Piso Hunters International

   
       I'll admit, I'm not really a big watcher of t.v. shows. However, many times after getting home late from work this past year I have found myself flipping channels (as I only manage to do when I'm dead tired but not yet able to sleep) and almost every time HGTV's House Hunters International is right there waiting for me. And even though the host often butchers the names of foreign cities, the house hunters turn out to be waaay too picky, and the houses (more like mansions) are oftentimes worth millions of dollars, the show is always there to remind me of one thing: Dream big. All that money saved through waitressing will get me somewhere as long as I don't stop believing its possible to pack up everything and go somewhere new.

And look where I am now. On my own personal episode of the show. Brought to you by Desperation Inc., Hopeful.com and Anxious & Co.... Piso Hunters International.

My ideal piso would have:
- Young Spanish roommates
- Internet
- Heat/AC
- A balcony (always wanted one :)
- Close to the bus station (I will need to take a bus to get to the nearby town where my school is each day)
- Supermarket nearby

Here are my options: 

{Piso #1} A charming little flat with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a balcony and all the basic amenities, with heat and AC only in the main living area. This house comes in as the cheapest of the three at 110 euros/month + utilities. It is also the option farthest from the bus station. The young working woman that showed me the flat (a native española) was wonderful and sold it to me based on her personality alone. However, she did admit that she may be moving abroad in the near future to look for work. The other guy renting a room there is only around during the week to study at the university and heads home on the weekends.

{Piso #2} A decently priced flat very close to the bus station, supermarkets and just as a bonus... the town's bull fighting arena. It is a very modern, well kept flat with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, and my own balcony. It even has a dryer (gasp) and internet, but no heating units. The woman renting the flat is a 30-something españoleta. The other roommate happens to be another language and culture assistant like myself who will be commuting to and from the same town everyday as well and speaks little Spanish.

{Piso #3} The final flat is 120 euros/month + utilities, which includes 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, a small living space and a balcony. Although it is still a bit farther from the bus station it is very centrally located to everything else. Internet will be installed soon and until then nearby wifi connections can be used. After a long and friendly showing of the flat, I have already made friends with the sisters that own it. My future roommates are both girls, 19 & 20, studying at the university who also go back to their hometowns on the weekends. However, both the roommates smoke inside and the flat is the least modern of the three I've seen.

So which one will I pick? Stay tuned while we take a small commercial break...

(One thing I'm still unsure of though... how do they manage to fit all that in a 22 minute segment?)

Yes I can! {Packing}

13 hours and counting...

Have you ever tried to pack your whole life into a 50lb suitcase, an even smaller carry on and one personal bag? Have you packed for four seasons and every kind of social circumstance you may run across in that time? It's tough. But with a few tricks, some ingenuity and a little knowledge of how to work the system it is definitely doable.

From this...

To this... :)

A few tips:

 - Start gathering items early. Trust me, I know this is not a process that can be completed weeks in advance. Still, I find miscellaneous items come to mind in the weeks before departure that I make about a million mental notes to pack later. As a solution to this, I recommend pulling out a suitcase and throwing items in as you go that you know you'll need but might forget to bring later. If I know I'll use that item before I leave, I at least write it down so I don't continually beat myself up trying to remember to remind myself to pack it later.

 - Make it a multi-step process. A day or two beforehand I pull out everything I think I might need or want from my closets and drawers, not even considering weight or space limits. This step separates my most regularly used items from  the masses. From that step, I pile like things together then start pulling out the items from each pile I could most easily live without. Only once I have those smaller piles do I try and fit things into my suitcases, continuing to par them down as necessary.

 - ROLL ROLL ROLL. Fold clothes neatly then roll them, hot dog style, and pack them tightly in next to each other. I don't know why I didn't find this one out until recently, but seriously, it makes a huge difference in utilizing all the space available.

- Place all like things together. For example, place chargers and cords or lotions and sprays into large zip lock bags. It will make those things so much easier to keep together and find later.

- Be picky, especially with shoes. When I'm considering which pairs of shoes to take I consider the clothes I'm bringing and which pair will be more useful on a regular basis. When all else fails, I take the lighter pair (and buy the new, more stylish pair that I know I'll have my eye on anyway when I'm abroad ;)

- Use ALL available space. Pack shoes with socks and underwear and fill empty spaces between non-flexible items with scarves and other soft items.

- Take smaller amounts. Anything I know I can buy, and buy generically, in the country I'll be living in won't appear in large amounts in my suitcase. The best examples are shampoos/conditioners, hygiene products, socks and towels. Those things just take up valuable space and are often quite cheap and easy to find abroad.

- Push the limits for carry ons. Okay, so this one may sound a little sketchy but hey, when a girl's desperate... Look up the airlines size and weight limits for carry ons and if necessary, bend the requirements a little. Lots of American airlines are more flexible on carry on restrictions than checked baggage. If it looks borderline size wise, look confident and walk through security with head held high. If you can get it to the gate and they stop you they may make you check it there, but more often than not they'll do it for free ;)

Packing is no easy feat but I hope this helps a little in making sense of the process and managing it effectively. If you have any more tips or tricks please share in the comments section!

America the Beautiful

Let me be honest: if you had asked me a little over a year ago what I thought of America I would have told you, rather bluntly, that I wasn't a big fan and couldn't wait to get out of the country again.

It's amazing how much time and experiences change us.

Because now, less than four days away from leaving the U.S.A. for nine months, thinking of leaving this country conjures up a whole list of things in my mind that I truly appreciate and will sincerely miss. They are, in no particular order...

#1: Family and friends
      This one's a no brainer. I will miss you all immeasurably more than any of these things listed here. Consider yourselves an automatic #1 on this list.

#2: Fall festivities and all things pumpkin flavored
      If you know me, this is obvious. The leaves, the scarves, the decorations, the boots, the carmel apples and of course the food. Fall has been in session for a mere three weeks and I have already soaked up as much of the season as possible particularly through the consumption of a ridiculous quantity of pumpkin lattes, bread, pie, cookies, donuts, bagels and ice cream. What can I say? I have over two months of fall to make up for in a matter of weeks.

The biggest pumpkin pie anywhere
displayed at the Circleville Pumpkin Show

#3: The convenience of cars
      As nice as it is to not pay for gas and just kick back as public transit takes care of getting you to your destination, the ability to jump in a car and head anywhere at a moments notice, on your own time schedule and taking whatever route you like to get there is just downright... lovely.

#4: The variety of cultural foods
      I love food. All food. And America seems to be where international foods come to mingle. Seriously, where else in the world can you have italian, japanese, thai, chinese, greek, indian, vietnamese, mexican, fast food, american style pizza and southern barbecue without venturing outside a two mile radius? America is a foodie heaven.

Mom & Dad digging into Giordano's deep-dish pizza

#5: Central heating/air conditioning 
      These two things are why I can love every season {almost} equally. Pretty fall leaves? 72 degrees. Soft falling snow? 72 degrees. Hot sun and puffy white clouds? 72 degrees. And we can get it anywhere. From the house to the car to work to school... 72 degrees. After experiencing bone chilling cold 24/7 and melt you into a puddle heat, I no longer take it for granted.

#6: Dryers
      Fluffy warm towels just like in the commercials. Need I say more?
     

#7: 24 hour services
      Sometimes you can only find time to grocery shop at 11pm. Sometimes you've got a terrible cold and find you're out of medicine in the middle of the night. Sometimes your car needs serviced and you need a place to take it on your lunch break. Are we spoiled with this 24 hour attention? Yes. Does it come in handy at times? Definitely.

#8: OSU football culture
      What is it about Saturday game days that are just so contagiously energizing? Maybe its the sea of scarlet and gray. Maybe its the crisp, cool fall air. Maybe its the spontaneous and never unanswered shout of O-H. Or maybe its the excuse to sit on our butts for three hours straight eating junk food and not having to use our inside voices. Whatever it is, I'm hooked.

Script Ohio by the best d*** band in the land.

#9: Flavored coffee to-go
      At home, I drink my coffee black. But what American coffee drinker doesn't love that occasional (okay, maybe daily ;) grande non-fat, no whip, extra shot pumpkin spice latte to-go? Coffee drinks are an art here and we have perfected it.

#10: Comfort
      This is a broad one but let me explain. It ranges from being able to pick up the phone and know you'll be able to understand and be understood exactly by the person on the other end, to not having to think about how to get from point A to point B because you've lived in the same place for 20 years, to the complete confidence in your ability to handle most any daily circumstance you might find yourself in because you are so familiar with the cultural customs of interpersonal interactions. Sure, things might seem boring when everything is so "normal" for so long, but you can't discount the comfort and calmness that comes with familiarity.

In sum, I love America and {gasp} even Columbus, Ohio with all my heart. Things that once seemed cliche about American culture I now can see as unique, quaint, interesting, comfortable and (insert endless positive adjectives here). So, I'm pretty sure I've reached a wonderful place somewhere in between the extremes of a homebody and a traveling cynic.

I love traveling, getting to know new people and cultures, AND I love being an American and being home. Best of both worlds right?!

Granted, culture shock will surely mess with this perspective, but hey... for now, I'm enjoying the momentary bliss of having reached a happy middle :)

Two weeks and counting

After a quick prayer and a deep breath I clicked the "complete transaction" button to buy the flight that will take me from here to Madrid in just over two weeks. On Wednesday, October 17th I will be on my way to Europe for the first time in my life.

I received an email on Friday notifying me that my Spanish visa has been approved! They said it would take two to three weeks for this to happen but in a surprising, unnatural show of Spanish timeliness they approved my visa within 4 days. So, with one trip to Chicago down (to turn in the paperwork), I will be making one last trip back there only days before I leave the country to pick up my passport with its very official visa stamped on it :)

Everything seems to be wrapping up nicely here at home, with my last day of work being yesterday, lunch dates scheduled with friends and family to catch up and say goodbye, and a packing list slowly coming together. It can be stressful, overwhelming and emotional to get ready to leave for so long, but I plan on relishing every moment. After all, how often in life do we get to anticipate such a life-changing, exciting new adventure? These are the times I can only dream about all the other boring, predictable days of the year, so I'll be doing my best to be thankful for every tiny, wonderful, stressful, lovely, over-planned moment. Here's to proving that half the fun really is getting there ;)

My {New} Home

Hold on, to me as we go

As we roll down this unfamiliar road

And although this wave is stringing us along

Just know you’re not alone

Cause i’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it’ll all be clear

Don’t pay no mind to the demons

They fill you with fear

The trouble it might drag you down

If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you’re not alone

Cause i’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it’ll all be clear

Don’t pay no mind to the demons

They fill you with fear

The trouble it might drag you down

If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you’re not alone

Cause i’m going to make this place your home

Okay, so as cliche and overplayed as this song is... I love it. And even more so because it explains exactly where I'm at in my life right now and how I should be handling it.

Today I got my official letter from the school I have been assigned to. The town is called Bailén, it is in Jaén province in the Andalucía region. The population is about 18,000 people, so not tiny, but google maps tells me I can walk from one end of town to the other in under 20 minutes ("yeah sure google maps... how fit do you really think I am?"). The city is known for its handcrafted ceramics, wine and olive oil, as well as a battle that occurred there in 1808 against Napoleon and the French army (thank you, Wikipedia, for helping me sound like I know something). 

I had thought that this letter would be the key to jumpstarting the rest of the process needed for me to get to Spain. However, after reading it... I was paralyzed. So much to think about all at once. So many questions. Very few answers. Who do I contact now? Where am I going to live there? How in the world am I going to get there? How much do flights cost at such short notice? How soon will my visa be approved? When can I even go get my visa? How soon do I put in my two weeks at work? Is there anyone else from the States living near me? How do I even start packing? etc. etc. etc. All these thoughts, pulling my mind equally in all directions at once, effectively left me frozen in one spot without knowing which way to turn.

And then the song came on the radio... like a sign from God himself.

"Settle down.... it'll all be clear... I'm gonna make this place your home."

It was beautiful. Every word I needed to hear. Granted, I wasn't immediately unfrozen, I still had a million questions and very few answers. But, this sudden, perfectly timed reminder gave me the solution to start, however slowly, to deal with it all.

"As we roll down this unfamiliar road... Just know you're not alone."

Oh, {we} totally got this. :D

FAQs of the past 24hrs

First off, let me say to everyone who has listened even once to my overall unpredictable flow of emotions about my future over the past 7 1/2 months: Thank you. Your support and confidence in me have carried me through this waiting game up until this point and I am extremely grateful for each and every one of you. I know I owe all of you very much, so I thought I'd start by answering some of your pending questions as best as I am able to at this point.

The facts:

#1: What is this program/What will you be doing there?

      It is called the North American Language and Culture Assistanship Program in Spain. In Spanish it is called Auxiliares de conversación. The program is funded by the Ministry of Education in Spain. As far as I know I will be receiving a stipend every month to work 12-16 hours a week in a Spanish classroom, presenting topics in English, practicing conversations with students, helping with lesson activities planned by the teacher etc.    

#2: Where will you be staying in Spain?

      Andalucía, Spain. That's a region, not a city or even really a province (see map). But it is smaller than the entire country. And I AM going. So it may not be much of a lead, but it is a step in the right direction ;)

#3: When will you be leaving?

       ASAP. But not before the end of September as that is not feasibly possible. Before booking my flight I have to get a number of things in order. For example, first I have to receive my letter of acceptance from the school with which I'll be working which could take who knows how long (It's Spain. I spent over half a year waiting for my acceptance. I think we all see how this works.)

#4: What do you do once you get the letter from your school?

      Step 1: Make an appointment at the earliest date with the Spanish consulate in Chicago. 

      Step 2: Get to Chicago. 

      Step 3: Drop off paperwork. 

      Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3, this time picking up visa (optimistically assuming my application is approved). 

      Step 5: Celebrate.

#5: Are you excited?

      See previous post :)

#6: Will we ever hear from you again?

      Of course! Today's technology is amazing in that I can stay in touch with all of you on Facebook, email, skype and even send relatively cheap (or free!) calls and texts to your phones. And trust me, I will be dying to hear from you every single homesick moment I'm gone. So please, send me a text/call/facebook message now so I can give any contact info you don't already have (see Contact Me tab above first). And of course, I won't be gone forever. I won't be booking a flight home just yet but I really do love Columbus and I will definitely be back before long (long being a relative term, especially if you are my parents. Love you, Mom and Dad :)

If you have any other questions please comment on this post or let me know however you can. 

After all, I do owe you ;)

A not so ordinary day...

I woke up for work this morning with the renewed hope that today could be the day. Today I could get that email that would change my life completely.

So just as I had done every one of the past {229 days}, I checked my email once again to find... nothing. Again. Just another, normal day. I told myself once again... not today. Keep waiting. Live in the moment. It will happen (right?)

So that's what I did. I went to work. Smiled at my customers. Handed them their food. Gave them their checks and wished them a very happy rest of their week. Just another normal day...

Until it wasn't.

:)

As usual, (because checking once every 24 hours, or even every 24 minutes, never had been able to stamp out my hope) I couldn't even wait until I got home to check my email. I picked up my phone the second I was back in my car, opened up my email (thank goodness for smartphones) and there it was. I knew it from the title. It wasn't just another wait list email.

Adjudicación de plaza. And the first few lines appeared. Andalucía, España.

My placement. My car could barely contain my excitement. For pete's sake the entire city probably couldn't. So I went for a drive.

Being the task-oriented person I am, I had to stick to the day's agenda. So I continued on my planned trip to the grocery. As I entered the store it was all I could do not to run in and shout at the top of my lungs like a girl in a bad chick-flick... "IT HAPPENED! IT HAPPENED! THEY REALLY DO WANT ME!" proceeding to hug every person in sight... Instead, I held my breath and translated my excitement into a ridiculous, swooning-girl-in-love kind of grin.

Later, in the privacy of my own home, I allowed myself to shout, hop, scream, dance, laugh and cry. And when I finally managed to contain myself (well, kind of)... I began to call every single person to whom I had spent the past 7 1/2 months worrying to about whether or not this day would ever come. Luckily for me, they shared my joy.

At this point some of you might be thinking... Isn't this reaction a little over the top? Why are you even telling us all this? And, let's be honest, isn't all this detail just a tad bit dramatic? And let me say, you would be right. It is over the top. It is dramatic. And the rest of the world might not care in the least. But I thought you might be able to relate. After all, we've all been there. Maybe you've never dreamed of traveling to a foreign country. Maybe you've never even had to wait so long for something you wanted so badly. But we've all dreamed desperately for something. And however long you waited for it, it still felt agonizingly long. Maybe you're still waiting.

I wanted to share this story with you, every detail of it, because I know you must know how it feels. That overwhelming joy that is attaining what you've hoped for for so long. And if you haven't yet experienced that release, let this be a sign unto you: miracles do happen. I know this... from experience ;)

Of course, it's easy to take the credit for myself. After all, I did work hard, wait for what seemed to be a very long time, and I got it! But I know deep down that none of this would have happened if it wasn't a part of my purpose. I know I was made for a reason. This wasn't a random occurrence in my life. All the hard work in the world couldn't have gotten me here if it wasn't where I was meant to be.

So I thank God for this gift. This opportunity that will allow me to be a part of so much, learn so much, grow so much and share it all with others.

Today (finally!) was not such an ordinary day.