Safe and sound

Made it to the new digs in Talloires. I love this place, even though I've spent most of the time sleeping. It was a long flight and an even longer week leading up to this move. I graduated, packed and shipped my things and cleaned out my old apartment. I unfortunately got stuck in the dead center seat on the plane, and spent the entire flight playing elbow jockey with a guy from Panama until he fell asleep with his arm about 6 inches into my personal space. I've never been so happy to get off a plane...


Me after not sleeping a full 48 hours praying for internet.

Yesterday, we spent the day at the Orange store setting up an internet/phone/tv program and miraculously, even though they said it would take 15 days to start working, the internet and tv works! Once the phone service kicks in, I'll get free international calls. All of this for less than half of what I was paying in the US, and that was a student rate. I don't miss Comcast and never will.

After that was the first trip to Carrefour (like Target or Walmart). Going at 7 in the evening was not smart at all. I've never seen a mob quite like it. It really is exhausting trying to figure groceries out when it's not a native language and there are swarms of people everywhere. It ended up working, and we took the new car home. Ford Fiesta. Figures we got the American car, haha. Feels like home.

There's an awesome hike right outside the apartment we took this afternoon. Here's a quick video I took tonight during dinner. I'm never leaving this terrace ever.

FINALLY

I take back any negativity about the visa process. The DC embassy restored my faith. It was actually really easy once the paperwork was in the same state as me.

I am officially moving June 21st. Still trying to condense all of my worldly belongings to 5 or 6 small boxes, along with my fun stuff (snowboard/bike) so they can be shipped tomorrow. It's pretty difficult considering that I have no idea how long I'm going to be living over there and never having had any real size constraints in houses or apartments I've lived in. Ah well.

My French is still so very bad. First thing up when I move is finding language lessons. All my French teacher told me is that I sound like I have a Spanish accent and that I'm scared to talk. All very true.

One of the two covert pictures at the DC embassy (for fear of being thrown out and stripped of my passport):

French Visa: Round 2 (The Prequel)

This coming Friday... the 2nd major travel event of the ANAEM visa process... DC here I come.

In other news, the NY consulate was a little off in their declaration that they "forwarded our files to DC in April." In some round-about way, it was discovered that by "forwarding" the files, they meant "throwing them in the trashcan." The whole application process had to start over, so now we're going to DC even though the new letter from ANAEM in France might not even be there (yet).

I then graduate on Saturday, the 14th. Go me.

6 days later is the big move...

*and if DC screws me then who knows when I'll be going. The beginning of July if I'm lucky...