It's in - finally!

We have been anticipating the arrival of Josie's guarantee form and it FINALLY came in last week. The guarantee form has all the insurance information (that we already paid for), host family information, school letter, and other forms that will all be needed to apply for her Visa. Once we apply, we will get a temporary Visa and then when Josie arrives in Spain she will have to apply for a one year Visa. It is not easy getting a visa, there are many processes and LOTS of paperwork from many different sources that require not only for them to be notarized but a couple also require an apostille from the State's (in our case, Iowa) Secretary of States office. Make me kind of wish Josie was going to Germany, since Germany does not require a Visa. LOL

Also in the guarantee form packet we saw that they require Josie to be in Spain by Sept 3 and then she will have orientation in Madrid from Sept 8-11. So she will be doing a little bit of traveling once she gets there.

Josie bought luggage this last weekend. It was a tough choice but we finally went with a four piece set from JCP. She will only be able to check 2 bags and then have one carry-one and with this set the smallest piece is small enough to go into the largest suitcase and then she'll have her carry-one and the two checked bags. Josie packed for camp this week and has no idea how she'll be able to pack for a year in Spain. She did mention though that a friend that is currently on exchange said that she doesn't use most of what she took with her. They say to put everything you want to take on your bed and then pack half of it. They say clothes are quite expensive in Spain, but I imagine she will be buying quite a bit over there so as to conform a bit to the current styles there.

Josie is working two jobs trying to raise money for exchange and then we are also having 3 fundraisers. The first two have done really well ($1200 for the first and $800 for the second) and we will be having the last one in July.

In preparation for college, Josie took the ACT last weekend. They (Rotary) really encourages the students to take it before they leave on exchange since when they get back they wouldn't score as well having been out of American school for a year. Josie will be in Spain for her Junior year and will be a senior when she returns.

I think that's all for now. Lots still to do, but as for the timeline I feel we are right on track. The travel agency wants all the Visa forms by July 11 or 20 (I need to look at that again). Right now we are just waiting on a from from the FBI that shows that Josie has no criminal history. So we can't move further until we get that.

I'll update more later. Did I mention that whenever a form does come in that requires our action I feel like the white rabbit on Alice in Wonderland? I hope I don't look the part. :)

Fundraiser was a success!

Okay, I need to give an update. We raised $951 with the yard sale and then sold a refrigerator (that was donated) the next week for $250 to bring the total to over $1200!!! God has blessed us every step on this journey. We will be having another yard sale fundraiser in June, so between the 2 fundraisers and hopefully Jo finding a summer job we will have the $$$ for her plane ticket and a few other exchange expenses (camera, luggage, traveling expenses, etc).

Josie's host mom also sent us a copy of the acceptance letter from the school she will be attending in Marbella. It is I.E.S. Salduba secondary school. I translated the website (thank you http://www.microsofttranslator.com) to get a better understanding of the school and what they offer. The Spanish schooling system is different than ours, but I think it will be good and Josie is very excited at the prospect of learning Greek and Latin. How much she'll be able to learn, with it being taught in Spanish, is questionable. This should be interesting. LOL

School in Spain doesn't begin until mid September, so it looks like I will get to have Jo until the end of August. Jo has enjoyed talking with her host sister who will be coming to the USA while Jo is there.

We should be hearing from It's Your World Travel and we are STILL waiting on her guarantee form. Only 2 other exchange students from our district have theirs, so it's not as if we are behind. Our friends and neighbors have all been extremely supportive and I can't say what it means for others to be excited for Josie and about her exchange.

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 :)