<p>I had that fear wash over me around 4:00 this morning, after I got the feeling I might need to make the trip… but couldn’t sans passport. I had never thought of this. You can bet I’ll be visiting the post office this week to apply.</p>
<p>People, I have heard that the rule of thumb for jet lag recovery is one day for each hour of time zone difference; so, in addition to recovering from strep throat, it may take x that many days for your daughter to truly begin to “feel better”. </p>
<p>FYI, in cases of emergency, there are ways to get passports quickly; it doesn’t sound like you will need it but when you go to the post office, ask for the expedited processing. There are options available even beyond that for very urgent situations, not that you’ll be needing it, but just so you might rest easier…</p>
<p>I think that even the expedited passports can take 2-3 weeks, and after that long, the 5-week program will almost be over. However, I think you can go to New Orleans (I don’t know how close that is to where you live) and get a same-day passport. It sounds like your D is almost through it, and I hope it doesn’t come to that, but just in case, it’s an option.</p>
<p>There are several ways to get a passport rapidly. See these sites:</p>
<p><a href=“Expedited Passports and Visas | Express 24 Hour Rush Service”>Expedited Passports and Visas | Express 24 Hour Rush Service;
<p><a href=“http://rushpassport.sites.ambinternet.com/88:208:0/[/url]”>http://rushpassport.sites.ambinternet.com/88:208:0/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://prioritypassports.com/index.shtml[/url]”>http://prioritypassports.com/index.shtml</a></p>
<p>THere are others…go to your search program and look. Hope you never need one quickly! Good luck. Lorelei</p>
<p>the best way to get a rush passport in the event of an emergency is to go to the local passport office in the city where you live. Even with expedited service through the post office, it can take 2 to 3 weeks to get a passport (although they mail it overnight mail).</p>
<p>As an aside: there is currently a record high demand for passports and there are significant processing delays as a result. The [current</a> status notice](<a href=“http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/may/85433.htm]current”>www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/may/85433.htm) on the State Dept. website says that they are staffing up to attempt to speed things up, but warns:
[quote]
For the first seven months (October through April) of Fiscal Year 2007, the Department issued 8.6 million passports. This is a 33 percent increase from the same period last year and is more passports than were issued in any single full year before 2003. … Travelers who have not applied for passports to date should allow at least 10-12 weeks for standard passport processing and 2-3 weeks for expedited processing.<a href=“I%20added%20the%20highlighting.”>/quote</a> This is significantly longer than we used to be able to count on, so get your application in EARLY!</p>
<p>(((((HUGs)))))))
Sorry this is happening. This happened to my nephew in Thailand. She needs to rest rest and she will prob be ok, the flight over is exhausting, body readjusting and all. You might tell her to sleep all day one day. then see how she feels…that may turn her around. Forget the schedule. Make sure someone feeds her.</p>
<p>If it doesn’t clear up in the next 24 hours, get a passport and jump on a plane. Personally, I think her docs were nuts and a little irresponsible to put her on that plane in the first place.</p>
<p>People: sorry to hear about your D. My D was very sick with strep fall of her junior year in college. It took three visits to the health clinic, one phone call from worried mom, and two rounds of antibiotics to kick it. She was sick for a good three weeks. Sorry to be discouraging, but… I hope the antibiotics she is on do the job, but if not she needs to go to the doctor there and get back on a different antibiotic. Also, my D did not rest or eat properly and was not in good health the rest of the semester, so give your D a stern warning on that if you can. She needs to take her health seriously for the rest of this program if this doesn’t clear up quickly.</p>
<p>She may need another type of antibiotic if she has penicillin-resistant strep. She should talk to her resident advisor and the director of the program. She should tell them she feels sick and is worried that she’s not getting off to a great start on the program. They’ve dealt with this before. She is not the first student to get sick overseas and/or miss the opening orientation. </p>
<p>If she was staying in a remote area of the world with no running water then I would go get her. But Paris is not a 3rd world country. They have medical schools and real doctors there. </p>
<p>Please keep us posted. We are all worrying along with you.</p>
<p>D update: D thinks her throat is better, but is still getting occasional headaches and is very tired (naturally, because she’s jetlagged and not sleeping well) Up-and-down with her experience - She felt well enough to do orientation today, and thought she would be following her roommate… but her roommate left w/o her this morning, thinking she just wanted to sleep! My d had NO idea how to find her way to campus, and just ended up catching a cab (fine by me, under the circumstances). After orientation, everyone was heading to a bar, which she was definitely not up for. Her adviser pointed her to a bus, which was supposed to take her to the metro station, but… it was the wrong bus going in the wrong direction!! Mind you, this was about 11:00 p.m., Paris time (dark!!!) To make a VERY long story short, she learned that there are some very kind strangers in Paris. She wandered around, finally finding a metro stop, but she didn’t know which train to take. She heard a lady come up behind her, saying “Lost, honey?” It was an American couple, probably late 50’s. They ended up getting on the correct train with her, riding all the way to her stop so she wouldn’t miss it. They chatting with her, telling her about their travel experiences, and gave her some metro tips. My d said they were SO very kind. Whomever they are, they’re currently my favorite people in the whole world! So, all is well for today. She’s going to try to get a decent night’s sleep, and she’ll be going to her first class tomorrow, stuck like glue to her roommate’s side. Exhausting day, but I think it ended up okay. Thanks EVERYONE for your tips and concern - It really, really helps!!!</p>
<p>Yay. Thanks for letting us know.</p>
<p>And, if she seems to not be snapping back physically, I will direct her to the health office, so they can refer her to a French doc.</p>
<p>people: awesome, now maybe you can get some sleep too. :)</p>
<p>people, How wonderful that she met such kind folk! I am upset that her program didn’t think to send her home with an escort. She shouldn’t have been wandering around alone, while still ill. Please tell your brave dtr to use cabs when any such situation arises.</p>
<p>Gee, how did you EVER guess that I’m not sleeping…? My co-workers all kept their distance today, with my snapping and growling. I’ll bring some bagels in tomorrow as an apology…</p>
<p>I’m also rather upset with the advisers. This is the second one that really showed no concern about her well-being, just treating her more like a kill-joy. I had to call the summer program office for her, asking them to contact her at her residence (she couldn’t figure out how to call within France from her cell phone), so she could get some questions answered. When I talked with him, he heaved a big, impatient sigh before answering me, and wasn’t very helpful with my daughter either. They seem used to having students that are well-traveled, not novices, and certainly not students that need help. That’s my take, anyway. But then, I’m rather edgy about it, not objective.</p>
<p>^^ well, that’s just rude! Advisers to students travelling abroad should be prepared for anything, and patient should be their primary characteristic. Everyone who has ever travelled abroad realizes that “things” happen. Sheesh. </p>
<p>Hang in there, people. I have a feeling that because the trip started off so badly for your D that once she recovers her health she will find even ordinary events in France to be perfectly wonderful. Plus, she is certainly learning resiliency! Good for her! (I remember walking around in circles in my French town the 2nd night of my year abroad after leaving my friend at her apartment. It was around 10 p.m. and the streets had totally rolled up for the night. I wandered for at least 2 hours until finally a kind Frenchman walking his dog asked if I needed help and pointed me in the right direction. There were so many events like that during my year abroad, but I will tell you that they all made coming back to the US and navigating new places here a laughably easy!)</p>
<p>I agree that she’ll have some great stories when this is over. </p>
<p>I still remember the first time I took a bus from Hyde Park to downtown Chicago. The bus dropped us off on State Street. When I was done with the job interview, I walked to the other side of State Street to look for the bus home and it wasn’t listed on any of the signs so I stood there to watch for it just in case. The number I needed never came. Finally I climbed on a bus and asked the driver where to catch the southbound bus that I needed. </p>
<p>It turns out you catch it on Michigan Avenue! How would someone know that? I also got splashed by a bus (and this was before Sarah Jessica Parker did it). :)</p>
<p>People-It sounds like the worst is behind her and I think after a few good nights of sleep she will feel much better. I’m glad she was able to make it through some of the orientation activities.</p>
<p>We will be in Paris 6/18-24 and I would be happy to check in with her if it will help.</p>
<p>D update, perhaps happily the last: talked with her this morning - MUCH better! Still isn’t sleeping well (gee, wonder why, with all the stress!), but feeling stronger. She had her first crepe, went to class, bought her books, and successfully navigated the bus/metro to get “home”. I’m encouraging her to be VERY gentle with herself for a while, until she really gets stronger. She’ll be going to the Louvre on Thursday with her art history class, which in plenty for now (says Mom).</p>
<p>I can’t tell you all how much the compassionate support of CC’ers has helped me. Merci beaucoup!!!</p>