My French visa has arrived!

It has been a couple of days since my last blog post but I haven't really done anything Paris-related. I attended Comic-Con for the second year in a row just to get into the True Blood panel. After getting into the panel I was extremely lucky to have met  Alexander Skarsgård (/queue the fangirling). But that really has nothing to do with Paris, unless I could take Alexander Skarsgård along but I don't think that would be possible.

This morning mom woke me up with something very special. No, not a gift or breakfast in bed but the FedEx package with my passport and French visa! I have to admit I am not used to not smiling in pictures but who cares about that when you are one step closer to leaving. I'm honestly so happy! Packing round 2 is coming up sometime this week and I need to make sure to buy the things on my list that I need.

20 more days till I get on a plane!

French Visa Process

I got so many warnings and tips about the visa from various people about the visa process. My dad's friend told me the employees were extremely rude, while past students just told their horror stories about how they got denied the first time they made their appointment. I arrived to the consulate confident because I knew I had every paper that was listed on the website and in the exact order that was on their website. My appointment was at 10:15am, but I arrived at 9:10am. The visa offices are actually on the back of the French consulate building which I didn't know until I arrived. I didn't even wait 10 minutes before I was let in. There was a metal detector and a French security guard who looked pretty intimidating but in reality he was far from intimidating. He asked to see my application, my passport, my driver license before walking in. I spoke to him in French for a bit, and he reassured me that my broken French was good and that it was just going to get better during my stay. Turns out the intimidating security guard was actually a chatter box! After spending about 5 minutes chatting away, he let me in. It looked like a dentist office, I swear! I was expecting offices and having to sit in front of a worker but there were only two booths and a sitting area. I saw people go up to one of the booths, some with all their paper organized while others tried to find the papers they were being asked for.

My visa appointment is tomorrow!

I have all the papers and the copies ready and organized in my binder. I'm also prepared if they ask to see another document since I have every document and email in my binder. It's all nice and organized so I'm feeling pretty confident about tomorrow. Is it normal to be as excited as I am? I seriously feel as if I'm going to Disneyland, I'm that excited. I'm thinking of doing a little vlog tomorrow, so you'll get to see that tomorrow night or on Tuesday. Now I have to go to bed since I have to wake up at 4am just to get to the French Embassy a bit early than my appointment.

Bonne nuit et croise les doigts pour moi ! 

Ready for my French visa

Consulat Général de France à Los Angeles, I'm ready for you.

French visa appointment

I have my appointment to get my visa at the French Embassy in Los Angeles on Monday so I've spent the past week filling out the forms and organizing the paperwork that I need to present. Prior to this whenever someone would ask me about how I feel about going to France, I would just tell them that it didn't feel real yet- that it still felt like a dream. Even with having paperwork getting mailed and receiving emails from the exchange program, I was still in a dream phase but I can assure you that I'm no longer in that phase. With a little over a month before I pack my bags and say goodbye to San Diego and Tijuana for 10 months, I don't think I can afford being in the dream phase anymore. The fact that I'm leaving probably feels even more real for my dad and especially his bank account (thank you California budget cuts!) but for right now I'm looking forward to the last and most important piece of the puzzle that I need- my visa.

I have a feeling that I might shed a tear of happiness if I get approved for the visa on Monday. Je croise les doigts ! :)