Episode 7: In which fietsen is belangrijk!

Here he is, in all his glory. My new bike:

His name? Munro

Episode 6: In which I have my first day

I had a meeting today in the school where I'll be working with my mentor teacher. After turning up at the wrong building, I still managed to make it bang on time (remembering the lesson we'd had about how it was standard for the dutch to turn up early going on in the back of my mind!). My mentor teacher took me to the staffroom where he introduced me to literally everyone, then proceeded to take me round school and show me where everything is, including teachers in their rooms (he just shouted at them to come say hello). Everyone seems ridiculously friendly, far more so than in Austria. They actually seem to want to spend time with you here and they're enthusiastic! A refreshing change from the Össis! They made a list of furniture I'm lacking and posted it on the noticeboard (along with a big note saying HIJ HEEFT OOK EEN FIETS NODIG! He needs a bike too!). It seems every friday they have TGIFriday drinks, from 14.30 onwards...bear in mind the school day doesn't finish until 4 and I think you'll agree it doesn't seem like much gets done around here on a friday.

All in all in seems like a really nice school, friendly pupils and friendly teachers, people whom I can actually see myself wanting to spend time with, which will be a refreshing change!

Episode 5: In which I waffle about bikes, take 1

Still no bike, sadly I am going to have to wait till I get paid to get a bike, or find a very cheap one to last me until I can afford a real beaut.

I'm in bike heaven here though, so many real bikes! When you look at the prices of them compared to what they sell for in Britain, you start to come up with a business idea...

Episode 4: In which alles läuft nach Plan!

So, things seem to have fallen into place, after much stressing out about a lack of place to live and a seemingly endless stay in the hostel ahead of me, I've found a house. It's a 3-bedroomed house about 10mins cycle from the city-centre (what other way is there of measuring distance here in the Netherlands?!)  I shall be living with two people whom I met in the hostel, an Italian and a German. We will hopefully be moving in tomorrow, should everything go to plan. Today, we went to ikea to pick up a few essentials, and then stopped off an excellent second-hand shop, where we're going to pick up a couch etc. My room is quite large, I'd guess at maybe 30m2 or so, so there's plenty of scope for making it my own little place for the year.

Finding a house has definitely made me feel much more positive about this year, as I was having some doubts especially after what seemed like an eternity spent living in the hostel with no end in sight. Plus, the fact I've made some friends means the lack of contact with people my age has been avoided! Good times!

Episode 3: In which I touchdown in B-Town

So I'm here. I caught the Eurostar yesterday to Brussels, then hopped on a typically shoddy SNCB train to Antwerp to crash chez David before heading on to Breda this morning. The hostel I'm staying in for a few days whilst I try and find somewhere to live is pretty standard (I managed to guess the password for the hostel internet, no paying for me!), roommates are nice and are all in the same situation as me regarding finding somewhere to live. Though they're students so they have it easier! I have two housing appointments tomorrow, so hopefully something will come of them, we shall see.

In other news, I have the flu. It is well rubbish. I've gone through a 64-pack of tissues in my 2 days of travelling.

Episode 2: In which I go on "The Reccy"

So last week, I went to Breda for a few days for an accommodation reccy. Well, I actually went to Antwerp and visited Breda twice. Breda seems a really nice place, they call it 'The Hague of the South', ie grand and stately. 

And it is: 

Sadly the reccy proved fruitless and I am heading out on the 1st to live in a hostel to hopefully find somewhere!

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: