Carte de Séjour Saga: The Finale

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Whew! Finally! The suspense was killing me...I didn't even know if I'd learn the end of the carte de séjour saga before leaving France, but I finally have the full inside scoop...so listen good!



As you all of you die-hard fans know, the Carte de Séjour saga is an epic drama of some length, dating back to the early days of September. It concerns a young woman studying abroad in the City of Lights (Paris) for the school year of 2006-2007. However, in order for this young lady to remain LEGALLY a resident of the city, she must obtain a "titre de séjour" from the government of this fine country, permitting her to reside for a period of longer than 3 months. However, her temporary-stay visa expired in the middle of November, since then she has been in a mild, constant state of anxiety for quite some time now, continually frustrated in her repeated attempts to acquire the precious document. Her travails with the "administration francaise" have been the source of much frustration, but also a rich source of creative inspiration, prompting at least several blog events up until this date.

And now...ta da...

The Conclusion

She had been advised to call back...again...around Janurary 20. However, her opinion of the carte de séjour personnel had fallen so low that, completely dispairing, she let this date pass with telephoning. Apathy onset...it was truly the low point of the saga. Perhaps she feared that it would still not be ready...perhaps she figured that another week late couldn't hurt...perhaps she was having too much fun with her friends...who knows. This is not the objet of our drama.

However, come January 30, she decided that perhaps she should call. After all, she would be leaving for Switzerland on January 12, and to Turkey on January 20...so having the card might be a good idea. So, full of trepidation, she dialed the now-familiar 10-digit phone number of the Prefecture of Police...01..48...

Ah ha! The phone is answered! Already a good sign.

And yes...she has the reference number...on the paper well-worn by anxious handling...yes, it starts with 75...

And yes...yes...her name is Liska, Robyn Elizabeth...born the 18th of December...

And finally...can it be? The card is...actually...amazingly...ready! Hallelujah!!!!

But wait! Not so fast. This is NOT the end of the saga. Oh no. That would be to let our readers off the hook way to easily.

For she must actually GO to the Préfecture de Police, 48, rue de la Roquette, near the Place de la Bastille, in order to get the precious card. So on Thursday she takes her papers...and her passport...and treks across the city in order to complete her quest. But no! Can it be? She is there, the card is waiting for her, but she DOES NOT HAVE THE CORRECT COPY OF THE MEDICAL FORM! Disaster! She needs the one with the Préfecture's STAMP on it...this one is "pas la bonne copie." It must be...chez elle. Alas. So close...and yet so far. The uncompromising employee gives her a sympathetic look, but sends her on her way. The other employee does not even glance up from her bureaucratic paper-shuffling. It appears that all the world is against her.

And yet, our heroine is not so easily vanquished. Another administrative hurdle? Pas de probleme! What's one more day? One more squelched hope? She will return tomorrow, stronger than ever, reinforced by every paper she has ever received from this Prefecture...No paper-pusher can defeat her!

And so, resiliently, she rises the next day and heads straight for the imposing fortress of carte-de-séjour-cauchemars, bane of every foreigner residing in Paris. And this time it is different! Armed with her sheaf of official documents...she conquers! The card is there...passed across the counter...checked, verified, and signed for....and it is hers! No one can take it from her! She now resides legally in France, owner of a lovely, laminated, 4"x3" pink-and-blue card, which represents the fulfillment of a five-month long quest of cultural assimilation and personal perserverence and patience. Wonders and miracles...she even gets a smile out of the Prefecture employee. It is over! All that remains is to head directly to Sciences Po and make fifty photocopies, to be safely deposited anywhere she can think of.

We leave you there, dear viewers, at the triumphant pinacle of an adminstrative mountain, drained witnesses to a journey that tested our young protagonist to the limits of her patience and wits. We hope you have enjoyed the story as much as she has.

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Comments

[cristoforo]

Hearty Applause!
Félicitations! Il t'a fallu plus de quatre mois pour prendre ta carte de séjour?? Oh, mamma mia! Nous le devons faire aussi en Italie; je l'ai domandé il y a deux semaines (il me faut suivre presque dix mesures administratives), mais je ne l'ai pas encore reçu. Peut-être je l'aurai avant que je parte d'ici. Allors, j'aimais ta petite histoire, et je ne peux pas attendre notre rendezvous en Turquie!!

[CricketREL]

Francais aussi?
Hey! Je ne savais pas que tu parlais français aussi bien qu'italien...t'es vraiment un homme de nombreux competences! J'attends aussi notre séjour avec trop d'impatience...peut-être que tu auras reçu ta carte avant que tu ne partiras, mais je n'ai plus de confiance en ces fonctionnaires...mais bonne chance, en tout cas! As-tu un blog sur ce site?