Still Without Mon VISA

As I feared, Amanda arrived today at the French Consulate Office in New York to pick up my student VISA for me, and was denied. "Pourqoui?" You ask? Because the French Consulate Office is most inefficently run agency I have ever encountered. To make my point clear I must describe the history of my encounters with them.
April 2009
Upon my acceptance in AUP, it was made clear I would need a student VISA to stay in Paris for 4 months. How bon and amusant I thought! A French VISA for my passport! I thought wrong.
May 2009
Before you can apply for your student VISA, you must register with an organiziation called CampusFrance. FIT, my school, knows NOTHING about the abroad program at AUP, instructed me that after registering, Campus France would set the appointment at the Consulate for me! Again, I thought how bon and nice of them! Again, I thought wrong.
June 2009
I register with CampusFrance, and await the apparent confirmation email with my VISA appointment date, supposed to be within 2 weeks. In the meantime, I go to visit my new nephew Oliver in California, who is adorable. I return to New York City on the 15th, and have not yet recieved an appointment date! I am offically worried. I attempt to email Campus France. No response! I question FIT, quel surprise they know nothing! I attempt to call the Consulate Office, mais YOU CAN'T CALL THERE! Alas, after sending them continuous emails, I finally get a response.
"Madame,
Campus France does not make the appointment. You must do it online.
No appointments will be made in person."
Fuming, I log onto the Consulate Website and find that the earliest appointment I can obtain is July 13th! Being that it is the middle of June, and I have no purpose to be in New York for another month, I decide to fly home until my appointment.
July 13, 2009
I arrive at the consulate at 9:30 for my appointment at 10am. I wait outside until 11am, when the rudest, most unfrench security guard opens the door and allows the crowd waiting outside to come in. After the most extensive security check of my life, I am permitted to walk up to the office, which is a hallway and three windows with attendents.
Now, this may seem foolish, but I had imagined my appointment for my VISA would be me and a lovely French woman or perhaps older gentlemen in a petit office. They would ask me what my plans are, we would talk about why we love France, they would tell me which patisseries have the best macaroons, there would be complimentary croissants and cafe, they would take my papers, stamp my passport and I would leave with a smile and a VISA.
What actually happened was I waited in a 3 hour line of doom in a hallway that was packed with others as angry as I was. No one there was French, and everyone was mean! After fingerprints, paperwork, and questioning, I finally got to the window to turn in my papers, I was told that same-day VISAS are no longer issused, I have to come back in ten days. I remained calm enough to explain I was leaving New York, and the attendent said a family member could pick it up for me as long as they had all my papers and passport. So, I leave the Consulate and New York without my VISA, without my passport, and having to give the responsibility of getting it to my sister, Amanda.
August 6, 2009
Amanda goes to the Consulate to pick up my VISA and is denied! Pourqoui? They failed to scan my fingerprints correctly while I was there! They will not give a VISA without fingerprints, so I have to go BACK to new york AGAIN a mere 2 days before I leave for France to get my VISA!
August 19th, 2009 (4 days before my Paris departure)
I will be flying to New York and can only hope that things go smoothly at the Consulate and I leave this time with my VISA! Because I am an eternal optimist, I see that there is good coming out of all this. I get to spend one more day in nyc, and have a last 'hurrah!" with my sisters! So at least there is a petit bit of bon.