France Tales

I re-read the requirements for the VISA. I guess since most people go on a student VISA as a regular university student through and exchange program the info is geared toward them. Ok, I get it, I’m used to being an outsider. But try to get a definitive answer out of someone. Anyone care to comment on what this means?

If your parents are going to pay for your expenses in France : a financial guarantee such as a notarized statement certifying that the applicant will be provided with a monthly allowance of $ 600 for the duration of his/her stay in France, or a proof of personal income along with a letter from school stating that room, board, and tuition are fully prepaid . If the host provides the student with a letter certifying that lodging will be free of charge, and provide a copy of his/her pictured I.D., an allowance of $ 300 will be accepted.

I can prove an income of $2000 per month and no my parents aren’t paying a thing as I’m grown. I simply need to know if I need a letter from our friend Copper, whom we are staying with, saying that his address is my address. Seems like a simple yes or know would do it, mais non! Mon Dieux! Ca c’est envraisenblable(I have no idea how to spell it but I know it when I hear it) Do I need proof of my address, yes or no?

I have a VISA appointment in DC on Tuesday. I will probably be fine but all the talk about French civil servants is daunting. I have been gathering “papers” since April and think I have everything, that is unless they have changed some requirements, which they do from time to time, and don’t post those changes, in expected spots on their website, the Embassy. Enough rambling about that though. It would appear that asking for updates to VISA policy to be posted in the general VISA info section is asking too much. Or how about any changes to student VISA policy get posted in the Student VISA section. The “gaul” I have to insist on such logical things.

The online encyclopedia of things technical. It is really interesting, if you like that kind of thing, which I do. Here is a link. You have to scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on a letter in the alphabet to see what entries there are for that letter, and then view them. You can submit your own as well. In the tradition of wikipedia.

Everything is falling into place. We have plane tickets to leave on Friday evening, September 28th at 6:55PM. It’s finally happening, unlike sleep, which is why I am typing this at 4:18 AM. We fly on our Air France.

A funny thing happened to us on the way to sell our car. We got a buyer for the car. She went to her bank and got a certified check to pay us. We went to the Auto Tags place, for those of you not from PA you wouldn’t understand, frankly I don’t really either, and when we tried to complete the transaction the man asked for the title. Well we had the registration but all of our files and documents were in the container on their way to France. We were so upset because here this woman was, waiting to buy our car, and now we had to order a replacement title, which takes 4-5 days, and hopefully she won’t continue looking for a car and purchase one in the meantime. Funny it was not.

Cross your fingers.

The truck

The boxes

The emptiness

The sadness

Saran wrap for boxes, enviornmentally incorrect, but it sure is handy.

Backbreaking labor, thanks to Hank and his uncle.

Did you see how many boxes? I think we moved 140 items, boxes, furniture, etc. Very zen and pared down of us.

This morning we pack the container. We have looked forward to this day all month. It will be great to get all the stuff that has been piling up out of our house. At the same time it terrifies us. We’ll take pictures so you can share in our misery/joy.