Visa Update
My visa (the document allowing me to work in France, not the credit card) did not arrive today as promised. UGH. I don’t know whether to direct my hate at Canada Post or the French Consulate. I will reserve freaking out until tomorrow. If it doesn’t show up then… it will not be pretty.
Tuesday, September 14th: It’s here!!! Such a relief. They just had to keep me on my toes, didn’t they. The AIM language learning resources I ordered also arrived today. Phew! Crisis averted.
Required reading.
I’ve read a couple of France-themed books this summer, since I figured that was appropriate.
The first was called The Secret Life of France by Lucy Wadham. A rather recent book, just published in July, I figured it would be rather relevant to the France I’m about to experience – from the perspective of a young woman who moves to France. The first few chapters were interesting enough to keep me reading. She details differences in culture, social norms, education, health care, day to day life, etc. She discusses meeting, marrying and having kids with a frenchman. But in the later half of the book, it turned incredibly political. Unless you’re interested in politics (I am decidedly uninterested in politics), it makes for a rather dull read. I kept going in hopes that the author would share further details such as those I found interesting at the beginning, but I was disappointed. For a book that’s heavily about her personal experiences, she glosses over her divorce and the issues surrounding it (not that I needed the gory details, but even details about how divorces are handled in general were excluded). I guess I just felt it lacked balance. Overall, not terrible, but not fabulous.
Since I am moving to Provence, my next selection was a must-read: A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle. It’s a best-selling classic… so it must be good, right? I did indeed enjoy it. It is non-fiction and chronicles Peter & his wife’s first year living in Provence. It was good, light, easy reading. Not a gripping page-turner by any means, but definitely an interesting glimpse into the very same area of the country I will be living. It read too much like a restaurant guide at some points but it did serve to emphasize the cultural importance of food and drink. One of the weaknesses of the format – a diary, with each chapter covering one month’s time – is that it ends rather anti-climatically… it just ends. But I suppose a one-year chunk of time in any person’s life would leave you wondering quite a lot. I should pick up the sequels someday to continue the story. I just discovered that there is apparently a mini-series made based on the book. I also recently watched the 2006 film, A Good Year, which is based on Peter’s (fiction) writings and also gives a good glimpse into life in Provence.
But now, the time for reading, watching and dreaming is over… it’s time for packing, traveling and experiencing. Only a few more days until I leave.
I have an odd fascination with plane crashes.
Has anyone else ever watched the television series “Mayday”?
I love it. Every episode reenacts a specific plane crash and then goes over the entire investigation that took place surrounding that flight. They walk you through the different clues they found and the different trains of thought they had in their quest to find the reasons for the crash. Finally, it talks about the changes in aviation safety that have been made to ensure similar disasters don’t happen again. I find all of it ridiculously fascinating.
Even better is that Discovery Canada puts entire seasons of the show online. I just discovered they’ve now got season 7 online! Now I know how I’m going to fill my days until I leave next week… in between the packing and the last minute running around.
I realize maybe I’m a little weird to watch a show about plane crashes when I’m about to fly half way around the world, but meh!
If you want to watch it too, head to: http://watch.discoverychannel.ca then click on the video library tab, and browse to Mayday. If you’re not Canadian, I’m pretty sure it’ll only let Canadian IP addresses watch, but you might get lucky. Otherwise check your local listings for when and where you can watch it in your area.
I remember.
I didn’t really think of it until I saw today’s date. I can’t believe how long it’s been and how fresh the memories of that day still are. It’s changed us all, whether we know it or not, in small ways, in big ways, directly, indirectly.
I don’t really have much to say that hasn’t been said many times already – just didn’t feel right writing about anything else today.
I am slowly going crazy.
I am very impatiently awaiting the arrival of my visa.
My appointment was almost three weeks ago now and it went perfectly smoothly. I had my forms and documents in quadruplicate (if that’s a word), just in case. I had my ridiculously expensive mugshots… errr, ID photos. I gave them everything they asked for, was finger printed and photographed again. I left them an expresspost envelope to send my passport (with my visa) back to me, along with other important documents. My paperwork clearly stated when I’d be leaving and they even have a copy of my flight information. The asked me to email them to check on the status of my visa after 10 days, which I did (and got no response).
The clock is ticking and I am definitely starting to slowly go crazy! I don’t even want to think about what I’ll have to do if it doesn’t get here on time. So in the meantime, I’ll think positive. It’ll be here on Monday, right?
UPDATE: So, I guess all it took was me taking the time and energy to write a blog post about waiting. A couple minutes after I finished writing this, I received a phone call from the consulate and my visa is ready and being posted today! It should arrive on Monday… so I guess I am still waiting… but at least I have confirmation that it is on its way! The nightmares about having to cancel my Iceland plans can end!
