The Mailbag Part 3: we're drawing nearer...

Good morning readers!

It's 15 days to go now until I make the journey to France now - utterly terrifying but exciting.

It occurred to a family member the other day that I spend so much time thinking about all the practical things, what to do next and so on.... They worry I might forget to consider the mental impact it's going to have, the emotions and the psychology if it all.

It's something I look forward to writing about and I will publish some early thoughts over the next day or two (might need to find a leather wingback chair and crack open a bottle of port to consider it...)

Anyway, onto the Mailbag!

• A few people haven't received any confirmation emails for their options. Seems to predominantly affecting those going to Stendhal from what I'm reading. What I would do in that situation is get someone on the phone from the institution - it appears there are a few people getting emails back with auto responders saying staff are off.

• What time can we move in? Well, according to a response from accommodation services to Marie-Laure Tapp, blocks are open 24/7. However - certainly in the case of Ouest - it would be easier to check in before 5pm. It's worth checking to see.

• Phone contracts - several people based in mainland Europe are considering getting mobile phone contracts and are trying to find the best deal. The aptly-named Free! network seems to be one of the most talked-about on the forums and groups, with a relatively inexpensive range of options. I've also heard Sosh being mentioned, as has Virgin Mobil. 

Frankly, some of the rates put UK companies to shame. Companies here seem to be so concerned with profits that they hike up the prices to extortionate levels. You are quite literally able to get a better deal in France and pay a third of the price.

• Travel to Grenoble. It would appear that several people are flying to the area's biggest airport at Geneva and need to get public transport to Grenoble. Having read some comments, the shuttle bus is very expensive and the top option is the train. I had a quick look and you can reserve a seat for the two hour trip for under €30.

• And finally... For those interested in outdoor sports, I reckon you should get on Outdoor Sports Grenoble International on Facebook. A group for those into hiking, mountaineering, canyon-running, it's certain one of the big and upcoming groups for Grenoble students. Julian Krooß has set it up and is promoting the trial runners: 168km endurance runners that make Iron Man look like a Sunday stroll. You'd have to be insane, but I think it's utterly engrossing to follow. I saw a trial run in the Pyrenees a few years ago and I was lucky enough to meet a trial runner in Norway a year later. Be sure to give the page a look.

Well that's all from me today, I'll be posting some more Q&A soon, as well as other cool features. Don't forget to share and send me questions!

Mike :)

So I've got somewhere to live...

Good morning everyone!

And so the end of the working week has arrived. All over the UK offices are filled with relieved workers all waiting for 5pm to come.

More interestingly for me, I get some time to file through some of things that have arrived for me over the week.

Things have been quite quiet on the Erasmus pages, so here's some of the bits and pieces to sort out for me:

Firstly, I can plug that SIM card in for the first time and get my phone number (one does not simply have it written down...)

I can also get that little green slip sent off which says I've actually used the SIM.

There are a few emails to send off with regards to my Erasmus grant - just confirming what else I need to do to make sure it gets paid on time. I've been in close contact with my home university to check the details of my placement, I would always encourage people to do the same.

Home insurance - for those of you who don't know, students in France need household insurance in order to move in. I'll probably do a blog post on that at the weekend; it's quite a broad topic!

And then of course, there's the small matter of American Football. While I'm away, I'll be playing for the Grenoble Centaurs - very exciting stuff!

Naturally, there's paperwork to fill out for it and a payment to send to the board that represents teams and committees in Europe. A move has been in the pipeline for several months now, time to make the move official!

Think it's beginning to dawn on me now, as I stare out of the bus window as I type. It's three weeks now. Everything's coming together and I'm getting organised (no small hand to my parents there) but I think nothing is going to prepare me for coming off the Eurotunnel into France.

Exciting, yes. Slightly terrifying, absolutely. 

Phone SIM arrived, bit confusion...

Well I think things are progressing at a reasonable pace now... Chief thing to report is that my French SIM card arrived from Le French Mobile yesterday!

Brings up an interesting point: all pre-paid PAYG SIM cards have to be registered under French law within 15 days of arrival. If you don't, you stand to get cut off! I can only imagine it's for security or something similar.

I also must apologise to my friends on the Erasmus pages on Facebook over Orientation Week timetables.

I noted that some members due at IUT2 and INP colleges both had received timetables of what to attend during the orientation week. Of course, going to IUT2, I assumed I missed something. It transpires that the current ones floating around on the Facebook pages are not necessarily for Erasmus students.

It appears that us exchange pupils will receive our information closer to the time (thank you Rosie Paul and Sandeep Mishra for clearing that up!)

Spent the vast majority of the evening speaking on Skype with Bethany - she seems to be enjoying her summer back home in Liverpool. I'm fairly sure she's getting tired of listening to my ramblings of Grenoble and what comes next...

Still, it's lovely that she supports me and I'm sure she'll pay me a visit at some point over the course of my time away.

Thank you for questions and words of encouragement that have come in recently, they are all much appreciated. If there is anything you'd like me to include in a post that's relevant to Grenoble, then just drop me a message, comment or if you know me on Facebook then that's an easy way to do it too!

Mike :)

The little bits and pieces

A few people have been asking me about what I'm up to with certain amenities while I'm away... 

Mobile Phone - perhaps the biggest of the little things is a means to communicate with home and people I meet. There was an idea to use a French service, though all required me to have a Social Security number, something that I only get once I arrive in France. Having something read seemed a reasonable idea so the other day I ordered a pre-paid SIM card from LeFrenchMobile, a company which specialises in helping English people while they're abroad. It operates off the Transatel network and texts cost about €0.08 - calls are €0.19 a minute.

In terms of a bank account, it was a similar story - French bank account would only be available to me once I got there. Of all the options about, I sent to the Post Office as got one of those holiday cards they do. Basically use my main bank account to pay the top-up card and then use that. I don't have to pay any fees, which is quite nice too :)

Internet while I'm away will be arranged through my accommodation block via a company called Néoservices. No idea what it's like, but I do know it's €8 a month.

Well, there's a few bits and pieces to think about - I still have a bit to sort so I'll update you soon (not much I can do whilst on the bus to work!)

Mike :)