The Passport is in!

Josie's passport came in last Monday, March 14. We applied for it on Friday, Feb 11, so it took a little more than a month for it to come in, which is a lot faster than I anticipated. We are still waiting for her guarantee form to come in. The other Iowa student that is going to Spain got his guarantee form almost 2 weeks ago. He is going to be on the coast, a town 'renowned for its beaches', which make Josie even more anxious to find out exactly where she will be going.

After we get her guarantee form the next step will be to go to Chicago and apply for her VISA. So things are moving along, slowly, but they are moving.

We are gearing up for a yard sale fundraiser to help with the airfare for her exchange. We've asked everyone we know and put ads in the paper for donations and now we have a garage full of STUFF, everything and anything you can think of (including a side by side refrigerator and an oak dining set). So we are hoping to raise a few hundred dollars. This week is Spring break so my daughter and mother will be running the show while I work. This should be fun :)

Waiting . . .

Josie had a Rotary weekend (for inbound/outbound students only) in Davenport Iowa this last weekend. She met a lot of inbound students and also got to know some other outbound students. She met the other Iowan going to Spain, so that is pretty cool. Each event gets her more and more excited.

We are currently in waiting mode. We should be receiving her guarantee form this week. This comes from the club that will sponsor her in Spain. This will tell us what city she will be in during her stay in Spain and may also tell us what school she will be attending. So Josie has been checking her e-mail excessively hoping it will be there.

Her first major fundraiser is coming up. She is having a yard sale in our church parking lot (that's not too far from our home). We are asking for donations to sell. We will also be selling baked goods at the sale. I"ll update the blog with how it goes.

The blazer. This has been quite and undertaking. We bought the blazer, but need to have it altered before the March Pella weekend event. There they will start exchanging pins. These blazers are pretty impressive once they have collected pins from other students from around the globe. Very neat idea and the kids love it. The blazers also seems to bring a certain amount of clout with them when seen in airports. We are told (by Rotary and current and past exchange students) that when you wear your blazer the authorities and employees are eager to help you while you are traveling. It can help get you out of difficult situations. I think that's awesome!

Hopefully my next post will be with news of the guarantee form having arrived! :)