Yesterday marked the one month until my departure to New York. In exactly thirty days I will be in New York at the Orientation and in exactly one month I will be getting ready to go to the airport to check in for my flight to Zurich and then to Spain.
And I still can't believe it.
So much has happened since I submitted my pre-application in December. I have braved the hurdle of International Relations, survived my visa appointment, and made a blog (which might sound easy but it took forever; see post "The Beginning.") But here I am a mere 4 weeks from my departure and realising how unprepared I am. I have to...
...Pack:
This might seem easy but involves going shopping and buying clothes. Also, I have to make sure that I have everything that I will need from America for the whole year. And I have to do this all in one week because I am going next week and the week before my departure school starts (not for me, but for Bear Creek) so my mom has to go to work.
...LEARN MORE SPANISH:
Ha. I say that like I am going to know so much Spanish when I get there. Yeah right. I will know some but not nearly enough to be able to communicate well. The first few months of school will probably consist of me sitting in class catching every tenth word the teacher says and failing every class except math and English, a class I am really excited to take because I am a native speaker. :)
...and learn about Spanish History, Politics, and Economics.:
Because I know practically nothing about Spanish History, Politics and Economics.
And I also need to prepare mentally for what I am about to do. I am pretty much flipping the world I know upside-down, and leaving everything I know behind. It is like skydiving: terrifying, but exciting at the same time.
So, here is what has happened since I last posted:
1. Documents: I received all of the required documents for my visa. I got all the ones from AFS the week before my visa Appointment.
2. Applying: My mom, my brother and I all drove to San Francisco so I could apply for my visa. The appointment went well, even if it was a little nerve-wracking. There was a girl about my age who was called in before I was. She was in there for about 15 minutes before she comes out bawling. She heads straight for the door and everyone in the room is silent. Her dad gets up and follows her out. All of us still there look around at each other, all of us thinking, "I hope my appointment goes better than that." But mine went fine. The guy was really nice and I was out in 15 minutes.
3. VISA!!!!!!!: So, today I went to get the mail. I get the mail and am walking back down the street looking through it when I see this large envelope at the back of the pile. I flip to it and stop. "Holy Cow!" is the first thing that pops into my head. I stare at the envelope for a couple more seconds and let the reality sink in. MY VISA JUST CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took a little more than a week and a half and IT CAME!!!!!!! I was (and still am) totally surprised, I wasn't expecting it until about a week or two before I left. But IT CAME!! I do have to get it extended during my first month in Spain, but it doesn't seem that hard. On the visa it says that it was issued one week and one day after my appointment. I am sooo amazed.
This is a brief summary of my July. I can not believe that in one month I will be (hopefully) in the airport checking in for my flight to Zurich. All you AFSer's going to Spain I am SO excited to meet you! Less than a month! I still can't believe it (and I know this is so cliche but it is so true) and I don't think it will fully sink in until my flight to New York leaves.
Adios!!
No comments:
Post a Comment