Carlipa here we come

We've chosen the village of Carlipa in the south of France to begin our travels. The closest reasonable sized town is 25 km away at Carcassonne. We've found a place to rent on the internet for 4 months starting 1st September. The owners of the house live nearby so I can see that as being a big plus. They have already been a huge help with enrolling the kids in the village school (which was another requirement of the visa). The school term starts on the 2nd September so that will make for some interesting times seeing as none of us speak french. I have been learning french from some tapes I borrowed from the town library and I'm quite proficient replying to the people who speak on the tape but as for remembering anything else vaguely useful, well all I can say is I can only improve.