Birth certificate and running pillar to post

What's that saying? You come into the world alone and you die alone or some like that. Basically the point is that you're alone and can't expect help from others who can find 100s of chunks of time to go around doing stuff for everyone but you. Indeed in this 8 year period in paris, practically anything administrative for me or lulu has been done by me. Even if it means lugging along the poor thing from pillar to post. As was the case today. For his school admissions in india, we need a translated bc. I asked his dad to go to the consulate to get it. After having to do that myself I know now that even if he had gone it'd have been a waste of time. But he didn't. Anyway, lulu n I left bright and early to Rue de Paradis - Paris where the vfs is now located. They wanted lulu's pic and thumbprint. Look  at this pic he took - 

Obviously it was unacceptable. So we took another. The place was a bloody ripoff costing 10€ for 4 pics instead of the standard 4€. F-ing crap Indian offices are. If it's india, accept a bribe. If it's anroad, just hike the prices. 

Anyway, we took another set of pics and went to the counter. When I've almost swiped my card for a bloody translation and courier service, I had the mind to ask if this translation would be accepted across india. That's when the reveal happens that the translation is actually going to be in French! WTF! 

We hightailed it back home and I dragged lulu yet again out - to the Mairie to get the "plurilingue" (multilingual) acte de naissance. They gave it in 2 seconds flat. And it seems to me that that might suffice after all. And that my morning expedition to the embassy was a waste. 

Nevertheless at least we are off to Botdeaux this weekend.

Until I report from there, xoxo.