France - country of copies, paperwork and bureaucracy. Thankfully my French is at the point where I'm not constantly lost in translation, but I've definitely lost myself in stacks of paperwork involved in the French immigration process. Thank goodness for new laws, though, that have tried to expedite the process for teaching assistants in France - which means that I just went through the whole process in two days and now practically everyone in France has copies of my passport, visa, and birth certificate.
I've been back and forth from Marseille and Aix these past two days filling out social security in Marseille, opening a bank account in Aix and then going through the immigration medical visit in Marseille. Hello socialized medicine. Considering that they channeled forty of us through the process together, it didn't take too long. There was just a lot of waiting and hoping that someone out there, anyone would remember that you were waiting for them. And then, just when you think you're all done...there's more. I finished the whole process and triumphantly placed my dossier on the desk at the Inspection Academique only to find out they need more paperwork to be signed in Aix. Lesson learned - in France don't ever think that you're done with the bureaucratic process. And while I'm still wading through papers, the process has not been all that bad. I've just learned to be persistent and ask as many clarifying questions as I need.
Amidst all the paperwork, there have been quite a few perks and exciting discoveries during these first few days in Provence. Here are some highlights from my first week here:
- Dinner at the consul of the United States house in Marseille with amazing views of the sunset on the Mediterranean (picture below).
- Lunch with my host mom from two summers ago.
- Discovering beautiful parks near my house and school in Aix.
- A church here in Aix that has welcomed me with open arms.
- Meeting the director of my school and lots of cute, excited children.
-Knowing that this is where I am supposed to be.
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