Only 5 days!!

I now have less than one week to finish preparing everything to live for .. uh.. jan, feb, march, april, may, june ... 6 months in a country where i'll barely be able to speak the language!!! yikes!

No worries.. I've been preparing, I guess you could call it, by listening to spanish songs, watching telenovelas (spanish soap operas), and reading a Spanish Goosebumps book given to me by my sister-in-law (thanks Britt!!). Haha, maybe they'll help a little bit, if only to make me feel better-like I've been doing something in preparation.

I went to Bloomington this past weekend to visit people, say goodbye, etc. On the way home I went to Chicago to pick up my visa and I was reminded that there are so many things that you can't take at face value. For example, the process of getting a visa to study for 6 months in Spain is $100. But let's break this down "Mastercard style":

Upfront cost for student visa: $100
Total days spent on the process: 2
Gasoline to and from Chicago to apply for visa: $75
Parking once in Chicago: $20
Gasoline to and from Chicago to pick up the visa: $75
Speeding ticket incurred on the way to Chicago: $120
However,
Feeling of being legally able to live in foreign country: PRICELESS!!

There's quite a bit more involved in studying abroad than simply losing your life's savings, :) .. I know it's going to be worth it, not only will I have the experience of being totally emerged in another culture, but I'm going to be getting such a step up for my future career! As I'll be (hopefully) teaching Spanish, what better than to acquire a little first-hand experience in, and feel for, the motherland of the language!