Four Months in Nantes: August 2007

Wednesday night I started packing for my dad and my trip to Chicago. We were scheduled to leave Thursday after work, drive about halfway, then drive to Chicago proper in time for my visa interview at 1:00 on Friday. I printed off all of the forms I'd need, set out some more professional looking clothes, then decided I'd pack my passport and head to bed. Went to our lockbox and counted....three passports. Not four, three. Ethan's, Mom's, and Dad's...but not mine. So I thought, well maybe its in my luggage...which I still haven't entirely unpacked since May term. Turned that inside out...not there.
I ended up spending the entire night going through every purse, bag, drawer, shelve, under everything, on everything, I looked everywhere. No passport. I got about two hours of sleep, woke up again early and kept looking...still nothing. I had to get to work, so I printed off the numbers for the French Consulate and the American Passport Agency and took off in my period clothing. I got to work, and ran upstairs to start making some phone calls.
First I called the French Consulate to see if I could still get my visa without my passport. You can't, it is actually made on the pages of your passport so you have to have it. The lady I spoke with said my best bet would be to go to the Chicago passport agency for a new passport, then get to the French consulate as soon as I could.
My next call was to the American Passport Agency...I couldn't find a number for just the Chicago branch so I had to call the national line. You listen to a ten minute recording, then listen to another five minutes of lists and options of buttons to push. I hit about three before I got to their automated appointment scheduler. The catch is...their next open appointment isn't available until two days after I leave, and if I miss getting to Nantes on time I lose my place in the program. I called back, finally got a hold of a person instead of a record, and was told that the only way I could get a new passport in time for my visa were if I got to Chicago as soon as physically possible and made a personal appearance.

So I left work and drove to my Dad's office. He was chairing a committee with meetings that afternoon and wasn't able to go with me...so I took of for Chicago. I only stopped long enough to pack the rest of my bags, print off the necessary forms, and then get new passport pictures. Blech. My Mom had me take her Acura, becuase it has fancy GPS mapping stuff. I took off for Chicago, drove and drove and drove. Missed a special visitor at the farms, but got to listen to Harry Potter on book tape again. The drive itself wasn't actually that bad, though it rained most of the way. Unbeknownst to me, there were tornadoes in the areas I was driving through. I'm definitely glad I didn't know that one. I had to stop at about four toll booths where they stand there with a handful of dimes all day long to give back to the people who give them $2 at the $1.90 toll.
According to the GPS thing, I was supposed to hit Chicago at about 4:00...I was aiming straight for the Passport Agency, I was going to march in there with all of my paperwork, stand in line, fill out said paperwork, and demand a new passport. At the point when my GPS said I had 23 minutes left in my trip, I hit Chicago rush hour traffic...which meant that 23 minute trip took me about two hours. I was so angry. I ended up just going to the hotel...parked the car in a parking ramp/valet thingy nearby, checked in, and hid in my room for the rest of the night. I've had some people tell me that going to Nantes for four months on my own is really brave...but I'm thinking maybe its just stupid. I was a wreck. I was literally shaking when I checked into my hotel room. My mom, who is normally all "go out, explore" told me to stay in the room and order room service. I ended up watching reruns of Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty while I filled out all of my paperwork.
I woke up early the next morning and was at the Passport Agency by 7:30. They open at 9:00, and I still was about 15 people back in line. There were two little kids that kept me really entertained, so that wasn't too bad. I got in there, gave the lady all of my papers, and she asked me if I had an appointment. I told her no, that the person I had spoken to on the phone last night had told me to just come in because I needed my passport for my visa appointment that afternoon. She told me that the only way I could walk in to get a passport was if I was leaving within 48 hours, otherwise an appointment has to be made. They said my best bet would be to see how close to my departure I could make a new visa appointment...and the French had already told me that it was Friday or nothing. Basically the Americans were telling me I was screwed, because I can't come in 48 hours before I leave...they're closed. I leave the Tuesday after Labor Day..which is a three day holiday weekend.
I walked back down to the lobby, called the French Consulate again. They told me if I didn't have a passport they were sorry, there was nothing they could do. I should mention it was the same lady on the phone every time. She was actually born outside of Nantes, and told me that she was going to do everything in her power to get me there. I just had to get her a passport before the end of the day. I went back to the hotel, called my mom, and told her that I thought all was lost.
About ten minutes after sitting down and giving up, I started to think again. If I could get the French consulate to tell the passport people that I HAD to have a passport...would they give it to me? I called my French lady again, and she said they could fax over such a letter if I gave her the fax number. Of course, how simple. Except the passport agency's only number is the national recorded line...they don't give out the individual branches numbers. I finally took a cab to the French Consulate, picked up the letter, and went back and stood in line at the Passport Agency. When I was walking in, all of the guards were asking me if I was alright and wishing me luck...which I hoped I wouldn't need. I stood in line for another 30 minutes, and finally got in to the same girl I'd seen earlier. I showed her my signed, stamped and sealed letter, and after talking with a supervisor she let me through. I sat down, waited another thirty minutes, and finally got my passport!! Yay! Well - actually it was just the permission to get a passport, I had to come back at 3:30 to pick it up.
I went back to the hotel, took a nap, and waited for my Dad to get there. He'd been trying to fly in the whole night before and that day, but with the storms Des Moines and Chicago were canceling all of their flights. He got there, we grabbed a quick lunch, (Yay Orangina!) then we walked back to the passport agency. After waiting about 20 minutes, we picked up my beautiful new passport. We hailed a cab, had it stolen from us, hailed another one, then went to the French consulate. Once I was there, it took them all of 5 minutes...literally five minutes...to give me my visa. First thing I did once I had it? Gave it to my dad and made him take care of it.
That night he and I went out to a fancy dinner at the restaurant at the hotel (raw tuna for an appetizer, elk loin and halibut for our main course, polenta (kind of like cornmeal) with cheese and a mushroom stew as sides, then the "chef's choice" (honey funnelcakes, plum pudding, profiteroles, and chocolate tart, plus a watermelon slush) for dessert. It was nice! Then Saturday morning we went to the big aquarium for a few hours then drove home. Needless to say, the first thing I did when we got in the house was put the darn passport in the lock box!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Visa/Passport Fiasco

Thursday, August 16, 2007

One for the money, two for the show....

Four Months in Nantes

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