Packing Up

The last day of school went off without a hitch. The kids were great, they watched Ice Age (they were thrilled I let them watch a movie given I said that they would not and that we were doing work the day before!). They ate lunch outside, had an ice cream social inside where some peers played some music and then it was time to go. I would have liked it to be a bit more sentimental as last year in 8th grade, the kids had tears in their eyes and realized how good they had it. I supposed when they return and I am not back they may feel a tug at their hearts.

Yesterday was packing day for teachers. I was all packed up already so just put two boxes into my car and practiced French for the majority of the day. I was given Rosetta Stone many a year ago and did it for a while but then stopped. I have decided that if someone writes something down, I should be able to decipher the idea of it if not perfectly pretty closely. I am pretty good with just listening and not seeing what they are talking about as well, but that may change when I get there. I do lots of the repeating of what they say but I still feel very uncomfortable with speaking it.

I got some major moral support yesterday about this whole France trip thing. I was just feeling like I had no more energy to deal with it. A good New Jersey kick in the butt got me going again though. I am waiting to hear back from 1) a co-workers friend whose owns a farm in France 2) my cousin's friend whose family owns a farm in France 3) the farms. I did hear back from one on Tuesday night when I was in panic mode. They said that her husband was out of town but would contact me Saturday or Sunday...I am hoping.

The brighter side: if for some reason none of this works out with getting my visa, I can get my passport back and BOOM stay for three months anyways. I could always go country hopping, which would be nice and I would have a lot of support and people to stay with, but deep down that is not what I want.

Oh well, today the cable and internet are being turned off. I will be returning my school laptop and finish packing up. I am afraid that when the movers come and store my stuff for two weeks before we move into the new apartment in New Mexico, that I will not have what I need or something will go missing, or it will take more than two weeks. So, like an over planning OCD freak, I have packed all of the clothes that I think that I will need for France in a huge suitcase that includes a book and shoes. I will also be bringing on my road trip a carry-on size suitcase with material for the road trip and finally my guava, bamboo and orchid plants.

My sister will be taking the road trip with me and said she has a big suitcase too. My hopes, all suitcases in the trunk (please fit...), all plants in the back (please fit and don't spill out...) all humans in the front (...). I still do not know what time the movers will be here but my sister should be getting in from Philly around 10 so with train and taxi she should be here about 1030-1045.

Feeling Hopeless

So, I have the documents from the insurance agency that I am going to send to the embassy. The WWOOFing information is not so easy. I just heard back from them today, saying that they cannot help with any visa paperwork and I need to go through the farm. It does make sense what they are saying and staying out of it, but this just leaves me more stressed and under pressure. I worry that without hearing back from a farm and getting them to write a letter for me, I will not get my visa. I do not know if I will even be able to go without a visa, now that the embassy has my passport. I contacted two more farms asking if I can stay with them, written in French with all information that I can think of. I also emailed some bloggers that I found when searching for information about where they stayed and input that they have or farmers that they know who can help or that I can stay with.

Tomorrow is my last day of school and I have to finish packing there and then finish packing at home. So much for thinking that this would be some sort of vacation for me.

Cleaning

So, this being the last weekend that I will be in Georgia, I decided that I should do some cleaning. I started by cleaning out all of the canisters on the kitchen counter; you know the white ones that you put flour and sugar in. I threw all the material out and the canisters into the dishwasher. I also had different bottles of vinegar lining the counter, so I got rid of those. No need to keep them around if I have not used them in over two years and I am moving so far away. Down the drain they went! I have to say, when I was all done...I couldn't lift the garbage because it was so heavy and the sink reaked of vinegar.

I turned on the air conditioning and light a candle as I had some friends coming over to pick up some plants. We went outside to my porch and they decided to take my blueberry and strawberry plant. I would not allow them to touch my guava! They did not want the basil, which made me sad... Anyway, watching them try to figure out how to lift and bring the huge blueberry bush downstairs and into the car was great. I toweled off the dirt and we wound up sticking the branches out of the car window.

Seems like I am all set to go now. (If only all life could be this easy...heavy trash, smelly sink, clever friends).

Embassy Chaos

Okay - so it was not really chaos, but it was not good. When I told someone the story, they said that it sounded like a nightmare. I could see that; not the nightmare that makes you wake up screaming, but the one that you makes you stressed and feel a bit crazy.

My appointment was for 3:15 and I knew I did not want to take a half day at work, so I had the day off. It was great, I checked online to make sure I had all of my documents, found out the amount of money I needed for the visa was $134 and then I went for a walk. After a walk to calm down and get focused, I was off to do some errands. After my errands I decided to head over the the embassy a bit early...2:00.

I followed the directions to a T and wound up at the mall. Since I had so much time to kill, I figured I would walk around a bit, stop by the Apple store and get some more directions. Well, the directions said I was at the embassy. I walked around and then drove around the mall with no luck. I called and they told me they were located right by Ruby Tuesday, I was thrilled and hung up...then I stopped and thought to myself "this mall has a Ruby Tuesday?!" No, it does not. Ruby Tuesday's is across from the back of the mall and the embassy is in a building that is somehow connected to it. I finally found it though and went along my way.

As my heart began beating faster I walked up to the desk in the entrance of the building. They were trying to help a man find where to go when he was told to find a person and not an office. I shuffled through my papers looking for my appointment slip, which I was told I needed or I would not be allowed in. They did not ask for it and sent me up to the fifth floor. I went to open the door and it wouldn't open. A man walked up and had a badge that opened the door and let me in.

It was a small room with windows everywhere. I went up to the desk that had glass between me and the guy behind the counter. He welcomed me in French and I told him I was there for a visa. He told me to wait in the room the the left for someone to assist me as it was 2:50 and nobody will be there until 3. I opened the door and the light turned on. It was extremely small and painted French Blue (you know, like the flag...). I took a seat facing one of the two counters that were in front of me.

A few minutes later a family of five came in. A husband, wife, two sons and daughter. I moved over so I could not see the counters, as to allow the family to sit together. They were whispering to each other, but all speaking English. It seemed as though the wife might have been French or European and the husband was American. The kids were in school uniforms. The oldest son seemed so unhappy. The girl sat on the mothers lap and was just smiling with the mother the whole time. The youngest, had to switch seats because the mother wanted him to sit next to the father. The dad played a "game" with the boy to see how long he could sit without moving. Obviously, the mother had major issues with the son who seemed just a bit more active then the other two children. The oldest son and mother were flicked the daughter's hair and the son's arm hit the wall by accident. The mother said that is what happens when he acts "inappropriately" and he had to sit with his fingers intertwined. It was just a weird mix of everything!

Finally, someone came to the counter and the father went up. He gave him some documents, sat, signed some forms with the mother, and then waited. They then left and I was left alone in the waiting area again. The man behind the glass window called me up and I gave him my documents. I was extremely polite and was trying to listen carefully, as I am not the best with accents. The man looked my documents and asked what they were and when I got them. I told him that I got them March 31st and filled them out (since I thought that I would meeting much earlier). I was then informed that those were all the wrong documents! Apparently, the embassy had moved around March and had new documents on the website since April. Nothing on the website said that new forms were up-loaded and I needed to use those. Heart pounding, I asked if there was anything that I could do. He angrily told me that he would print me a new form and I had to fill it out "quickly, quickly."

A side note about these "forms" they are written in French and need to be filled out in French. I thought, that it would be the same form, with a different heading, you know, new address and all. WRONG! They looked the same, but had different questions and I cannot read French well enough to decipher it "quickly quickly." I made a couple of mistakes and had issues where he whited it out for me and highlighted and whited out and so on.

I was then asked where I would be staying after my three day hotel. I told him that I would be at a farm and he asked me what the address was...I panicked! I still have not heard back from anyone that I am good to go. I looked through my papers and found a couple descriptions of farms. He asked me to write the address down and I tried. I had no idea if I wrote the farm name, address, or what I wrote it was in French for people's sake! He questioned me and I just showed him the paper work. He told me that he needed to keep that and I would need a letter from the farm, on letterhead, saying that I will be staying with them, what I will be doing there, and that I will not be getting paid. At this moment, I just kept repeating the farm "address" in my head as I would have to now contact these people.

After thinking about this though, I do not think that the farm will have letterhead, so I contacted the WWOOF organization. I was also questioned about my insurance, he did not know if it was valid in Europe. I told him that it was specifically meant for that. He asked what would happen if I needed surgery and I was confused, not sure what he wanted as I would be covered. He told me that I had to be covered $36,000 USD and when I told him that I definitely was he told me that I better not be lying because that would hold everything up and I should just tell him if I was not. He said "fine" and that meant...I was to leave.

I have two forms now to get and return to the embassy in order to get my visa approved. I contacted the insurance company and they told me to print a couple of things and if they still are not good enough, to contact them again and they will help. I contacted WWOOF a couple of days ago, but still have not heard back from them. They are usually really good about getting back via email, so I am just...waiting now.

I will be leaving Georgia in 6 days and feel I have so much to do! I will keep you all updated though!

PS - no questions were asked about the prepaid envelope that I had addressed to my parent's house. Dun dun dun....