The Mailbag Part 2

Following the success of the first of my Mailbags, I can happily say here's a second part:

• Accommodation, deposits and all that - A few people (myself included) have asked about what the next step is with regards to our accommodation.  Things like deposits and rent and insurance all need to be sorted out.
  Thanks to David Reyes (University of Malaga) I can tell you that we'll be sorting everything upon arrival.
• Household Insurance - One of the compulsory things you need is household insurance when getting CROUS accommodation in France.  This is simply to cover you in case of an accident.
  At first I think it was safe to say that no-one really knew what to do, though a bit of searching goes a long way.  I looked at several sites and they all pointed to Smeno as the place to go.  Once you are insured you are able to download the certificate immediately to show to the accommodation office.

• Mobile phones - A lot of people across Europe have been talking about mobile phones and which is the best company to go to.  Well, there was a rousing response from people.  Sarah Bilot (UPMF) handily added in a comparison site to compare contracts (known as 'forfaits' in France) which can be seen here.   

During the next couple of days I'll work out what's going on with the CAF, the grant you can get paid for your accommodation in France.  I think it'll help greatly with costs so it's definitely worth looking in to.

Much to do today - keeping life as normal as I can given the insane excitement that's befallen me of late.  I cannot wait to get going.  

It's three weeks today.

Mike :)