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:

In the beginning was the word...

...and the bird was the word.

Enough of that silliness, welcome to my blog which I intend to use to keep friends and family up-to-date with the haps during my time in Breda. So, I got more info from my school the other day, turns out I don't start till early september which threw me slightly. All the information I'd got before this had hinted at a start a few weeks before, but that means I have more time for getting sorted out I guess. The school have said they will help with my hunt for accommodation, which is good of them seeing as it's just hassle for them and they're not obligated to. Still, having been in this situation before, I know how hard it is to find somewhere to live where you don't know the city and are 700km away (as the crow flies).

I've done a bit of research on Breda and discovered these two facts: it's the home of Oranjeboom beer (my brand of choice in Netto) and the home of DJ Tiesto. Other than that, Wiki (god bless her) was rather devoid of information so I had to go to actual real-life dutchies who had nothing but praise for the city, so it bodes well.

I shall bid thee farewell for now, but shall keep you posted on the doings.