They've got Plains, and Trains and Cars.

I'd walk to you if I had no other way.

For those of you who are following for kicks, this post is probably going to have you rolling by the time it's over... or shaking your head in disbelief.
By all means, read it how you will.


Monday I flew down to Miami to secure my Visa at the Consulado de España.
Mind you, I've spent the past three months or so securing all of the proper paperwork for this very meeting at an office that functions much like the Department of Motor Vehicles... The line was five people long and took about an hour to disperse.

Anyway, so I enter the Consulado, papers in hand fulfilling all of the proper requirements for entering the consulate which no one else bothered to read, not that they were enforced anyway. I walk in, take a seat and wait for my number to be called... Sitting on an open balcony in a make-shift waiting room that MacGyver probably could have installed on a deserted island. So I'm sitting in this highly uncomfortable chair next to a gentleman who appeared to be constipated, or maybe just uncomfortable being in such tight quarters much like myself, and waiting for my number to be called.

When my number gets called I walk up to the counter, start chatting with this woman in what I think is broken Spanish, but she understands me perfectly and only questions my Spanish abilities when she sees my United States passport. A fact that I'm extremely proud of. Anyway, I start handing her my documents and she looks over the dates. Then she asks me what I'm doing for the month between programs since I'm applying for a Student Visa... I told her that I was just traveling to friends houses and going to festivals in Europe... apparently that was the wrong answer. The second those words left my mouth she handed me my papers and told me that she couldn't help me. I turned around and exited the Consulado almost in tears.

$500 down the drain to make it from Atlanta to Miami with nothing to show for it.

I called my parents and my Father, a quite amazing fellow, told me to get my patootie back in the office, grow some "cajonas" and give it another college try. He did not want me leaving Miami without a Visa.

So I go back in, talk with Sr. Seguridad and tell him my situation. Miraculously the woman in charge of my Summer program was at the Consulado trying to obtain her Visa to go back to Spain as well! I told her my scenario, and the Seguridad and we tried to work something out.

He got me an extra appointment with a woman in charge and she pretty much told me the same thing. Regardless of the fact that I'm taking out an AMPLE amount of money in Student Loans and trying to study to get more life experience, I'm no allowed to get a Student Visa if I'm not in school for the whole duration of my stay.


Again, $500 down the drain with nothing to show for it.



I've contacted just about everyone I know to see if there is any loop hole around this.


Fellow Readers: Should you know any way around this please let me know. I'm desperate... but I won't stay illegally... I'd rather not get deported from the country that I want to work in one day.

Ayúdeme Por favor

<3
Buenos Tardes.

It takes a village...

To send an idiot to Spain.

I'm working on finalizing all of my documents to go to Spain. Little was I aware that in order to get a Visa to leave the country you have to offer up your first born for slaughter, and then pay an arm and a leg just to get the ball rolling... My appointment with the Spanish Consulate is next week and I'm still trying to get documents notarized.

My final payment for both of my programs is due the day after my appointment, and both my financial aid and student loans aren't even going to be processed until May 6th... Que bendito!

This is chaos.

As I try to keep my head above water with all of this stress, finals week is upon me as well. If I can survive this next month, I'm sure I can survive any curve balls that my trip in Spain might throw my way.
Crazy riots? ... please
Someone stole my wallet?... please
Crazy ruffians and thugs?... please 


Any advice on dealing with these crazy governments, both foreign and domestic would be greatly appreciated.

Que dulce es la vida.

Buenas Tardes
<3

¡Hola!

Hello all!

This first post is just going to be some basic information about myself for those who are really going to follow this blog... so family and friends, feel free to skip this one, unless you want to bare witness to my awesome wording and poor grammar.

Welp, my name is Megan, and I'm an 2nd year student at Georgia State University. I'm a Spanish major with a focus in Education and I'm dreaming of becoming an English teacher in Spain. I'm currently studying my ass off for finals in the hopes that I'll pass this Spanish class I'm in so that my Summer and Fall classes aren't a waste.

-- that's kind of a joke.

I was recently accepted to a six-week program for this summer, starting at the end of May, going until the beginning of July. Then, I have a month off and my fall program starts in August and that goes until December.

I'll be gone for approximately 7 months, hopefully longer.

This blog is strictly to document all of my wonderful adventures so that I can keep these memories fresh in the back of my brain forever!

For those who aren't of any relation to me, but have been to Spain or anywhere in Europe for that matter, please feel free to leave some sort of feedback. As I stated before, I have a whole month off and need somewhere to explore! :)

Buenas Noches :)

Megan