Mighty Flight - Nonancourt

That's where this journey is taking me. A little town near Rouen, 90 Kms away  from Paris. THIS little town... Population : 2000+, Surface Area : 7 Km. I got a mail from Ms. Sara Dinand on the 28th of June. What a warm friendly mail it was.

 "We'd love to hear from you as soon as possible so that we can prepare for your arrival in the best way possible and chat with you about organising your stay with us. For the moment we have simply received a piece of paper with your name, email address and nationality on - that's all! So if you have the time, please get in touch and we can answer any questions you may have."

And then we went on chatting about things. She told me they were all excited to have someone join their team from so far away! She took away what was one of my biggest concerns: Getting to Nonancourt from Paris CDG. She said,

"When you arrive in Paris (which airport by the way, because there are two airports in Paris - Charles De Gaulle or Orly?) the easiest way to get to Nonancourt is by using the train. Having said this, between now and September we'll quite probably be able to work out getting into Paris to meet you and drive you back here."

How coool! :)

I can't wait to meet her and the team of teachers. Mr. Marc Valentin, the school principal, is helping me out currently with the documents I require for the Visa. 

OHOHOH! Also, they said they might be able to arrange accommodation for me at a bigger town nearby, in a school where there are going to be other language assistants I can share a room with! 

"Our school does not have any accommodation on site for you at this time but the headmaster, aware of this, has already made the necessary arrangements with the headmistress of the school in the next town.

Your accommodation will therefore be in a slightly bigger town than Nonancourt - it's called Verneuil sur Avre. Nonancourt is a very small place and although it is filled with history, there is not much to do after work. In Verneuil on the other hand, there are lots more activities going on.

There are many teachers in the school who travel from Verneuil to Nonancourt and they organise car transportation (car-pooling we call it) so that they travel together every day: keeping fuel costs down as well as running costs too. This means that you will be able to be picked up and dropped off every day if you want. Times vary daily but there are usually two or three different departure and return times, depending on the staff's timetables...There is a train service from Nonancourt to Verneuil but it's very infrequent. There is no bus service between the two towns. Obviously these are all things that we will take into account when sorting out your weekly timetable."

I mean, HOW THOUGHTFUL! I practically have nothing to worry about any more! I can't wait to go there and do my very best for them as a language assistant. 

The Mighty Flight - Passport

Don't be silly, you need to have your passport to be able to fly to France. No wait. You need to have a Passport even to apply for the IELTS. It's not all that easy. The passport office keeps changing their URL and make offices out of tall buildings hidden behind even taller ones. But that's not the most difficult part.

First, make sure you have all documents. Getting the documents to be submitted itself takes time. You'll need a proof of identity and a proof of residence. And Bank account statement. Get one of those agents to do it for you. Less hassle. He'll know his way around all convoluted paperwork and things. The passport office overflows with people and getting an appointment means you've to go through a long process. So when you do actually get an appointment, take ALL necessary documents. Be calm, be cool. They'll take your fingerprints and things. And all your certificates and documents would be verified. It's a good two hour session so remember to carry a novel. But don't forget what's happening around you. You just cant afford to miss your turn. They've a juice bar and some sandwiches inside the waiting room (and bathrooms too). So you can buy snacks when you're hungry. You can't leave the waiting hall once you're checked in so take all necessary precaution.

Dress properly. Wear decent clothes. Don't do anything stylish with your hair. Just wash it so you don't look like you're one of the Kumbhmela dudes. They'll want you to have the most neutral look on your face while they take the picture. Make sure your hair isn't covering your forehead. I had pretty short hair but the guy at the counter insisted I brush it again and again. Don't grin like a fool when they ask you to look into what looks like a webcam. They'll ask you to stop smiling. It's embarrassing.

The ambiance reminded me of an airport so I was looking to meet interesting people and make friends et al. Funny. You can ogle at the rare cute guy or the not-uncommon cute baby. They're all fun. When you're done they'll let you know. Don't throw away any of the tiny paper receipts, chits, print outs they give you. They meticulously collect every single one back. Once you do get out after AALL the formality, you can walk out a free woman. And then wait for 14 days. (Mine took a couple more days) You'll have a nice police gentleman visit your house and talk to your neighbours (people whose names and addresses you have to provide while applying for the passport). He'll then need you to fill a form. It'll ask you for your criminal record or jail time and you can feel like a badass for not having any. Sign.

Wait some more. It'll then come to you. By post. In a yellow envelope. The postman will insist on delivering it to you and you only. Get it from him. Feel proud about recieving something important all for yourself for the first time. Open up the parcel. Smell your passport. Its like they've made it out of the paper they make currency notes with. Look at all the empty pages that will later be filled with stamps and things from all possible countries far far away. Look the last page. See your passport size photo. Feel terrible. You'll get over it, though. You now have a passport! Use it as ID proof to get into some shady places? Yeah why not!