Dreams and Inception

It finally happened. I had my first auxiliares dream. For some reason, all of the language assistants and I were at the Spanish Consolate (the fancier version that I had in my head before going to Chicago, not the doctor's waiting room that it actually was), and we had to turn in our visa paperwork. No big deal, right?

So I turn in my stuff, and am notified that my visa has been rejected. REJECTED? Then I find out that there's really nothing I can do, but I can apply in a week, or else I'll be deported. Great. Then I woke up.

I haven't been able to sleep since seeing Inception. Maybe this isn't a causal relationship between the movie and my insomnia, but I like to think that it is. I've been tossing and turning all night. I also leave the TV on, which I feel is something that I should ween myself off of before Spain, because I'm 99.9% sure that I won't have a TV in my room.

It's only been two weeks since my Visa appointment, but it seems like it's been AGES. I just want to get my passport back in my hands and be ready to go.

I've been researching places in Madrid to go (non-touristy places; I've sort of already done that), but I'm mentally preparing myself for at least a month of boredom (I should put my Barnes and Noble gift cards to good use before I go... maybe tackle the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy when I get to Madrid?).

Cat--- thanks for the sidereel.com link. I have a feeling I'll be using it more than an expat should!

Less than two months?

Alright, so I called up STA Travel today to book my flight... and I'm leaving on September 13! So that means less than two months. Seems like the perfect amount of time (or too short, or too long, depending on my mood). I got a flight out of Cincinnati for about $100 (I had a $300 STA Travel credit), so I'm not exactly breaking the bank by flying over there.

In the next two months, I'm going to have to excavate myself out of my apartment (which I've lived in for three years) and somehow move everything to my parents' house. It's amazing how much CRAP I've accumulated.

It's going to be easy to get rid of stuff. I did a little warmup yesterday by cleaning out both of my e-mail inboxes (osu.edu and gmail.com). I haven't felt any post-partum depression yet, so I guess it won't be a big deal to get rid of a few pairs of jeans or plates that I've held on to for my entire college career.

Only working two or three days a week is kind of a bummer... summer is a little boring with nothing to do. Not many people stayed in Columbus, either, so it's a little slow here. July has been flying by, with 4th of July activities and the trip to Chicago to apply for my Visa. Now, it seems like I've pumped the brakes... and I'm trying to find things to do.

One of my biggest time-wasters has been finding a streaming video site to watch TV shows on while I'm abroad. Since the government shut down ninjavideo.net, I've been trying to find one that will reliably post episodes of [I started to type a list of the shows I watch, but it was too depressing]. As it turns out, I'll be working 12-16 hours a week for the language assistant program, and probably spending 6-8 catching up on TV. It bums me out that Weeds starts on August 16... I'll be able to catch 4 episodes MAX before I leave. And I'll probably miss the season finale of True Blood. I'm a sucker for premium cable.

Spain is Calling...

This marks the first entry of a long series of entries dealing with an American living in Spain. Enjoy.

Some time this week, I will eventually book a flight to Madrid so I can move there to teach English. This is usually the part that is followed by a billion questions...

How did you hear about this?
The simple answer? I got an e-mail from the Ohio State Spanish and Portuguese Office. The complicated answer? I had been hearing for years about a program through the Spanish government that paid Americans to teach in their schools, and had always sort of wanted to do it. I applied, and after a LONG application process and waiting period (almost three months of no news), I found out I had been accepted to the program, in MADRID.

Where are you teaching?
In actual, honest-to-goodness DOWNTOWN Madrid at Juana de Castilla, a secondary school about 3 miles away from the city. This means that I'm about 20 minutes away from Parque de Buen Retiro (one of my favorite places in Madrid), Atocha (the train station), and Puerta del Sol (Madrid's geographical and cultural center)... but that's just where I'll work. I can live pretty much anywhere I want in the city.

How long will you be there?
From September 2010 to June 2011, but I can renew for another year.

I applied for a Student Visa at the Spanish Consulate in Chicago this weekend... what a pain! I had to drive to Chicago, find a place to stay, and turn in my papers in person... which took all of 5 minutes. But now, my papers are being processed (or, more likely, they are sitting in a box somewhere until someone decides to take a look at them some time in August).

So now, another waiting game. But this time, I actually have a [tentative] departure date... September 13, 2010. That's the day near when I need to be in Spain where the flights are the cheapest out of Ohio. And then, I will [depending on my Visa] be on my way to Spain to play another fun game... hunting for apartments in a different language!

Until then, I have to pack up the last three years of my life that have accumulated in my apartment, and figure out what one takes when they move (albeit temporarily) to a foreign country (Seasons of 30 Rock? Silverware? All I've heard for sure is floss, apparently it is very expensive in Spain).

I've got work in the morning, so I'm off to floss.

Who am I kidding? That's one of those things I'll take and never use.

Don't tell my dentist.
-Will