Fitting in

That's what the French government wants to encourage, anyway.

I haven't been feeling very post-y lately, so I've procrastinated on writing about my trip to the Immigration office and my health exam.

We still have boxes around filled with stuff that makes you say "Oh, where am I going to put that??" which makes it hard to vacuum and mop (which desperately needs to be done). Tomorrow B's dad is coming back with an armoire for my clothes which should at least take care of the full suitcases, the box of purses and bags, and the box of shoes.

It's my job search that's been getting me down mostly though. I know it takes time to build connections. I got an email to interview for a position in early January for something I'd applied to back in San Diego in October. But it's hard to write cover letters about how great you are when you only get rejection letters back.

I'm going to try to go to a Couchsurfing happy hour this week and then a community band rehearsal. That should help me feel more connected to our new city.

So, the immigration office.

Since I'm applying for my third residency card, I've gotten a few things down pat: receptionists are always rude, bring a book or three plus your ipod, and fellow immigrants are always nice.

I checked in for my appointment and then sat down in the waiting room with everyone. I was the only one who'd brought something to read/do while waiting. A social worker of sorts came in and told us we had to watch a movie which was mostly "Bla bla" (his own words), then speak with a social worker, and then have the medical visit.

I unfortunately did not fall asleep during the 15 minute video, which meant I had to hear about how school is mandatory for kids till 16 in France, and that women don't have to ask the permission of their husband or father to work. There was even an explanation of "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" so that all us dumb-dumbs would understand why it's written on all the public buildings.

With the social worker I had a little dicté and wrote down some numbers and then filled in the blanks for four sentences using the words from a liste "A la bibliothèque, je peux trouver des _____." My French level was judged sufficient and I was given a diploma. I don't know who they think is ever going to ask to see that. They give it out as though an employer would really care that you have the most basic level of French, as proven by the diploma. You'll need to speak French a lot better than the most basic level in order to get a job. But I digress....

I signed my "integration contract" and was deemed competent enough to not need a supplementary day of "How to find an apartment and a job". I received all my nice papers in a little plastic file folder that looks like a mini briefcase. As B noted, since it has the official logo and "République Française", they're probably manufactured by only one company and the ministry probably spent many meetings deciding on the font and color scheme. Probably 10€ from the 275€ tax goes toward their printing costs.

My health exam was the speediest I've ever done. In Montpellier, I had to read letters off a chart, be weighed, chat with a nurse about whether or not I'd ever been tested for STD's, then I had the chest x-ray, and then I had a doctor listen to my heartbeat. Last year, the nurse weighed me and noted my height I think. The doctor looked at my x-ray and then asked if I was in good health. They beat the records this year though. I was telling the x-ray tech it was my third time, yadda yadda yadda, so she said I didn't need to see the nurse. I went directly to the doctor who signed my form while he was asking me if everything was okay. B said he probably gets paid according to the number of "patients" he sees, but the scheduling is done to coincide with the "welcome" sessions, so I'm not sure.

I still have a day long session to go to where I'll be subjected to an even longer propaganda-ish film about France. In their infinite organization, they haven't decided on the dates yet for 2008 for when they will have these "Journées d'Intégration" (Integration Days). I think the idea for these sessions is to give someone who's never heard of France (but just happens to have moved there) a basic idea of how things work. What I want to know is what I'm supposed to do if I start working before I get assigned a date. They surely don't hold the session on a Saturday, and if I'm working as a temp (which is the most likely), I'm not going to have a vacation day I can use. I'll probably get assigned a date before I get a job though, and I won't be able to complain and point out this problem. They claim that work is the best way to integrate, but what if you have to not work in order to attend the session?

As for fellow immigrants, I chatted with a guy from Congo while waiting to have my x-ray. He was really friendly and we chatted about the States a bit since he had just had a friend from Maryland come to visit. At the end of my whole visit, while waiting for my last document, I chatted a bit with a French guy who was there with his Asian wife. She was headed to the health visit and I explained to the couple what to expect.

The whole experience took two hours, but I'll probably look back on it with rosy eyes after I've done the 9-4 "Welcome to France" session. Things are coming along though. Won't be much longer and I'll have my plastic residency card, my green health care card, and a blue authorization to work card. I'm sure this week will bring lots of new things.