11 months have passed since taking the leap of leaving Boston and moving to France. 11 quick, stressful, joyous, adventure-filled months. And at the end of this month, my long-stay visa expires.
I plan to continue my new life in Europe as long as they allow me to stay, legally. Two months ago I submitted for an appointment at the local prefecture to re-apply for another year long-stay visa. However, this appointment is not necessarily a guarantee (even though I’ve been a rule-following visitor having never abused the system, performed any criminal acts, or violated my non-work contract in France).
Luckily, I am still being sponsored by a French citizen therefore I plan to continue to uphold my visitors’ status. To do so I have to prove, as I did my first go around with applying for the long-stay visa, that I’m financially secure, have medical insurance, and pay the application fees. With the right paperwork, I should secure a second go-around in the EU. But as with anything in life that is not guaranteed the fear, of the unknown with my life in limbo, can take its toll on any rational thinking human being.
This limbo is incredibly stressful because I’m trying to plan my future, with running another marathon (I signed up for Rome!), along with buying tickets to see Dave Matthews in Milan and going to Barcelona for Julien’s Birthday in January, I want to be pro-active in the future plans of my life. These moments are what makes me me, so the uncertainty of my legality of being allowed to stay puts a damper on any future plans until my rendezvous. So to say I have some stress is slightly an understatement.
But to put my mind at ease, for now, I’m going to relish on the grateful moments I’ve been able to experience over the past year:
- Visiting Saarbrucken, Germany
- Christmas in Hestroff
- Snowboarding in Ellmau, Austria
- Meeting other Americans in Metz
- Dorothy living in Europe (so lots of visits!)
- Six Nations Rugby Match in Paris
- Ellie Goulding in Luxembourg
- Snowboarding in Laax, Switzerland
- My dad and sister visit Europe (Paris, Amsterdam, Reims, Strasbourg, Trier Germany)
- Running the Paris Marathon
- Visiting Prague, Czech Republic
- Celebrating the life of Lillian Taylor Rubin
- Visiting US family and friends in Boston, West Virginia, and Philadelphia
- Vacation in Faro, Portugal
- Starting The Fit Wanderluster T-Shirt Line
- Vacation in South of France (Aix-en-Provence and Hyeres)
- Visiting London
- Running Route du Vin Half Marathon in Remich, Luxembourg
- Visiting Amsterdam with Katie
As you can see, this year has brought plenty to be thankful for. Fingers crossed for the ability to make many more memories here!
