20 July, 2006 | Leave a Comment
So my zany plan to live in Paris for the next year now has the approval of the French government. Go figure. The visa is only good for three months and when I arrive in Paris I have to apply for residency, which means more insane paperwork (like having my birth certificate translated into French!). This morning wasn’t that bad as far as bureaucratic hassles go. I arrived at the consulate on three hours of sleep and no food, so that was the worst of it. I forgot to bring a book (I was tired!), but I did listen to French news podcasts while I waited in the queue outside for over an hour with the biggest freaks imaginable. Apparently, I was the only French visa-seeker who thought it was a good idea to bathe, brush my hair and wear decent clothing. There was one moment of excitement when the consulate doors opened at 8:30 and the people at the front of the queue got into a massive brawl, prompting the security guard to scream that if they didn’t shut up, the police would be there “within three seconds” to arrest them. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. And while everyone else got frisked by this security guard, he just glanced in my bag and let me walk right in. Boo! You may not have guessed it, but I have a very angelic presence in person. For whatever reason, I appear sweet and fresh-faced and people can’t imagine that I’d ever do anything bad. (I’m serious. It sucks.)
Luckily, there were only two people applying for student visas. The woman there was very nice in an I’m-not-allowed-to-crack-a-smile sort of way. She basically just glanced at all the documents I had painstakingly assembled over the past few months. At one point, she asked: “Besides studying French, what will you do all day?” The possibilities are endless! Uh, have a torrid affair with the Gen X version of Jean-Paul Sartre, perhaps, or in my case the more likely scenario of becoming addicted to French soap operas. I also could have said that I was writing a novel, but an American writing a novel in Paris is such a cliché, she probably would have shredded my application right in front of my face. So we both agreed that I would be doing doctoral research in Paris, which is true. That and other things.
So anyway, there are no more obstacles left on the road to Paris. The only thing that can hold me back now is fear, but I’m not afraid. Look at my hand: Steady as a rock.
(eek!)
Anglofille said @ 11:40 am | paris life |
- Comments RSS | TrackBack URI
-
Well they have certainly placed enough obstacles in your way
-
I know! I think this is how the French try to combat unemployment — all of this bureaucracy creates jobs.
-
still, look on the bright side, at least you will be in a country prepared to condemn the vile acts being perpetrated at the moment.
