Don't hate me because I'm French (well, French-ish).

My father and I laughed the entire elevator ride down, and we were still laughing as we stepped onto the palm tree-lined street outside Miami's French Consulate yesterday.  It was something Madame B had said during our visit: “You won’t be able to live in France for another six months at least.”  No matter that I am French By Birth, and that she had just handed me a certificate to prove it.  The issue was the passport and the carte d’identité.  “Entering the country without those items would be an act of bad faith,” she said.

I didn’t know if I should be laughing or crying.  It wasn’t that I considered following her advice for a second, (I'M STILL COMING BACK TO FRANCE IN FOUR DAYS, DON'T YOU WORRY) but, another six months.  That would make nearly two years since we’d begun the paperwork madness. 

My mother took a decisively positive stance--I had at least walked away with the certificate.  “Congratulations!” she said over the phone, “So, how are you going to celebrate?”

We had planned on driving straight home, but on second thought, my father proposed a detour by way of South Beach.  Stretching our legs would do us good, and the ocean always does seem a sharper bluer and the sand a brighter white on those crystalline, Florida-winter days. 

Still, it seemed a bit silly to celebrate.  The process was far from over, and what was the process anyway?  Claiming ownership to something that I already possessed by simply being born.  Nothing had been required of me.  Not even a test (except, perhaps, on my patience).

Then, we came across a Tastee-Delite ice cream vendor on the waterfront, which seemed just the perfect prize.  Nothing too serious, a minor treat for a minor victory, but still a little bit sweet. 

Comments

[ViVi]

Those rat bastages!! I'm sorry for the semi-sweet victory. And your mom's right; every little bit helps, even if it means more work. Hang in there! :)

[Jason Stone]

"Sort of" congratulations to you. I am glad to hear that you will be coming "home" soon.

[lizardek]

Congrats! :)

[Mathieu]

Félicitations!

[Gloria]

But if it was easy, it wouldn't be French. I want to return to Paris, pack me in your suitcase?

[Pat]

Congrats!!! I am hoping that I can write in my blog one day that I am finally a "legal" resident here in France! Oh, the paperwork!!! :-(

[pismire]

Congratulations on your mini-victory! And of course you must go back to France so that I (and everyone else) can read all about your adventures. And thank god for ice cream.

[The Bold Soul]

I'm not even living there (yet) and I'm feeling your pain, because I'd love to have dual citizenship. Only I can't claim being French through genetics, not even a tiny bit. Irish, Scotch, Polish and Dutch, yes, but all so many generations removed none of the ancestry matters a bit. So I am DREADING the paperwork even to get a long-stay visa to live and work in France.

A friend of mine who is half Italian is working to get some sort of EU-wide passport through Italy... she can provide proof of direct lineage to some town in Italy. I wonder if that would be an option for you although it probably wouldn't be any faster than the 6 months they are telling to wait for the French passport.

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Hate someone for be french it's really unfair and cruel don't you think ? I wish someday I will see a world were we understand each other.

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