The Old West: Old Sacramento

When you think of California, most people really only think of two cities: San Francisco and Los Angeles. Unless, of course, you're from California. Of course, we all (should) be aware that California is WAY too big to have just two cities, however large they may be. And if we all paid attention in 7th grade history, you'd definitely know about Sacramento, California.

Sacramento is the Capitol city of California and is where the governor and our state's legislature is, handling all of our business and things. But it's no just a town for politics. Not far from the State Capitol building is a nifty little area called Old Sacramento. And Old Sacramento is the remnants of the old western town that Sacramento used to be.

Old Sacramento is right by the brand new stadium that was recently completed and you can walk right into it via the underpass under the freeway. The underpass itself is one long mural project showcasing pivotal points in Sacramento's history. Walking along the underpass you can see the vibrant town and history that Sacramento has. At least, the American history. Perhaps in the future it can present the history if the indigenous peoples as well.

When you come out from under the underpass you see the sign and the off-white wood buildings that make up old Sacramento. To the left you'll find Super Silver, a place to buy silver jewelry and trinkets. I have more than a few rings from there. Keep going along the main street and you find Evangeline's. This is a cool place. Evangeline's has a lot of things for multiple purposes like masks for masquerades and neat little trinkets to decorate your room or (wo)man cave. And it's Halloween costume store is amazing, you can find entire costumes or you can piece things together.

Another neat place to visit is Ology, which is also on the main street, and Ology is a great place to find unrefined stones and gems as well as minerals that most people wouldn't think about. The minerals there have a calming effect and can be used for multiple purposes, all outlined on the displays. They can be decorative, therapeutic, or if you want you can throw them at people (but that would be a waste of your money). Ology tends to spend pretty nice, too.

A place the sweet-tooth bearer HAS to visit is Candy Heaven. The name says it all. You can get practically any kind of U.S. made candy there including a 5lb slab of chocolate. It's a dangerous taste for those who love sweets. There are literal buckets upon buckets of different kinds of candies that are begging you to spend your money. Be careful, young traveler.

Old Sacramento sits right on the Sacramento river, and behind Candy heaven you can see the old dock and the river. If you walk along the river, you can find places to go down and sit by the water, the best thing to do on a warm summer's day. I also recommend taking photos because the waters , trees and reflected sunlight make a beautiful background for selfies and profile shots.

For more pictures of Old Sacramento, please refer to the photo gallery. I promise you'll find something you like.

Cheers~~

Preparing for France: Pack Your Bags!

I've made several packing posts already, mostly for going to South Korea. However, I realize packing for my job in France and for Korea are both different. I also wanted to tell you all that you should pack differently according to your region and your school. So this post will have 2 main parts: packing for your region, and packing for your school. This post is focused on minimalist packing mostly because I had a back-breaking experience with 2 large luggage pieces, my back-pack, and a carry-on when I left Korea. It's hard to move all of that by myself, so I'm sticking to 1 large luggage, a carry-on, and my backpack. If you want to pack more, feel free. More power to you.

Schools are all different and they all have their own culture. Basically, you should always ask your school what is appropriate to wear before you go, and if you don't I'd go with business casual clothes to be on the safe side. Also, one needs to take into account the general weather where they are staying as well. For TAPIF, we will be there for about 7 months: fall, winter, and the beginning of spring. Now that we are prepared, let's get into the meat of how to pack for your stay in France.

Let's start with the basics: bring underwear, whatever that may entail. If you don't wear underwear... ignore that. I'm not judging you. You do you. Anyway, it may seem obvious to pack underwear, but if you pack last-minute things like underwear come last in your mind most of the time. You don't want to spend extra money buying that when you have potentially have an apartment to rent and furnish. Also, pack socks. Same principle as the underwear. Also, it's better for your feet to wear socks with shoes. If you don't I'm not gonna judge. We all live our own lifestyles.

We're gonna break this down for people who wear dresses and skirts and those who don't. Hey, guys can wear them too. And some girls don't wear skirts. It's just their aesthetic.

For non-skirt wearers:

You can bring about 4-6 pairs of bottoms. I'd say 2 pairs of jeans and 4 pairs of slacks or versatile bottoms that aren't jeans. These are things you can wear in an office on Casual Friday. But beware, bottoms tend to take up more room than you think, so be careful about the material thickness and how you fold them. You can also bring 2-3 pairs of shorts if you so choose, but make sure they're long and made from a nice-looking material so you can wear them at work if they say it's okay. Like I said, we're going for versatile looks.

Bring 5 summer shirts and 3 long-sleeved shirts. And bring 3-5 under-shirts as well. You can mix and match these items according to the season and your fashion sense. Great right? I suggest your undershirts be basic colors so you can mix them with any shirt you have.

For skirt-wearers:

You can bring 2 bottoms. That's it. 2. One can be a pair of jeans and another can be slacks or similar. You can bring 2-3 skirts and 2-3 leggings to mix and match as well. Skirts should be decently long. Imagine the school dress code when we were kids. If the skirt matches the dress code (unless you have really long arms) you can bring it. Same for dresses. 

Bring up to 6 dresses because you need 1 or 2 nice dresses in case you wanna look extra nice for a date with a hot French person. Don't take my word for it though , I've never dated a French person. Tee hee. Anyway, the reason you can take so much is that if your dresses aren't made of thick material, you can pack a lot. If you want to bring shorts, substitute them in for other items. Bring 3-5 shirts, 3-5 long sleeved shirts, and 3 under-shirts. Remember, you're bringing a lot already. 

For ladies:

Bring enough feminine products for your first cycle in France. You don't wanna have to worry about buying new products in your first month especially since you won't be paid until the end of the month and you have to spend money on a place to stay and all of that.

For everyone:

Bring a few light cardigans for spring and early fall, and heavier sweaters for the winter. I'd say 2-3 light and 2-3 heavy. You want to be prepared. Northern France definitely sees snow and all of France feels some sort of cold in the winter, so definitely bring a heavy winter jacket or two. I am personally packing 2 jackets, one snowboarding jacket my mumzy got me and another warm jacket that's 50% wool. One is nicer than another for nice occasions in France. Or just to wear. Whatever.

You should bring 2-3 pairs of shoes. Winter shoes, sneakers/nice shoes, and/or sandals. If you so choose, you can bring a pair of dressier shoes, but you can buy that in France if you need it.

I'd also recommend bringing a travel-sized assortment of shower/grooming supplies for your first few days in France while you explore your neighborhood and find places to buy what you need. Also bring 2-3 sticks of deodorant because I don't know if you can get your favorite brands there. If you want, you can also bring one large body towel, but you can also buy towels there.

If you wear make-up go ahead and bring that, but please be aware you can probably get your favorite brands in France as well, so you don't need to bring the whole kit.

Aaaaaannnnd that's it. That's all that you need to bring, the rest you can get while you're in France. It's really not that different from the US or Canada. If you don't have it, you can get it. Don't stress out over packing and over choosing some items over others. You're definitely gonna go shopping in France. How can you not?

Cheers!

French Consulate in Korea: My experience

So, I said in a previous post that I would tell you all about my experience getting a visa in a country that is not your own. Let me tell you: IT IS POSSIBLE! However, you have to be a LEGAL RESIDENT in the country in which you are applying for that visa.



For the 18 months of my life, I was a legal resident of South Korea. You know what that means? I was legally able to apply for a French visa in South Korea for TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program In France). Yes. I did it. And this is what happened.

The first thing was I gathered the proper documents mentioned earlier in my blog here. I also made sure to have my ARC (Alien Registration Card) but that's really because I always walk around with ID. I brought a utilities bill with my name on it so that they knew I was a legal resident. I was not going to give them any excuse to deny me a visa. I looked online to double check that this was indeed possible and booked my appointment.

Now, it takes 2-3 weeks to process a visa at French embassies. I was shocked because it only took 3 days for my Korean visa. But I had to take a step back and remember that France is a popular country, way more popular than Korea in general. Of course they would need a longer time to screen out applicants. However, my appointment was set 1.5 weeks before I left Korea indefinitely. The reason I did this is because I had a hard time getting an appointment in the San Francisco French consulate, which is the regional office for my permanent US address (ironically enough, I got an appointment in SF the next day, but I now I should cancel that).

Naturally, I was worried about whether my visa will be processed in time. I had another appointment in SF, but the sooner the better, right? I wanted to get my flight ticket to France early and I didn't want the prices to go up (I found a ticket for $550). I should have booked an appointment much sooner to save myself he hassle, but I didn't know I could get my visa in Korea, so I kept hesitating.

Anyway, I went from Seoul to Gwangju the night before my July 20th appointment and stayed at a hostel with some very nice people. I made sure I had all my papers and my passport. The next morning, I went to my 9AM appointment. I was lucky enough to get a French guy who spoke perfect English (even though I speak enough French to do the whole process) and I asked him if it was possible to begin the process for a visa in Korea, but pick up my actual visa sticker in San Francisco (mom asked me to ask them that, she so smart~). You know what homeboy said?

YES.



THANK GAWD. I was so relieved I actually put my head on the counter. So I gave him my documents (the copies of my work contract rather than the original) and he got things started for me. But then he asked for for my flight ticket. I was confused and asked why. He already knew I was leaving on the second. This guy proceeded to tell me that he would try to see if he can finish my visa before I leave, so he needed a copy of my flight ticket. I SAW THE ANGELS. I was lucky enough to have a copy of my e-ticket with me. So I gave him all of my original documents and my e-ticket.

He took them and told me that he would try to get my visa done before I leave. However , if it's not done I could come by the consulate the day before my flight and pick up my visa so I could go home and then he would send my visa sticker to San Francisco where I could pick it up.



I called deal and left my beloved passport at the embassy. Homeboy also had me fill out a postage label just in case they finish early enough to mail it to me. Of course, he'd call me to ask which option I preferred. Full. Service. I left the Embassy that morning feeling quite relieved and satisfied.

I spent the next few days taking care of final things in Korea and waiting for a call from the French consulate. Then, on Friday, July 29th, I got the call. Homeboy from the French consulate called me and told me that my visa was fully process and I can pick up my passport on Monday. I was so happy I lept out of my bed and danced and I thanked him a million times. I was able to pick up my completed passport and French visa the following Monday. He managed to rush the visa for me. The consulate doesn't do rush visas.

The following Monday, since I already planned to be in Seoul, I went to the French consulate at 11:30 to pick up my visa. Of course, no matter how excited I was, I did not forget to check my visa to be sure it was the right kind because sometimes when things are rushed, there are mistakes. THERE WERE NO MISTAKES. AWESOME!

I was so excited I showed it to my friends who were with me in Seoul and the got me even more psyched. When I got back to our Hongdae hostel I booked my flight to France too.



Ain't no stoppin' us now~~~ We on the move!

Everything seemed to be falling together.

Anyway, that was my experience with the French consulate in South Korea. Word to the wise: DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE. I was extremely lucky. If you're going to apply for a visa in a country where you have legal residency, do so WELL BEFORE you have to leave. Then you wouldn't have to go through the stress I went through.

Cheers~!

Wrapping it up in Korea

I'm finally back in the US, so this post will be dedicated to tying up all the loose ends in Korea and my final days with my squad.

When preparing to leave, it's important to pay attention to these things in no particular order:

1. end your phone contract
2. pay your final heating and electric bills
3. get letters of recommendation
4. close your bank account
5. apply for your pension refund
6. clean your house
7. give up your Alien Registration Card (ARC)

The first thing I did was apply for my pension refund. In korea, you pay into the national pension, but when you leave you can get up to 2 years' worth of that money. I was here for 18 months, but I was bad and didn't pay for 6 months, so I got 12 month's worth of pension back. If you are going to Korea: Don't be like me, pay your pension and think of it like a private savings account. You have to apply for your pension about 1 month before you leave to ensure you'll get it on time. Remember to bring a Korean you trust, like a mentor teacher, co-teacher, or trusted colleague.

You have to bring several things to the NPS (National Pension Service) office, including your plane ticket and the account number for your AMERICAN bank. This is so they can send the money directly to your account. You can priovide a billing statement to meet this requirement. Of course, you can also choose airport pick-up, (which I did, but failed...) but be sure to make sure you have the option to have direct deposit too. Ask about it, it is possible. When you are close to the end of your stay, the NPS will send you a list of things you need to get your pension back. 

After that, ask your mentor teacher(s) for a letter of recommendation. This is just in case you want a similar job in the future. I asked for 6 copies. 3 of the copies are in case I want to apply for JET within the next 2 years, but the others were for EPIK and other places. You NEVER know. Give your MT plenty of time to do the letter. Tell them that the letter has to be sealed and they have to write their name over the flap to prove it. They don't do that in Korea, so be sure to explain it thoroughly.

The next thing I did was pay for my final heating and electric bills. This is important because In korea, you pay for your usage at the end of the billing cycle. You pay for march usage in april. April usage in May, and so on. You have to contact your providers to see what you owe and pay it when you leave. I just paid it directly to my landlord to make my life easier, but you can also pay directly at the bank.

Next is ending your phone contract. Ending your contract can get pretty expensive depending on the phone and when you end the contract. You also have to pay your final bill (also based on usage). If you haven't paid off your phone, the rest immediately becomes due so if you got an expensive phone, be sure to pay a pretty penny for your phone. You can deactivate your contract at any store that belongs to your carrier. I used Olleh, and thus I had to go to an Olleh store to deactivate the phone. Altogether I payed about 250,000 won to deactivate my phone because of the final phone bill, the amount left to pay for the phone, and the severance fee. It could have been MUCH more expensive. The good thing is once you end your contract, your phone is then unlocked and you are free to use it in the US if you so choose (I did, for the next few weeks ^^).

Remember to pack and clean your apartment. If you start doing this early, you won't get swanped in the end. I packed everything about a month before I had to leave and basically lived out of my carry-on suitcase. This made it easy for me to clean my aparment, expecially since I'm already a pretty neat person to begin with. If you try to clean bit by bit, you'll get it all done.

After you pay all your dues, it comes the time to close your bank account. I did this on my last full day in Korea, the day before I left. It's just easier that way. You have to go to your bank and ask a teller to do this. Be sure that a Korean is with you or that there is a teller who speaks English. I closed my account in Seoul, so I didn't need my mentor teacher, there is always at least one English speaking teller in Seoul banks. You will need your identification, your bankbook, and your bank card. The teller will close out the account for you and take out what was in there, and give it to you cash. It's an easy process, so don't be too nervous.

Lastly, you will have to give up your ARC at the airport. This means that your visa is officially expired and the next time you go to Korea it will have to be with a different program and you'll have to get a new ARC, or as a tourist. I didn't want to give mine up, but unfortunately that wasn't an option. It was then that I realized I wasn't going to be coming back. It was a bitter-sweet thing.

Welp. That's all for now. My next post will be about my personal experience getting my French visa in Seoul. This post will be relevant to anyone applying for a visa abroad.

Cheers~~

Preparing for France: The Visa

Aloha my friends!

I'm back again with news on the process of going to France to teach for 7 months. I am still in Korea, but I decided that I can at least start my visa process here.

WARNING! I did not check the spelling for ANYTHING and I don't think I will. I'm too lazy for that.



To let you guys know, it is entirely possible to get a visa in a country you are not native, too. However, you have to be a legal resident of that country. As I am a legal resident of South Korea, I make the cut.

If you are with TAPIF and trying to apply for your visa out of country, please be reminded that the process is different at every consulate, but here are the basic things you'll need:

1. your passport (no shit, right?)
2. Long Stay Visa application (again, no shit)
3. OFII form: (This form is to help you register as a legal resident)
4. 2 passport photos 
5. your arrete de nomination (your certificate of appointment)
6. *Proof of residence: alien registration card or a utilities bill (if you live in a foreign country as a legal resident)

And make sure you have copies of everything as well. It makes life easier.

Before you do ANYTHING make sure you have a valid passport that will last you the entire duration of your stay.

Step 1: Make an appointment

Unfortunately, with French consulates, you can't walk in and expect them to give you the time of day. You can't call and ask to make an appointment either. You have to go online and use their rendez-vous system to make an appointment at your local embassy. Each embassy has it's own website, and as such each embassy has it's own rendez-vous designation. In my case, my visa is about to end, so I made an appointment in Korea and an appointment in San Francisco.

Making an appointment online is actually really easy, and you can do it in English, French, or the language of whatever country you're in. Once you get to the rendez-vous page via your consulate's website (all sites are different), you will look to the left of the page and select "book an appointment." This will take you to a page with a calendar. if the date is black, then you can select it. If it's grey, you're S.O.L. and have to try again. Click on a specific date and then to the right of the calendar a list of available times will show up. Click on the pencil to choose your time, then click next. 

This will take you to a page that asks you to fill out your personal information. Fill it all out and click submit. You will get a notice telling you that your appointment was made. Be sure to take note of your reference number and print out your notice. If you don't have your reference number, the embassy will NOT see you.

Make your appointment well in advance: I made the mistake of waiting until I got my arrete and had a heart-attack when I couldn't get an appointment in SF (which is why i'm doing it in South Korea). Things worked out for me in the end, but don't be like me. I should have been more responsible about it.

Step 2: Preparing your documents

You can find the long-stay visa application and the OFII form on your consulate's website. If you joined TAPIF, there is also a document with the links to these documents as well. Print these forms out and complete them. You can do this in French, or in your native language. To avoid any confusion, I'm doing it in English. I'm confident in my french, but I don't want to make any careless mistakes.

You can get your passport photos at your local post office, but also at a local FedEx that provides the service. Most photo shops should provide passport photo services as well. The cheapest option is probably FedEx. the post office is $15. In Korea, I just got them from my school for separate reasons, but they qualify so I'm using them. (Hooray for multi-purpose uses, eh?)

You will get your arrete de nomination in the mail. Keep it hidden, keep it safe. Bring it to light only when you need it.

Fill out the top portion of your OFII form and fill out your visa application to the best of your abilities. If you don't know your address, it's okay. I got away with it, you can too. But then again I'm kinda cute so... just kidding. Other people were like that at the embassy too.

If you have an ARC just bring that and a copy. Your utilities bill is easy to get, but easy to forget about. Just keep a copy with your documents all in a folder.

Step 3: Go to your appointment

DO NOT BE LATE DO NOT BE LATE DO NOT BE LATE DO NOT BE LATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember, the embassy can take their sweet time, but if you're late, you lose your spot and then you have to go online and book another appointment which may not be for weeks. remember, France is an extremely popular destination. Arrive early. Be presentable. Have all your documents filled out and your questions ready to go.

If the person at the window tells you that you need to pay for a visa as a Assistant de langage they're lying and they don't know how to do their job. You do not have to pay for a TAPIF visa. It's completely free.

Tell them specifically that you are going to be a language assistant. DO NOT forget that important detail.

You can choose to pick up your passport personally or you can choose to mail it. Me being the paranoid girl that I am, chose to pick it up. That and I had extenuating circumstances, but that's for another post.

Step 4: Wait

Yes. Wait for them to finish. Can take 2-3 weeks. Mine was faster, but I'll make another post about that later. Be patient. DO NOT try to apply 2 weeks before you leave like I did. DON'T DO IT!

Step 5: Pick-up

All French Consulates are the same when it comes to pick-up time. Monday - Friday 11:30am -12:00pm. Yes. You have half an hour to pick up your visa. However, you don't have to make an appointment. You can just walk in and go to an open window (or a designated pick-up window if there is one). You will need ID or your receipt from your first appointment. Present it to the person at the window and they will fetch your international travel treasure (passport). Check your visa, make sure it has everything properly. For TAPIF members, it should look something like this



Of course this isn't my actual visa. I'm typing this in an airport and I don't have time to block out important information. Nor the strength. Nor the will. I had a tough day. I need a nap and food.

Anyway, after you check your visa and everything  is all gravy (all good), then you are set! I was so excited I bought my ticket to France right after I got my visa (and it was helllllllaaaaaaaa cheap).

This was another very technical post. Next time will be my complete personal experience getting my French visa in South Korea and how homeboy at the French embassy was MVP and got it done for me in literally half the time it usually takes. That should be coming next week. Maybe. I don't really know.

Cheers and best wishes!
Mocha