How wonderful to have a baby who would be from two different cultures and speak two different
languages! While I was still at the clinic, my husband took care of
registering the baby at the mairie as an official French citizen, as
this must be done three days after the baby is born, and no later. When my
lovely stay at the clinic came to an end, it was my turn to handle the other administrative task-making the baby an official American. Even though we had
until the child is 18 years old to claim his nationality, I wanted to get it
done as soon as possible. The baby was already French at birth of course,
being born here, and we could say that he was automatically American too,
since I am, but it still had to be made official. Luckily, the
American Embassy
has everything you need on its website.
After downloading all of the paperwork, I went there with it already completed, and the whole
process of making my son officially American, was done in less than an hour.
Now he's a little Franco-American-good news for his French family, and good
news for his American family. It's great news for the parents. I felt so proud
standing there in the American Services section holding the official document
that would serve as his American birth certificate. I wanted to break out in
song with "The Star Spangled Banner" at that moment. I wanted to dance a
little jig. But with all the new security measures in place, I didn't want the
Marines to chuck me out thinking that I was a lunatic...but I did hum it all the
way back to the metro. I love France and my husband tells me that I'm half
French now, but I'm still very much American too.
Have I learned and been through everything that is different here? No, not even close. There are
so many other new things to learn. For example the milk that babies use here
is in a powder form. Another question is that of circumcision. What about
pediatricians? The
learning and the experience does not stop after the baby is born. The school
system is different, the daycares. I could go on and on.
Was it the scary frightening experience I'd expected it to be, having a baby in France instead
of America? No, not at all. The doctor didn't ask me to pass him the forceps
or administer my own péridurale. (I would have though, had he asked me,
the péridurale, that is.) In fact, no matter how strange it might have
seemed at times, Americans have more things in common with the French, than
uncommon I suppose. Once you understand the way things work here, you just
learn to go with it. Would I do it again? I sure would, in a second, or maybe
more accurately, in a couple of years.
Well, I hear my little Franco-American angel crying. Time for another bottle! As for you, what
else can I tell you? I know. Go out and have all the babies you want here in
France! Like I assured my best friend on the phone, believe me, it's totally
feasible and perfectly safe.
