Wednesday, December 15

Spanish Embassy- Miami

T minus 34 days until I fly off the Spain! I apologize for not keeping up with the blog thus far (I promise this isn't foreshadowing for my blogging habits while in Spain). 

I went to Miami about a month ago to apply for my student visa. My mom and I drive down there on a Sunday and came back the next day after my appointment (20 hours in the car)!! The appointment went very smoothly. I simply had to wait in a room with everyone for about 30 minutes until they called my number, which happened to be dos-morado, my favorite color! It was fun to speak Spanish in the appointment and it was definitely a reassurance that I can do it in Spain, too. They will stamp my passport and will send it back within the month. 

Miami was very interesting. It was my first time going there and honestly, I could probably just have studied abroad down there. EVERYTHING was in Spanish and everyone spoke Spanish. It was great! We stayed in a rich part of Miami and all the cars we saw were super expensive. It was just a totally different culture down there and I was not expecting that. But all in all, we had a good time and we were glad to be driving home Monday morning. Bye Miami, hello Valencia!


Wednesday, November 10

The Infinite Regression

Meetings with USC Study Abroad Office: 7
Emails with USC SA Office: 31
Emails with UVA SA Office: 25
Number of Applications: 4
Number of Essays: 6
Meetings with Spanish Consulate 11 hours away: 1
Number of times I have stressed my mom out: too many





Seriously....I'm ready to just go to Spain already!!

Friday, October 22

I'm going to Miami, Welcome to Miami

Applications are in and appointments are made! I made an appointment at the Spanish Embassy in Miami to apply for my Student Visa. My mom and I are driving down (11 hours!!) because the Spanish Embassy requires that you apply in person. I also have to bring tons of paperwork about school and myself...it is a bit daunting. We are going to be driving mid-November so stay tuned for the adventures of Miami! 

I just got all my final paperwork in and all my applications are finally done. I had to apply to both the University of South Carolina Study Abroad Program and the University of Virginia's Hispanic Studies Program. I have applied for a Carolina Global Scholarship through USC but I have not heard the results of that yet. I am hoping for the scholarship because anything helps and I am having to pay the out-of-state tuition for Virginia (yikes!). 

I have signed up for my classes abroad. I will be taking 15-18 hours depending on which I want to do. Luckily, I will be receiving an American transcript at the end of the semester so all of my grades and credits will apply to my USC GPA. I am taking: Grammar Review, Translation, Survey of Spanish Literature II, Spanish Culture and Civilization, Introduction to Spanish Art, and Spanish 20th Century History. Full course load! I also found out that if you speak English on campus, you get in big trouble! I am so excited....I will continue to keep everyone updated with the progress of events. Thanks for all of your love and support....And Happy Birthday Ben!!

Thursday, October 21

O, Valencia!

So as you may have heard....yes, I am going to Spain! I am going for 4 months to study in the beautiful city of Valencia which is located right on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. 
I have decided to start my blog now just to keep everyone "in the know" and to possibly help future study abroad students with the process of applying. I need to let you all know that I am new to the world of blogging but I figure I will just use this as an opportunity to express my most inner thoughts and desires....just kidding. OK, OK, as many of you know, I had been toying with the idea of studying abroad for years but never went through with it because of many excuses like "I couldn't find the right program", or "I didn't want to spend all that money", or "it just wasn't the right time". Well Hallelujah, I am finally going! I am off to Valencia, Spain on January 18, 2011. =D