almost citizen

Finally, my long-term visa or rather carte de résident (resident card) has been finalized and it's sitting snugly in my wallet. We don't have to deal with the paperwork at the préfecture for another 10 years. Until now, I had to renew my visa each year and after 2 years living on French soil, I'm granted a 10-year renewable visa which is perfectly fine with me.. I don't intend to take up French citizenship as that would mean giving up my Singapore passport. It's not necessary anyway since being married to a French entitles me to the social advantages of the French system (rebate on doctor's visits, medical treatments, allowances for kids, etc.) and having the carte de résident means I can be hired and have the same rights just like the normal French if one day I decide to look for a job here.

The physical aspect of the card though is nothing to be lauded.. it's almost the size of a passport, hence not small-wallet friendly. The French has yet to reduce the size of their IDs and the likes, to credit card size.. but apparently there has been talks to change all that, so all the best...