There were TWO windows for people to be seen at, and each person took between 10 and 30 minutes at the window. OH MY GOODNESS. It was my own personal hell... the people in front of AND behind me both had screaming babies... colic, one may say. It felt like the line wasn't moving at all. I may have shuffled my feet forward a whole meter in half an hour. For a while I wasn't even sure that I'd be seen at all. Time crawled by so slowly, yet somehow the line advanced even MORE slowly.
Finally, around rolls 13h, and I am at the front of the line. And what do I see? The guy at the window I'm supposed to go to... he gets up, and leaves. BUT, HARK! Someone else comes, and older man with salt-n-pepper hair, to replace the guy who'd been dealing with all sorts of immigration drama for 4 hours.
Yup. I got a fresh worker. Someone at the beginning of their shift.
I sat down, handed over my passport, explained that I don't want to go home in July, because tickets are all sorts of expensive, and I'd like to just... stay here as a tourist... for a few weeks. I was essentially a huge, whiny American.
But what does he do? The guy looks at me and says something to the effect of, "we're going to start over. You didn't say any of that stuff to me."
So we started over.
Do you have work after July 20?
No.
Do you want to return to the United States?
No, not right away. I'd like to stay in France for a while.
Okay. Do you think you will be able to find work?
Yes, I think so.
Alright. I am going to set up a meeting for you to get a titre de sejour.
(A titre de sejour is a long-stay visa that would, effectively, allow me to work here in France, either with a contrat à durée déterminée or a contrat à durée indéterminée. )
Dude types away on his computer for a few minutes, entering information from my passport. He intermittently explains things to me like "normally, once your visa is over, you have to leave the Shengen State."
Then he gives me a folder with some information concerning the documents and taxes necessary for a titre de sejour (a work contract, pay stubs from said job, and proof of residence). He says that once my visa expires, I will only be allowed to circulate within France. My meeting is set for 2 October, 2012. So long as I have my sheet of paper that's proof of this meeting, I cannot be deported. In the event that I give up, and can't find work here in France, I can show that piece of paper to customs at the airport, and they will have to let me through and back to the states.
SO. That's solved. I can stay in France until 2 October. Woohoo!
BUT:
THIS OPENS A DOOR WHOSE EXISTENCE I HAD NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED.
Up until this point, I had not considered the possibility of staying in France. I had no idea it was even possible for me to get a titre de sejour. This does not in any way change the fact that I miss Oregon and I miss the people I love so much. But, at the same time, I can't help but ask myself: why not try to stay? Why have I put so much time and effort into studying the French language, and being here in France? Isn't it logical, in some ways, to continue down this path? Won't it be just as difficult for me to find work in the states as here in France? Don't I have an edge, in some ways, because I speak English? I highly doubt I'll have any opportunities to use my French in Oregon. But here, I'm even becoming comfortable engaging in small talk on the bus or with cashiers and bartenders.
Baah. So. What to do? I think I am going to use the week of 19-23 June to job hunt in Paris and in Rouen. And, of course, keep my eyes and ears peeled while I'm traveling. If something turns up, wonderful. If not, I will stick to the original plan, and wwoof and head home at some point in September...
A voir!
No comments:
Post a Comment