So after finally getting the kids and themselves to bed Thursday night my family was promptly woken up at next morning so they could attend the town hall ceremony. Not by me of course, a good bride knows to delegate the dirty work.
Friend: I don’t get it, what am I suppose to do?
Me: Go to the hotel and make sure everyone gets in the car to go to town hall.
Friend: If they are going from the lobby to the car, I don't know what I can do to help facilitate.
Me: I need you there. Just in case.
Friend: In case... of… what?
Me: Just in case.
When soon to be husband and I got to town hall we saw that some people had already arrived. Our families were not amongst them. Stbh pulled out his cell phone while I greeted everyone.
10 minutes before our appointment time there was still no sign of our families or friends sent to help them. I turned to sobh with panicked eyes. They’re coming he reassured me. I was not reassured, until finally I saw my friends approaching town hall.
Me: Was it ok?
Friend 1: [Eyes of someone who just survived a traumatic event] It was not ok.
Me: Why what happened?
Friend 1: Nobody was ready. Except the Japanese couple.
Me: Oh.
Friend 1: We called and called and nobodypicked up.
Me: Oh.
Friend 2: They had so many bags!!! [Sweat pouring down her face]
But alas I didn’t have time to get the details because I had to, you know, get married. Later my brother filled me in. He was staying at my apartment and I had sent him that same morning to help out.
He got there thinking everyone will be up and ready to check out. He instead saw my sister trying to put pants on her 2 year old daughter. He decided to take charge:
Brother:Why isn’t anyone ready?
Sister:[stares at him with the look of a woman who hasn’t slept for 3 days and is fighting to put pants on a 2 year old and losing]
Brother: Ok, ok, it’s cool.
After everyone is finally ready and fully dressed, my mother decides, 10 minutes before leaving, that the shirts that my father and brother were currently wearing needed ironing. Even if this involved my dad going downstairs to ask for an iron and everyone taking off their shirts.
So that is why nobody was ready. Why didn’t they answer the phone? My sister had taken the phones off the hook because it had become a toy for the girls and she was afraid they would dial the police or China.
But in the end everyone made it and into their respective seats for the town hall ceremony. Relieved I turned to look at, my sister seated next to me on my wedding day:
Me: Did you comb your hair?
Sister: [stare of a woman who hasn’t slept for 3 days and, as I was told later, had put on makeup for the occasion]
Me Ok,ok, it’s cool.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
A bride, 3 nieces, and a baby
So I took a week off before the wedding to do some last minute stuff and to welcome people coming into Paris, including my sister, her husband, their 3 little girls and a baby. That’s right.
Let’s go back a year to September 2011 to this conversation:
Sister: I’m pregnant
Me: [what about the wedding?!!!!] Congratulations!!!!
Sister: Thanks
Me: [A baby is good news... a baby is good news... a baby is good news...] Great news!
Sister: Yearh
Me: So… when are you due?
Sister: End of May
Me: [what about the wedding in August?????] Aw, that’s great.
The above is the reason why I did not know if my sister, my matron of honor, was in fact coming to the wedding and the reason why my family did not book their flight to Paris until about one month before. There were ideas about bribing uncles to come along as full time au pairs, other ideas about only bringings ome of the children, and then of course there was my fear that nobody would come at all. But in the end it was decided that everyone was coming.
I quickly sprang into action looking for things like car booster seats and making other needed arrangements to accommodate 5 adults, 3 kids, and a baby.
So finally they arrived one day before town hall wedding and I went to the airport to pick everyone up. The sleep deprived adults emerged first pushing carts with mounds of baggage topped with sleepy/unhappy/crying children. I quickly ushered them into the rented minivan and to their hotel room.
I left them to sleep and meet some friends coming in that needed briefing on their role in the wedding. Only when I got to the friend’s hotel room they hadn’t checked in yet even though it was now 3 hours after their flight got in. Concerned I sat and waited when my phone rang. Thinking it was my friends I answered. It was instead, my sister.
Sister: Whatcha doing?
Me: Waiting for some friends, what’s up?
Sister: Um. Husband is passed out but kids are awake. All 4 of them. It’s kind of... hard.
Me: Oh
Sister: I just thought if you weren’t doing anything…
Me: Well…
Sister: Cause you know I haven’t slept in 2 days.
Me: Ok
Sister: And the girls have strep.
Me: Ok.
I left a message for my friends and headed back to the hotel room where the zombie that replaced my sister answered the door. I quickly took over and played with the girls as my sister lied down for a nap.
As I am entertaining two of the four, I see one of them inch towards my sister.
Me: Hey, come here what do you need?
Niece: I want to tell Mommy something
Me: You can tell me.
Niece: [looking reluctant]
Me: It’s ok, you can tell me and after we can tell Mommy when she wakes up from her nap, ok?
Niece: I poo-ed in my pants.
Me: Oh.
But it’s cool, I’ve dealt with niece poo before, I got this. But I didn’t have to. Why? Because my sister hears this after not having slept for 2 day, gets up, and says, I kid you not, don’t worry Kelly I got it.
I do believe in love.
Let’s go back a year to September 2011 to this conversation:
Sister: I’m pregnant
Me: [what about the wedding?!!!!] Congratulations!!!!
Sister: Thanks
Me: [A baby is good news... a baby is good news... a baby is good news...] Great news!
Sister: Yearh
Me: So… when are you due?
Sister: End of May
Me: [what about the wedding in August?????] Aw, that’s great.
The above is the reason why I did not know if my sister, my matron of honor, was in fact coming to the wedding and the reason why my family did not book their flight to Paris until about one month before. There were ideas about bribing uncles to come along as full time au pairs, other ideas about only bringings ome of the children, and then of course there was my fear that nobody would come at all. But in the end it was decided that everyone was coming.
I quickly sprang into action looking for things like car booster seats and making other needed arrangements to accommodate 5 adults, 3 kids, and a baby.
So finally they arrived one day before town hall wedding and I went to the airport to pick everyone up. The sleep deprived adults emerged first pushing carts with mounds of baggage topped with sleepy/unhappy/crying children. I quickly ushered them into the rented minivan and to their hotel room.
I left them to sleep and meet some friends coming in that needed briefing on their role in the wedding. Only when I got to the friend’s hotel room they hadn’t checked in yet even though it was now 3 hours after their flight got in. Concerned I sat and waited when my phone rang. Thinking it was my friends I answered. It was instead, my sister.
Sister: Whatcha doing?
Me: Waiting for some friends, what’s up?
Sister: Um. Husband is passed out but kids are awake. All 4 of them. It’s kind of... hard.
Me: Oh
Sister: I just thought if you weren’t doing anything…
Me: Well…
Sister: Cause you know I haven’t slept in 2 days.
Me: Ok
Sister: And the girls have strep.
Me: Ok.
I left a message for my friends and headed back to the hotel room where the zombie that replaced my sister answered the door. I quickly took over and played with the girls as my sister lied down for a nap.
As I am entertaining two of the four, I see one of them inch towards my sister.
Me: Hey, come here what do you need?
Niece: I want to tell Mommy something
Me: You can tell me.
Niece: [looking reluctant]
Me: It’s ok, you can tell me and after we can tell Mommy when she wakes up from her nap, ok?
Niece: I poo-ed in my pants.
Me: Oh.
But it’s cool, I’ve dealt with niece poo before, I got this. But I didn’t have to. Why? Because my sister hears this after not having slept for 2 day, gets up, and says, I kid you not, don’t worry Kelly I got it.
I do believe in love.
Friday, August 17, 2012
say yes to the dress
So some London friends of mine came down to Paris to help me pick out a wedding dress. After a disappointing botched appointment (the place I called turned out not to be the one I wanted) we finally made it to a cute second hand boutique where the lady delicately laid out dresses I had requested to try.
The first on the list I had high hopes for because it was 1. new and not used and 2. cost 300 Euros. I tried it on and crossed my fingers.
My friends loved it. I mentally checked off dress on the list of things to do.
But because trying on pretty dresses and having people ohhhh and ahhhh at you is so much fun we decided to try on all the dresses. From mermaid to long train, I tried it all.
Then we got to the last dress which was one that I thought would be just fun to try on mostly because it looked like a ballerina dress mullet in the picture; short tulle in the front and long fabric in the back. But in reality the tulle was floor length with a long fabric train.
Anywho I tried it on and that’s when dilemma struck. I loved it. The silhouette was unique, asymmetrical neckline with a low waist. An added bonus was the drawstring back giving endless eating potential. The other dress I would have to eat and suck. This dress would do the work for me.
This dress also cost twice the price of the other dress.
I turned to my friends for guidance. They were also torn. Did I want white or ivory? New or used? Simple or drama? Dress or dress and iphone?
As we woooed and hummed, one of my friends starts putting something on my wrist. I know you won’t like it Kelly , she said, but I just can’t make out what it is and I just want to see what it looks like.
I looked down and there, sitting on my wrist was this amazing golden wire crystal cuff bracelet that went with this dress and this dress only.
I bought the dress. Or at least I tried to. I had brought my checkbook but they wanted id (duh) which was sitting in my apartment 45 metro minutes away. I tried to use my bankcard but because it was the end of the month I was past my monthly limit.
ATM? Tried it but the price surpassed my daily limit.
In the end, the three of us fully employed women scrounged together money like college students trying to buy pizza and came up with the right amount.
I have the best friends.
The first on the list I had high hopes for because it was 1. new and not used and 2. cost 300 Euros. I tried it on and crossed my fingers.
My friends loved it. I mentally checked off dress on the list of things to do.
But because trying on pretty dresses and having people ohhhh and ahhhh at you is so much fun we decided to try on all the dresses. From mermaid to long train, I tried it all.
Then we got to the last dress which was one that I thought would be just fun to try on mostly because it looked like a ballerina dress mullet in the picture; short tulle in the front and long fabric in the back. But in reality the tulle was floor length with a long fabric train.
Anywho I tried it on and that’s when dilemma struck. I loved it. The silhouette was unique, asymmetrical neckline with a low waist. An added bonus was the drawstring back giving endless eating potential. The other dress I would have to eat and suck. This dress would do the work for me.
This dress also cost twice the price of the other dress.
I turned to my friends for guidance. They were also torn. Did I want white or ivory? New or used? Simple or drama? Dress or dress and iphone?
As we woooed and hummed, one of my friends starts putting something on my wrist. I know you won’t like it Kelly , she said, but I just can’t make out what it is and I just want to see what it looks like.
I looked down and there, sitting on my wrist was this amazing golden wire crystal cuff bracelet that went with this dress and this dress only.
I bought the dress. Or at least I tried to. I had brought my checkbook but they wanted id (duh) which was sitting in my apartment 45 metro minutes away. I tried to use my bankcard but because it was the end of the month I was past my monthly limit.
ATM? Tried it but the price surpassed my daily limit.
In the end, the three of us fully employed women scrounged together money like college students trying to buy pizza and came up with the right amount.
I have the best friends.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
do you believe in love?
So in France they have this thing about official documents expiring. Every time I submit a document it has to be dated less than x number of months. And birth certificates are no exceptions.
I too was surprised when I presented my actual birth certificate to town hall and they politely turned it away asking instead for an official copy dated less than 6 months.
Me: How am I supposed to get that?
Lady: From the place that issued it in the first place [said in a matter of fact kind of way]
Me: You mean, in Vietnam.
Lady: Yes
Me: [bright idea to play the war card]. But I escaped when I was 5 due to the WAR.
Lady: [confused look on her face]
BF: She means war
I had apparently reduced the impact of the word war by mispronouncing it and saying instead train station. But not like it made a difference as the woman remained stonefaced.
So I called my parents to see if they could in fact procure this copy for me. I then spent 45 minutes explaining to my father why I needed this, which is in fact very hard since I myself did not understand why I needed it. The only thing I managed to convince my dad was that I should get married in the States.
The next day I called the Vietnamese embassy in Paris to see if they could do something for me since this must happen to a lot of Vietnamese people who want to get married in France. After convincing the lady that I was not, in fact, interested in a holiday Vietnam visa, I explained my situation and asked if she could help me. Sorry she said, they could only issue copies of birth certificates for French citizens but if I wanted a Vietnam holiday visa she would be more than happy to help me.
Then I got a call from my mom that went something like this:
Mom: I heard you need a copy of your birth certificate to get married in France. Why can’t you use the original?
[10 minutes of explaining]
Me. Yeah but don’t worry I think I’m just going to call the Vietnam embassy in the States.
Mom: No don’t do that, they’re shady.
Me: What do you mean… shady?
Mom: I’ve heard bad things about them.
Me: Uh, I’m sure it’s fine.
Mom: No, don’t worry I have contacts in Vietnam. They know people who say they could get it.
Me: What… people?
Mom: Don’t worry I’ll take care of it.
About 4 months go by without word from these “people” when I realized that all the other papers I got from the U.S. embassy were going to expire like bad milk. Desperate I went to the US embassy to explain my problem hoping they could do something. I even had a speech prepared that begin with “Do you believe in love” and ended with “which means I’ve been doing this for 5 months”. I was also prepared to cry.
They were understanding and printed out a form titled “Birth certificate affidavit” that I myself filled out, got it stamped, paid my 50 bucks and left happy with at least something.
That night 50 dollar poorer yet happy and full of joy, I put together our dossier with all the papers we needed when I realized that I could not in fact submit the dossier because of a small problem.
All of bf’s papers had expired!
I then took a very, very long nap.
When bf finally got around to getting his documents (again) we submitted our dossier only to be told that the 50 dollar affidavit did not in fact cut it, and that they would have to launch an international inquiry.
Us: How long would this take?
Guy: Maybe a year.
Us: But we already booked and paid for the venue and people have already booked and paid for their tickets to come to France.
Guy: [audible shrug]
Us: Do you believe in love…?
That night I called my sister for sympathy.
Sister: You mean I’m shleping my husband, 3 kids and a baby to France for a symbolic ceremony?
Me: …um. Do you believe in love?
One month before the date of our pretend wedding bf calls me to tell me our dossier had been accepted. Nobody knows what happed to the international inquiry.
I too was surprised when I presented my actual birth certificate to town hall and they politely turned it away asking instead for an official copy dated less than 6 months.
Me: How am I supposed to get that?
Lady: From the place that issued it in the first place [said in a matter of fact kind of way]
Me: You mean, in Vietnam.
Lady: Yes
Me: [bright idea to play the war card]. But I escaped when I was 5 due to the WAR.
Lady: [confused look on her face]
BF: She means war
I had apparently reduced the impact of the word war by mispronouncing it and saying instead train station. But not like it made a difference as the woman remained stonefaced.
So I called my parents to see if they could in fact procure this copy for me. I then spent 45 minutes explaining to my father why I needed this, which is in fact very hard since I myself did not understand why I needed it. The only thing I managed to convince my dad was that I should get married in the States.
The next day I called the Vietnamese embassy in Paris to see if they could do something for me since this must happen to a lot of Vietnamese people who want to get married in France. After convincing the lady that I was not, in fact, interested in a holiday Vietnam visa, I explained my situation and asked if she could help me. Sorry she said, they could only issue copies of birth certificates for French citizens but if I wanted a Vietnam holiday visa she would be more than happy to help me.
Then I got a call from my mom that went something like this:
Mom: I heard you need a copy of your birth certificate to get married in France. Why can’t you use the original?
[10 minutes of explaining]
Me. Yeah but don’t worry I think I’m just going to call the Vietnam embassy in the States.
Mom: No don’t do that, they’re shady.
Me: What do you mean… shady?
Mom: I’ve heard bad things about them.
Me: Uh, I’m sure it’s fine.
Mom: No, don’t worry I have contacts in Vietnam. They know people who say they could get it.
Me: What… people?
Mom: Don’t worry I’ll take care of it.
About 4 months go by without word from these “people” when I realized that all the other papers I got from the U.S. embassy were going to expire like bad milk. Desperate I went to the US embassy to explain my problem hoping they could do something. I even had a speech prepared that begin with “Do you believe in love” and ended with “which means I’ve been doing this for 5 months”. I was also prepared to cry.
They were understanding and printed out a form titled “Birth certificate affidavit” that I myself filled out, got it stamped, paid my 50 bucks and left happy with at least something.
That night 50 dollar poorer yet happy and full of joy, I put together our dossier with all the papers we needed when I realized that I could not in fact submit the dossier because of a small problem.
All of bf’s papers had expired!
I then took a very, very long nap.
When bf finally got around to getting his documents (again) we submitted our dossier only to be told that the 50 dollar affidavit did not in fact cut it, and that they would have to launch an international inquiry.
Us: How long would this take?
Guy: Maybe a year.
Us: But we already booked and paid for the venue and people have already booked and paid for their tickets to come to France.
Guy: [audible shrug]
Us: Do you believe in love…?
That night I called my sister for sympathy.
Sister: You mean I’m shleping my husband, 3 kids and a baby to France for a symbolic ceremony?
Me: …um. Do you believe in love?
One month before the date of our pretend wedding bf calls me to tell me our dossier had been accepted. Nobody knows what happed to the international inquiry.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Passport
So I had to renew my passport the other day which means that I took my first trip abroad 10 years ago. The trip was to Vietnam with my sister after I graduated from University. The front cover still has the faded sticker with my name written on it put on there by the authority that gave me my Vietnam visa dated 2002 on page 9.
On page 11 is my Japan visa dated 2003. Category: Instructor. Remarks: JET Program. Page 18 contains the China visa dated 2005 marking the beginning of 5 months of backpacking. A second Vietnam Visa on page 19. Cambodia visa page 21, hand written and given directly on the Mekong River from Vietnam to Cambodia. Issue date: 28/09/2005. Supplemental pages begins on page A marked with the department of state seal followed by India Visa on page C. Sydney stamp 24 Nov 2005 on page D marking the beginning of the end of 5 months of travel.
Page F, France visa 2008. Page K, second visa to China 2010 needed for a trip to Asia with my now fiancé. The trip was for a wedding in Taiwan for a friend from University in the States. On the same trip I saw a friend from D.C. (now living in China), a friend I met in Japan (now living in Hong Kong), and a friend from France (doing an internship in Malaysia at the time). All these people from a different time and place in my life somehow tied together on one trip to Asia. Life can be surprising.
In order to renew my passport by mail I have to mail in the old one. Although you get the old passport back I had a hard time risking losing this passport. There, through all the pages were tangent remains of my life for the past 10 years. It was hard to let go.
Sometimes we don’t feel the time pass.I recently went to NYC for my bachelorette party and threre was a moment where I looked around at the girls that I have now known for at least 10 years. I remember who they were then, see who they are now and can’t help but marvel at how far we all have come.
Before sending in my passport I had one last look at the picture of me age 22. My hair is tied back as it always was back then and I’m wearing a grey tank top I nicked from my little brother. Even though it’s not in the picture I’m pretty sure I’m wearing running pants to match.
Yes we’ve all come a long way.
On page 11 is my Japan visa dated 2003. Category: Instructor. Remarks: JET Program. Page 18 contains the China visa dated 2005 marking the beginning of 5 months of backpacking. A second Vietnam Visa on page 19. Cambodia visa page 21, hand written and given directly on the Mekong River from Vietnam to Cambodia. Issue date: 28/09/2005. Supplemental pages begins on page A marked with the department of state seal followed by India Visa on page C. Sydney stamp 24 Nov 2005 on page D marking the beginning of the end of 5 months of travel.
Page F, France visa 2008. Page K, second visa to China 2010 needed for a trip to Asia with my now fiancé. The trip was for a wedding in Taiwan for a friend from University in the States. On the same trip I saw a friend from D.C. (now living in China), a friend I met in Japan (now living in Hong Kong), and a friend from France (doing an internship in Malaysia at the time). All these people from a different time and place in my life somehow tied together on one trip to Asia. Life can be surprising.
In order to renew my passport by mail I have to mail in the old one. Although you get the old passport back I had a hard time risking losing this passport. There, through all the pages were tangent remains of my life for the past 10 years. It was hard to let go.
Sometimes we don’t feel the time pass.I recently went to NYC for my bachelorette party and threre was a moment where I looked around at the girls that I have now known for at least 10 years. I remember who they were then, see who they are now and can’t help but marvel at how far we all have come.
Before sending in my passport I had one last look at the picture of me age 22. My hair is tied back as it always was back then and I’m wearing a grey tank top I nicked from my little brother. Even though it’s not in the picture I’m pretty sure I’m wearing running pants to match.
Yes we’ve all come a long way.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
meilleurs voeux
So I live right next to rue de Levis which is a market street filled with specialty shops (cheese, meats, fruits/vegatables, bread, even olive oil). Imagine the beginning of Beauty and the Beast except without the singing or reading.
Unfortunately on the same street is a big chain grocery store and I must confess I always end up succumbing to it's convenient charms and regretting it afterwards.
But for New Year's Eve this year we decided to avoid the overpriced restaurants and eat in. Seizing the opportunity we went from specialty store to specialty store to get what we needed. Although it did require more time, surrounded by the aroma, colors, and expertise of "les artisans" shopping for food became more of a pleasure and less a chore.
Happy New Year.
Unfortunately on the same street is a big chain grocery store and I must confess I always end up succumbing to it's convenient charms and regretting it afterwards.
But for New Year's Eve this year we decided to avoid the overpriced restaurants and eat in. Seizing the opportunity we went from specialty store to specialty store to get what we needed. Although it did require more time, surrounded by the aroma, colors, and expertise of "les artisans" shopping for food became more of a pleasure and less a chore.
Happy New Year.
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