Well, to make a long story short (except for not, because I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in every blog I wrote), I did end up getting my French visa. I went back down to New York City with a friend a few weeks ago and picked it up. The scary lady was still there, of course, and still just as scary. Last time she had asked me for a letter from my university (which I didn’t have) but I gave her a copy of my Pitt ID instead. I [incorrectly] assumed that this was sufficient, because she didn’t say anything like, you know, “when you come back, bring me a letter from your university”.
So after showing up to the consulate at 9am, waiting for about an hour in the holding pen upstairs, my name gets called. I go up to the desk and give the lady my receipt and passport. She asks me if I have the letter from my university. “Uhh… no. I have my school ID?” (which I have since lost, by the way. If anyone from Pitt has found it, please let me know…)
She scowled at me and was like “No, I already have a copy of your ID. See? I need a letter.” “Oh, I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I thought that my ID was sufficient.”
And here, she turns to the woman in the booth next to her and is like “Oh, well, she misunderstood.” And tells me to sit back down. So I do, and I happen to overhear the girl next to me say that she’s leaving in two days and still doesn’t have her visa. It was her third time to the consulate. Hmm… reassuring.
After about 20 minutes of freaking out, I finally hear my name called again. I didn’t know if she was calling me up to yell at me again and tell me to come back, or what. But when I get to the window, she glares at me, shoves my passport and my OFII form through the slit under the window, and lets me go. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
On my way out of the office, I stop by the security guard’s booth thing. I ask him if he found a scarf a few weeks ago, and he turns it over. Another success. I leave with my $300+ visa and my $7 scarf.
So that was a huge load off. I’m not finished, though. of course. Once I get to France I need to go get some forms taken care of and get a medical examination and other run wastes of my time.
I would like to post of photo of my visa here- I put one up on my Facebook- but it has my full name on it, so I’ll just have to let you all leave it to your imaginations.
So after showing up to the consulate at 9am, waiting for about an hour in the holding pen upstairs, my name gets called. I go up to the desk and give the lady my receipt and passport. She asks me if I have the letter from my university. “Uhh… no. I have my school ID?” (which I have since lost, by the way. If anyone from Pitt has found it, please let me know…)She scowled at me and was like “No, I already have a copy of your ID. See? I need a letter.” “Oh, I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I thought that my ID was sufficient.”
And here, she turns to the woman in the booth next to her and is like “Oh, well, she misunderstood.” And tells me to sit back down. So I do, and I happen to overhear the girl next to me say that she’s leaving in two days and still doesn’t have her visa. It was her third time to the consulate. Hmm… reassuring.
After about 20 minutes of freaking out, I finally hear my name called again. I didn’t know if she was calling me up to yell at me again and tell me to come back, or what. But when I get to the window, she glares at me, shoves my passport and my OFII form through the slit under the window, and lets me go. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
On my way out of the office, I stop by the security guard’s booth thing. I ask him if he found a scarf a few weeks ago, and he turns it over. Another success. I leave with my $300+ visa and my $7 scarf.
So that was a huge load off. I’m not finished, though. of course. Once I get to France I need to go get some forms taken care of and get a medical examination and other run wastes of my time.
I would like to post of photo of my visa here- I put one up on my Facebook- but it has my full name on it, so I’ll just have to let you all leave it to your imaginations.
At 1045- 45 minutes after I got there- my number gets called. However, it’s not to speak to the French lady. Nope, not yet. I go to the first window, where there is a seemingly nicer French man. I present my CampusFrance documents, application (which I screwed up a little bit… I filled in my university in France where I was supposed to fill in my home university. I made up an address for Pitt because I couldn’t remember the actual address. Whatever. 3500 Fifth Ave is close enough to Alumni), and pay for the visa. 50 Euros. Aka 66 dollars or 2454 pesos (ayyy that’s a lot of concho rides). After that I sat back down and waited for the French lady to beckon.
Lastly, she asks for a letter from my home university. Which had not been mentioned ANYWHERE. “Uh. What letter. I have a letter from my study abroad program?” “NO, from your university in the STATES.” “Hmmm… university in France?” “NO, MA’AM, HOME UNIVERSITY.” “Uhhh well I have a copy of my school ID?” Apparently that was good enough. Thank GOD. 
On four separate occasions I’ve been in a taxi where the driver has flat out told me that he’d like me to be his girlfriend/wife, because he could “take good care of me”. The conversations always start totally innocently, I’ll say Hi, How are you, etc, and once they see that I speak Spanish… I’m fair game. Two weeks ago I complimented a taxi driver’s car, because it was really nice in comparison to most that I’d seen. I’d been in the car for about 30 seconds, and he turned towards me, totally seriously, and said “If you really like it, honey, I’ll give it to you. Be my girlfriend.”
Another time, a friend and I were eating ice cream at a stand near my apartment. We were talking quietly in English, not drawing attention to ourselves… normal. Right? Right. We weren’t dressed like strippers or dancing around yelling in English or anything idiotic. So there’s this “cop” (I use that word very loosely in this country) who was guarding the ice cream stand. And he just kept staring at us. And we did what we’ve been taught to do which is just ignore people. But he wouldn’t stop. 
Anyway, so I’ve been trying to get myself into the Christmas spirit by listening to some holiday music. Unfortunately, my music collection is majorly lacking in this genre. I’ve got a Taylor Swift holiday album from 2007, a few songs from the Love Actually soundtrack, the Linus and Lucy song, and like ten other random songs, none of which make me think of putting up the Christmas tree or baking copious amounts of cookies. I need to get me some Mannheim Steamroller tan pronto como sea posible.
I am currently watching an SNL marathon. One just finished that was from like 2002… they kept talking about SARS… Avril Lavigne was on and singing a song that I remember hearing at a school dance in 7th grade… and Tracy Morgan was there too- and skinny. How times have changed.
