Well, after a little misadventure concerning the whereabouts of my undelivered visa, I finally have it! So now I have all of the legal issues taken care of, which is a really big relief.
Now, I just need to make sure that the office of Financial Aid has been doing its job, which actually, has been somewhat of an issue. But other than that, I've really only got the typical travel stuff to worry about: packing, money, waiting, etc.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Visa update
So, a week after having gone to Chicago to get my visa processed (the processing time for visas is 3 weeks), I received a notice in our mailbox that because no one was home, the mail carrier could not deliver an Express mail parcel addressed to me. At 8am.
First, what mail carrier delivers mail at 8am? Answer: Ours. Apparently.
Second, people were home. I was gone running at the Y at that point, though, but it seems that our deliverer did not want to give my visa Deliverance. Well, maybe just deliverance. But perhaps no one was awake? I do not know.
Third, I'm not sure now if he will try to deliver it again, or if I have to go downtown to pick it up from the main post office branch. I wish I knew! I'll keep you updated.
Fourth, did you catch that? One week--and the processing time is three weeks. I really hope nothing went wrong!
EDIT: For those of you that don't know what the difference between a passport and a visa is, I'll explain. A passport is a document you get from your country of origin (for me, the US) that allows you entrance back into the country after you have left it. In some instances, it also allows you access to friendly countries (i.e. Canada and Mexico before the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004--which really didn't take effect until 2009 anyway).
A visa, on the other hand, allows entrance to the country you will be visiting. For short visits--less than 90 days for France--one does not need a visa. For anything longer than that, it's probably a good idea to get a visa because most countries these days aren't too happy to have squatters on their territory.
There are a few different types of visas for France. The type of visa I will be getting is a long-stay visa; I will be there for somewhere around 10 months, although I think it will actually be closer to 11. For any normal, non-millionaire, this is a long period of time. Naturally, it makes sense that my visa is the long-stay kind.
Any questions?
First, what mail carrier delivers mail at 8am? Answer: Ours. Apparently.
Second, people were home. I was gone running at the Y at that point, though, but it seems that our deliverer did not want to give my visa Deliverance. Well, maybe just deliverance. But perhaps no one was awake? I do not know.
Third, I'm not sure now if he will try to deliver it again, or if I have to go downtown to pick it up from the main post office branch. I wish I knew! I'll keep you updated.
Fourth, did you catch that? One week--and the processing time is three weeks. I really hope nothing went wrong!
EDIT: For those of you that don't know what the difference between a passport and a visa is, I'll explain. A passport is a document you get from your country of origin (for me, the US) that allows you entrance back into the country after you have left it. In some instances, it also allows you access to friendly countries (i.e. Canada and Mexico before the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004--which really didn't take effect until 2009 anyway).
A visa, on the other hand, allows entrance to the country you will be visiting. For short visits--less than 90 days for France--one does not need a visa. For anything longer than that, it's probably a good idea to get a visa because most countries these days aren't too happy to have squatters on their territory.
There are a few different types of visas for France. The type of visa I will be getting is a long-stay visa; I will be there for somewhere around 10 months, although I think it will actually be closer to 11. For any normal, non-millionaire, this is a long period of time. Naturally, it makes sense that my visa is the long-stay kind.
Any questions?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Visa time!
Well, I've heard back from all of my scholarships now, and today I'm heading up to La Porte, Indiana, to visit my aunt there. My mom and I are staying with her tonight before we head up to Chicago tomorrow. I've got my visa appointment at the French consulate at 11:20am. Hopefully everything goes smoothly!
I can't believe how quickly everything has been happening lately. I have a month and a half before I leave for France! One of my friends just went to London this past weekend, and helping her get ready has really been putting things into perspective for me. Packing for 10 months is going to be killer. Seriously. No idea how I'm going to handle that.
I can't believe how quickly everything has been happening lately. I have a month and a half before I leave for France! One of my friends just went to London this past weekend, and helping her get ready has really been putting things into perspective for me. Packing for 10 months is going to be killer. Seriously. No idea how I'm going to handle that.
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