Six Jours

Six jours!  SIX DAYS until I’m boarding a plane for Paris.  Unbelievable.

Everyone keeps asking what I’m going to miss most while I’m in Paris.  The obvious come to mind:  the people—friends, family, my family’s dogs (because, yes, they need separate mention, and yes, they’re practically people anyway), crazy Houston drivers on roads with more craters on them than Adam Levine’s pre-Proactiv face.  Kidding on that last one; Houston drivers are crazy, Euro drivers are usually crazier…but they drive Matchbox cars instead of diesel trucks.  ANYWAY, all the interrogation got me thinking about what I miss from places I’ve lived previously (see them on a map), and thus, I present:

moi mademoiselle’s list of things most missed from residences past

1. North Canton, Ohio—this one is EASY.  Ro’s Custard and Kraus’s Pizza.  Ro’s had THE BEST custard and sometimes, the dip of the week would be peanut butter.  They had awesome rotational flavors (blue moon and purple cow) and they even put sugar eyes on the ice cream.  Kraus’s not only had incredible pizza, but their potato wedges are out of this world.  Seriously.  Oh, I also miss people who call carbonated beverages “pop.”
2. College Station, Texas—oh my goodness, I miss so much about this place.  Mainly, crab cakes and strawberry tarts from Café Eccell (may it rest in peace).  White pizza from Antonio’s.  $5 movies.  Yes, you read that correctly.  In College Station, you can see a newly released feature film for FIVE DOLLARS, so OF COURSE I miss that place.
3. Cedar Falls, Iowa—Scratch cupcakes.  Seriously, the MOST AMAZING cupcakes I have ever eaten in my entire life.  Dense, moist cake and the richest frosting (without being too sugary!).  I would contemplate moving back there for the cupcakes alone…and that’s saying something because there’s nothing else to do there.  Oh, they also had really great local wine at the farmer’s market.
4. Hatfield, Pennsylvania—Cannoli.  The pizza place had a location on either side of my way in/out of town so I could stop by and get a cannoli (or two or three) on the way back to my sad, lonely apartment in the middle of nowhere.
5. San Antonio and Houston, Texas—the Rodeo.  It’s amazing and I’m super sad to be missing it this year.  Mutton-busting is the greatest “sport” in the history of “sports” and it is so difficult to accept that I won’t get to watch it.  (For those unfamiliar, mutton-busting is where kids—we’re talking about boys and girls, 3-7 years old—put on their cute little Wranglers and pearl snaps and helmets and hold onto a sheep for dear life for up to 8 seconds before falling off, probably crying, and eventually getting comforted by the Rodeo Queen.  Pure hilarity ensues.)  I prefer the San Antonio Rodeo to Houston (venue is better), but regardless, it’s an awesome line up and an excuse to wear my cowboy boots and see children ride sheep.  Also, Dr Pepper and Chick-fil-a.  Because...DUH.

C'est officiel!

I'm OFFICIALLY going to Paris!

Ok, I've been officially going to Paris for a while, but now it's officially official since my work permit has been approved!

When I first found out I was going to Paris, my thought was that all I needed was a visa.  I was so very wrong.  Here's how the process actually works...at least how I understand it to work as of right now.  I'm only on step 5 after all.

moi mademoiselle's understanding of the French visa process

1.  Celebrate!  Your company is sponsoring you to work in Paris for six months!

2.  Submit alllllllll your documentation to apply for a work permit.  (Yes, that reads work permit and not visa.  Stop trying to put the cart ahead of the horse now, it'll save some stress.)  By allllllll documentation, I mean all of it.  If it has anything to do with your identity, it's likely needed.

3.  Wait.  And wait some more.

4.  The Ministry of Labour approves your application to work in France.  They transfer the approval to the Office of Immigration.

5.  Your closest consulate acknowledges receipt of the work permit approval.  You schedule an appointment to apply for a travel visa.  (Yes, a travel visa.)

6.  You attend your appointment at the consulate, fill out more forms, submit more documentation.

7.  Wait.

8.  Pick up your passport with freshly adhered travel visa!

9.  Celebrate!  It's getting more real!

10.  Pause, then remember that your visa only allows you to work and travel in the Schengen area for 90 days.  So what about days 91-180 you will be working and living there??

11.  Fast forward a few weeks:  arrive in Paris!  Celebrate!  You're in Paris!

12.  After eating a fresh croissant and a few macarons, head straight to the Office of Immigration.

13.  Go through a full medical examination.  Fill out more forms.  Submit more documentation.

14.  Wait.  And wait some more.  While waiting:  work, live like a Parisian, travel within the Schengen area.

15.  Receive a resident sticker for your visa.

16.  Celebrate!  Now, finally, you're a resident of Paris and you're allowed to stay for more than 90 days!  AND you get to travel to non-Schengen area countries (read:  the UK).

Apartment Search

Still no word on the status of my work permit. Trying not to have a total and complete panic attack. Now taking bets on when an ulcer will show up to further complicate matters.  To distract (while at the same time making matters worse), I hunt for apartments.

Looking at apartments without having a move-in date set is rather depressing. On one hand, after spending hours sifting through flat rental sites I have a pretty solid idea of what to expect in terms of furnishings, location, and above all, cost. On the other hand, none of it really matters if I don’t know when I’ll be arriving in Paris. Regardless, my search has yielded some pretty interesting apartments…

A rental for the seaman
Does the thought of climbing six floors of stairs (no lift) to get to your teensy apartment in a two-century old building make you shudder? Live outside the box in this quaint canal boat!

A rental for the fan of public restrooms
For the person who depends on Depends--because THERE IS NO TOILET.  Added bonus—the shower is in the kitchen! Think of the convenience of being able to pop in and out of the shower whilst your dinner cooks!

A rental for the modern Disney princess
I would definitely live here in a heartbeat, no questions asked, if I had 10,000 Euro to spend on rent every month. Who wouldn’t? It has a spiral staircase up to the office with bookshelves on the floor above completely open to said office. I imagine this is the apartment Belle and Adam would choose if they wanted a place in the city…you know, aside from their castle in the countryside.

I can't be the only one who has ever found funky, luxuriant, or downright absurd rental properties while hunting for a place to live, so what have you come across?