The Final Countdown

Bonjour mes amis!

Currently, I'm sitting in Panera Bread, having just finished completing my intent to graduate form for the next semester.  It's absolutely bizarre how time flies when you're stressed out.  I was so worried about getting my visa that I completely forgot about everything else!  Oh, and by the way, did I mention... I HAVE MY VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The journey getting here has been rather rough.  For the past two months, I have been dealing with a never-ending stack of paperwork which seemed to keep growing.  Now that it's all done, the totality of it has set in.

I'm going to be gone for four months.

Now many people I'm friends with (my girlfriend in particular) keep on constantly reminding me that I'm not dying.  I understand that, but the thought of picking up everything and moving, far, far away is starting to scare me.  Yes, I know that I'll see everyone again in four months, but four months is a long time to me.

The following is a list of things I think I'm going to miss the most:

~ My girlfriend


~ The rest of my friends

~My family

~ English

~ Buffalo chicken

~ Data on my cell phone

I'm sure in the matter of only a month, I'll be revising this list.

Even more daunting was the packing which I just finished completing.  I have less than two days to go, and I think I just finished (this is a new record for me!). 

This is what I'd like to call highly organized chaos.  On the bright side, I was 5 pounds under the weight limit, and I'm still cutting back on what I'm actually going to bring.

Well, this is it everyone!  This is probably my last blog post before I dive into the exciting, yet frightening new world I'm about to explore.  With that, I must say, au revoir mes amis!

"When things get overwhelming.  Just close your eyes.  Blink, and you'll be home." ~ A coworker of mine.

14 Jours

So today I would like to say that I have finally realized how small the amount of time I have left in this country is.  In exactly 14 days, I depart for France.  To make this even more strange, I realized many other ways I can track this countdown.  This 14 days boils down to the following:

~ 336 hours

~ 2 weeks

~ 1 fortnight

~ 8 more shifts of work (This one I'm particularly happy about!)

~ 2 more Friday nighs

~ 2 more Saturday nights

~ Only 14 more days left to pack!!!!!

I'm not sure if I know exactly how I feel about this experience.  Right now, the only word I can use to describe myself is anxious!  

I know this is a brief post, but this short post is dedicated to the very short amount of time I have left with those I love before I leave them for nearly 4 months.

Getting the Jitters

Hello World Again!

So now that I'm done with the serious post regarding my Visa experience, I'm going to update you on the rest of my life over the past three weeks. 

After my Visa appointment, things finally began to fall into place for me.  I haven't heard back about my Visa yet, but I still check up on its status at least twice a day.  I must say, it's starting to get in the way of my job.  For my coworkers, and maybe my bosses, that may be reading this, I'm sorry.  It's true.  I've lost much sleep while dwelling on the subject.

But enough with the drab, negative thoughts.  Now I'm going to look at the positive side!

Shortly after my Visa appointment, I received an email from the host family that I will be staying with.  I must say, I'm very excited!  I've now learned that they are into music just as much as I am!  The email was written entirely in FRENCH, but luckily I had no trouble understanding it.  Looks like reading Harry Potter et l'Ecole des Sorciers has helped me indeed!

Shortly after that, I received an envelope from my Study Abroad Program, Academic Programs International (API).  I felt my stomach sink when I opened the email, because my nerves pushed me into overdrive.  The first page was full of instructions upon my arrival in France.  Behind that was my itinerary, and then it finally sank in.  I'M LEAVING THE COUNTY FOR FOUR MONTHS!!!!

Okay, so it's not like I haven't left the country before.  A friend and I left the country to volunteer in New Zealand for a month.  

Me outside of a cave somewhere a few hours away from Auckland.  Yes, I look like a typical college student.

I'm not exactly an artist with a camera, but I am indeed looking forward to taking many pictures during my "long-sejour" in France.  How else would I be able to show you all of the amazing experiences I will enjoy?

One thing I have decided to do during my stay is run my first "semi-marathon" or Half Marathon.  How often does the everyday student get to experience something like this?

Well, I guess that's all I have to say for now.  Bon soir, mes amis!

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." ~ Henry Miller

The Full Visa Process

Hello world!
      I understand that its been quite a long time since I've posted here, and I apologize for the inconsistency.  I have been rather busy trying to put the rest of this trip together, and there have been many new developments which I have been unable to post.  I can hardly think of where to begin, so I guess I'll just start with the most important, rather than the most exciting.

Getting My Visa

Words cannot express my frustration regarding getting my Visa.  I would outline the entire process here, but it would simply be exhausting and take up many lines of work, and would largely be a waste of time.  Instead, I will post important links that one would find useful in order to get through the process ALIVE. 

Okay, so I may be exaggerating just a bit here.  It is not THAT bad, but it's still quite an impressive amount of work.

Remember how in my last post I said you would need to use Campus France in order to even be able to set up an appointment with the French Consulate in order to study abroad?  Well start with this link, which will take you through the ENTIRE application process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kCR5M-Hv_g

Yes everyone, I do understand that this is YouTube, but I wouldn't have been able to figure out the form without it.  This women is indeed, THOROUGH, and possibly more helpful than any other person I have dealt with during this process. This will help you set up your PASTEL ACCOUNT and help you with your CAMPUS FRANCE FORM.

After this, send your money order for $70 to the address in Washington DC which can be found on the VISA website.  Voila!

Now, all you must do is wait to receive your Campus France MESSAGE in your PASTEL inbox.  It will tell you in the message that you are now ready to make your appointment with the Consulate which you have been assigned.  On the Visa Information I will explain below, it says to look in your conformation "e-mail."  WARNING:  THIS IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL.  

After this, things can become much more difficult.  Here is a direct link for students applying through Campus France, which explains in vivid detail what is needed at your consulate appointment.

http://www.consulfrance-boston.org/spip.php?article2293

Also, bring THREE MONTHS worth of BANK STATEMENTS.  Not just one.  I found that out the hard way, but we'll get to that later...

Also, make sure that you print the actual Campus France RECEIPT.  You can find this in the message entitled "Votre Quittance Est Disponible."  When you open this message, click one of the presented links, which will open up in a PDF FILE.  THIS IS YOUR RECEIPT.

Once you have received these documents, you are now ready to make your appointment with the Consulate.  If you go to your Consulate's Website, there should be a button on the top right hand corned which will allow you to switch your information to English.  Unless you're up for a challenge, CLICK IT.

Click the tab on the top which says VISAS FOR FRANCE.  From there, it's actually self explanatory.

MY APPOINTMENT:

Now, to put your minds at ease, I can tell you a little bit about my appointment.  First of all, I would like to tell you that in the end, it's NOT THAT BAD!  I took the train into Boston, and then was easily able to find the Consulate. 

My appointment went very well.  I was almost expecting to sit down with a panel of people sitting behind a mahogany table (similar to Gringott's in Harry Potter if you catch my drift).  It wasn't that bad.  It felt more like I was inside of a bank, and in the end, when I was missing a bank statement, they allowed me to fax the other two.  Really, in the end, it wasn't that bad.

Ironically, the most difficult part of managing this was navigating the trains with my girlfriend in Boston.  Go figure?  What can I say, though?  I live in the middle of nowhere, so living in a city for four months is going to be a big switch for me.