The Mailbag Part 4: 10 days left...

With ten days to go, suddenly the list-building takes over. Accumulating large folders full of letters, identity information and confirmation that I'm meant to be there.

I think it's safe to say that my post on the mental aspect if going away caused a bit of a stir and provoked some thought amongst the Erasmus groups.

Thankfully I think it's safe to say there are some great people out there, full of encouragement...

'After this experience you'll never want to leave... Life changing.'

'You think too much! You must enjoy the adventure! :)'

'I agree, you'll be fine! In France (and every other country I can imagine!) there's no point trying to second guess how it'll be of what's going to happen!'

'Everyone I speak to says the same thing - it'll be the best year of our lives.'

Think it's safe to say that there's no shortage of great people out there who are clearly very supportive. I have to thank you all for that and look forward to seeing you there!

Right, onto the Mailbag for this week...

• Firstly, I wrote in my last post about cashback as a passing point. Turns out it doesn't exist... In Britain the practice is well-established, though evidently you'll need to have some other means of being readily accessible to cash if there isn't an ATM in sight...
  
• CAF - the French government grant for accommodation appears to be only available for those staying longer than 8 months.  Bear that in mind before you apply, though the attitude appears to be 'go to the social security office and explain your situation.'
  
• There are a few people asking about translation of documents for registering.  I got an email about registering and it said that the only documents that needed to be translated are those that are not in English, French, German or Spanish.
  
• Exchange students do not need to have a guarantor for their accommodation - there is no way of checking so they don't bother with it.  A deposit shall be fine :)

Hopefully this'll help people begin to get their stuff together.  Any other questions feel free to drop them to me.

10 days left... And then the 10 month journey begins.

Mike :)

Plenty to think about

Hey everyone :)


It's now only 12 days to go and things are getting more and more exciting as we go.  Yesterday my American Football transfer request was approved by the European Federation of American Football, allowing me to obtain my license to play in France.  Hugely exciting and I am really looking forward to getting on the pitch - I am told the first session is around the 4th September.

With lots of lists of things to do, it can be difficult to stop and look ahead properly at times.  I haven't, for instance, really spoken much about what's going on in my head.

There's plenty to think about and prepare for.

• I'm going to miss people, that's a big thing.  Obviously I'm leaving my family for a long period of time.  OK, so I've been there and done that with going off to Lincoln.  It's a bit different though - if I miss home or fancy popping back for the weekend Lincoln is only four hours coach ride away from Bristol.  With Grenoble we are talking nearly 4 times the distance, in an unfamiliar country.
  A holiday doesn't really count.  You get to see the sanitised side of life while you're away, especially if you're in a resort or something.  With living there for ten months... it becomes a whole different ball game.  Suddenly it's you out there in the real world.
  I suppose you could add friends to this list too.  I've met many good people while I'm away and many of them will be entering their final years of study while I'm out there.  That's going to be tough.
   
• I'm going to miss Bethany a lot.  My girlfriend has been one of the reasons I got through second year in remarkably good shape.  Genuinely don't know where I would be or what I would be doing without her.  It's remarkable. 
  Consider then, going to university whilst in a relationship and not being able to see someone you care for very much.  OK, so we can talk on Skype or Facebook message each other or briefly talk on the phone.  Heck, I appear to have an invite to travel to Liverpool to stay over Christmas.  Somehow though I get the impression that will be exceptionally tough.  We've made a pact to be honest with each other and stay in contact.  The main thing is that we are going to work to get this relationship right.  Hopefully she'll be able to visit me and I'll be able to travel to see her - naturally differing timetables mean we'll have to pick our time carefully. 
  At the end of it all, I've promised to take her on holiday somewhere to try and make up for my long absence...
  
• It's a new place.  I remember when I first got to Lincoln - it was an extraordinary experience of trying to find out was where and how things worked in a different city.  I suspect the same will be of Grenoble.  My mate Jack once described it as 'like Bristol' so I would think that'll suit my lifestyle.  That said, anywhere new takes a lot of getting used to.
  
• It's a foreign language!  Did I forget to mention that?  Oh yeah, French is not my first language and it's something that, whilst I've been learning since I was 11, the only way to truly get hold of the language is to go there and stay there.  The education system in the UK badly undervalues foreign languages and teaches them in such a bad manner it's amazing anyone tries to learn French.  There's no practical learning to it - I can talk about my favourite school subjects and recycling and saving the planet... but useful things like checking into a hotel or asking for cashback at the supermarket is a complete mystery for me.

All of this leaves me wondering about the future.  Don't get me wrong - I most certainly am looking forward to going.  There's just a lot to think about and a lot to prepare for in my head that isn't quite there yet.

Any questions/comments?  Feel free to post them up.

Mike :)