Visa Paperwork Complete!

The e-mail I've been waiting for since this adventure began, "Visa Paperwork Complete!" Finally. There are a total of 15 documents needed for the Visa to Spain (btw, it is a temporary visa, you apply for the student visa once you get there). The documents needed can be found at the website (www.consulate-spain-chicago.com) for the Spanish Consulate. If you live in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, N Dakota, Ohio, S Dakota, and Wisconsin the consulate is in Chicago. Our travel agent (that does all the Rotary exchange travel plans) also gave us a list of what we need and will be submitting all the documentation to the Spanish Consulate on our behalf. Once the visa is ready we will have to go by appt to the consulate in person to pick up the passport with visa.

The most difficult part of the visa application was the FBI background and Apostille. It took me forever to figure out what an Apostille is, so here you go. An Apostille verifies the authenticity of a notary. The appostille has to come from the same state that the document and notary did. So when we sent off for the FBI background in Washington DC, the Dept of Justice notarized the document (you have to request this when you send in your fingerprints) and then it has to go to the State Dept in DC to be authenticated (by the apostille). So the FBI sends you the notarized background check and then you have to send it back to DC to the State Dept to be authenticated. The State Dept takes 5 weeks (and they were backed up this year, so it may have taken longer) but since we were running short on time and didn't have 5 weeks to wait for it since it is needed to apply for the visa (which can take 6 weeks on its own) I asked how I can expedite it. If you go to the State Dept in D.C. in person you can get it the same day. (Authentications office - Columbia Plaza store front, 518 23rd Street NW, Washington D.C. - office hours are Mon through Fri, 7:30-11) I had friends going to D.C. for vacation and they were gracious to go there for me and take the background check to get the apostille. I sent a Fed Ex envelope and prepaid billing slip for overnight delivery and had in within days. So if you are tight on time and can take a trip or know of someone going to D.C. or in D.C. then it's worth asking. Anyone can submit the background check for the apostille, but be warned that the waiting time may be long (my friend waited about 2 hours).

We also had Josie's last fundraiser last weekend. This was our 3rd and last fundraiser and each one was a yard sale. We asked friends, co-workers and neighbors and even posted an ad in the classifieds for people to donate saleable items. Wow, and did people respond. We made $1200 on the first sale, $800 on the second (it rained - yuck), and (drumroll please) $997 on the last. WOW!!! $3000 total for all three fundraisers. That should be enough for her ticket!!! Josie is still working at Hy-Vee grocery store and at the Iowa Speedway on race weekends as a ticket taker. So she has been working very hard to earn the money needed for this trip and I am so proud of her!

Tomorrow (Sat, July 16) is the final Rotary picnic for all the outbound students and we are excited to have one last opportunity to talk to the rebounders (those sho have already been on an exchange). Josie and I are both making a list of questions to ask.

One of the other Iowa outbound students that is going to Spain also found out that he is leaving Sept 4. We have not heard when Josie will be leaving but since they try to schedule all the students leaving for the same country at the same time we can't help but wonder if that will be Josie's departure date also.

I think that's all for now. The time is going so fast and I hate to see my baby go, but I am so excited for her.

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! :)