Visas....a necessary evil

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Well I just got my passport and visa in the mail. Thank goodness. My experience at the French Consulat on Monday was downright unpleasant. We found the building just fine, but we wanted to find a place for my mom to park while I went in. After driving around the block and getting a little bit lost, my mom just decided to drop me off. I hopped out and went inside. What an odd experience, getting to the consulate offices!

You have to go up an escalator to the lobby, then go to a desk and show ID. They give you a little pass and that gets you on the elevator. I got up to the correct suite and followed the signs to the visa office. It turned out to be just a little room with a bunch of chairs and two women sitting behind bulletproof glass, just like Pooja said.

I went up to the window and said, "Hi, I'm a little bit late for my appointment," and the woman said (in a strong French accent), "Just sit down and we'll call your name." So I sat and literally 10 seconds later she called me back to the window. Now, I should explain the setup behind the window: the woman was sitting at her desk behind a computer. About 1 1/2 feet from the microphone she was speaking into. When she stood to call my name, I could hear her just fine, but then she sat down and I couldn't hear anything else! I had to ask her to repeat everything she said, and it's a good thing I can read lips somewhat! Anyway, I gave her all of my info, and she asked me if i had my prepaid express mail envelope. I said, "No, do I need one?" (I was under the impression that they would print it and give it to me right away, since that's what happened with Pooja). She said yes, and gave me a map to walk to a post office to buy one, which I then needed to bring back to the visa office. Fine. Except that the map was really poorly drawn and labeled!

I turned the wrong way on my way out of the building and ended up walking probably 10 times the distance I needed to! I stopped and asked for directions twice, which was the only way I ever would have found it. I am not above asking for help when I need it haha!

The post office posed a whole other dilemma...it was so crowded and I tried to use the machine but then the woman told me I needed to weigh the thing I would be mailing, but I told her I didn't HAVE my passport since they took it at the visa office and I was exhausted from explaining the situation by the end! Finally I figured it out and made my way back to the visa building. (By the way, as I got back to the block I needed to be on, I noticed the building which houses the post office on the map...RIGHT next door to the visa building! ughhh)

I got back to the window, filled out the mailing label and slid it under the glass. As I left i saw another girl heading toward the visa office. I said, "Good luck," and got in the elevator. The end.

Well not quite...did you forget that all this time, my mom was driving around like a chicken driving a car with her head cut off? Yeah. And while she wasn't as stressed as I was, she was ready to get out of the city (but not before a McDonald's drive-thru run).

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