Visas, Dates, and Flights: Oh My!

Ohhhhh. Wow.

So, today, Mom and I decided enough was enough, and it was already July, so we should have gotten my host family placement by now. So we called both of my coordinators at CIEE and left them voice-mail messages. A few hours later, my regional coordinator called back, and Mom had a chat with her about how much we're freaking out about the visa.

She told us that my host family placement will come in the next two weeks. Again. But this time, she had a reason for it: apparently France is very particular about having everything worked out before any exchange students get their placement. France wants to make sure that our schools are going to accept us, so that they won't have to change host families on us, and the week for the schools to mail back the acceptance is this week. Apparently, it's also the last week of school for French kids. Which is great and all, because now I at least know that they haven't missed me or anything, they've just been being extra careful. :)

The other part of the phone call was, obviously, dealing with visa stuff. I didn't hear much of what Mom was saying on the phone, but when she hung up she told me that we needed to schedule my visa appointment right now. And when she said right now, she meant right now. She hung up the phone and went over to her computer to schedule it. As it turns out, the consulate wants you to get a visa one month before you leave. Since I'm going to be in France on the 27th of August, this left us trying to get the appointment this month.

So, very luckily, the next available date for an appointment happened to be the 27th of July. At noon. So on the 26th, I'm going to be driving down to California with my parent(s) with a whole bunch of essential paperwork (some of which we don't actually have yet).

On another note, the day I'm leaving has been changed. I'm now leaving on the 24th of August, because my coordinator wants us all to arrive at noon on the 25th at Boston. Yeah. From Washington state, that's just not happening. So I'm leaving early on the 24th and getting there late the same day, then spending the night in the hotel booked for our orientation. I'll still be getting into France on the 27th, though.

It's overwhelming, sorry. I have no idea how I'm keeping all this straight. If it helps at all, absolutely nothing else about my life has changed. :)

So now when I say there won't be anymore posts until my host family info comes, I might actually mean it. Wouldn't that be a lovely change of pace.

Over and out.

~Josie Harris