Girl Of Ignoble

Thursday, August 25, 2011

2 Days to go!

WE'VE only got 4 minutes to save the world!

In other news, I'm nearly packed up and shed some tears, but I'm generally feeling amazing.

I'm getting excited.

I met up with a friend who just got back from doing the same thing as I will do in Paris, and she was full of tips and advice (thanks cc!).

Will be good. I should get to sleep now-- it's nearly 1am Perth time!

Calender

Sunday, August 21, 2011

A Lost Girl

The Lost Girls, which is a blog about three American Girls who left everything behind (including their jobs, families and friends) and went on a trip around the world for a year.

They did this impressively on less than 18 grand USD.

On their website they have a page which gives the definition of a Lost Girl:

"A Lost Girl is: A woman in her 20s, 30s (and beyond) who’s more than a bit unsure about what she’s doing with her life, the direction that she’s headed and how to make changes for the better. Despite having a steady paycheck, a social life, regular dates, four walls and a roof over her head, she’s got the pressing feeling that she’s overlooking what’s really important, and what she ultimately needs to be happy."
http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/about/whats-a-lost-girl/

This is an interesting thought, but I'm not that definition of a Lost Girl. Still, I like the name so I will appropriate it here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now is the time is outline why I decided to go on Student Exchange and leap into the unknown.

I love French and I want to be able to live and breathe this particular romantic language until it's easier than recognising my own face in the mirror
As an only child living in the Western Suburbs who went to a private school, I'm probably in some senses very sheltered. I want to become more independent.
It's very easy to take on the characteristics of others or say that because I like this particular show or song, that defines who I am. It doesn't. I want to find myself.
I don't want to be ordinary and take the express train to a predictable existence. One of my favourite poems expresses this idea better than I ever could.

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

1. The Road Not Taken


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20
"

5. I want some adventure, peeps!

1 week to go!

Reality is hitting me hard.

Wow.

No. It's like a million pebbles are being violently chucked, smashing through my window with certain chunks embedding themselves under the skin.

I believe they call that a simile.

This last week is going to be hectic, I can tell you!

It's time to say goodbye to everyone here that I love and then some [people I don't love]. Just joking :P

I have such beautiful friends. My three closest girlfriends made me an album of photos. I'm taking it with me
I'm going to attempt to only bring one case, but I'm not sure that I can do it for I love beautiful clothes.

THINGS I NEED TO DO:

Money: I just need to go to the bank and get my travel card and avoid that awful woman that served me last time.

Insurance is nearly done.

HOMEWORK:
Read up my France/Paris guidebooks
Let work know that I'm not coming back
Chase up Chartis Insurance
Give the Boyfriend back all the socks I have stolen from him

I would also like to thank my iPod Touch for being there for me, ready with Hamish and Andy podcasts

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

11 days to go!

Dearly beloved,

So much has happened since I last posted, so I'm just going to dig out the basics.

I do have a room, offered to me by my university. It's in a college Residence called Fointaine au Roi 2 and I'm meant to be moving in on the 1st Sept.

The French Government had it constructed for 11 Million EUR in March 2011 to liven up the 11th arrondisement, which admittably is quite grey and dodgy.

This is a shot of the outside of its twin building:

To see more pictures: http://www.lecourrierdelarchitecte.com/popin-album.php?id_article=1645&id_image=14791

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Websites for me!

So next step is to get financial thingo:

I have heard different things but the second website below (etudiantdeparis.fr) says:

"You will need at least €750 per month if you are to enjoy reasonable living conditions in Paris."

Currently in Australian money that is $1 018.38966.

Okay I have currently about $11,500 now. So $13 000- $1 018.39*6 - $3000(flights) = $1 892

apparently.

According to another article I read on the same website about planning your budget:

"you will need at least €800 to €900 per month"

900EUR =$ 1222.06759

Okay so this amount gets my account to $668

The Article mentions other costs as well.

"CERTIFICATION OF YOUR VISA BY OFII (non European students only) :
55€"

Compulsary medical insurance is: 200 EUR.

Cool, cool. I sneakily printed off a cover page for my documents folder for my exchange at work. Unfortunately not in colour, but still pretty enough.