Visa arrival

Wow, this is amazing! My French Consulate appointment was Friday morning in Chicago, and my visa was already delivered via express mail this morning! I wasn't expecting to receive it for at least a few weeks.  

As you can see, the visa is a sort of sticker affixed to a page in my passport. I look like a secret agent in my photo!

The arrival of my visa gives me the legal right to live and work in France for one full year, which means I'm cleared to leave September 21st.

Getting my French Visa in Chicago

I'm officially one step closer to France! Dad accompanied me to beautiful Chicago for my Visa appointment at the French Consulate, where I had to appear in person and submit my arrêté de nomination, as well as my passport and some paperwork.  My Visa should be delivered within two weeks, at which point I will be free to leave for France!

Dad and I had an absolute ball!  Being cut from the same cloth, we get along famously! We wandered the streets all weekend, photographing everything in sight, and eating quite well too!

Highlights of the trip include:

*Cloud Gate, a three story steel sculpture affectionately known as "The Bean," in Millenium Park.

*Visiting Seurat's Un dimanche après midi à la grande Jatte and Hopper's Nighthawks at the Art Institute of Chicago.

*Dinner and Guinness at Elephant and Castle Pub.

*The stained glass museum at Navy Pier (refreshingly air conditioned and devoid of crowds.)

*Free Opera performance at the Jay Pritzger Pavilion in Millennium Park.

*Exploring our two favorite skyscrapers: My favorite is the Tribune Tower, and with its neo gothic architecture, and stones and bricks from places all over the world, including the Pyramids of Giza, Notre Dame de Paris, and Edinburgh Castle. Dad's favorite is the Hancock Building, the structural expressionist masterpiece in the commercial district.

*Outdoor breakfasts, drinking in the sounds of the city waking up.

What an unforgettable trip! I'm thrilled to have shared this experience with my dad! As amazing as our trek across the city was, it was the conversations we shared that I will treasure the most.  

FINALLY: The arrival of my Arrêté de Nomination!

At long last, it's here, my Arrêté de Nomination, which is my work contract.  My darling, yet nocturnal college student sister slept through an attempt at delivery yesterday morning, and so I had to wait until this morning to pick it up at the Post office. (ohhh the suspense!) Thankfully, I had today off, so I was there 15 minutes before opening, and the clock could not move quickly enough! I was so nervous about whether or not I would receive the contract length I wanted.

When the envelope was safely in my hands, I could not stop trembling with excitement, which made opening it take longer, and of course, put me in even more of a panic.  Once I had torn the envelope open, my eyes darted all over the page, scanning for the vital information... This took awhile too, as the document is entirely in French. Ahh, there it was! 9 months!!! Primary!!! Exactly what I wanted! Sweet relief!

Now that I have my Arrêté, the next step is to travel to French Consulate in Chicago to obtain my visa, which will give me the legal right to work France.