4,153 Miles Away

OK, I have to admit something. Chicago smells in the summer, too. I guess it is not just the Parisians! Dustin and I went to Chicago last Sunday/Monday to celebrate our second anniversary and get our French Visas. On Sunday, we watched the World Cup Finals at the Reagle Beagle and then walked around Navy Pier. Apparently, Paris is 4153 miles from Navy Pier!



For dinner, we went to the Italian Village. It was very romantic and the perfect place to celebrate two years of marriage. On Monday, we went to the French consulate to apply for our visas. Our appointments were for 9:10 and 9:20.

At 9:45, the visa office hadn't even opened yet. We weren't called up to the counter to turn in our paperwork until 10:30! I guess we are going to have to get used to this kind of thing!

All in all, the process was quite simple. I was pretty relieved because I didn't know what to expect. In fact, we received our visas in the mail just two days after our visit to the consulate! (Please don't ask to see my picture in the visa...I had witnessed a young girl getting yelled at for smiling for her visa picture. So, when it was my turn I made it a point to look very serious...Resulting in a terrorist-looking facial expression)

To finish out our Chicago weekend, we went to the top of the Willis Tower and stood on the Ledge...eeek. The picture below is of me stepping out onto the plexi-glass platform.




The other fun news that I get to share is about a job! On Friday, I made a phone call to a school in Paris to discuss a position I was interested in. The purpose of the phone call was just to ask a few questions and hopefully set up an interview. About 10 minutes into the conversation, the lady says, "I really don't want to lose you. Let's do this interview now." WHAT?!?! By the end of the "interview" she told me I had the job as long as my references checked out. I just heard back from her and she is definitely offering me the position. So, I am going to be teaching English 4 days a week in the afternoon at a Bilingual school that is not too far from our apartment. I am thrilled that it is just a part time job because it allows me to take French classes in the morning. It couldn't have worked out better!

The school I will be working at: http://www.eab.fr/

Things have really started to fall into place. Now that we have our paperwork in order and a job for me, we are ready to head to Paris. Our flight leaves on July 25th. With just one week left in the US, many emotions are going through me. Most of all, I am a bit anxious about the adventure that surely lies ahead.