Holy Moly!

OMG. I MIGHT be off to France on September 11. WOWOW. 
Things have suddenly taken off! I registered to the au-pairing site featured in The Times, set up a profile, spent ALL DAY yesterday scanning through family profiles and made a shortlist, and then suddenly I'm emailing (in French!) to a really lovely family! They seem really friendly and good 'all-rounders'! 


They're close to the Paris centre, they have three girls: 9, 12 and 14, they like sport, music and friends, and they have a hammam and a 'sous sol une salle de cinema'. An 'under-ground cinema'? SIGN ME UP!!!


I'm pretty excited actually, but very nervous now! It's happening so quickly! Now I need to start THROWING things into boxes - I have like...a WEEK AND 3 DAYS! :O

Moving Forward!

This article was in the Times (Saturday, August 28th), and is basically a lifesaver. It reports how French families are desperately looking for English speaking Au-Pairs! ANOTHER ROAD TO TAKE! An opportunity. So, at 1am this morning, I was signing up to the agency website as an au-pair/helper. It looks pretty amazing - people in France are so desperate, you could get 'snapped up' within days of replying. Suddenly I'm feeling very optimistic about my plans to leave mid-September!

Things are slotting into place and going to plan!
I also put up a load of stuff on eBay yesterday, including *sobs* my beloved PINK cross-trainer, and my Thigh Trainer Step machine. Booo. I need the money though! 

Getting Contacts...

Some absolute IDIOT said (behind my back of course) that I'd FAILED my A-Levels/ University. Sorry, but last time I checked, they were MY grades, and I haven't failed. So I didn't get into the Uni of my dreams. BUMMER. I better go and apply for a bin-man job for the rest of my life. NOT. So after going quite mental in an email to my Lovely-Aunt, my Granny sent me the nicest email ever defending me and believing in me. I have my Granny fully supporting me on the whole 'France' idea, as well as my super-duper 'just-go-for-it' Aunt. It's nice to know I have people who believe in me, and have faith. 

Anyway, Granny has phoned up everyone she knows (quite literally!) and has given me a list of contacts. My opportunities in France are slowly unfolding and expanding!! I could be staying in Bordeaux, Paris, Montpellier, Normandy (to list a few)... She has so many contacts, friends and family out there, all willing to give me accommodation and job opportunities. One of them can get me a FREE 'distance learning program' (usually costing £400) through her business, so I could learn French whilst out in France, which would be really useful and helpful. Especially as it's free! One gap year tip: Ask EVERYONE you know for contacts, people to help you, people who'll lend a bed for the night, or who'll pass the message on to their contacts. This starts a chain, and you might even end up working for a really well-know company (PARIS VOGUE!!!), just because you know someone-who-knows-someone-else-who-knows-someone-who-knows-someone-else-who-knows-you! 

I also came across this pretty astounding exchange type thing, where I go to France and stay with a host family (matched with my interests and vice versa), and teach the children AND the parents to speak English, and then in the daytime I attend a 4-week language course to help me get to grips with French! I'm so excited about it! It's in Montpellier (Southern France), but by the time my application goes through and they find a family suitable, it'll be 'early 2011'. Anyway, it's a few months doing something different, so I'm definitely up for it! 

Things to do:
1. Start packing clothes into boxes/ pile for charity
2. Take down all Vogue pictures from wardrobe doors
3. Buy an address book and make a contact list
4. Sell stuff on eBay!!!

The view outside my window.

So here's my first post to introduce myself to you out there. I'm Connie, 18, and taking a gap year before University. I've always wanted to do a gap year, always wanted to see more of France and learn the language. Now that I have the opportunity, I'm taking it with two hands and a eurostar rail ticket to Paris.

The view outside my window...

Lovely! It's actually raining quite a lot outside. Also, my room is a total BOMB-SITE *stress* *stress* due to me clearing out and MOVING ON in my life. Pictures? I think so. Although I'm quite embarrassed of my room being seen in this state! :S




I'm chucking out so much stuff - things I'd never thought I'd get rid of! Bombarding eBay with half my room... I crammed my car with YEARS-worth of celebrity-gossip magazines... (Should have taken a picture of my backseat really!). Imagine this: Heat, Look and Closer [Magazines] 3 times a week. Health and Women's Fitness magazines once a month... for 5 years. I have Heat magazines dating back to 2005! I also get Vogue once a month, and have been since 2005, although I couldn't chuck out my fashion Bibles! I've packed them in a packing box currently, and in desperate need of a strong Hercules to take it down the stairs - I couldn't even drag it along my carpet it was so damn heavy! 

Although I'm not off to France just yet (Hopefully middle of September - aiming for 20/09/10), I'll also be documenting my struggles and ordeals (AKA: major stressing, huge rants and limitless lists) in GETTING MYSELF THERE. Things including:
1. Cancelling subscriptions, memberships, gym pass *sobs*
2. Sorting out health insurance/ travel insurance 'eh?' - totally CLUELESS...
3. Emptying out my room 
4. Selling items on eBay, giving to Charity or going to the tip numerous times
5. Sorting out my car... (WTF!)
6. Planning accommodation once I'm there, because at the moment, I'll be joining the Sans Domicile Fixe on the streets of Paris.