Paperwork, Folders, Labels & Translations...

Before we started out on our trip to the French Consulate in Atlanta, GA, many things had to happen.....like a pile of paperwork and scheduled appointments!  Alex will be attending EDHEC Business School in the Fall and in order to make this happen, we needed to apply for visas (A student visa and a long stay visa for myself).  I have provided a basic overview of what to expect below.

Steps to Apply for a Visa:

• Register with Campus France and pay a fee
• Campus France checks into your school acceptance to verify enrollment
• Get the O.K from Campus France to schedule an appointment with the French Consulate in your region (Ours was in Atlanta, GA).
• Schedule an appointment no sooner than 3 months prior to flight
• Gather all documents for processing (See the list on the french consulate website)
• For long stay visas, get all documents translated into French (this can cost a penny or two but the consulate acted like they didn't need them even though the website demanded them)
• Check and double check documents to ensure you have copies and sufficient documentation
• Attend appointment at the French Consulate (No bags/briefcases/etc are allowed so just take a folder).  The whole process took about 15 minutes for each of us
• Go through fingerprinting and take another photo (They take a photo of you seperate from the photo you provided for your visa)
• If there are no problems, wait on your Passports to be sent back to you via the pre-paid envelope you have given the consulate during your appointment

Alex was pretty nervous about the appointment because he did not know what to expect and knew that this was our last big hurdle in getting to France.  We shared some laughs with the lady at the French Consulate after it took him 6 tries to get a good picture between him shutting his eyes and the camera not focusing!  His fingers were also so sweaty that the fingerprint machine couldn't read his prints so he had to wipe his hands off with a napkin, poor guy!  He said that once we were out of the appointment he could relax and we did, listening to music on the 4 hour ride home.

Shout out to a student at ELHS:
On the way home, I received an awesome message from Emily E. and am very proud of her for graduating and thinking of her future.  Keep pushing forward girl!