Carte de Sejour

Last Friday I recieved a notice in the mail- my carte de sejour was ready! All I had to do was go to the prefecture and get it.

So last night I set my alarm for 8:30. The Prefecture opens at 9:30- I would go right away, get it out of the way, then have the rest of my day to do whatever.

This morning arrives and of course I did not get out of bed at 8:30. Instead I stayed in bed until about 9:45. Then I did not get ready right away and go to the prefecture... I did, after all, have all day... what was the hurry?

So I grabbed breakfast, my computer and my comforter and watched Dead Poet's Society on the couch in my PJs. Wonderful movie! Nice relaxing morning.

Then I got dressed and ready to go. I looked up the address of the prefecture just to be sure I knew where I was going and then headed out the door. On my way there I realized I didn't bring my recipise with me (the pre-cursor to the carte de sejour that says you've turned in your paperwork). Oh well, I'd go check it out anyway, maybe I didn't need it.

It starts raining as I walk there, but I'm in such a wonderful mood (probably because of my leisurly morning) that I don't mind. It feels refreshing. I get to the prefecture and I went to the Welcome desk and explained that I was here to pick up my carte de sejour. The lady gave me a number and said the place to go was down the hall on the right.

So off I go with my number: 558. I get down and I see that they are on number 039 or something like that and I just about had a heart attack. Then the number changed to 487 or somewhere in that range and my heart began beating again, just in time. It was around this time that I decided I had better be sure as to whether or not I needed that other piece of paper. I got back in the Welcome line and when I got to the front I asked the lady if I NEEDED my recipece... indeed I did. Well, good thing I had about 70ish people ahead of me.

I walked back out into the rain, surprisingly still in a good mood, enjoying the light wind blowing my hair and the light rain sprinkling on my skin. I turned the iPod back on and headed back towards home.

The whole trip- there and back- took about 20ish minutes and was uneventful. When I got back to the prefecture, they were only on number 503. I had plenty of time. I sat down on the stairs with a book and began to wait. After a while the man in front of me and I started talking-- he was from Brazil and this was his 5th year in France and thus his 5th time getting his Carte de Sejour. He was a student for most of it and had just recently started teaching Entrepreneurship. We laughed about France, the French and the phases of living abroad: from falling in love with everything you see and taking in all the positives to becoming homesick and only seeing the negatives to the acceptance phase, where you take the good with the bad and are able to function normally- neither staring around in awe at what's around you like a tourist, not shlumping through the streets like the frustrated, lonely traveler.

We laughed about the carte de sejour process and about how France's primary goal seems to be to teach everyone patience. At which point I had a baby epiphany as that is something I had been praying for in my own life... more patience... how neat that after all this time this one man enlightens me-- after all, what beter way to learn patience than to test it.

Finally my number is called and I turn in my paperwork and 4 minutes later I walk away with my Carte de Sejour... on it my name is spelled with an s, despite all my efforts throughout the process to ensure that it be spelled with a z. Oh well, such is life.

(The prison photo picture was not my idea... you're not allowed to smile in French passport, etc. photos...)

So... after 5 months of working here, I am finally legal!!! Wooohooo!!

I walked out into the cloudy afternoon- the rain had stopped and walked back to the metro with a new lightness in my step. That difficulty is now behind me and I can legally work a 2nd job if I find one. As the clouds parted just a touch I could see the blue skies high above. Perhaps this is the start of phase 3, I thought to myself smiling. It can only get better from here.