In order to try and distract myself from placements, I have been attempting to get everything ready so that I can get a move on with my visa once I get my school placement. I knew the visa process would be daunting, but it’s exceeding my expectations. I have my appointment for my medical certificate next month along with my appointment at an agency to get my fingerprints done for my background check. I opted to do the state BGC since the FBI one is no longer mandatory and the state one is a heck of a lot easier to get and takes less time. Once I have those ready, I already know what I need to do to get both notarized and with the Apostille of the Hague. My oldest sister’s coworker is a notary, so that takes care of the notarizing aspect. And thankfully, my father has a friend who works in the state department so she’s going to take the papers there for me to get the Apostille of the Hague.
I’m just hoping I get my school placement early in June so that I can start the visa process before I leave for vacation with my family to Puerto Rico. We normally go for about 3 weeks, which means I wouldn’t get back until mid-July and I’d really like to not have to start the visa process so late.
I’ve also started reading some history books I got about Spain. I would like to know more of the country’s history before getting there in August/September. And on top of those books, I got some others that discuss each region and places to visit in each one. I always like to have a general idea of where I want to visit before going somewhere. I’m very much a planner, so any information I can get my hands on early on will be great for me. Although, I am going to try and let go of my planning self, and be a little more spontaneous once I get to Spain. I have a feeling most things in Spain won’t go according to plan so I better start adjusting to living life by going with the flow of things…tendre que aprender a ir donde me lleve la corriente.
Lady in Spain 
Apr 25, 2012 @ 16:09:10
Where is Spain do you want to be placed?
Apr 25, 2012 @ 17:13:25
Honestly, I would be happy with anywhere. My dream has always been to go to Spain so I can’t really be to nit-picky about my placement. Now, that being said, I would love to get Madrid! I like the idea of being in the middle of the country where I could get to other regions fairly easily and quickly. On my application I listed Castilla León and La Rioja as my other preferences. I’m so torn on wanting to be in a bigger city or a smaller little pueblo. What about you?
Apr 25, 2012 @ 17:30:00
My first choice is Madrid. My Spanish is not that great, so I think it will be easier to be able to communicate with locals there. I am a city girl, so I think Madrid is a good fit for me. I was there a few years ago on vacation and had a great time, so I’m looking forward to living there for a year (or two). The process is so long though, and a little stressful, but it will be worth it when we are finally both in Madrid!
Apr 25, 2012 @ 19:03:52
The application process has been a bi***. It took so long for my consulate to switch me over to admitida, I was starting to get super anxious. And now the anxiety over placements is worse. Did you apply to any other programs like BEDA or CIEE?
Apr 25, 2012 @ 20:30:45
No, I didn’t hear about the BEDA program until recently. I figured my inscrita # was low enough that I would get into the auxiliare program. I gave serious thought to joining CIEE, but it came down to the money and I didn’t want to pay $2000+ when I found out that I could do it on my own for free. Did you join either of them?
Apr 25, 2012 @ 22:06:59
I applied to BEDA and should be hearing something the first week of May. I’m thinking I would probably accept BEDA, especially if it assigns me to Madrid since my number isn’t all that low for auxiliares (it’s in the 1000s) and I like the course aspect of BEDA. And I also nearly applied to CIEE but opted out once I considered the cost. Here’s to hoping we hear about our placements soon!!!