burges Salmon, Pannone and Forsters, and I've got 8 to go!! I'm quite enjoying the application process though and I'm starting to feel like I've got the hang of the application forms now. Apart from that, really nothing else has happened. We're nicely settled into the apartment with everything sorted and now I'm just waiting on my erasmus grant, which I could do with pretty soon please Nottingham!!
A bientot mes amis
xx
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