I went to Grenoble today for a medical visit required by the préfecture (or else no new carte de séjour). I had done the exact same thing last year when I first arrived in France, so at least I knew what to expect. But still, wasting 20 € and an entire day just to get a chest x-ray is rather annoying.
It took me 3 hours to get to the ANAEM office (bus, train, tram, walking), which was closed upon my arrival anyway. So I had to stand outside for 30 minutes trying not to freeze to death (why was it so ridiculously windy today?)
I recognized the same nurse and doctor as the previous year. I even had the same weight (you don’t want to know) and same bad left eye (I swear I got new contacts!). The doctor was just as inquisitive as before – Is Bush really as dumb as people say he is? Who do you think will be the next American president? Thank goodness Bush can’t be president for a third term!
20 minutes later and I was out the door, precious récépissé de visite médicale in my hand. I originally thought I wanted to do some Christmas shopping in the Grand’Place mall, but after dealing with so many random (and angry) people on three forms of public transportation plus the fact that I couldn’t stop shivering even indoors, I just wanted to go home and be warm.
I don’t know why, but Grenoble doesn’t impress me. Every time I go there, I find it dirty and bland; just like any other big city with old buildings. But that could be because every time I go there, it’s for les démarches administratives and nothing else. I get to go back in about 6 months for the new immigrant integration crap that Sarkozy passed into law recently. Usually it’s for new arrivals, but since I will be getting my first vie privée et familiale carte de séjour, I will have to do it too regardless of how long I’ve already been in France. Yippee.
So now my question is – what does one do with two x-rays of one’s chest? Start making a Halloween costume for next year?
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8 responses so far ↓
1 Rose // Dec 12, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I’m giving my x-ray to my dad when I get back. He’s a medical technologist (he plays with your bodily fluids) at a hospital, and that kind of stuff would interest him. In fact, he was so psyched when he heard I got to keep the x-ray! So it’s sitting in my suitcase waiting to go home.
Best of luck with the CDS vie privee! Let us know how that goes.
2 dw // Dec 13, 2007 at 10:49 am
I like the costume idea, but I’m sad that you don’t like Grenoble. I lived there for six months and it’s really a very nice city! Never went to the mall though, that’s not in a great part of town. I do know what you mean about not liking the town just based on what you do there. I’m already against Orleans. One day for Orientation and they made us walk 35 minutes in the pouring rain and another day for my medical appointment, which I agree is a total waste of time. Try just visiting Grenoble once. It really is a nice city.
3 Emily // Dec 13, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Ours are really good at collecting dust.
4 Leah // Dec 13, 2007 at 1:06 pm
As for disliking Grenoble, I’ve never been, but have a couple friends who studied there and loved it. But, then again, they were also having the time of their lives so maybe it was the experience more than the actual city. But, I definitely had a similar experience with Nantes which is a city about an hour away by train from Rennes. I had to go there for my visite medicale whereas everyone else got to do it in Rennes. I was annoyed to have spent about 4 hrs with travel time and the visite and have paid 20ish euros and everybody else in Rennes spent max 2 hours and didn’t have to pay! So, I was bitter against the city. But, I went there again a month ago and I actually really liked it, so you never know!
As for the X-rays, I give mine to friends as a joke. Hehe.
5 Linda // Dec 14, 2007 at 7:27 am
I’ve never been into Grenoble but just driven past it on the freeway. It certainly is in a gorgeous setting.
6 Karen // Dec 14, 2007 at 12:49 pm
My chest x-ray is crumpled up in the back of my closet. It’s really great there. Sometimes I take it out and hold it up to the light and make a diagnosis that I only have 2 weeks to live…other than that I can’t say I’ve found much use for it.
7 nugent // Dec 16, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Hi! Did you have to get an x-ray for each renewal of your carte de sejour?
I am asking because I am also an American living just outside of Paris. I have been here exactly two years today! And they did not require a second x-ray for the renewal of my carte in 2007. HOWEVER, I changed my status when I got married (to a wonderful french national) and they have sent me a very unexpected appointment for a second x-ray.
Of course they don’t answer the phone number that is printed on the letterhead of the convocation so I can’t call them to ask why!
Nugent
8 jenever // Dec 16, 2007 at 11:49 pm
hey jennie, what is this immigrant integration stuff? i’ve been meaning to ask you about how to begin the vie privée card process…
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