Visa....Mercy PLEASE

I used to believe that child birth is the most difficult thing in a women's life.....I was completely off the mark...it is definitely obtaining a visa from the French government. Besides the in-person consulate visit, that requires a great deal of sweat and tears to arrange and appear at, there is about 100 pages of documents that need to be gathered and collated. From health and insurance to bank records you name it people I gave it to the French consulate. I think I even drug in our kitchen sink for inspection. Here is the good news.....drum roll please......I got my visa! But here are some mistakes I made on the way to getting it:

1. Listening to my travel agent. To all you kids out there who want to get a visa and your parents are divorced.....don't listen to your travel agent when she says "you don't need the divorce papers!" You need them. Without a doubt you need them. They want to be really super sure you are not skipping out on your country without both your parents fully realizing your gone. Not France, try somewhere like Bosnia or a small out lying Indonesian island if your trying to run away. 2. Drive up to L.A. the night before your in person interview at 11:00 PM Oh no you didn't.... I am embarrassed to say Oh yes we did. I am sure the consulate people thought my bloodshot eyes were beautiful. 3. Schedule your appointment for 9:00 AM For some places this might not be a problem....but with rush hour L.A. traffic your going to want a nice afternoon appointment. 4. Wait until the day of your appointment to try to figure out what the building looks like. I know the address...I really thought that was enough. NO. Get a picture people. We drove past it twice. and unfortunately that made us late and made me burst into a hysterical crying fit. Which made my eyes blood shots and watery..... 5. Wear a warm sweater when it is 90 degrees and the French visa office makes you stand outside. I am pretty sure I sweated through my sweater....I was so disgusted I tried to throw it away.... Now here are some things you should do when visiting the French consulate. 1. SPEAK FRENCH I know. I know. Everyone says it and in your simple teenage mind you think there cant possibly be a way it could affect your candidacy. Well simple teenage mind you. have. been. officially. blow. Four words in french got me in after I was late to my appointment: Je parle en Francais. The rather large black security guard melted like an ice cream cone in a L.A. summer. He even asked me if I WAS FRENCH. Why yes I am officer thank you for noticing...... 2. Have ALL your documents collated. They are not kidding kids. They really want them in the order they have them in on the website. The guys next to me was sent away.....:( (The girl he was with had an unusually large mole on her face and did NOT look friendly)Thankfully my attendant was polite and blessedly patient.... 3. Wear a pretty dress I think this is good advice for everyday....it just makes you feel more confident. I went in and I looked and felt like they were going to approve my visa...and they could probably tell. Just look nice they are more willing to give you a little slack. 4. Fix your hair This goes for boys and girls. THEY WILL TAKE YOUR PICTURE FOR THE VISA....BEWARE OR BAD HAIR. You are going to have that puppy for a long time. Try to look good, maybe some earrings, a couple curlers, some heavy duty hairspray.....anything to make your pic look good. I am proud to say mie turned out just the way I wanted it to! Yay. 5. Be nice and thank everyone. I was the only person in the place who thanked the security guard when we left. He said thank you and called me "Mon Cherie". This is a pretty good indicator that he is really under appreciated in his position. Although they might be tough on the outside those Frechies want to be appreciated just as much as everyone else.....seriously just thank them! The task and of the visa caused my nails to be bitten to stubs, a serious crying fit, and A LOT tension within my entire family....but it is oddly all worth it. I am now able to go on a year long adventure! It might look like the impossible task with an annoying version of the song "the final countdown" playing in the backround....but trust me the rewards you will reap will be price less! Au Revoir for now, Emily Anne By the way....that is a picture of the consulates door....it was super intimidating!