Crisis Update

Here's what happened:

I spent Wednesday and Thursday right outside of Caen, Normandy, at a private archive in a converted 15th-century monastery. The setting was gorgeous, the archive, fruitful, the food, plentiful. I spent the night on the grounds of the archive, in a comfortable, sleekly-appointed room in the former farinier (grainery?). The experience was so pleasant that I think I'll go back for the entire duration of the time it takes to write my dissertation.

Actually, that'd get expensive - lunch and dinner are 12 euros a piece and a night's stay is 20 euros, which is all very competitive by Paris prices, but unsustainable over the long term. But the archive was really wonderful, and in two days I think I found enough relevant documents to write an entire chapter, or at least a journal article or conference paper. And that's two days of good work. Plus, even if I didn't find anything at all, just spending two days in the Abbatiale, or former-chapel-become-reading-room-and-open-stacks, would have made the experience worthwhile.

So everything went swimmingly for two days, the only catch being that I had to leave slightly earlier than planned on Thursday due to a rail strike. I checked out, got in the taxi to the train station (I tried to tell the administrator who arranges such things that I could just as easily take the bus, but she wouldn't hear of it), and that was the end of the experience, at least until next time. On our way past the main entrance, I tried to snap one more picture of the incredibly photogenic compound.

This moment was when things went terribly wrong. What I didn't realize was that in taking out the camera to snap a terrible, worthless photograph, I knocked my passport out of my backpack, onto the floor of the taxicab. I didn't even notice that my passport was missing until well after I got home, and at that point I had no way of knowing whether it had fallen out of my bag in the taxi, or on the train back.

I went to Gare St. Lazare to check their lost-and-found, but no one had picked up anything. First thing this morning, I called the archive to try to figure out what taxi I had been in; they promised to work on it. I didn't wait to see whether it would turn up, because we're leaving Saturday for Florida, and if I had to replace my passport, I figured I should give myself a two-day head-start rather than waiting until Friday morning.

So I biked/ran to the US Embassy, American Citizen Services section, where I nervously presented my case and hoped I would be granted my new passport in time to leave. It turned out that this kind of thing happens all the time, and they're well prepared for my scenario. That's why this morning ended up being the most pleasant bureaucratic experience of my life. I was in and out in under 2 hours with a new (temporary) passport in hand and a bounce in my step. Of course, I'd had my cell phone taken away while I was in the Embassy, so as soon as I got out I found out that right at the moment my new passport was placed in my hand, my old passport had been found - in the taxi, in Caen.

All's well that ends well, I guess. As much as I would have liked to have continued collecting stamps and visas and French green cards in my old passport, I think I probably did the right thing by being proactive. And at least I still get to keep the old passport as a souvenir, just like I'd always planned.

Florida, here we come!

Crisis Mode

I seem to have misplaced my passport. And we're supposed to leave for Florida in two days.

Tomorrow, I'll explain how this happened. (Hopefully tomorrow I'll know more about how this happened. Right now, I can only speculate.)

More importantly, early tomorrow morning I will get in line at the US Embassy, where I should be able to procure a same-day "emergency" passport. Wish me luck.

Can't Leave Home Without It

Dear Everyone,

We got our visas!!!! (It only took two weeks!) (We're still glad we started early.)

Sincerely,

Louis and Maggie

French Consulate

Friday, Maggie and I joined the "normal" morning commute downtown en route to the French Consulate, where we positioned ourselves right in front of the lobby's security desk and prepared to spearhead the 9 AM rush of visa-applicants. New arrivals to the "line" couldn't understand why they had been forced to sign up for an "appointment" if everyone apparently signed up for the same time. (Oh, French bureaucracy!) Maggie and I knew better - that's why we arrived plenty early.

At 8:50, the security officers allowed us to start a new line, this one directly outside the consulate, which was on the 7th floor. The consulate door opened only a few minutes late (inside the consulate they were right on time, since the last person to arrive had turned their analog clock back a few minutes, to make it seem as if they hadn't arrived late) and I was first up at the Visa window.

I was grateful to have a young, American intern on the other side of the window. She was much less brusque and much more accomodating than most French bureaucrats I've encountered. Still, there were misunderstandings: no where on the long-stay visa application does it ask you to describe what kind of visa you want. I wanted a "general non-professional" long-stay visa; I didn't know that this is also called a "visitor's" visa. So I was asked whether I was a student, a chercheur (researcher), or visitor, and I hesitated, and we eventually figured it out.

Another funny miscommunication between website, applicant, and employee involved the number of copies required. The website says originals plus two copies; that's what I brought. The girl at the desk only wanted one copy, and sometimes none at all. So wasteful.

Finally, it turns out I needed a "letter of intent" describing what I'd be doing during my stay in France, which makes perfect sense. However, nowhere on the website was I instructed to write such a letter. I ended up having to scrawl something out while Maggie was getitng her visa, and they may need me to submit more documentation in the near future. Hopefully not.

Maggie's process went more smoothly, and the girl at the desk helped me out by grouping our applications together so that my passport would be shipped back to us in the same Fedex envelope as Maggie's. (Here's hoping my (potential) rejection doesn't prevent Maggie from getting her visa, too.)

In conclusion, I'm glad we started preparing a long time ago, and I wish the French Consulate would redo their website so their instructions are completely unambiguous. And I wish the French Consulate employees would then read the website. Thank you.

Visas, Part Louis

When Maggie first posted about visa requirements, I didn't yet know which visa I'd apply for. Unlike Maggie, I'm technically not a student - I'm not signed up for classes at a French university, and I'm not even informally affiliated with one. (If I were affiliated, or could convince a French prof to make pretend, I might be eligible for the "Visa for professors and researchers holders of a 'protocole d'acceuil,'" but I think I'm happier as an independent, unaffiliated researcher.) I'm definitely not working (ha!), so that's out.

The only thing left is "General long-stay visa for non-professional purpose." This seems to be intended for retirees, the independently wealthy, basically anyone who comes to France without anything to do but somehow manages to pay for it. So, grad students on fellowship.

I wish this were my visa . . .

Requirements:

• Three Photographs
• Two long-stay application forms
• One Passport
• And a par-tridge in a pear tree - just kidding. Seriously now:
• A proof of US resident status (not sure if this applies to me, but my MA driver's license should suffice)
• Financial guarantee such as: a letter from my bank stating that I have "sufficient means" of support to live in France (how much is "sufficient?" I could live in the streets for nothing...) plus your last or three last (!!?!??) bank statements, plus a note stating that I don't plan to engage in any activities that require a work permit
• Proof of medical insurance (discussed below)
• Proof that I'm not a hardened criminal ("certificate of non-criminal record," which I attained at the Somerville Police headquarters this morning!)
• Deed of my apartment/house in France

Uh, hold up. Deed? I think they mean lease. Right, guys? Guys??? Also, what if I don't know where I'm living yet? On the long-stay application, there's a spot to put your place of residence in France, "if known" - so clearly they don't expect everyone to know already.

Unlike Maggie's short-and-sweet student visa (3 days to process), my long-stay visa for drinking two cups of coffee and three glasses of wine per day takes around two months to process. Maggie and I both scheduled our visa appointments for June 26th. We leave August 31st. Cutting it close? Yes and no. Wish me luck.

Insurance

In addition to all the other annoying things one must do to procure a visa (reviewed by Maggie in an earlier post), there is the curious hurdle of proving insurance coverage. Quoth the Boston French Consulate website:

Makes sense - they have universal coverage in France, and want to make sure you're not taking advantage of their system by coming over without health care. And lots of companies specialize in insuring travelers, plus your regular insurer probably has a provision for overseas or "out of network" travel.

Problem: Most insurance companies do not cover "repatriation expenses" as part of your regular plan. So, in addition to your normal American health insurance, in most cases you would have to pick up traveler's insurance. Luckily there are tons of companies who can provide Medevac services - for a few hundred dollars, of course. I used www.insuremytrip.com to get quotes from a number of travel insurers, and prices ranged from $250 to $655 per person for a 9-month stint. Bummer!

Maggie and I are lucky in that, for the most part, we will be able to avoid this extra expense. As a student, Maggie's health insurance will come from the French government. (Thanks, Nanny State!) She may need to show that her current health insurance extends through the first month we'll be in Paris (before her classes start), and that may involve picking up Medevac insurance just for that month (which should be relatively inexpensive - around $150). I'll continue to pay for my Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts insurance because I'll need it when we return, and I'll avoid picking up Medevac insurance by relying on Harvard's affiliation with International SOS. ISOS is an emergency medical services provider that is free to Harvard (and many other schools') affiliates:

Summary of Harvard’s International SOS Benefits

Medical Assistance Services

·       24-hour access to I-SOS physicians who provide emergency and routine medical advice

·       24-hour access to I-SOS Alarm Centers for medical information, referrals and emergency assistance

·       Medical and dental referrals

·       Emergency medical evacuation

·       Medically supervised repatriation

·       Medical expenses guarantee and payment*

·       Arrangement of ground transportation and accommodation for accompanying family members*

·       Assistance with documentation for insurance claims

·       Dispatch of prescription medication and medical equipment*

Asterisks mean that ISOS will pay upfront, but ultimately must be reimbursed. Still, it's an amazing deal. If you're a student, staff, or faculty at any academic institution, check to see if they work with ISOS - it could save you money, and (in booming, dramatic radio announcer's voice) IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!

Visas!

Oh boy... here we go. We've heard horror stories about applying for visas to stay in France longer than three months. This informative post should help us sail through the process, right? The following information was obtained by reading the French Consulate of Boston website.

First, to apply for a visa, we must bring an original and a copy of all the necessary documents. They won't make us photocopies. Visas cost money. We must pay in advance. If they decide not to give us our visas, absolutely no refund will be granted. How much does a long stay visa cost? 99 Euros. What is a long stay visa? The long stay visa allows one to stay in France for more than 3 months, for example to study, work, retire, etc.

OK - now: more details from the visas section of their website

Processing time for a long stay visa is about 2 months (except long stay student visas for American citizens: the visa is generally issued in 3 working days). [So fast! We'll see about that...]

Personal appearance is the basic rule and is required. [When I first read this, I thought it meant we needed to dress up. Anyway, we are lucky that we live so close to the Consulate - it's right down the road in Boston!)]

IMPORTANT REMARKS: The Consular Administration has full authority to request additional documents than those submitted by the applicant. Note that the visa does not in itself grant you the right to enter a French territory. It is necessary that you carry the original documents used to obtain the visa with you at all times. Border authorities may request that you show them upon entry to France. [I think this is intended to scare us. What other documents might they possibly request?]

Beginning April 1st, 2009, all visa applicants will be required to obtain an appointment on-line to apply for a visa at the Consulate General of France in Boston. [Ok... they're moving into the 21st century here!]

ATTENTION: Since March 1, 2007, you MUST enroll with CampusFrance in order to obtain a temporary long stay visa or a long stay student visa. Visit www.usa.campusfrance.org to learn more and register. [Really? Um, ok. Just tried... my browser is not compatible. Bah.]

For stays of more than six months: you have to apply for a long stay visa by filling out 2 long stay application forms. Long stay application forms being in French, you can download an explanation in English. 

With a long stay visa, you will have to apply, as soon as you arrive in France, for a residency card ("carte de séjour") with the French prefecture which has jurisdiction over the place where you will be studying.  [Basically, we must bring more forms with us in order to fill out more forms.]

Necessary forms (for Maggie, at least): 

• A passport valid at least six months upon arrival in France (+ 1 copy of pages containing birth date, photo, and expiration date). Please make sure a blank page remains in your passport for the visa stamp.
• 2 long stay application forms filled out in black. Please do not forget to write your phone number and e-mail address.
• 3 photographs [something about the image they send you to for more information is creepy...]

The photo must be a recent head shot, in color and on a white background. 

• A proof of residency or of studies in one of the following states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont [Any ideas of what might serve as sufficient proof of residency?]
• Letter of admission from a French school/University (+ 1 copy) [Luckily, I have one of these in hand and another on the way]
• Letter from your university in the US stating that you are currently registered there as a student (+ 1 copy) [Now, if I'm not currently a student, will they still require this form?]
• Proof of sufficient funds: Copy of parents’ bank statement or copy of student’s bank statement [I wish I could tap into my parents' bank accounts for this trip...]
• Processing fees: by credit card (Visa, MasterCard) or cash

Phew! Anyone with experience navigating this process is welcome to leave further feedback. As for me, I'm going to go to bed - thinking about all this paperwork leaves me feeling sleepy!

Frustration

If you've ever had to deal with French bureaucracy, you will know my frustration over the past week.

In order to reside in France legally for 9 months, I will need to obtain a long stay visa. One way to do this is to sign up for classes in order to get a "student" visa. However, this is not as easy as it sounds. 

First, I pre-registered for French classes at the Sorbonne. But it isn't really the Sorbonne. I would explain, but I don't really understand myself. 

I know deep down that these French classes will cost more money than I should have to spend in order to be a student in Paris. French university costs are very low... so I just need to figure out a way to enroll at an actual French university. Campus France supposedly has the information I need, but I can't begin to describe the absurdity of their website. Check it out for yourself! Help!