How I learned to stop worrying and love blogging

I am once again legal to live and work in France for another year. I am set until December of 2009. This time around I worried a bit because I was changing my statute. It was quite easy and painless. This time there were no special circumstances and I could provide all the things they asked for, plus about 25 more pieces of paper they didn’t ask for, but seemed quite content to add to my dossier. this picture was too dark to use however.

• It is not very pleasant to benefit from racism but that is exactly what happened to me. I think the 10 people ahead of me were from various points all over North Africa. Each one of them was missing one or more documents and had even more amusing stories to tell about why their dossiers were not complete, amusing to them but not to the poor civil servant who had to endure these

  “amusing” stories all day long. When she saw me, my pile of papers, and did not have to listen to some story about how my passport had been destroyed in an unfortunate tagine accident involving mint,

  I think she decided I would get my carte de sejour, even if my name were Osama bin Laden, which it isn’t. So here I am getting ready to apply for my French drivers license. Guess what, my last license came from PA which has full reciprocity with France so all I have to do is apply, no École for me, and I will get both my motorcycle and car licenses. Not that I plan to drive too much but it’s nice to rub it in the faces of those of you who have to endure French driving school. I have had my share of bad news lately so sorry to gloat!