Paperwork, Paperwork, and More Paperwork

Guess who has a visa? This chick! Well, kind of.

Actually, I just had my appointment at the French consulate in San Francisco on Thursday. Turns out, there are only two consulates in the state: SF and LA. Thankfully, I only have a two hour drive or so to the city. Others weren’t as lucky--I met someone who had to drive all the way from Oregon to get a visa.

I would be lying if I said getting a student visa is easy. I can’t speak for other countries, but France is absolutely ridiculous with its paperwork. Honestly, it’s incredibly complicated and stressful. Thank god I have an attorney for a mother, because I don’t think I could have figured it out without someone who is fluent in legalese. Figuring out which forms I needed was really the hardest part; the appointment itself was relatively quick and painless. Twenty minutes of forced small talk in French with the guy sitting next to me in the waiting room, maybe ten minutes with the ill-mannered woman behind the counter, a photo, some fingerprints, and that was it. 14 days to process and I will be card carrying exchange student.

Just 23 more days until my flight? C’est fou.