Have Visa, Will Travel

Have housing,... won't live in a cardboard box?

...something like that...

But yes, good news all around: I have an apartment! It's a small studio apartment that's part of a foyer, which is like a boarding house. They have dorm-style rooms, and then meal plans to go with, as well as independent studio apartments and some two-bedroom apartments. The foyer houses students, interns, young people with not much money and a job, young people with no money looking for a job... and it's also a hostel. There's laundry on-site, internet, communal hang-out rooms, and even a "bike garage" for the bike I'm planning to get shortly after arrival. It's right in the center of Metz, and from what Google Maps can tell me, it's pretty close to everything amazing in the city.

The room comes "furnished" with a bed, night stand, armoire, desk, table and chairs. There is a tiny bathroom with both shower and toilet in the apartment (no sharing hallway amenities!), and a tiny kitchen with two burners, an oven, a sink and a small fridge. The website for the foyer has a picture of a studio on the front page that may or may not be something like where I'll be living.

It's a great relief to have housing all squared away at this point, mostly so I know exactly where I'll be heading to that evening when I arrive in Metz, sleep-deprived and jet-lagged.

In other news, I went to Boston today to the French Consulate to turn in my visa paperwork. After a 4.5+ hour drive, it's always satisfying to know that your approximate 4 minutes in the visa office were well spent. Provided that my "special" FedEx envelope arrives sans problèmes, I'll have my visa in about two weeks. (And on that note, FYI, the Derby Line FedEx "office" is sketchy beyond sketch. I mean, really shady. And by "office" I actually mean "dirty broom closet.")

I leave 1 month from tomorrow!

Wow!