New Laptop

Sooooo excited to get my new laptop on Wednesday.

It's a company supported thing and il sera le mien!

I just looked in the fridge after mum's royal wedding party and it's choca blocka full.

When I go to France my fridge will just exactly a little more than what I need. Be economical people!

I'm still waiting on my acceptance at P3, and now I need to get a passport. I lost mine unfortunately. :(.

Gotta go make up 5 kestions on french novel. *Sigh*

Packing List: Part 1

So here goes: I'm going to put everything I can think of down before my bus comes.

• Ipod
• Case
• 1 month supply of tampons
• Vegemite
• Laptop!
• CDs
• external hard-drive
• photos of my friends
• a few books in English
• freddos
• koalas to gift to others
• small amount of makeup
• 2 big coats
• really good walking shoes
• some t-shirts
• some dress outfits (it will be so hard to choose as I have many, many clothes that I would like to take)
• diary
• recipe book
• alarm clock (battery powered)
• nutella
• gortex rain coat
• beanie
• australiana stuff
• chicken stock is apparently hard to find
• MONEY
• laptop security lock.
• helmet for bike?

Also this website says some interesting things about exchange hidden fees:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/how-to-avoid-foreign-transaction-fee-on-credit-card.cfm  

Cite Universitaire

Just looking at more options for accommodation that I can book beforehand.

http://www.ciup.fr/en/devenir_resident/questions_les_plus_frequentes
http://www.ciup.fr/en/devenir_resident/vous_etes_etudiant

I think that I need to be working towards a Masters 1 to live here though. :(

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This site advertises appartments, and you can chose a minumum and a  maximum price.
De Particulier à Particulierhttp://www.pap.fr/

This is the CNOUS site:

Cités U: http://www.cnous.fr/_vie_28.htm

http://www.cnous.fr/_vie__dossier_28.100.31.htm

CROUS-PARIS.Fr

Another University Accommodation: Foyer Alma Bosquet: Just for Women

But do I really want to live in an all-women place?

Located in the 7th arrondisement though...

Just had a look at the rooms- they look yucky!

However, their facilities seem really nice, especially the SELF!
And a total of only 567 Euros~ 769.39 AUD per month.

Oh I just got a reply back from CIUP:

Accomodation Possibilities?

I was looking at my university magazine when I found a little announce on accommodation in Paris!

Even better, the guy who is organising it is a PhD student here who WENT to the uni in Paris that I want to go to! Fricking amazing.

I love good co-incidences.

Just sent him an email, talking about how I'm also a staff member, blah blah blah, TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Les recollets Website: http://www.centre-les-recollets.com/menu.asp?l=gb&m=3

I've also just looked at the website and it gives prices. Exxy, but probably easier than going through all the french paperwork, which exists because this is France.

A flat of 25m^2 is 705.30 € for a month's rent as far as I can tell.

At the moment that equals (according to Google) = $960.27

WHY IS EVERYTHING SO EXPENSIVE!

For Mid-August to end of January = 5.5 months.

Total Rent: $960.27 x 5.5 = $5281.49

Lucky I have about $11,000 saved up already!

Hopefully the exchange rate will change in my favour.

Ok so if return flights are $2000 to Paris...then I have 11,000-5,281.49-2,000=$3,718.51.

Hmm so that only means I have $676.09/month.

I'd better save up more then...

5 Months to Go.

My name is Tori and I'm an Australian student, attending the University of Perth (like Tim Minchin did when he finished his bachelor of Arts in 1993).

I'm applying to the University of the Sorbonne Nouvelle or Paris 3 to study from September 2011 to Feb 2012.

I did my application back in November to my home uni and was officially accepted pending unit approval but two month's ago. I've just been approved by both my faculties, after some kerfuffle, so all I have to wait for now is for the NS. to get back to the exchange office to let me know whether I've been accepted or not.

How exciting.

If I get accepted then I have just 5 months until this foetus of a dream is born.

Already I'm contemplating the cute Parisian outfits I will wear and how to cope with living in a small appartment.

I think that this will be an important journey in my life because:

1. I have never lived out of home: In fact, the longest I have been away from my parents is three weeks.
2. I am not even 21 yet, so as Anne of Green Gables would say, my character has not yet been set for life.
3. I will be living in a foreign country, speaking French full-time.

I tried to listen to the French News on SBS today for an assignment, and I was overwhelmed by how much I did not understand. 

Mind you the presentateur speaks with the tongue of a run-away train. 

He coincidently also looks like a monkey and always has awkward faces when you pause him with a TiVo. 

Off to unpack the dishwasher,

Bisous.