Updating "Update...from Australia"

Holding Pattern D for Delayed has yielded! Here's a quick update of what's happened:

• Interviews: Instead of being conducted by the director, they (and we should've seen this coming a mile off) were passed on to the new coaching manager. She's been of great help over the past couple of months, so despite taking my future job I can't hold anything against her as she's working really hard to push this sponsorship through. She finally got them finished on Monday.

• Finalising the application: This actually needs to be done by the Director in person. The coaching manager is trying to get that to happen in the next week, but I'm not holding my breath.

• Department checks: We've had an update on the time frame - up to three months. Aack!

• And perhaps the biggest news of all: the director offered me a flight to go back to Paris early. I know - how rude of me to company-bash when they've offered to fly me to Paris so I can be with the Frenchy, right? Perhaps. The Frenchy was dubious from the start as it's an uncharacteristically generous move on his behalf. I was less sceptical and was even a bit chuffed that they'd spend that much money on me. However, as it turns out, she was on the money as they went back on their offer yesterday.

So where am I at now? Well, having had the idea of returning to Paris early put into my head, I've booked and paid for a flight myself and will be back on French soil in mid-July. The plan is to be there until early October, by which stage I'm expecting the French government to have made up its mind about the sponsorship and, if they've said yes, to have sent the valuable piece of paper to Australia. I'll then fly back to Sydney, apply for the visa, wait one-two months for approval, and then fly back to Paris in November or December (although mum said yesterday we might spend Christmas here and get the Frenchy across too. Food for thought!)

So, at this point in time, it's actually working out quite well: I'll be here for my nephew's/niece's arrival, I'll get to see the Frenchy sooner than expected, and I'll get to come back to Australia towards the end of the year. And if what the coaching manager said is true, the company will be flying me back to Paris - in accordance with the sponsorship agreement - once the visa is approved. The adventure continues!