Category Archives: Preparations

On buying a point-and-shoot

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In middle school, my dad bought me one of the first digital cameras ever. But it quickly died out of fashion as newer models came out. Then, randomly, for my 17th birthday, my dad bought me a DSLR (Canon Rebel T1i). It was my only camera until just recently. For my year in Paris, I researched very seriously to find the perfect point-and-shoot. So why, if I already had an advanced camera, did I go searching for a less high-end camera? Because I already knew how tiring it is to carry a DSLR, especially when I don’t know if I’ll be taking any photos that day.

Cali did hard research to find a good DSLR and was super excited to own one for her year abroad, but she quickly grew to realize that man is it exhausting having to lug it around. I used to suffer from shoulder and neck pains wearing the camera with me. And not every situation, in my opinion, requires high quality photos. Sometimes, I just want to capture the moment and move on with my life. Using a DSLR requires more time and effort. And a bigger bag.

I ended up getting the Canon SX260 and I have had no regrets at all. It’s not the greatest in low light, but the zoom feature is terrific and the photo quality is still good. I’m not too concerned with technical aspects. I just wanted a camera that would produce high quality photos on the go. I love being able to carry my camera everywhere I go because it can fit into all of my bags, big or small. I don’t even notice the weight. It has enabled me to take pictures of random, unexpected things on the streets or to take fun videos here and there.

Aside from the weight though, the biggest difference between my point-and-shoot and my DSLR is that when I carry around my DSLR, I am usually more concerned with getting the right shot. I spend so much time composing the photo and getting the technical aspects correct. This is especially troublesome on trips and in daily life because I feel as if, with my DSLR, I worry more about taking good photos than actually enjoying the moment. With my point-and-shoot, I can just take my photo for memory’s (and blogging) sake and enjoy the rest of the moment. I still use my DSLR from time to time, but I feel so liberated now realizing that there’s more to (my) life than capturing moments. With my point-and-shoot, I don’t feel the need to pull it out all the time. And I am actually a lot happier with just experiencing things and then writing it down in my journal afterwards rather than taking hundreds of photos.

Last weeks in America

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The last few weeks before I boarded on a plane to Paris are a blur. Everything came and went so quickly and I can’t remember much of what I did, except that I watched a lot of Korean dramas and rarely left my house. One vivid memory, though, is my last-minute rush to finish packing.

PACKING:

I’m not going to give you any advice on packing because I failed miserably at that. But I can give you some warnings: PACK AHEAD OF TIME. I knew that I needed to pack early, but I still procrastinated with the excuses that:

  1. I still had plenty of time left to pack. Packing’s not that difficult. I already created a list of things that I need to bring (which I ended up neglecting for the most part). The rest is easy. (No it is not.)
  2. The suitcases wouldn’t fit in my room. I can’t pack until I can properly lie the suitcases down in my room because once I put clothes in there, I am never closing the suitcases and storing them upright. (Completely false.)
  3. I was still wearing the clothes that I needed to pack. I have to wait for a while, until it gets closer to the departure date, for me to really pack. (But all of that time, I could’ve packed all the clothes that I wasn’t wearing.)

In the end, I think it all boils down to my inner-reluctance to acknowledge that packing meant I would be leaving soon. And not just on a nice family vacation, but on a year by myself, for the first time. Those last days were dark days. Or, more accurately put, bright days. On my last two days before the flight, I packed the whole day until maybe 6-7AM, then I took a short nap and resumed packing at around 10AM. I don’t do all-nighters, so that was my sleep for the day.

Why was packing so difficult for me? Well, I have a love-hate relationship with my clothes. Some days, I love an article, but most other days, I hate. Sometimes, I love it for a long time, then grow to hate it, until one random day, I like it again. But most of the time, I dislike all of my clothes. So, I first had to distinguish between which clothes I disliked, but still thought were nice enough to bring with me to Paris. That was a difficult. And even after deciding all of that, my suitcases were still too heavy. So I had to complete the arduous task of getting rid of things that I already set my mind on bringing. After all, everything that I had chose to bring, I chose for a specific reason. Now, I had to narrow it down even more. Quite stressful, I must say. In the end, I narrowed down my clothing items and after being in Paris for two months now, I have not once felt, “I wish I brought so-and-so clothing article with me!” My wardrobe felt so huge while I was packing, but here it feels so small. Small yet sufficient.

First day packing

I began packing on July 19, almost a whole month before my flight. But still, my less-admirable qualities got ahold of me and packing became a complete mess in the week before leaving.

About 2-3 weeks later, I resumed packing and got serious business done, including putting things into space-saving bags. I ended up having to take some clothes out of the space bags because I had too much.

About 2-3 weeks later, I resumed packing and got serious business done, including putting things into space-saving bags. I ended up having to take some clothes out of the space bags because I had too much.

Here's a shot of my smaller, carry-on suitcase that I ended up not using.

Here’s a shot of my smaller, carry-on suitcase that I ended up not using.

I just think this is a cool photo.

I just think this is a cool photo.

My last day packing.

My last day packing.

Everything all nicely enclosed.

Everything all nicely enclosed.

After ditching that suitcase that weighed too much, I tried to decide which carry-on bag was better suited to carry all my junk.

After ditching the carry-on suitcase that weighed too much, I tried to decide which carry-on bag was better suited to carry all my junk.

A laundry hamper full of my final, reject clothes - clothes that I would not bring with me to France.

A laundry hamper full of my final, reject clothes – clothes that I would not bring with me to France.

All my miscellaneous items to pack into my suitcase.

All my miscellaneous items waiting to be packed into my suitcase.

The joy and relief of finishing my packing, just a mere 6-or-so hours before my flight.

The joy and relief of finishing packing, just a mere 4 or 5 hours before my flight.

In the last photo, there are two quite large suitcase. The bigger one is mine and the smaller one…is also mine. I can’t help you with packing a year’s worth of stuff into one suitcase because I was fortunate enough to be going on vacation with my family before settling down in Paris. Therefore, my parents let me have one of their suitcases to carry extra things while they shared one. And it all works out because my return flight through Icelandair allows two suitcases and a carry-on. Yes!

AT THE AIRPORT:

Even after I had finished packing, I did not feel any sadness about leaving home and NYC. Maybe it was because my family was going on vacation with me for two weeks before they left me on my own that I didn’t feel sad or scared. But as my dad was driving us to the airport that last night, my sister said something about crying and then, suddenly, my eyes began to tear a bit. Yup, I was sad inside all along.

Nowadays, I am fine. I don’t feel all that homesick, but occasionally, I will remember something about home and miss it or feel nostalgic. Ah well, ’tis life. Fond memories of the past, exciting prospects for the future, happiness in the present.

French Consulate in NY: Applying for a Long Stay Student Visa!

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French Consulate Visa Section

This must have been one of the most stressful things I’ve done in my college career.

Continuing from my CampusFrance post, after I got the email telling me to start my visa process, I delayed for one or two days. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know. Then, I decided OK, it’s time to book an appointment. First off, searching for the online appointment booking system on the NY French Consulate’s website was difficult for me because of reasons beyond my comprehension. But it’s really simple. On the homepage, on the right panel, there’s a HUGE section with an image that says VISA APPOINTMENTS ONLINE. Click it. Then, click on online appointments. Scroll to the bottom and click on the VISA APPOINTMENTS ONLINE image again. It should lead you to this site. From there, input your info and choose a date on the calendar. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Book an appointment right away. (But no earlier than 3 months before your departure date.) During high season (such as the summer), appointment slots fill up so quickly. More so in NY than in other consulates. But still… The website said the next available appointment might be as far as 3 weeks later. But that’s an understatement. I tried to book one on June 15th, but the next available one was August 5th! That’s crazy.

I panicked and panicked. My parents wanted to go on vacation on August 7th. There’s no way that would happen if my visa appointment were two days ahead. Plan B was to leave on August 14th. But that was still too soon for me to receive my long stay student visa. I didn’t know what to do. I researched the HECK out of everything to see if there was an expedition process or something. Sorry to burst your bubbles, but there isn’t. The only thing you can do is constantly check back on the appointment booking system and hope that someone drops their slot. Then, you can swoop in and take theirs right away. Don’t hesitate. Otherwise, someone else might steal it right from your eyes!

First thing I did that night was email Ellen Hampton, the coordinator between MICEFA and students in New York, at least. (Many thanks to Ellen! I pommeled her with questions for a whole week. 😐 And she always responded right away.) I asked her if this appointment time was too late, but she said it was right in time for the start of the program on August 25th. Phew! But still, my family’s vacation plans…

I couldn’t do anything about this, so I set the appointment page as my homepage and began compiling all the documents. It was very late at night (past midnight) and I was a bit hesitant about getting all the paperwork done right then. I wanted to sleep and continue the rest tomorrow. But my conscience got to me and I jumped straight to work. Get it done now. If I wait until tomorrow, my energy might wear off and I will procrastinate. That night, I got so much done. (I’ll go into details a little later.)

And thank god I did. (You never know when an appointment will free up. Beggars can’t be choosers.) The next day, I saw a slot open up. But it was for 30 minutes before my appointment time… Not good. Then, I realized that one of my friends had an appointment for June 21st, however, she didn’t think that she would get the confirmation email from CampusFrance in time since she completed that process much later than me. Funny story: we arranged to switch slots, but the first time we attempted, nothing happened. My friend cancelled her appointment, but I still couldn’t access it. I thought, oh, I guess the system didn’t recognize it or something. Turns out that there was a second message to double check that you want to free up your slot that my friend didn’t see. So when she realized it an hour later, she successfully cancelled her slot and I got it!! Words cannot describe how happy and relieved I felt! And fortunately for me, I already had most of my visa documents ready. (See, it was very good that I listened to my better instincts and did everything right away. I was prepared for an appointment in less than a week.)

Before I discuss my experience at the consulate, let me brief you on what to prepare:

I got a lovely file folder to hold all of my important documents. You should too! You do not want to lose important documents or misplace them. Best keep everything nice and organized 🙂

My File FolderVisa folders

http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/LONG-STAY-STUDENT-VISA

I am currently looking at the consulate’s website for the list of documents required, but it has slightly changed. There was a PDF file of what to bring, but some of the stuff on that list conflicted with the things listed on the website. And that was the main source of my stress. For this post, I’ll just go down my list and expand on it. (I made two copies of each of these, one for my record-keeping and one because the website says to have a copy of every document listed. They DID NOT ask for ANY of those copies. But better safe than sorry.) This list only goes for MY experience at the NY French Consulate. Each consulate has different requirements.

Visa documents

List of Documents Required FrontList of Documents Required Back

LIST OF DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

  1. A copy of the official acceptance letter. Mine was the MICEFA certificat de scolarité because it fit all the requirements: it was addressed to me with my full name, it was printed on institutional letterhead, it specified the beginning and end dates, and it had the full contact info of the person who issued this letter of offer/acknowledgement with the contact info of the educational institution, signed and stamped. However, at the consulate, they asked me for the letter from Queens College too. (This one doesn’t contain dates.) Good thing I brought it with me, just in case.
  2. The email message from CampusFrance. The one entitled “Confirmation Email.” Simple.
  3. The receipt of payment issued by CampusFrance.
  4. 2 application forms, completed and signed. They only took one form. But have two in case. Filling out the form is fairly easy. Everything is quite straightforward. There were some parts that I didn’t know what to put down, such as my address in France during my stay. So I just asked Ellen and she helped me. (On the website now, it says bring 1 not 2.)
  5. 2 recent photographs. The PDF says U.S. passport photo format. The website, however, gives different dimensions (35mmx45mm). I brought in photos of both sizes. I did not attach them to the application form. And at the consulate, they only asked for one photo. I handed them the U.S. 2×2 one and everything was fine. (The website now says 1 photo, not 2.)

    Me going crazy with visa photos (35mmx45mm).

    Me going crazy with making visa photos (35mmx45mm). I didn’t even end up using any of them! -___-

  6. Original passport and 1 photocopy. The photocopy does not have to be an official one, if such a thing exists. Does it have to be in color? I’m not sure. I erred on the safe side and brought in a color copy of the first 3 pages (where all my personal data is located). Your passport must expire at least 3 months after the end of your proposed stay and you must have at least 2 blank pages left.
  7. Visa application and processing fee. There were multiple fees listed in different locations on the website. At the consulate, I paid $67 with my Visa debit card. In NY’s consulate, you can pay with cash or a Visa/MasterCard credit or debit card. Each consulate has different regulations on this. I think the general cost is the equivalent of 50 euros in USD, based on the exchange rate at the time of your visa appointment.
  8. Proof of sufficient means of support. There are several options to fulfilling this requirement. (1) A most recent bank statement showing a balance of $820 per month for every month you are abroad. So, for me, at least $8200. (2) An official letter detailing your scholarship. (3) A notarized statement from a guarantor stating that they will provide the student with at least $820 per month, accompanied by their most recent bank statement. I submitted a bank statement along with a letter detailing my scholarship (since I have a full-tuiton scholarship and the travel fund from Macaulay). However, at the consulate, they took one look at my statement (which had well over $8200) and said they don’t need any other documents.
  9. An airline reservation. At the time, I did not yet have an flight booked. What they want you to do is reserve a flight, but don’t pay for it. That is not possible. So either just buy it or do what I did: I reserved a flight on AirFrance with my intended departure date and the latest possible return date in June and printed out the reservation page before I paid for the flight. That is what I handed in without any problems. If you don’t reserve a flight, you can also write a letter indicating that you will not leave before your intended date of departure. I wrote one to be safe and got it notarized, but the reservation worked so they did not want my letter. (As you can see, I always overdo things to be safe.)
  10. Positive proof of residence in the consulate’s area. Your consulate is determined by where you live or go to school. I go to school where I live, NY. So I only have one possible consulate. However, if you go to school in a state under a different consulate’s jurisdiction, you get to choose which consulate to go to. Lucky. Depending on which consulate you go to, you will have to show different proof of residence. Either your driver’s license for where you live, a lear or rental agreement under your name, a notarized statement from you leaseholder plus a recent utility bill under your name, or a valid student ID for where you go to school. Have the original document plus a photocopy. I showed my Brooklyn College ID.
  11. The French Immigration OFII form. This is the form. This is a super important piece of document that you will need to bring abroad and complete it in France. At the consulate, I was quizzed on this form! The guy asked me, do you know what the OFII form does? At first, I was shocked by the question, so I responded, Ugh, I have that form. He snapped at me and said, I know you have the form. I’m asking you what it does. So I said, Oh, uh….it’s a residence permit. It allows you to live in France. He added, It also allows you to work there. Then he asked for my form. That situation completely put me off-balance.

Aside from the above, you also need to bring in your receipt for appointment booking. This is just to allow yourself entry into the building.

Unnecessary things I brought in case: CISI letter (stating that I have insurance for overseas) – this isn’t necessary for long stay students; my birth certificate, and my learner’s permit (because I don’t have a driver’s license yet…).

Visa folder and passport

My Visa folder

Visa folder open

GOING TO THE CONSULATE:

Now, onto my experience: I left my house extra early to arrive early at the consulate. I was about 40 minutes early. You don’t have to be that early, but 30 minutes is good time. The visa building is separate from the rest of the consulate. It is located on 74th St between 5th and Madison. (10 East 74th St, to be exact.) The classy Upper East Side with its European-esque buildings. When you arrive at the building, the door is locked. You have to wait for the security guard to open the door. One person at a time. Intense security stuff.

This is the French consulate building.

This is the French consulate building.

This is the Visa building.

This is the Visa section of the Consulate.

When I entered, I handed in my passport and my appointment booking receipt. Then I put my bag on a table for inspection, turned off all of my electronics, and walked through metal detectors. The security guard was very friendly to me. He joked about my bag being super heavy, as if I’m lifting weights. Actually, when I walked in, he was excited and asked me if I was on the website Plenty of Fish. That sounds like a dating site. I said no… He told me that he knew someone on there who looks a lot like me. This isn’t even the first time someone has told me that they saw me or a lookalike somewhere where I definitely have never been. These lookalikes! Ugh!

I bumped into a sign on my way up the stairs. Embarrassing! The security guard told me not to be nervous already. Haha, I wasn’t nervous. I’m just clumsy. (Really, I bumped into the same sign several weeks later. :P) Then I took a seat in the waiting area. It resembles a dentist’s waiting area. Chairs, layout, anxiety and all. The seating area was divided in two halves and for some odd reason, everyone would crowd in the right side although there were so many empty seats in the left side. Being the rebel that I am, I sat on left! Oh yeah. At first, I wasn’t nervous at all. But then, I started to get a bit anxious 15 minutes in. And the AC turned on and off every few minutes. Each time the AC turned on, I was scared that I would miss my number (14) being called out because it was so loud and the announcements were low.

I waited for an hour (however, I got there 30 minutes early, so really, I only waited 30 minutes past my appointment time). First I got called up to hand in my application, passport, and pay the fee. (They look like Chase bank tellers.) Then I sat back down. The man who took care of that was very no-nonsense. A bit intimidating, but I am a generally sensitive person. About 5 minutes later, they called my name through the loudspeaker for my interview. There was a cute, young guy there, but gosh, he was more intimidating than the first man. He sounded very friendly with the man before me, but to me, he was quite standoffish.

He looked at my application and said, “Tell me what your schedule will be like.” WHAT?! What does that even mean?! I had to ask him to repeat the question and explain it. I cannot remember what he said anymore or what I answered. But whatever I said, he accepted it. The fingerprints part was embarrassing. There is a small machine to the right where you place your fingers. He was explaining to me how to position my fingers, but I didn’t understand him. I was doing it all wrong. But the whole time, there was a photo right above the machine with images demonstrating how to position your fingers. When the interviewer told me to look at that image, I didn’t even see it until a good 10 seconds later. TEN SECONDS OF TORTURE. He was annoyed at that point. Then came time to actually get my fingers in the right position: index and middle together, ring and pinky. My fingers, however, refused to cooperate. My middle finger loves my ring finger. They never separate. So there I was trying to keep them separated and nervously laughing, partly from the embarrassment and partly from how ridiculous/funny this was. But he was not pleased. He would not have any of it and waited for me to just finish already. I wanted to drown in my embarrassment. Oh the awkwardness! When you’re laughing all alone. Haha

The rest of the interview consisted of him asking for documents, me handing them in, me offering additional documents just in case, him turning them down as if I wasted his time, etc etc. That took about 5 -10 minutes total. Oh, also, they took my photo. A white projection screen came out from above me and lowered behind my back. This was the photo that they then used for my visa. Not the one I handed in. And thank god I looked decent in my visa photo because I am not photogenic.

After all of that, the interviewer told me I was done and to come back starting July 1st anytime between 9AM to 10AM with my passport and the receipt. I was surprised. Did I really just get approved for my visa? Just like that? I didn’t want to frustrate him so I left assuming that’s what he meant.

Then, on July 1st, I came back, handed my passport and receipt to the same guy. Told him my departure date hasn’t changed. Sat down. Waited maybe 15 minutes. Got called back. Received my passport and visa. DONE! This time, he was actually nice that day. And unlike last time, he smiled and said “you’re welcome” and “enjoy your trip” after I told him “thank you!”

 

Macaulay Opportunities Fund

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This is a special post to my fellow Macaulians. (Is that what we call students from Macaulay? Hehe)

If you’re unfamiliar with the Macaulay Opportunities Fund, here’s a brief explanation, summarized probably inadequately by yours truly:
All Macaulay Honors College students (that is, the CUNY honors college) are entitled to a fund $7500. Oh, it’s kind of like a trust fund and Macaulay is our wealthy parent who makes sure that we are set for our college-career lives. All joking aside, the money is to help fund our study abroad adventures, unpaid internships and research assistantships, graduate prep courses, service projects, etc. As long as you can provide a convincing argument, the money is yours. But otherwise, it sits in the “Macaulay bank,” untapped. To get the money, you have to fill out the proposal and submit various documents. Although you are already entitled to the money (meaning the process is not competitive and the $7500 is already set out for you), it technically isn’t yours until you are approved. The whole proposal is done, I believe (1) to make sure you’re not using it irresponsibly and (2) to help prepare you for writing future proposals (to grants, fellowships, scholarships, etc.). So it’s all in your benefit! But that doesn’t make the actual process any easier.

So here’s a rundown of my experience:

About a week before the Spring semester began, my adviser (shout out to my wonderful adviser, Cheryl!) sent out an email about Opportunities Fund deadlines, including when to submit our first draft, when to schedule a meeting, and when to submit the completed application. I looked at the dates, saw I had time. Decided to take it slow. (A word to the wise, don’t take it slow. Just like medication, everything is best dealt with right away. Quick, done, out of the way. Better to attack it headfirst with great yet brief pain than to drag it out for as long as possible. The latter will only succeed in making you weary by the end.)

I started drafting my Statement of Justification ahead of time. (I already had experience writing one for another scholarship, so it wasn’t so bad.) Still, I procrastinated on this part. Big time. I handed in a rough draft, but Cheryl told me that it was  lacking. I needed to show how passionate I am. I needed to “put a little more, technically writing, oompah,” into my essay, “to help convey a sense of excitement, accomplishment, and growth.” I revised it and BAM! Done. 🙂

The rest of the documentation was quite simple for me. So I’ll just do a brief summary of each component:

(This is the document: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/current-students/study-grant/sg-sa.pdf.)

General requirements: all good. I checked everything done. The only thing that I had to really do was the Opportunities Fund Online Quiz. It is very simple to complete once you know the guidelines. Takes like 10 minutes.

Application Documentation:

  • Course syllabus: because of the way this exchange program runs, I don’t register for a school until September. So there was no way I could hand in a course syllabus if I don’t even know what school I am going to! I just handed in a typed up paragraph explaining this situation.
  • Official brochure: this was a bit difficult to find. I just used these two sites – Queens College and Hunter College – for the quotes, dates, etc. (The Queens College website oddly does not contain all the information.)
  • I used the two websites above to fill out the program information. I’ll provide you with the information that I put down here:
    • Sponsor/Host College: Queens College
    • Name of International Institution: University of Paris
    • City, Country: Paris, France
    • Length of stay: 10 months (I can’t remember exactly what I put here…)
    • Dates: From 08/25/2013 to 06/20/2013
    • Number of classes/credits: 5 classes, 15 credits (I just put down what I usually take here at Brooklyn College, for formality’s sake)
    • Number of classes/credits accepted at your home college: same as above
  • Statement of Justification: I already talked about. I might go more in-depth about it in a future post – my specific reasons for embarking on this exchange experience.
    • And to receive funding, you have to agree to do one of the following: share your experience at home campus, participate in a study abroad event, write a photo essay, or blog. As you can see, I’m already blogging. But I would also love to share my experience at my home campus and at Macaulay. I am excited! (Because how many students are daring and fortunate enough to do a completely immersive exchange program for a year in a country with a foreign language?! Not many.)
  • BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
    • Program Fees: all to a whooping…$50. Haha. Yup, just the application fee. Everything else is CUNY tuition and fees.
    • Housing: I found some websites online listing apartment rentals. I printed one out from LODGIS.com that seemed to have a median price: 755 euros. Then I showed the conversion on the application. At the time, 1 euro equaled approximately $1.31. 755 euros equaled approximately $992.50. $992.50 x 10 months = $9925.
    • Airfare: I checked on STA Travel’s website for rates. Checking for round trip tickets with a return date over a year in advance is impossible, so I just chose the latest return date possible. The nice thing that STA does is they make a chart of various ticket prices, comparing airlines. I took the median price in that chart: $968.90
    • Meals: I used the per diem listed on the application. $45 per day. 293 days x $45/day = $13,185. Now THAT is is a ridiculous number. There is no way I would spend $13,000 on food alone! But this was just for the per diem (so that I don’t have to report receipts on every single food that I buy).
    • I skipped the optional part of the budget breakdown because all of this adds up to more than my total Opportunities Fund.
    • TOTAL REQUEST: $7500
    • I just submitted proof for each one of these budget breakdown categories and done.

(Over the course of my abroad experience, I’ll update you on my actual budget.)

Everything is fairly easy. And if you’re going through this program, I just helped you out immensely 😀 Now you don’t have to scour the internet searching for these numbers. I’ve happily provided websites for your reference! Don’t stress the Opportunities Fund portion. There are even bigger obstacles to overcome later on. Save your energy!

Bonne chance!

My mini French grammar reference book

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Last night, I finally finished an ongoing project of mine: my little French grammar reference book!

French reference book

Ah! I am so happy!!! Words cannot described how relieved I feel now that I have accomplished one very important thing for my study abroad. (Especially since I’m quite slow on accomplishing personal projects.)

The book is about the size of my hand. (Isn’t it adorable?! And so appropriately designed! I got the journal from Target.) When I first bought this journal, I had no idea what to do with a journal this small. But now I finally have use for it! Inside contains the most basic of basic French grammar. All in a pocketable (well, still too big for women’s pockets…) size! I shall carry it everywhere with me in France. The grammar is mainly to help me write. I constantly forget some of the most important rules. But now, when I need to jog my memory, I don’t have to dig through old notes or relentlessly search for it in my various textbooks. It’s handy dandy and portable. And everything is compiled in one little book.

Okay, I feel as if I just keep on repeating myself, so here are some more photos of the inside:

Front flap

Ignore the pronunciation post-it. That is a work in progress.

Back flapMiddleUp close

Feeling a bit self conscious: not visible in this picture is an arrow pointing to “opinion” in the subjunctive use list saying “negative.” Negative opinions for subjunctives. Not all opinions!

Okay, so there you have it. My lovely cute little book. I should name it. Calling it my “mini French grammar reference book” is too much of a hassle. Hm… what about my mini ref? “Oh, let me just pull out my Mini Ref.” Ah, I like it! Okay, so from now on, I am calling this little book, my Mini Ref. 😀

Last note: I am leaving on Tuesday! 7 days counting. Gah! To the point of no return~

Applying to the Exchange Program

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Wow, my titles for posts are so boring. Ah well.

Today’s topic: applying to the exchange program!

So, many people have asked me how I managed to accomplish such a feat. Well, let me tell you. It’s actually much easier than it seems. (This pertains to the Queens College Paris Exchange Program. And to my own experience.) All I had to do was fill out the application, which didn’t require me to do much except answer some basic questions, such as my personal information, my major, the French classes that I have completed in college thus far, what kind of housing I want abroad, and my medical details. No essay. I was surprised by how simple the application was. “IS THIS FOR REAL?” I thought. Indeed, it was. Then I sent in the form with the application fee and voilà. In about a week’s time, I received an email saying I got accepted. Yay! I kind of knew that I would (not to be cocky or anything), but a surge of relief rushed over me still. So that’s my story on applying.

My friend though, who did the same exchange program but from Paris to NY, told me about her experience and wowza, it sounded like a REAL application process. Filled with tales of horror and woes. And bureaucratic nightmares. (Including taking the TOEFL twice. Oh boy. If I had to take a French proficiency exam, who knows where I’d be now… It’s one thing to do well in class, but on a standardized exam, my nerves just don’t cooperate.)

While applying to the exchange program was so easy that I thought I did something wrong, applying to the Macaulay Opportunities Fund is a whole other story. If you are a Macaulay student and you’ve gone through this process before, share with me your experience. I had a relatively smooth process, but — oh wait! I was saving this for a separate post. Well, I’ll just end this post with my gratitude that I am using my whole Opportunities Fund in one go and therefore, do not have to apply again. It is exhausting! But more about that in a later post. So until then~ Cheers!

CampusFrance, what’s that?

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That’s exactly what I thought as I was sitting in a small Queens College lecture room one May night, listening to students discussing the visa appointment process.

CampusFrance? What? To make a visa appointment, you need to first go through something called CampusFrance?

If this was in one of the emails sent to accepted exchange program students, I clearly was not reading carefully. I blame all the stress from my part-time job and from my final papers. I put the visa process on the back burner, thinking, ah, I still have time. Well, let me serve you as a cautionary tale: time disappears right before your eyes in an instant. (Haha using time to explain time…) Here’s everything spelled out simply for you if you are going to do an exchange program:

Any American student who is studying abroad for a semester or longer and needs a student visa (whether or not you are enrolling directly into a French university or going through an exchange program), you need to register with CampusFrance.

But wait, what is CampusFrance? I’m going to be honest with you. I have no idea. If you research the website, there’s probably an info page, but at this point, I’ve been there. Done that. Don’t want to go back. After having completed the process, I just think it was another level of bureaucracy to weed out the super lazy from going to France, a method to get more moolah, or just another way to mess with students’ minds. Yup, the loops I begrudgingly jump through just to get permission to step onto Parisian soil as a student.

If you already have your passport, do this right away. If you don’t, when you receive your passport, don’t delay. (You will need your passport number to get past the first step.) It is best to get this relatively simple step in the whole visa scheme out of the way. It will make your life so much easier. Plus, if you devote an hour, you should finish this in one sitting. (I’m not saying it takes an hour. Depending on how easily you can fill in the form, it might take way less or a little bit more.) Here are two important links from their website that you will want to check out if you are studying abroad through an American program:

Steps to applying for a visa
CampusFrance instructions

In the second link, there will be a link to a video tutorial on the CampusFrance process. WATCH IT. Seriously, it makes your life so much easier. Just follow the steps and voilà!

At a first glance, the form might look daunting. At least, for me it was. Usually, when I am confronted with these types of forms requiring inputting layers and layers of personal details, I tend to procrastinate and prolong the process for as long as possible. However, I did not procrastinate at all with this form. And I am so glad my better qualities kicked in that day.

Here’s the long story: The next day, after the orientation, I went on the CampusFrance website and began to do all the necessary steps. However, when it came to creating PASTEL account, I had to input my passport number. Unfortunately, I still did not have my passport yet. All that motivation, zapped from my body in an instant! Dejected and tired, I went to take a nap, but then, not even an hour later, my dad came home and gave me my mail. A PASSPORT! Part of me was excited and grateful. I could finally get on track with all the other exchange students. The other, slovenly, part of me was feeling meh. Now, I was obligated to complete the application process. I debated for a bit whether to get up and do the process immediately. The better part of me won. Good thing because I was in a serious time crunch and I did not even realize.

Getting past the first couple of steps is easy. But then, they start asking for all this information on the program, my high school and my picture, my resumé, my expectations. Ugh. One serious problem of mine: I lack good head shot photos. Halfway through, I almost quit, thinking, I’ll finish it another day. But then I really thought to myself and concluded that, nah, if I don’t get it over with now, I will probably stretch out this slightly stressful process into a week of agony. Better now than later. And really, it wasn’t all that bad. I think I labor over details and perfection so much that it prevents me from getting stuff done sometimes. To get through the process, I just answered as simply as I could. I didn’t think too much about the questions and gave the bare minimum. Example: reasons for going to France: attaining fluency or extreme proficiency in French, studying art history, and studying French language, literature, and culture. Done. Really, when they ask these questions that are reminiscent of the college application process, you do not have to formulate a well thought out, original, and engaging response. Does anyone even read it? As in, read read it. Hmm, oh the mysteries.

Once you’ve completed and submitted the application, bookmark this website because you’ll need to check it very frequently to receive your payment receipt and confirmation of application. (They only notify you through the inbox of the website. Frustrating, I know.) I sent in the money order a few days later and received the quittance a week later. The website says you should hear back within three weeks. However, I didn’t get the OK to start my visa process until it was near the four weeks mark.

Next up: visa woes. My CampusFrance story ends abruptly because it seamlessly flows into my visa story and I want to save all my visa drama for one dilemma-packed post. So stay tuned. It will be one very anecdotal yet informative rant. Until then…

Passport Fun

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Bonjour readers! It has been a very long time since I last updated this blog. But alas, nothing much was going on that needed to be documented. Until now. Well, actually, a couple of months ago, around May-ish. But, I got so swept up in the process that I haven’t had time to tell you about it! So, I’m going to backtrack a little. (And some of the posts may come out of chronological order.)

On getting a passport:

DO NOT DELAY. I repeat, DO NOT DELAY.

I didn’t have a passport before this year because my parents did not want to pay for a piece of document that I would not use any time soon. So, seeing that I was finally going overseas, I needed to get one. I had already made plans to get a passport back in the second half of 2012, but my mom said, “No! Why do you need to get one so early?” I think she was probably in denial that I was going to leave for a whole year when the longest I’ve been away from my family so far is 3 days.

Anyways, my friends were telling me, oh, sometimes it takes months to get your passport! You don’t have one already?! You need to get one NOW. Well, that scared the heck out of me. So why didn’t I get one until several months ago? Well….

Aside from my mother discouraging me from getting one early, she also told me to take the passport photos myself because it’s such a waste of money to go to a store and get my photos taken. BUT, there are no white walls in our house and the requirements that one has to meet (size of the photo, no shadows, face takes up this much space, etc.) were daunting. I had to find somewhere to take the photo, I had to take the photo myself (with my faux tripod), and I had to edit the photo to fit the size requirements. Oh. My. God. So naturally, as difficult as this actually wasn’t, I kept putting it off for months and months and months. (Also, being very picky, I had to look perfect in real life to look decent in a photograph. So if I didn’t feel pretty that week, I put off the task for another.) Until I realized, oh wow, I’m leaving in less the 4 months! I need a passport.

So, I had to coerce my family members to help take pictures of me (since my tripod wasn’t good enough), but the lighting was terrible in my house, no one in my family knows how to center or focus, the piece of white oak tag was not large enough to cover the background unless you took the photo at the perfect distance and angle, and I plainly looked TERRIBLE in all my head shots. (FYI, I am not photogenic in the least.)

Here are some lovely photos for your viewing:

The wonderful white oak tag that barely covers the wall.

The wonderful white oak tag that barely covers the wall.

My sister does not know how to focus a camera or how to stop laughing...

My sister does not know how to focus a camera or how to stop laughing…

I told my mom, I give up. These photos suck. I need to go to a store to get my pictures done. So I took a trip with my dad to Costco and wow, I should have done this months ago. $5 for 4 photos. That’s a great deal. They let me see the picture before they printed it out and if I wasn’t satisfied, they simply took another one. (This was another issue my mother had with taking photos at a store. She said that if you looked bad in your photo, that was it. They wouldn’t retake it. I think my mom is living in the days before digital photography became the norm.) Overall, it took 5 minutes to take the photos, print them out, and pay for them. (A week later, I took the rest of the family, mom included, to get their passport photos done and my mom was very happy with the quality and quickness of the photo-taking process. Also, didn’t hurt that she looked fabulous in her photos.)

I went to the post office near my house on Wednesday morning, May 1, only to discover that the post office doesn’t process passports on the first, second, and third days of the month. 🙁 So I returned the next Monday. No line, but it took about 40 minutes for the employee to process my application. I think it was her first time. But no worries. Everything went pretty smoothly. A weight off my shoulders. Side note: Ladies and gents, if you want to avoid unnecessary fees, do not delay. I had to pay for expedited processing and shipping. I can’t remember the exact cost now, but it was SO EXPENSIVE. Expensive and avoidable. The worst kind.

Then, I went to orientation at Queens College and they talked about doing some CampusFrance process (more about that in a later post) before applying for a visa. What. I clearly had not read the instructions carefully. So the next day, I went online to fill out the CampusFrance forms, but lo and behold, I needed my passport number in order to even get past the first step :'(. I sat on my bed frustrated at my horrible life decisions. However, luck must have been smiling upon me because, my dad came home an hour later with mail for me, including my passport! Yay! Wow, talk about great timing.

Dealing with Judgment

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First off, what do I mean by “judgment”?

Well, my parents have been quite supportive of my plans to study abroad for a year. I’m surprised. Growing up, they rarely let me go to a friend’s house let alone sleepover. To this day, I’ve still never gone to a sleepover 🙁 To sum it all up, my parents are overprotective. Which is why I’m shocked that I didn’t even have to argue my case for studying abroad. A month may not be too bad. But a year?! They’re letting me live in a foreign country alone for a year?! Surprise!

Those are also the sentiments of my relatives and basically any adult that comes in contact with this information. “You’re letting your daughter go to Paris for a year? Really? And you’re not worried or scared.”

I never really discussed my plans with my parents until recently, more than a year after I began planning my trip. I didn’t want to confront them for fear of disputes, disagreements, and arguments. Luckily, when I did confront the subject of me studying abroad, they didn’t say much. My mother, however, did occasionally mention her concerns and worries. Naturally, of course. She said she would prefer if I didn’t go away. But nothing more than that. And I completely understand these reservations that she has. But what’s been seriously bothering me is the little comments my parents occasionally throw at me about how much better America is, how I’ll realize that I’m living a dream right now, how Europe (and especially Paris) is poor, how living in America is a luxury, how the Parisians are not friendly, how everyone hates Americans because we’re at the top, how Americans are the nicest people in the world, how they don’t even have air conditioning or big cars in Paris, how much more dangerous Paris is than all of America, etc. These sweeping generalizations and greatly biased opinions really hit me in a weak spot. Why? Because of the way my parents phrase them.

Whenever my parents bring up these negative aspects of Paris and extremely positive aspects of America, they speak of Paris in a condescending manner while dressing it up in the guise of “just letting you know what to expect” or “just trying to help you out.” And while I do think these sentiments are partially true, I think I great big deal of the negativity of these statements come from their secret disapproval of me studying abroad. They want to be supportive parents, but at the same time, they don’t want to let me go. Also, because they immigrated from devastation in Vietnam and made a comfortable and prosperous life in America, they feel an affinity to this country. Therefore, they see it necessary to almost underhandedly attack my plans. They don’t understand why I would ever want to leave for more than a vacation. But here’s the thing: I never said I wanted to move to Paris forever. I never expressed romantic, media-influenced ideas of France. My expectations and visions of my time abroad are very grounded in reality. I no longer romanticize Paris. I see its beauty and its flaws. I don’t think Paris is perfect at all. And I love Paris for what I imagine it to be like, but I’m not in love with an unrealistic idea. Plus, I very much love living in New York.

I wouldn’t be writing this post if my parents said good things and bad things about Paris and America. However, they basically stick to America = good, Paris = bad. In some ways, I think they are trying to slightly infuriate me because they are frustrated knowing that I won’t change my mind about studying abroad. And I know this because I do it to my parents quite often. After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But enough of clichés.

Dealing with this judgment:

Whenever this topic comes up, I try to confront them. But as we’re all stubborn, our conversations usually end up as fighting contests. No fun. So, I’ve learned to, once in a while, express my thoughts on their statements and then end the conversation there. Other times, when they say one thing bad about Paris, I’ll say when thing good (though this rarely works out. My parents will just say I’m talking back and they’ll try to find a way to disapprove my positive rebuttal). I won’t try to argue anymore because it’s basically pointless. For now, I think the best solution is to take everything with a grain of salt, enjoy my year abroad, and come back to dispel their misguided, preconceived, negative judgments, ideas, notions, and stereotypes.

Why can’t we all be friends?

——

Has this happened to you? How did you handle it? And/or do you have any advice for me? I know I titled this “Dealing with Judgment,” but it isn’t a post on how to do so. It is a post on how I’ve done so.

——

I noticed I said “my parents” a lot, but it’s more of “my father.” And I hope this post didn’t come out sounding like an angry rant. I love my parents all the same. I’m just tired and frustrated of all this negativity. This post was merely to inform you of one of the aspects in my personal studying abroad process. Who knows? Maybe you’re dealing with similar problems! Then we can bond over it~

Why Paris?

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If you know me, you probably know that I’ve wanted to study in France since forever. If you met me in college, you probably thought I had everything already planned out before I even started college. Well, that’s partially true. I have wanted to study in France for ages before starting college. In fact, this was one of the many reasons that drew me to Macaulay. I could study abroad for a year without hurting my bank account and still graduate in four years. (Well, the last part is a bit iffy at the moment, but I’ll get to that another time.)

But, I didn’t always want to go to Paris. In fact, the process to choosing a location, at times not even in France, was a long and ever-so-changing one.

I am indecisive. I like too many things, but have too little time and quite frankly, I think I ask a bit too much out of life sometimes. Actually, I take that back. I don’t think anyone could ever ask too much out of life. But I do think that I want more than is physically possible. You win some, you lose some. The important thing though is that you make your decisions so that you win more than you lose. Haha.

So initially, I wanted to go EVERYWHERE. In fact, I still do now. But I realize that that’s not possible, at the moment. (I will get to everywhere one day!) And I didn’t even want to go to Paris. I wanted to go to a quaint small town in the country. I had this romantic idea of me bicycling along a path of vineyards on my way to school in a nice flowy dress with a huge floppy hat, sunglasses, and a cute backpack. I’m kind of embarrassed when I think back at this now. But hey, life is too short for shame. There was a grain of realism to this though. In my senior year of high school, I was dead set on going away to college. I wanted to experience life away from the city, with lots of open green space and a small, tight community. I have lived in New York City all my life. I wanted a change. I’m not scared of change. I love change. But this plan fell through. So I was a little bitter at the beginning of my freshman year. (However, now I am so glad I chose Macaulay and stayed in the city. I think I’ll do a post about this on my other eportfolio. And I’ll link it here when I actually write it.) Therefore, I was adamant about finding a countryside place to study abroad in France.

I researched so much. I went through so many phases. I wrote a bit about this on my other eportfolio. (Click here to read it.) However, I’ll break it down again here:

  1.  In 6th grade, every student in my middle school would take a sampler course of Spanish, French, and Italian. Then, by the end of the year, we would choose which language we wanted to pursue.  If you chose Spanish, you would most likely get it, but if you opted for French or Italian, due to the lack of classes available, the chances were a lot smaller. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get to take French. Why did I choose French? Well, I love all languages (but not equally. Shh! Don’t tell.) And I naturally pick them up quickly – all the mechanics, grammar, nuances, pronunciation, etc. Spanish was fun and easy, but a bit dull. And as the marking periods went on, my grades kept dropping. I really loved Italian, however, both of my Italian teachers had went on pregnancy leave while they were teaching me! And that made all the difference, because if I actually learned Italian for the whole sampler course period, I might have chosen it over French. French on the other hand, came to me the most naturally. I loved the way it sounded and the challenge of taking a language most deem to be the hardest of the three. (However, I actually found French the easiest…) And from there, it was history. I continued French in high school.
  2. I hadn’t considered taking French again in college until later in my senior year. Before  that, I was set on studying Classics (beautiful Latin and Greek). However, plans change. And somehow, I found myself wanting to declare an Art History/French double major!
  3. Since then, I knew I wanted to study abroad in France for a year. But where? The “countryside.” Every college I had applied to, save for Macaulay, was in a small town. I wanted to get away from the city and experience the small, campus life. Likewise, I wanted to go away from the city while I studied abroad. When I made my decision to go to Macaulay and stay in New York, this only fueled my desire to really escape the city. I looked at Bordeaux, Lyon, Strasbourg, and Toulouse.
  4. Because of my overambitious and indecisive nature, I also had dreams of going to England, especially Cambridge. I looked at different programs, but they were all so expensive and troublesome. Forget Cambridge! Besides, my true desire lies in France!
  5. There weren’t many opportunities to study abroad for a whole year in any of the smaller cities. I came upon the CUNY Paris Exchange Program. A whole year, CUNY tuition (meaning that, because of my scholarship, I don’t have to pay tuition at all). What other more cost-effective program could there possibly be? So, I gave up my qualms about studying in Paris, a location I previously deemed too similar to New York, too international, too mainstream. But in the end, it was probably best that my first time living away from my family was in another city. This way, I could adapt more easily. And I’m not sure at all if I could stand living in a small area for year. It was only a romantic dream. Besides, I do love Paris and I can always visit the countryside throughout the year.
  6. Randomly, I can’t quite remember why, but I think it had something to do with my sudden interest in Celtic music, a band called Secret Garden, and old folklore, fairytales and mythology, I suddenly took an interest in Ireland and Scotland. I wanted to study abroad there for some time, in addition to Paris. Summer session?
  7. I got over that phase. What about Tours in the summer before Paris? It’s quaint, next to the Loire Valley, and known for its perfect French.
  8. What about Yonsei University in South Korea? I’ve always wanted to travel there!
  9. No, back to Tours.
  10. Scotland and its natural beauty?
  11. Ah, no. Tours it is! Oh look! There’s a program in England for the summer, expenses paid! But two summers and a year abroad? Too much. Too hectic. Too everything!
  12. Wait, I forgot about my long desire to go to Japan, especially Kyoto. No more Tours! There’s really no point in going to France for two study abroad sessions. I should go to Asia and experience a completely opposite culture.
  13. Taking Japanese last semester really ignited this dream. But, in the end, I decided it was too much and too difficult and way too expensive. I shall focus on making the most out of my one Paris study abroad, rather than spreading myself (and my money) thin through many programs.

What a long and confusing journey to end up basically where I began. But hey, no losses. I consider all this time spent choosing places to study abroad as time spent learning more about my future aspirations. And, though most people might probably see otherwise, I found it quite enjoyable. I love planning and thinking of how to make my dreams come true, even if it gets really tiring, stressful, and hectic.