Before coming to France last September, I had a vague idea of how bureaucratic French administration can be. Trying to get information about different university programs for Tom was a headache in itself, and the fact that French people don’t email as much as Americans do can be very frustrating.
That was just the beginning.
Since arriving in September, and especially lately, French administration has been testing my patience, and my patience has not been prevailing. It seems that nobody is on the same page about ridiculous but result-changing details. I’m pretty sure that most offices in France have less hours than those in the States, and the hours are never 9am-5pm. And everything takes so much time! For my American, non-Frenchy, readers, you may think I am exaggerating. But ask a French person, and he or she will likely back me up. Just today, my French friend Marie said that you really have to be déterminé to survive French administration. In addition, if you watch L’Auberge Espagnol you will see a scene in which a French student goes through the frustrating process of finding “the right form.” But, if you don’t know any French people and don’t want to watch the movie, I have two real life examples to prove my statements.
Example one: official paperwork. We have been in France for over 4 months and still do not have everything finished that we should as residents. Upon our arrival, we sent copies of our passports, visas, etc to the OFII. Around December we were supposed to receive a convocation from the OFII, summoning us to a medical appointment, after which we will receive some type of stamp serving as our titre de séjour, a resident permit. We still have not been summoned. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, except we need the residency permit to register for Social Security (for health insurance) and we need our Social Security numbers to apply for the CAF (housing assistance). Honestly I think that health care (which is cheaper here even without insurance) and housing assistance is better in many ways in France, but for the love of Pete, it’s taking forever to get it!
Example two: auditing a class. Last December, I decided to audit a Political Science class at l’Institut Catholique de Paris. I’m really interested in international relations and wanted to take a class in French, so I chose to take Relations Internationales. I went to the office of the department (which is only open in the afternoons) in December, ready to sign up and pay. I was told to come back in January. I went back in January, filled out a form, and was told to come back later to pay. I went back the next week, arrived at 4:30pm, waited for 30 minutes and then was told they were closed and had to come back. I went back last Friday and watched the lady enter my information from the form into the computer (she couldn’t have done this without me there?). Then, she told me that that’s all she could do. I had to go somewhere else to pay. Oh, but they’re closed on Friday afternoons. The class started on Tuesday, so I had to go on Monday. But, I work until 4pm and they close at 4:45pm. So I ran! And…success! I signed up and got a shiny student card that will get me some awesome discounts.
Tuesday: first day of class. I arrived perhaps 2 minutes late, opened the door to Salle C 32, and heard a professor speaking in English. Huh? I must be in the wrong room, I thought. Nope. The Relations Internationales class is indeed in English this year, although it was not indicated in the brochure as one of the English classes and the lady in the office didn’t tell me this. Just me? My mistake? No, the French students were pretty upset to learn, on the first day of class, that it’s in English.
In Tom’s words when I told him about the class being in English, “Oh mon Dieu.” I have been defeated. I have not the strength to try to switch classes.
In order to deal with this new kind of frustration, there are too solutions. One: remind myself daily how much I love speaking French, eating French food, and getting to know French people. Two: complain in French. Thus, voilà 3 ways to say, “I’ve had it!”
J’en ai assez! I’ve had enough!
J’en ai ras le bol! I’ve had it up to here! / I'm sick of it!
J’en ai marre! I’m fed up!
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