Atlanta Adventure

After accumulating and organizing mounds of paperwork required to apply for a French long-stay student visa, the next step was to drive to the French Consulate in Atlanta, GA.  My dad and I were able to drive down the day before to get settled into a hotel literally across the street from the building where the Consulate is, so we had that going for us.  

After a painfully busy morning and a dreary drive, we arrived in Atlanta.  The Consulate was located in the Buckhead area of the city, so in the drive from the highway to the hotel, I saw some of the most beautiful and expensive homes and condos available (gated, of course).   We relaxed and had dinner before turning in early to prepare for our checkout and appointment at 10:45 in the morning.  

The binder of paperwork I brought into the Consulate.  No bags allowed, so my wallet was jammed in as well.  

In the morning, we took the hotel shuttle and I was at the consulate 30 minutes ahead of time.  I was allowed into the office space, but my dad had to wait in the lobby downstairs.  I was ushered into a space reminiscent of a bank, with a counter that had two windows, with men behind the glass.  A fun surprise- my friend Brett from UNCW was also applying for her visa!  It was a treat to see her before she ships off to Paris (best of luck, girl!).  

The room was quiet and, after Brett and another man, I was beckoned to the counter.  I removed the required documents from my binder and handed them to the man at the desk.  After all of my careful preparation, I still lacked a proper photo.  I was directed down the street to CVS to have an official passport-style photo taken before the Consulate closed for business.  After rushing there in a taxi and back, I submitted the photos and I was free!!!

 

L: Photo I brought to the consulate   R: Photo from CVS, that looks like a mugshot, but is on the required photo paper.  

Overall, the whole experience with the Consulate was so-so.  Weeks ahead when we emailed about appointment times, our email was never returned.  When we called, the operator was impatient and seemed unwilling to help.  The website was poorly organized and the list of required paperwork was very difficult to find.  However, my experience with the office workers there was pleasant and the man I spoke with was kind and clear in his directions.  I'm not looking forward to anything having to do with visas in the future, though I have more work to do on my immigration form (part of the long-stay visa) once I arrive in France.  

Luggage!

Feast your eyes on this purple luggage!  It rated very highly online and it came in the best color in the world, so I immediately acquired it.  I have a 25" and a 29" (the one I am sitting in).  Of course, the very best news of all is that with all of this space, I can bring all the shoes I was hoping to.  I'll be traveling with these two bags and my backpack, so I definitely have enough space for everything I could want or need!

I really love the tangible progress like this towards leaving.  The steps involving insurance and visas are crucial, but this is a physical sign that it's getting close to time to leave.

For those that know me (at least over the last year), you know how dependent I am on my daily planner.  I ordered a custom one online with a beautiful Monet as the cover and it should be here in about a week!!!  I'm excited to have both this blog and my planner to record my journey.  I'm not one for writing a daily diary, but the planner will chronicle my day-to-day life while abroad and I consider it an incredibly important piece of memorabilia.

Updated Flight!

After much confusion on my part, and a slight update in my program arrival date due to housing, I am now leaving Charlotte on August 30th.  I'm glad that I don't have to languish (expensively) in a hotel room in France for a week and that I get seven more days with my family and friends, but now I'm even further from starting my journey.  Ouch.

Another update on the other blog I discovered (with the girl who had an identical schedule to me):  She has not contacted me yet, but someone else has!  A guy who studied at Lille 3 in 2013 through ISEP (International Student Exchange Program, by the way) at the same school emailed me!  I can't wait to pick his head for all things study abroad!

http://bonjourmarissa.blogspot.com/2011/09/arrivee.html  This is the blog post I discovered with pictures of the residence hall where I'll be living (though of course I will post my own pictures after I move in!)

Slow progress

I feel so ready to leave already!  My family and I have been doing so much in preparation- dealing with a cell phone plan, navigating my housing, insurance, luggage- that I feel tired of waiting. In reality, I'm not ready to leave and there is still much to be accomplished, but I feel too stagnant. 

I have, through the gaciousness of my aunt and her flight points, officially acquired a ticket!  I will leave Charlotte on August 23rd and arrive in Paris on the 24th mid day.  Once there, I will take a train to Lille and stay in a hotel briefly until I can move into my residence hall.  Unlike residence halls in America that are on campus, the affiliated dorms for French universities are off campus, though nearby and seem completely exclusive to attending students.  

As part of the paperwork for confirming my bed space, I am finally making first contact with the university officials who run the international office at Lille 3.  Writing administratively appropriate emails in French is really putting my limited language skills to the test and showing me how much I need to improve on before I feel comfortable communicating accurately in any situation.  

The delay for my visa is a struggle for me.  Before even applying for my visa (which requires a trip to the consulate in Atlanta), I had to complete a separate student application that is required before I can even send in the application.  This is my first encounter with the "French" pacing, as opposed to the very predictable and trackable American system.  I feel like I should already have everything done and I need to remind myself that not everything needs to be rushed (but this waiting game, though).  

Amusingly, I was looking for more pictures of where I'll be living and I found a blog by a girl who flew out of Charlotte...to Paris...and took a train to Lille...and lived in my future dorm...and applied through ISEP.  I kid you not, this girl had the same experience a few years ago that I am about to have!!!  I'm really hoping to get in contact with her so I can pick her brain and talk to her about her experience!  Such a small world, guys:)

Sorry for the scattered post, I'm just a mess with all of this prep, not to mention that I turn 21 in 3 days!  I can't wait to really get organized as it gets closer to the end and I can really see progress:)

Exciting News!

On the morning of April 20th, 2015, I found out where I would be spending the next year (well, 10 months) of my life: Lille, France.  After a long silence from my placement program, I was happy to hear that I had gotten into my first choice school!  An hour from Paris and 1.5 hours from London, I'm very excited for the travel possibilities living in Lille will bring.  Charles de Gaulle University (or Lille 3) offers courses in the human sciences taught in both French and English, which drew me to apply. 

I've been given so much information that it is difficult to sift through it all.  I am eager to begin preparing for my trip and somehow fitting my whole life into two suitcases.  The prospect of leaving home for so long is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.   Here's to hoping culture shock doesn't hit me like a ton of bricks!

I'm already looking forward to seeing friends who live in France, Great Britain, and Switzerland, as well as tracking down my distant family in Italy.  I want to see as many things as possible in the time allotted to me because I know it will seem new and exciting just to be there, but I don't want my time to slip away from me before I experience everything Europe has to offer!

A blog?

Hello, everyone!  I've decided to keep a blog, keeping track of my time leading up to studying abroad and, of course, the trip itself.  I figure this will be a good way to keep everyone up-to-date as well as create a condensed story for me to look back on later in life of my adventures :)