El visado ha llegado!!!!!!!!!!

MY VISA ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.
KthnxBai.

I just woke up, okay?!

Laundry List

Here is a list of all the things I'm constantly thinking about having to do:

1. Receive my GD visa in the mail....Donde esta???
2. Buy a plane ticket from Raleigh to Madrid.
3. Buy a plane ticket from Madrid to Barcelona for my lovely October meet-up with the amazing Clare Wolfe.
4. Straightening out banking/money matters with Wachovia before I leave, so I can withdraw money overseas for the first few weeks.
5. Successfully arriving in Europe (for the first time in my life), navigating the subway system with my luggage, and getting to a hostel.
6. Moving into a piso.
7. Applying for my NIE (Foreigner's Residency Number) as soon as possible, so I can do #8.
8. Open a Spanish bank account.
9. Get a Spanish cell phone.
10. Visit my colegio before the first day of work to introduce myself / familiarize myself with the school.
11. Not forgetting to eat....I tend to do that when I'm busy and traveling.

The Prologue

After applying for my visa!

Here we go, the start of something that could either be the perfect match for me...or blow up in my face.  I graduated in May with a Spanish B.A. and a minor in History.  I'm about to move to Arroyomolinos, Madrid to be an Auxiliar de Conversacion for the 2010-2011 school year (also known as a North American Language & Culture Assistant according to the Spanish Ministry of Education).  I've been placed in a Colegio de Educacion Infantil y Primaria, so I'll be teaching anywhere from Pre-K to 6th grade.

El Consulado de Espana

On Aug 19, I went to the Spanish Consulate and Embassy in Washington D.C. to apply for my 90 day visa.  Once I'm in Spain, I'll have those 3 months to apply for my foreign residency card.  It went surprisingly easy in D.C.  It was all the running around in North Carolina the weeks beforehand that caused me trouble.  Who would've thought that I'd have to visit so many government buildings in this dang Confederate state....police departments, public safety buildings, doctors, notaries, the secretary of state's office for the apostille.  Applying for my visa took just a few minutes because I had all my documents in order.  It could be ready in anywhere from 2-6 weeks.....I'm hoping for a quick process seeing as I need to be in Spain by Sept. 21 (less than 5 weeks from when I actually applied).  I'm so responsible :)