Now only 18 days remain until I board a plane for France. The house has been in a bit of of a stir the past couple days, as we’ve scrambled to cross off some of the action steps I inscribed in the list I posted with my very first blog entry.
Step 1: get a passport
Step 2: figure out what classes I’m going to take
Step 3: determine how I’m going to make money
Step 4: figure out how to hail a taxi in french
So, three of those steps have been completed thus far. I have acquired a passport. I worked over the summer as a robotics counselor to store some funds for my trip. In hopes of covering some of the deficit between what I have already earned and what will be spent I created a go fund me page: www.gofundme.com/ibelievejolisacan . Step 4 feels less relevant than I’d initially anticipated, as I would primarily rely on public transportation once in France to go to and from. If any of you are curious, to get a taxi driver’s attention I would locate any of a number of “taxi ranks”, which are a sort of congregation point specifically created so that potential passengers could find a taxi and step into the first one that pulls up. I’ll learn more about what classes I will be taking in the weeks to come.
What has left us scrambling is a supplement to step 1 that is just as crucial, the visa. My passport arrived during the time that I was studying at UConn. In order to apply for a visa, I needed to and present my visa as identification and appear in person at the Atlanta French Consulate Office. So for the four weeks that I was away, I couldn’t begin the process to obtain this document that would grant me entry into the nation of France. Friday we found ourselves at the consulate office to get the visa, manila folder in hand brimming with the miscellaneous documents required to get a visa. We spent two hours there to be told we’d need to return with a couple other forms we had yet to procure. On tomorrow we will be going back to the office.
Meanwhile, I am having to start figuring out the answer to some smaller questions that are essential to my being squared away in France. How many suitcases will I pack, one or two? How will I be communicating with my family when away? International calling rates are obscene, so presumably I would need to get service with a French network and maintain contact through skype. Will my bank cards work once over there?
Step 1: get a passport
Step 2: figure out what classes I’m going to take
Step 3: determine how I’m going to make money
Step 4: figure out how to hail a taxi in french
So, three of those steps have been completed thus far. I have acquired a passport. I worked over the summer as a robotics counselor to store some funds for my trip. In hopes of covering some of the deficit between what I have already earned and what will be spent I created a go fund me page: www.gofundme.com/ibelievejolisacan . Step 4 feels less relevant than I’d initially anticipated, as I would primarily rely on public transportation once in France to go to and from. If any of you are curious, to get a taxi driver’s attention I would locate any of a number of “taxi ranks”, which are a sort of congregation point specifically created so that potential passengers could find a taxi and step into the first one that pulls up. I’ll learn more about what classes I will be taking in the weeks to come.
What has left us scrambling is a supplement to step 1 that is just as crucial, the visa. My passport arrived during the time that I was studying at UConn. In order to apply for a visa, I needed to and present my visa as identification and appear in person at the Atlanta French Consulate Office. So for the four weeks that I was away, I couldn’t begin the process to obtain this document that would grant me entry into the nation of France. Friday we found ourselves at the consulate office to get the visa, manila folder in hand brimming with the miscellaneous documents required to get a visa. We spent two hours there to be told we’d need to return with a couple other forms we had yet to procure. On tomorrow we will be going back to the office.
Meanwhile, I am having to start figuring out the answer to some smaller questions that are essential to my being squared away in France. How many suitcases will I pack, one or two? How will I be communicating with my family when away? International calling rates are obscene, so presumably I would need to get service with a French network and maintain contact through skype. Will my bank cards work once over there?
And then there is the question of what to do with the less than three weeks I have remaining in this country. The most obvious answer is to spend time with family. I also would like to get my license before I leave and extend my thanks to organizations that I have formed relationships with. This week I’ve been trying to make the most of the little time I have. My father and I watched the Perseid meteor shower Tuesday night, only the cacophony of crickets competing with our voices in the quiet. My mother, brother, and I went to a Falcons game. My brother fell asleep with his arms pulled inside of his jacket, but it was a moment I’ll hold onto in the months to come.
I had the opportunity to see rap icon J. Cole in concert with my cousin. The chorus of one of his songs poses the same question over and over, “Do you wanna be happy?” , which incites the consideration of a different question altogether: “What will make you happy?” Speaking about having such little time left sounds vaguely reminiscent of a person on their death bed and suddenly deeming that they must capitalize on every moment. No, I am not dying, but I have a different perspective concerning the days left, as when I return much will have changed. I no longer will be the same person. My family and friends will have had almost a year of experiences that shaped them into someone different than those that will have lived on in my memory, and my world and community as I am leaving it now will not exist in the same state. So, while I am here, I aim to make sure I have not neglected even a single aspect of this community, and when I return I will love it all the more with all the changes it has made.
D'entendre en Francais, cliquez ici (To hear in French click here).
D'entendre en Francais, cliquez ici (To hear in French click here).