Episode 1: In which Holland comes a-calling!

So I finally made contact with the school. Yesterday, Peter (my liaison teacher) had tried to ring me as I had told him I would be available, but lo! and behold I was in the garden at that precise moment so missed the call. He rang back today and I managed to grab it before my super-keen house phone went to answerphone (it barely gives a chance for one ring before doing so!). He seems really friendly and they're really falling over themselves to help me find accommodation: he's sending seemingly the entire staff (and student) population out into Breda to check out places to stay and has asked me to send him the details of any flats I find so he can go check them out and the surrounding neighbourhoods etc. What a nice guy! The school doesn't start until the 6th of September, but I don't start until the 13th so I have exactly two months here with very little to do and even less money to do it with. I had sort of been relying on the British Council having paid us, which they said would happen at the end of June. Mid-July and there is no sign of the necessary forms; damn you, bureaucracy! Peter also asked whether I'd be willing to help teach German, should I have spare time. I was a bit taken aback as I hadn't expected this at all but, in the words of Josh nil points Dubovie, that sounds good to me.

Here's a snapshot of how Breda looks, so google informs me: