All that for ten minutes?: Visa Appointment

So, after much stress, OCD, and anticipation, I finally went in for my visa appointment on Monday, August 30, 2012. My time slot was slated for 10:45am and I showed up, of course, with over 30 minutes to spare. During this visa process, my organization compulsions knew no bounds. I was the Santa of legal documents. Making lists...checking them twice...or rather a hundred times in most instances. I wanted nothing missing, no stone unturned, no excuse to be denied entrance to this lovely country that I feel so close to that I can practically taste the jamón!

 Now, remember that my appointment was with the dreaded Miami Consulate...(dun dun dunnnn). All of the horror stories and unanswered phone calls/emails prior to this day left me feeling extremely uncertain...scratch that...I was absolutely certain...certain that something was bound to go wrong and screw everything up. However, I must say, regardless of their inability to hold a phone to their ear for a mere second and lend counsel, they were surprisingly adept at efficiency and the entire ordeal took a matter of minutes.

Snuck this photo on the way out lol

I walked in with my handy dandy documents folder where I held each completed and appropriately signed item that they requested in the order that it was listed on their website: (Note: On the Miami Consulate page, under student visa, there is an option to see the requirements for Language Assistants)

http://www.conspainmiami.org/pdf/visado/ASSISTANT.pdf


When you go into the office, they give you a number to wait in line regardless of your appointment time. Now I'm pretty sure that numbers are not physically different in Spanish, so it will never be clear to me exactly how my number '12' that I was given actually meant '32'. There was a definite moment of confusion when the lady repeatedly called my number (32) and I, being the only one in the waiting room (with the number 12) did not immediately move. Is this the sort of thing I should be getting used to? Did I skip a chapter in my Spanish book that said that in Spanish 1's are in fact 3's? *sigh* Oh well...small hiccup in the grand scheme of things...and a sprinkling of humor on an otherwise stressful morning for me.

Once I realized I was being summoned, I jaunted up to the window...yes, window, there is no desk. I handed over each document as requested to the (insert: stunningly beautiful) woman behind the counter,  gaped at her sat for a moment while she reviewed my information, stamped some things, made  additional copies of things (although I had like four of everything), and shuffled some things around.


She walked to the back of the office, came back, flashed a gorgeous smile (I promise to stop gushing now) and handed me back my application, photo firmly attached, with a flimsy receipt on it that proclaimed (in the faintest of blue ink as to be nearly illegible) that my visa would be ready for pick up on August 27, 2012.


So voila!!! That is done and now I am on to the next long wait!!!


How was your visa experience? Any blunders? Were you a crazed organizer before hand?

Hasta pronto!!!
XOXO

One Way Ticket

So... I bought my plane ticket to Madrid.

Yes...yes!!! I know...shouldn't I have waited 'til after my visa appointment to book this? Well, no! Tickets were steadily rising and I couldn't bear to pay an arm and a leg after I've seen dirt cheap flights.

I purchased my ticket through StaTravel (www.statravel.com). I first had to apply for a discount international student card ($25) which also doubles as a prepaid Mastercard (not a bad deal since it gets you tons of travel discounts for a year and the withdrawal fees are cheaper than most American banks when used abroad).

Because I am over the 26 year old age limit for STA and I have been out of college for a while, I purchased my card first (using the name of the school I was placed at) then called their help line and chose the option to speak to a representative for the student card. I explained the program to her and she helped me to book my flight over the phone and added a note on my reservation about the fact that I was traveling on a student visa under a governmental educational grant.


I decided to only do a one-way trip for now and deal with the rest later since I am pretty sure I want to travel around Europe a bit next summer before coming back to the states (or staying on for another year). Best part...my flight is a lovely overnight flight (see: me drugged up on Melatonin and passed out for the whole thing) and it was only $350!!!! SWEET!!!

So the official plan is this: Leave Miami on Sept. 17, quick layover in DC, land in Madrid early on Sept. 18, catch a morning bus to Logroño, check into lodging, crash until a reasonable time to grab some wine and pinchos!!!

As for lodging, that part is still a bit up in the air. A few assistants have been talking about getting a vacation apartment rental and splitting the costs while we all apartment hunt. Unfortunately, Logroño has very limited advertisements for cheap hostels. So, this is a kink that I still need to work out.

Completed Tasks:
- Finding a home for my doggies. (It  is awesome)
- Collecting all needed documents for my visa appointment
- Packing (I had to move anyway!)
- Purchased plane ticket


To-Do List:
- Relocate to Miami until the end of the summer
- Visa appointment at the Miami Consulate
- Find a hostel in Logroño
- Purchase a bus ticket from Madrid to Logroño, then back to Madrid for orientation
-Stress about getting my visa back in time


So yeah...still a few things left to get together...but I'm feeling the excitement again (this was lost temporarily in the teary anguish of giving away my pups and moving out of my house)...bring on España!!!!


Hasta Pronto!!!!!
XOXO

Logroño on the Horizon

So I have officially received my school placement in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain!!! (It was quite entertaining trying to explain the difference between a region, city and pueblo to my mom lol)


I sent the junta an email requesting a school in the capital and, although I have no idea if this played a role or not, I got it!!! I do understand that La Rioja is not overly large and that I could have commuted to just about anywhere from the capital. But I really don't like the idea of being reliant on other people in that way. I have heard of many other assistants joining carpools, but I prefer to just have to depend on my own two feet or a bus pass to get around. I don't really do well with working on other people's schedules...


I will be teaching post-secondary level (I believe) at a school called I.E.S "Comercio" in Logroño. I haven't really gotten too much information about it but I plan to contact the school sometime next week to learn more. However, I did come across this video about the school when I attempted to research it:

Apparently, the school is something like amazing so that's a relief... and a definite change from what I'm used to...


Also, I have roamed the street of my school and its surrounding neighborhood more times that I care to admit...oh, the joys of modern technology!! Google Maps, I salute you.


Here's to hoping that it all lives up to the hype!!!!




Hasta Pronto
XOXO

Finalmente!!!!!!!!

I finally got my placement today (around 12:20pm) after much hyperventilation and anxiety.

I will be spending the next year in...((((((insert: written drum roll for dramatic effect that only plays out accurately in my mind)))))

LA RIOJA!!!!!

YES, YES!! I know that I have been hyping you all up for the past few months about Andalucia. However, due to the many cuts lately, Andalucia was not an option for me (Let's also note the fact that they stop placing people in Andalucia like only 10 ahead of me..oh well...ish happens!). 


Am I sad? Am I disappointed? Am I reconsidering Spain now??? HELLS NO!!!! 


No, I didn't get Sevilla. But I did get wine country. And for this, crappy Spanish government...I Thank you!


In my best Charlie Sheen voice: "Bi-WINNING!!!" lol


So here is a glimpse of what I have to look forward to next year...commence jealousy sequence.......................................NOW:

Start planning your visits!


Hasta Pronto
XOXO

DC Days...Teach Me Patience...

This past week, myself and three other teachers took a group of 32 students to Washington, DC on a 4-day field trip.

The Washington Memorial

Now…let’s recap here. I teach 7^th grade Language Arts at a primarily African-American, economically challenged middle school. Most of my students had never been to the nation’s capitol before. Several were the first in their families to go. And a few were leaving the perimeter of Atlanta, GA for the first time in their lives. To say that the trip was a bit emotional would be a gross understatement.

We visited the usual sites like the Mall of Memorials, Arlington Cemetery and Union Station. But we were also sure to include places like the Holocaust Memorial, Frederick Douglass’s House and Madame Tussuad’s. Overall, it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

Getting ready to see Frederick Douglass's home--it was amazing!

Douglass's house--dope by even today's standards

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Now for the honest part! (The other part was honest but there were more feelings than merely proud).

Let me begin this tirade by saying…I hate adults!!! Yes. This is extremely backwards. Most people bitch and gripe about the children and how frustrating they can be. But that isn’t what makes me hate my job. When a dumb ass 12 year old starts acting like a dumb ass 12 year old, I think to myself, ”Hmmm…that seems about right…because they ARE a dumb ass 12 year old.” This I can rationalize. This I can handle.

But when grown ups act like dumb ass 12 year olds, I’m pretty much guaranteed to lose my mind! The teachers on this trip were utterly ridiculous. Having students wait for hours on the bus while they shopped for souvenirs. Cancelling excursions that the kids had been looking forward to in lieu of what they wanted to do themselves (see: going back to the hotel for a nap). By the end of the trip I can confidently say that everyone was feeling my wrath. A few people escaped a scathing cuss out due to the close proximity of children, but all were not so lucky.

I was beyond livid. I mean I was seeing everything in shades of red and refusing to even be so much a civil by the end of the trip.

While teaching was not my first choice of careers, I still take what I do very seriously. I love my students. Yes, I imagine myself strangling them for most of each day, but I still really want to impact them and I really do love them. For the span of one year, they are my babies. I have exactly one year to prepare them for a world that will be outside of my influence for the rest of their lives. I take this job to heart. And it really gets under my skin when I deal with people who don't understand how precious that is.

Think of it this way (note to my fellow auxiliares that may not plan to be career educators and especially those that do): If a student sits in front of you for an entire year and they are angry, hurting, neglected, or under-challenged and you do not care, act, or even notice, and that kid later becomes depressed, homeless, non-productive or even abusive/suicidal/homicidal, then you must acknowledge that this is partially your fault. I do stress partially. But there was a moment, somewhere in that year, where you had an opportunity. An opportunity to care, act, and notice. 

Lincoln Memorial

Arlington Cemetery--this was the first time that being in a cemetery didn't make me want to hurl lol

So the lesson I have learned that I hope to apply to Spain: Travel in small groups. Make sure that those you travel with have the same goals in mind or at least are willing to not infringe on your travel plans. Have an exit strategy if things start to get aggravating. Remember at all times, no matter that you are not the lead teacher, to care, act, and notice the children that you work with.

Either way… I survived and thanks to some amazing kids, I will be leaving American public schools with some beautiful memories.

Anyone else with a travel horror story laced with a happy ending?

WE ARE SPARTA!!!!

So this past Saturday I participated in the Spartan Race…This craziness….

So basically 4 miles and some change of pure hell. And it was AMAZING!!! I crawled through mud that was laced with, what I can only hope at this point, was horse shit. I fell off an 8 ft. wall. Trudged through freezing swamps. Got a swift knee-foot combo kick to the face (Thanks Bey lol) And ran ‘til I was too delirious to realize that my legs were still moving of their own volition.

Now, please realize that I am not at all an athlete (picture a digitized “before” picture on a good day). This is not an attention ploy or "boo hoo, woe is me" type moment…merely an honest assessment of where I am right now (I’ve been working out so Spain shall be treated to a hopefully way hotter me…picture Brittany 2.0)

With that being said…I am sooo freaking proud of myself for making it through. There were several moments in which I was willing to lay on the side of the course and await death, but I pushed through and even scaled a major wall with my fear of heights. It was a bit exhilarating.

Now if I am to be completely honest with myself, and all of you, I totally signed up for this race because of the awesome shirts that D-Town chose for the team…too cute! Yes…yes! I did it for the clothes (which were later covered beyond recognition in the aforementioned horse shit mud). Death by Fashion! The only way to go!

Bey, Me, D-Town, Professor, and Swift (...and the awesome shirts that
made me feel that nearly certain death was worth it lol)

In hindsight, I think this was one of the best things that I could have done for myself in preparation for my big move across the big pond. I was completely out of my comfort zone. I never knew what obstacle would be thrown at me next. I often times looked up to find myself all alone in the middle of the woods. I had to push myself when I felt horrible. When things got to be too much I had to learn to rely on the kindness of strangers (I told one man that he was my husband now after he miraculously kept showing up just in time to rescue me lol). But by the end of it all, it was so great and I am eagerly signing up for another bout of torture race in May.

So hopefully these lessons will follow me to Spain and I will find myself  not only better for every obstacle that I leap over, but excitedly ready to tackle round two during a second year. We shall see…

Any crazy people adventurers out there ready to take on some psycho exciting activities before or after we get abroad? Any ridiculous awesome war stories and battle scars already? Do share….

Hasta pronto!!

XOXO

A Weekend with St. Simon

So this past weekend, on a whim and stemming from pure desperation to run away, Pixie, Swift and I hopped into the car (loaded with enough snacks and crap to feed a small country) and headed off to St. Simon’s Island. It is a little scrap of heaven on the very tip of Georgia; just a little south of Savannah.

Yes. You read correctly…there is something else to do in Georgia besides party in Atlanta or learn slave history in Savannah. There is actually…dun dun duuuunnnn….a sweet little beach town to visit! Who woulda thunk it, right? (Clearly, I am marred by years of ingrained Florida girl prejudice against the “real” South)

Now, before you get all ready for some awesome beach bum tales and bikini pics (not that I would ever post those pics before completing a full round of P90X) let me just spoil the thrill by letting you know that it was never above 62° F the entire weekend. Whose idea was it to go to a beach in February?! Oh right…mine! Not exactly what you put on a postcard for the folks back home.

However, hangover from hell notwithstanding, we managed to have a really good time….insert horseback ride along the beach here:

Swift all ready to giddy-up.

The heavenly beach that we rode on...there should have been a sunset and pirate involved...but alas...no such luck.

Swift, Pixie, and me! Love them both to pieces!!!

We went to an awesome little dive bar by the water and got smashed with the locals…see: previously mentioned hangover from hell. We also got to have some amazing food on the way out (Fair warning: Avoid any and all shitty hotel food offerings. It is a little bit more tasteless than your average continental buffet and it comes with a gag inducing bill for over $50 for three people…no bueno!!)

All in all, there wasn’t really that much to do but when you have spent an inordinate amount of time inland it’s just nice to smell the ocean again. Not to mention that anytime us gals get together, it’s going to be something to talk about!  I’m more than willing to retry this cute little getaway as the weather turns more playa friendly.

Still counting down to sitting in the Andaluz sun!!! Did I mention that my poor locks may be scattered all over the floor in the near future if I don’t hear about my placement soon. Yes, yes. They gave us a timeline. I know what to expect…but screw that! (I’m channeling a bad JG Wentworth commercial right now on the inside-- a la “It’s my placement and I want it now!!!”—did anyone actually catch that reference?!)

Hopefully there will be news to share in that department soon. Now to prepare for the deathtrap that I signed up for known as…the Spartan Race…aaaahhhhhhhhh!!!! (I really have to step away from the pipe occasionally so I can stop making these sorts of decisions…* le sigh*)

 *Note: I am not drug user—I just talk to myself, lack sleep, hallucinate occasionally, and regularly engage in poor decision making*

Hasta Pronto!!!

XOXO

SN ShoutOut: Congrats to my lovely best-friend KJ on getting her dream job in the Big Apple!!! Mazal tov, my love!!!! So very proud of you!!!

and this is for colored girls...or any girls...and some guys too...

So I recognize that many of you have no clue why I have the sub-headline that I do…”for colored girls who’ve considered travel when the US wasn’t enuf…” Well, let me let you in on the pun…it seems only polite…I mean…you came all this way!

Well, besides being a teacher and a writer, I also like to fancy myself an actress (you know, the kind that goes on countless auditions and gets really geeked when I get the smallest of parts at any theatre that will take me, usually for free, all while paying back thousands of dollars to Sallie Mae for this lovely degree that proclaims me—to myself—a serious actress with an intense focus on her craft). I have been in several productions in my life, but there were a few that stuck with me in a way that no others could. One of those productions was “FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/ WHEN THE RAINBOW WAS ENUF” by Ntozake Shange. This was the first play that I performed in college, fall semester, 2002. (Lady in Purple)

That's me on the far left corner, passionately staring at the floor lol

It was LIFE altering. If you can imagine an awesome therapy session in which you get to lay down all of your hurt feelings while performing words that don’t expose all of your personal secrets, then you can imagine this play. It was amazing! As a cast, we laughed together, and cried together, and danced together. This was some real live hippy shit! But I was enthralled throughout the entire process.

I went on to be in the weddings, birthing rooms, and child birthday parties of these cast members. This show brought us together in a way that no production of “Annie” ever could. It was a little bit like epic.

So, when it came time to think about fleeing half way around the world to start a life from scratch after years of investment in this one, my mind instantly went back to that play.

Ntozake Shange was responsible for creating a
new theatrical format-- the choreopoem

I want so badly for this experience to be that on a larger scale. To my fellow auxiliares: this should change our lives! This should make us confront a myriad of feelings both good and bad! This should build a bond between some of us because no one else will know what this feels like!

So with that being said, and going back to those of you who have never had the pleasure of seeing “for colored girls…” here is the opening monologue of the show… (I highly recommend putting this on to your “To Be Watched” list…male or female, black or white…the themes are really universal and quite powerful)

Lady in Brown

dark phrases of womanhood

of never havin been a girl

half-notes scattered

Without rhythm/ no tune

distraught laughter fallin

over a black girl’s shoulder

it’s funny/ it’s hysterical

the melody-less-ness of her dance

don’t tell nobody don’t tell a soul

she’s dancing on beer cans & shingles

this must be the spook house

another song with no singers

lyrics/no voices

& interrupted solos

unseen performances

are we ghouls?

children of horror?

the joke?

don’t tell nobody don’t tell a soul

are we animals? have we gone crazy?

i can’t hear anythin

but maddening screams

& the soft strains of death

& you promised me

you promised me….

somebody/ anybody

sing a black girl’s song

bring her out to know herself

to know you

but sing her rythms

carin/struggle/ hard times

sing her song of life

she’s been dead so long

closed in silence so long

she doesn’t know the sound

of her own voice

her infinite beauty

she’s half-notes scattered

without rhythm/ no tune

sing her sighs

sing the song of her possibilities

sing a righteous gospel

let her be born

let her be born

& handled  warmly

& this is for colored girls who have considered suicide

but moved to the ends of their own rainbows

Hope you liked it!

Hasta pronto!!!

When Even Your Dreams Turn On You

This post is kind of short and silly...

It's just that my dreams always have a way of fanning the flames of any hysteria that I may be experiencing at the time.

Oy vey!!!

So, last night I had this whole crazy dream (surrounded by scenarios that in real life would probably make me clinically insane) but at the end of the dream I am sitting in a room that appears to be a high school library. You know, the two level kind where you can look down on the lower level and hold full conversations with the people down below...

Well there were several people sitting around, some familiar but mostly not, and we were all really anxious. Some people were crying, some holding papers and screaming with joy. There was a girl in a camp counselor outfit calling out names. It took me a minute to realize that with each name, she held up a paper and called out a location. All of them were in Spain.

The next few people that were called looked confused and started to ask, with growing panic: "But where is this? I've never heard of this!"

The counselor's face grew more maniacal by the moment. I started to sweat and immediately began to pray. "Please say Andalucía. Please say Andalucía! Just let me get to Granada or Sevilla....Granada or Seville...Granada or Sevilla!!!!"

She called my name...and then I woke up...

So yeah...its official! My lack of patience may actually drive me insane....I can't take the wait! For anything!!!

Ok...and scene! Back to sanity...lol


Hasta Pronto!!!

Spotlight on the Microphone: 1

So, as a writer there are so many people that I admire, envy, and wish to emulate. I have been surrounded by beautiful writing my whole life. When I was younger, it was books that I snuck from my mother's shelf. In college, the writing circles formed in Creative Writing classes. And as an adult I have been profoundly blessed to meet and befriend several amazing talents that consistently leave my jaw hanging slack on the ground. So this is my writers corner.

Yes..I know. I thought this was a blog about Spain? WTF? Shhhh...relax...it is. But I'm not just a girl in Spain. I actually have an existence beyond that which just so happened to precede Spain and I am sure will outlive that experience. Not to mention that a large portion of my desire to travel stems from my desire to have more things to write about.

With that in mind, I realized that since I am constantly sharing awesome poetry/stories with my friends, that maybe some of you might enjoy it too...if this is not true for you, fret not! I will keep the title of these blogs consistent so that it can serve as a sort of DO NOT ENTER sign to you bat shit cray non-literary folk that would rather not be cultivated bothered. lol j/k...kind of...

Some of these writers will be friends of mine that I am also a fan of and some will just be people that I wish would be my friend so I could hear their poetry all the time...this first poet falls into the latter category.

Anywho, as my first highlight, I'd like to share one of my favorite poets of all time **insane applause** Terrance Hayes (this poem can be considered a bit controversial to some and if you are not one for homosexual themes, you may want to never come back to my page again bypass this post).

Terrance Hayes- Favorite Book of His: Muscular Music

Without further ado:

At Pegasus

They are like those crazy women who tore Orpheus when he refused to sing, these men grinding in the strobe & black lights of Pegasus. All shadow & sound. "I'm just here for the music," I tell the man who asks me to the floor. But I have held a boy on my back before. Curtis & I used to leap barefoot into the creek; dance among maggots & piss, beer bottles & tadpoles slippery as sperm; we used to pull off our shirts, & slap music into our skin. He wouldn't know me now at the edge of these lovers' gyre, glitter & steam, fire, bodies blurred sexless by the music's spinning light. A young man slips his thumb into the mouth of an old one, & I am not that far away. The whole scene raw & delicate as Curtis's foot gashed on a sunken bottle shard. They press hip to hip, each breathless as a boy carrying a friend on his back. The foot swelling green as the sewage in that creek. We never went back. But I remember his weight better than I remember my first kiss. These men know something I used to know. How could I not find them beautiful, the way they dive & spill into each other, the way the dance floor takes them, wet & holy in its mouth. Brava! Brava!!! (I'm kind of a groupie for his poetry lol...) Hope you enjoyed it...give me your thoughts? What was the imagery in your mind? Were you drawn in, repulsed? Any great writers I should know of? Hasta Pronto!

There Can be No Rainbow Without a Bit of Rain....

Ok...

In the interest of full disclosure I will admit that last night was not a good night. (The multiple glasses of wine didn't help me out of my whiny sap mode either)

Randomly, after a night out at art class, it hit me. I am moving to the other side of the world in 8 months. Yes. I know. 8 months? A little early to start the water works. But truly this is where I am in the process. The part where it becomes real.

I think it might have been easier for me if I was fresh out of college. At that point you are primed to exit your comfort zone and sail off into the world, leaving everyone and everything you know and love behind. It's just what people do after college. No biggy. (slight exaggeration for dramatic affect)

But what happens if you've already done that move? You already struck out on your own? Sure not across the world...nothing really adventurous. But you did it. You created this whole new life for yourself. Established new friendships. New families (in addition to your birth given one). You have dogs! How do you decide to leave all of that?

Quick summary of my current state: Afraid, Thrilled, Excited, Selfish, Anxious, Nervous, Confused, Pumped, Giddy

Yeah...all that...

A friend once told me (regarding a different situation): "Sometimes you have to walk away to get what you want. Just be prepared because you may have to keep on walking." --this has been ringing in my head as of late.

So this is not to say that I am not still bouncing in my seat over this upcoming move...but a part of me can't help but wonder, "What part of my world am I throwing away for the chance to see the world?"



Hasta Pronto!!!

Latest Obsession

So I would like to send a resounding screw you! to Rick Steves . Yes, yes. He shows off all these great places in Europe and makes it seem all lovely and fun...but wait! He also gives it to you real! In the episode about Andalusia there were a few places that I can only now describe as "bleh" ((picture this with a screwed up face and a tongue hanging out--got it--exactly!))

This is where my recent paranoia has come from. Now I'm afraid of my placement. In my mind I am one hundred and ten percent committed to going to Spain next fall...but now I'm afraid that I could end up in some God awful tourist trap of a dirty city. Or some beach town that's nothing but a South Beach 2.0. This is not what I want. I'm from Miami. I have DONE South Beach. (insert: Algeciras- another city I could do without)

No thanks...I can stay home for this...

I want cobblestones and art. Little cafes and tapas. Not shitty shitty Americanized or Britain-ized cities that just happen to speak no English.  I want the FULL immersion.

So, I have turned to Annie Sibonney to bring me back to excitement. Her show comes on at 7:30am on Saturdays (that can report straight to hell). But with a little DVRing, I can enjoy it whenever I want. Every week she explores a different culinary aspect of Spain. And then I begin chomping at the bit to get me gone!

Of course, the worry is still there. But hopefully ((with enough chanting my desires to the universe--I may even consider burning some candles or something)) there will be a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a awesome placement letter in May....please pray for me...or chant for me...or send me good juju...whatever you do...do it with my name and Granada...or Sevilla...lol


*fingers crossed*

Hasta Pronto!!!