4 Days

BLAAAH! So soon! OK. So what else have I done in prep. It really is absurd how prepared I am considering I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. Every time I complete a task, I somehow end up finding an additional one to replace it so I never really end up making my list shorter! My motivation for chore-like activities is pretty much non-existent. Unless it involves packing, I'm pretty sure I've packed my bags about 20 times. Once I'm there I can't go back and change my mind, so I have to do all the mind-changing now... yes? In the last week and a bit I've been spending as much time as possible with people I like.

I went to a bunch of local theatre shows. A musical by Forte theatre, Jeremy De Bergerac, which one of my old classmates starred in. Super 8, put on by Lunchbox, that two very dear friends wrote together. And Trojan Women at the U of C, directed and acted in by a mass of talented friends. All of them were so good! I've been missing out by working full-time, I wish I'd seen more theatre. Well, guess I know what I'll be doing in Paris!

My to-do list that I've (mostly) completed is as follows (everyone likes lists, right?)
1. Bank stuff (i.e International transfers, making sure all my pins are 4 digits, and not 5 [disaster averted!], making sure my debit account was chequing, not savings, lowering my limit of the credit card I'm leaving at home, let everyone bank-related know that I'm leaving for 6 months, get some cash money.)
2. Secure place to stay (Huzzah!)
3. Get International Youth Travel Card, HI Hostel Membership, French Medic Alert.
4. Purchase Eurail Passes -> 8-trips-in-2-months Benelux/France Pass, Global Unlimited Pass for 3 months (Ow, my bank account hurts.)
5. Pack at least 50 times
6. Break in Doc Martens (Ow, my whole being hurts.)
7. Make 1000 copies of all my might-be-important documents and hide in all sort of fun places in my luggage.
8. Make digital copies of said documents and email to self, store on portable hard-drive (leaving at home), store in flash drive (taking with) and store in encrypted computer file! (I feel like a spy!)
9. Figure out what to do about my phone plan...

OK... This one was just tackled and I need like... a bubble bath now. I cried on the phone to Rogers.  No no. I sobbed on the phone. Positive: I might have gotten a good deal out of it (I don't even know anymore). Negative: I probably now have "Crazy Chick" written on my file, and a recording of my hiccoughing and word-vomiting (To which she gave me the reference number should I want to revisit that experience), eternally stored in their records. Just wait, I'm gonna become some famous actress and then this will come back to haunt me.
I basically talked to the two nicest people first so I was in this lovely mood just chattin' it up. Then I got transferred someone who was probably an OK person, but did not sugar-coat. Management. So I was like, "But but but I'm so NICE!?" and she was like, "NO". Eventually 'negotiated' (i.e. She offered options, I cried back until there was something I liked ... O God, I'm an infant!) the plan down to something less awful, but still not my ideal situation! I'm still spending money on something I'm not using. Which makes me angry. That's like... 15 macaroons a month I could be eating... BUT NO! Rogers chick had other plans. It's personal.
So after we figured it all out, and it really wasn't as much of a disaster as I anticipated. I'm paying something like $22.50 a month so that I don't have to cancel my contract. WHICH IS DUMB, but less than $60.00, so it's an improvement from the disaster that was my previous plan.
The funniest thing about all this, is I had a serious game plan. Like I had all these documents from their website pulled up to quote and be like, "Hey hey, in this clause blah blah blah", but I couldn't stop CRYING long enough to use them! So... good thing my career choice involves tapping into emotions and not negotiating documents.

What's left to do? Well... pack again. At least 3 more times, just for shits and giggles. Figure out Power of Attorney stuff, bank and otherwise. Figure out personal liability insurance. Figure out the process of getting an Orange Card (monthly metro pass). Figure out how to get from the airport to where I'm staying the first night. Actually, figure out the address of where I am staying the first night. Pack again. Cry some more -- In my defence, I am emotionally vulnerable right now! I'm afraid! Ehem. Also, go for drinks, dinners, etc. Watch Midnight in Paris and the Sex and the City series finale episodes. Boom.

12 Days

Holy Crap! Less than two weeks until I go!


I now officially have an apartment in Paris. I sent my deposit and agency fees today through cyberspace. I sincerely hope this agency is legit and I didn't just throw away a wad of cash. I have a good feeling though, it just seems right. After all the struggle to find a place, and useless anxiety this place just kind of happened. So what's it like? Well, from the brief description and three photos I was sent it looks pretty basic. It's 9m2, the "ceiling' is really just one wall slanted to meet the other a la attic/window alcove. It's contents are as follows: Bed (single), mini fridge, microwave, toaster oven, hot plate, shower, and fancy parquet wood floor. See anything missing? Yea. A toilet. But have no fear! It's just down the hall shared by the rest of the floor! It's like a ... bed and breakfast, yea? Whatever, I am so stoked I don't even care. Plus, a friend pointed out, in an emergency I could always just go in the shower. Paris is going to be SO glamorous!


I've officially chosen my wardrobe for Paris -- BIG decision! -- and it's all packed so that when I start wearing the same clothes for six months they seem exciting and new for at least the first bit. It's evolved a little bit, I did some shopping. Here goes:

What I Think I'm Probably Bringing:

• 3 Racerbacks
• 3 T-Shirts
• 3 Long Sleeve Shirts
• Black Jersey Dress
• Black Cardigan
• Huge Circle Scarf
• Full Length Denim Wunder Unders
• Denim 'Boyfriend' Capris
• Navy Cotton Chino-esque Dress Pants
• Grey Linen High-waisted Harem-y Capris (SO. RAD.)
• Skirt
• Black Opaque Tights
• Black Cable Knit Thigh High Socks
• Plaid Blouse
• 'Cashmere' Crew Neck Pullover
• 'Leather' Bomber Jacket

I'm pretty sure that's it... There might be more. I kept adding and subtracting and re-adding items over the last couple weeks and since I refuse to unpack it I am not 100% sure what all is in there... SURPRISE! I know I have enough though. I have a good 10 or 12 pairs of socks and a handful or two of underwear thrown into this little compression sac my mom got me. Fun fact: Socks compress a surprising amount once you take them out of the nice organised rolls. 

I also bought a selection of Eurail passes. I was very unsure about Eurail stuff cause everyone was telling me the cheap tickets I could get last minute as a youth and stuff for planes and trains. But considering how much I already am leaving up to chance for this trip, I figured I'd secure that, no matter what, I can always hop on a train and be warm. So for the first bit I got a 8-trips-in-2-months kind of pass for Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and France. Fingers crossed I don't accidentally use all that at once cause I don't understand the system. The other Eurail pass I got is pretty straight forward -- 3 months unlimited anywhere in the Schengen zone. SO STOKED. It's so freakin' expensive though, it took a lot of persuasion to actually spend such a huge chunk of my savings. Together they were just over 1800, which is just bonkers to me. To be fair, the cheapest train tickets I could guarantee via online investigation were around 100 bucks, so if I take 18 trains I'll have done pretty well for myself. ... I'm there for 6 months... I'm pretty sure I'll take at LEAST 18 trains. This week I'm having a little bit of separation anxiety from my hard-earned cash. So much is gone all at once! I have to keep reminding myself that I saved it up for this very purpose. Now the numbers of my account balance are going down instead of up and it's depressing! 

I also ended up deciding on a backpack and a laptop bag as my luggage. Both I can take on board as carry on. The backpack is something like 32 L and the laptop bag is pretty standard. Fun side note, the laptop bag is this HIDEOUS reptilian embossed pleather, and I'm starting to really dig it. 

I still have some consolidation of knickknacks and unnecessaries to do, but I'm feeling pretty good about all this! Besides being in complete denial that I'm leaving soon. Saying goodbye to everyone is not even starting to sink in, either. Bah. Oh look! Panic setting in!