Study hard YL

Last week, my immigration consultant informed me that my carte de sejour (resident permit) was ready, and I was to go to the Prefecture de Police de Paris to collect it. In their signature organised manner, she detailed the location and the procedures for the collection in the email.

First thing the next morning, I showed up at the building and joined a queue of foreigners (i.e. Africans and Chinese) in the drizzle. First step according to the email was to obtain a queue ticket. While I waited to speak to the receptionist, I marvelled at how those in front of me were able to communicate effortlessly with her in French. Aren't these supposed to be foreigners?? Did I miss a paragraph in the "Moving to France" manual that I must speak fluent French before moving?

Of course, when it came to my turn, I could not explain clearly why I was there. After some confused exchanges between us, she told me dismissively to go to Charles de Gaulle Etoile, which was near where I lived, and where I had travelled from that morning, and most importantly, a good 45 minutes' commute.

Nothing about France surprises me anymore; I expect nothing but stumbling blocks for every thing I try to do here. But of course it does not make it any less exasperating, and question marks were doing dances in my head. I did not believe that my immigration consultant had sent me on a wild-goose chase on a rainy Thursday morning. So I sat down in a corner to call her, but it was too early and no one picked up the phone. After 10 minutes of pondering and plotting my journey to Charles de Gaulle Etoile and bemoaning my fate, I began to wonder who the people milling around my corner were doing.

And then it occured to me that I went to the wrong room. And then the ticket machine materialised out of thin air, right in front of me. So I slowly and casually stood up, strolled over to the machine, and took a ticket, hoping NOT to attract any attention.

And then, trying hard to maintain the same nonchalant expression and pace, I strolled over to the caisse (cashier) to buy my stamps for the carte, which is step two on my email.

Look at the (tiny) directions properly...

The fees for the carte are to be paid using.....special stamps!

And voila, 15 minutes later, it was my turn, and I received my carte de sejour with no further incident.

Paris tires me out...

YL, study hard, learn your French before coming and save me!!