She’s Baaack!
Hello all!! My computer is back in working order and I seem have found a decent wi-fi location so I’m getting back to blogging. I’ve done seen and done some interesting stuff in my time off-line. Hope you enjoy!
Travel With Candace
Discover Guadeloupe…And anywhere else I go.
Made it!
So I have arrived in Guadeloupe safe and sound. My bags got held up in Miami, but it actually worked out for the better because airport empolyees had to fit my super bulky/heavy luggage into a van and cart it my current residence (pictured above). Ha, suckers!
My first few weeks in Guadeloupe I am staying with a Gwo-Ka singer named Marie-Line a her 13-year-old son Cyril (picture pending, my MacBook is down). They are extremely nice, laidback are helping me to get acclimated. I am lucky to have found them, thanks to my cousin Reggie.
I am getting settled now, I have unpacked a bit and am trying to get my “Carte de Sejour.” I need this card before I can start other important processes such as opening bank and cell phone accounts. Unfortunately, this is proving a bit tricky.
I spent Thursday morning in front of a government office jockeying for position amongst 60 or more other foreigners trying to get an appointment. Alas, I got nowhere, but I’ll figure it out. Stay tuned!
I’m legal baby!
I haven’t even left home and already my second go at living abroad is starting out on better footing. When I lived in Germany in early 2006, I was basically an illegal alien being paid under the table for my work at a media research firm. Since I received my teaching position through the French government, this time ’round I had to go by the books and get a long-stay visa before leaving. The horror stories you hear about French bureaucracy had me a bit worried about going through the visa process. I don’t know if my experience at the French Consulate in San Francisco is representative, but I found the whole thing pretty painless.
I went in for a 2:00 appointment with all the proper documents in hand and was out of the door by 2:40. All I needed was: my passport, visa application (2 copies), employment verification (original and a copy), 2 passport photos, and my flight itinerary. The finger printing and actual production of the visa took the most time.
My visa and sanctioned teaching position will allow me to get a “Carte de Sejour” (Residency card) that will be valid for a year. I have to apply for the “Carte” within 8 days of arriving on the island. It will be my primary form of identification on Guadeloupe and will verify my legal, long-term residency. The “Carte” will also allow me to take advantage of health and dental services, which is pretty awesome considering I didn’t have dental insurance at my last job and haven’t been in a year.
