I haven't left for Paris yet. That's not until February 22. I'm currently at my aunt and uncle's in Boynton Beach, Florida (just south of West Palm Beach), studying for the LSAT. But, it was Paris related preparations that brought me down here.
This past Friday, the 16th, was my visa application appointment at the French Consulate in Atlanta. On Thursday morning I packed my car and drove the 5 hours to my other aunt and uncle's which is walking distance from the consulate. My appointment was at 8:30 in the morning on Friday and I got there bright and early. The consulate was an innocuous floor in a very nice office building connected to Lenox Square Mall, the Buckhead Building. I'm not sure what I expected, but it was certainly more than a metal detector and two rooms with chairs, a couple cute French posters, and dignitaries behind glass.
I sat in the room for about 30 minutes before the consular finally got to me. He said they were having technical difficulties and had to reboot the system hence my wait time. The application process consisted of me handing him all my paperwork (which was so much it almost burst the envelope), paying the $59 left that the CampusFrance (a pre-screening process required for student visas) fee didn't cover, taking my picture, and taking my finger prints. He then asked if I was doing the OFII step which would allow me to work in France and/or extend my visa. I chose not to do it because I know I won't be there long enough for take advantage of any of that. Perhaps when I return while working on my masters degree I'll take that step. After asking about the OFII he said, "Everything is here. We'll send everything back to you (including my passport) in a couple weeks."
It was so nonchalant and quick; I couldn't believe that was it. I asked him "c'est tout?" which means "that's all?" and he said "Yes. You're good." I thanked him and was out of there by 9:15 and spent the rest of the day with my aunt, uncle, and their 4 children, ages 11 and under.
The next day I left for South Florida to visit more family and have a change of scenery for my studying. Yesterday, Tuesday, Jan 20, I signed up for my classes at ESSEC. I'm taking International Negotiations, Advanced French, French Civilization, Maitrise de l'Information Strategique (an information management course taught in French), Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity, a European Union class, International Contract Law, and Strategic Management. About half of them are in French, and although I'm taking 8 classes, it'll come back to USC as 13.5 hours and each class only meets once a week. International Negotiation is a 3 day seminar before regular classes start. Unfortunately, my French class is Monday mornings at 8:30 and I'm not a morning person. On the other hand, my weekends will start Thursdays at noon!
All my preparations for my semester in Paris have been made. In my last post I said I was "so excited I [couldn't] stand it." Somehow that excitement has now been tripled. The only challenge left, besides the LSAT in 2 and a half weeks, is waiting out the 32 days and 1 hour left before my flight, but I'm not counting. ;)
