T-Minus 1 month until Extremadura

1.5 months of USA later, my student visa for Spain is now ready for pickup! Yes, after a road trip to Washington, DC (thanks, Megan, for accompanying me!) and a short plane triplet to Chicago (thanks, Omar, for putting me up in your place!), I am approved and ready to depart for Spain! Time to take yet one more road trip, this time with Martincito to Chicago, to pick up that visa and get this party started.

All in all the visa process was very smooth - I got all the necessary documentation without any problems (despite taking a trip to Washington DC to get the Apostille of the Hague on my FBI background check, to gain time, which was in theory unnecessary). As with all trámites, something can always go wrong. I'm happy to report that nothing went wrong thus far. :) Very ready for Spain!

One thorn in my side has been recurring ingrown toenail problems. Yet again. I finally went to an American doctor to get the problem re-resolved. Let's see if it's true that medicine in the USA is that much more advanced. If this guy can solve a problem that was plaguing me for 1.5 years in Argentina, I may be convinced that moving back to the USA is in my future. You can't argue with 1.5 years of pain versus...an actual solution. Imagine if instead of an ingrown toenail we were talking about oh, I don't know, cancer? The difference is clear...Claritin clear. No, just clear.

Although I've enjoyed this time with family, friends, and dogs, I'm ready to move on, and am super ready for Spain! As of now I'm very glad I decided on doing the auxiliares de conversación program in Extremadura. It will be taking me to a place I never would have gone otherwise, and it will be an experience I will have otherwise never had. I'm nervous and unsure whether I will truly enjoy high school teaching. But here's to trying!

Back to the Heart of it All

View from Windhorse Farm, Williamsfield, OH

Back in Ohio on the PA border with my family (on the front porch of the farmhouse as we speak, see pic above). It has been really refreshing to take a break from both work and from the overcrowded people, pollution, noise, etc. And breathe some very fresh air (barring the chemicals the farmer next door sprays on his little soybeanlets). It has been a week since I left Buenos Aires and other than Martín, I'm not missing it too much yet. That takes time. But I am also feeling rather in a limbo between a sort of vacation and a sort of purposelessness, which is why I wanted to keep working throughout the summer, even if what I earn is pennies when you're living in the US. Something is better than nothing, and it does not feel good to have no purpose for 2-3 months. That said, I'm not anxious to go back to working yet. The sun and fresh air and animals could keep me entertained easily for another week or two. Unfortunately I think my vacationing time is coming to a close!

In a couple days I will be taking a trip to Washington DC with my friend to get a walk-in Apostille of the Hague on my FBI background check for my student visa for Spain. I might be crazy to drive almost 7 hours to DC just to do this in person when you can do it by mail, but doing it in person saves me anywhere from 2-4 weeks in time that I need to get my student visa earlier. :) Besides, we're making a road trip out of it, so it should be more than fun. Next we've got Chicago in a few weeks to apply for the student visa. Thanks to Spain I will be exploring my own country a bit more before I take off in late August/early September. I'm certainly not complaining.

Leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again

2 horas me quedan en esta casita, y 6 en este país. Recién ahora me está entrando una inmensa tristeza por finalmente despedirme de todo sin saber cuándo voy a poder volver. Espero que pronto, si el dios de los pasajes de avión quiere. Tiene algo de bizarro hacer tareas cotidianas como lavar los platos y limpiar el baño durante las últimas horas que uno tiene en su casa. Supongo que será porque en las mudanzas se suele vaciar todo, y la casa que te queda durante tus últimas horas en ella no es la mism de siempre, sino una pelada, fría, sin vida. Esta casa sigue con vida, más precisamente la de mi esposo quien se va a quedar acá un tiempito más solo. Eso también me provoca una gran tristeza. Saber que van a pasar poco menos de 2 meses sin que lo vea.

Pero todo es así en la vida - la felicidad por seguir adelante y crear historias nuevas se mezcla con la nostalgia por lo viejo que se está dejando atrás. Es como cualquier viaje de los muchos que hice en estos 5 años...primero se siente la amargura provocada por las despedidas, y después se siente la dulzura de que te reciban todos con una amplia sonrisa y tanto amor del otro lado. Los viajes siempre son así, agridulces.

 Hasta luego Buenos Aires!~

Lo que se extrañará y lo que no...

Faltan 4 días para que me vaya, y mientras escucho un poco de Estopa para ir afinando mi acento gallego...perdón! Digo, español, me pongo a pensar un poco en lo bueno y lo malo de cerrar esta etapa de mi vida.

De Buenos Aires voy a extrañar...

•  Delivery de todo tipo a cualquier hora!
•  Estudiar con un café con leche en la confitería del barrio.
•  La gente! La flia argentina, compañeros de trabajo y de clase, amigos, extranjeros o no.
•  Saludar todos los días al chico que vende anotadores en la puerta de casa.
•  Nuestro verdulero de confianza (que hasta recetas te da!)
•  El mate, y las mateadas de mediodía los fines de semana completas con facturitas o cada tanto con algunas madachoc.
•  Esa tonadita tan linda! Che! Vos! Boludo! Y demás...
•  Esa variedad infinita de pastas con sus numerosos nombres que son imposibles de recordar.
•  Crónica...
•  Reirme de lo malas que son las telenovelas argentinas.
•  Estudiar portugués, francés, japonés, etc. con argentinos.
•  Desempeñarme como defensora oficial de las gentes orientales, chinas o no.
•  Feriados innumerables!

Pero no voy a extrañar....

• El subte, el colectivo, o cualquier medio de transporte porteño colapsadísimo.
• Ni tampoco el humo que te echa en la cara este último si optás por ir caminando...
• La inflación.
• Los asados. Por dios si tengo que explicar una vez más que no me ENCANTA la carne...voy a...uuuuuuuffff.
• Los moto-, bici-chorros, o los de cualquier otra índole.
• Vivir encerrada en un depto de menos de 50 m2 con vista a nada más que el patio de las señoras de abajo con sus 3 gatos.
• Trabajar en dicho depto todo el día todos los días.
• Comprar algo caro que se me rompe a los 2 días.
• La cumbia.
• Los piropos vulgares (a ver si los españoles son más creativos, o por lo menos más educados.)

Esta lista no pretende ser exhaustiva, sino tan sólo lo que se me ocurrió mientras esperaba por última vez que llegara mi pedido de sushi, el cual procederé a comer...ahora.

~Rumbo a Badajoz!~

They confirmed for me that I will indeed be working in the city of Badajoz (the largest city in Extremadura) and a small town about 20 km from the city. This is great news as I was worried about getting placed in a small town far away from any city! I'm ready to slow down a bit from Buenos Aires but living in a town with 5000 residents would have been too much. So Badajoz is a good medium-sized city (I believe some 150,000 residents) which will hopefully be a good size to adjust from the crazy pace of Bs As but without crying of boredom. As far as I understand, the city limits actually border with Portugal, so that means a lot of exploring Portugal, too! Martín isn't happy about this. He has an irrational fear/aversion to Brazilians and all Portuguese language speakers. God knows why.

I also am happy about Badajoz because it will give me the opportunity to continue taking flamenco classes and maybe even a language (probably French, not holding my breath for Japanese...)

So all that's left is a certain amount of paperwork, and a long summer in quaint little Ohio. One week and one day from my departure, and all the goodbyes are finally making me see how much I will truly miss.

So the auxiliares de conversación program got me all excited for nothing this morning. I woke up to an e-mail called "Designación Auxiliar de Conversación". Awesome! I got my school placement. Or did I? I did effectively receive a school placement to my e-mail. The question, however, is whether it is actually mine. You can imagine my severe disappointment when I re-read the e-mail and realized that it was not addressed to be, but rather to a girl named "Stephanie". Great. So either they made a mistake with the name (I sure hope so) and it is actually my school (which is in a great location!) or they made a mistake with the e-mail address (I sure hope not) and it is actually Ms. Stephanie's school, taking yet another good school placement away from my possibilities of getting a good one. Of course they had to e-mail me on a Friday right before leaving the office, so I couldn't even call them to clarify. I just have to live with the anticipation all weekend. Ahhhh! Will it ever end? I just want to start making plans for my next year! Is it so much to ask? I guess it is. And to think this is just because they made a mistake with a name/e-mail address, which is easy to do...but...but...:(

I am trying my hardest not to let work-related overloads interfere with this blog. As I well know from failed blogatures of the past, once you stop you really don't start again.

So yesterday I began my most epic packing adventure yet: 5 years of life in 2 suitcases and a backpack. It's an exercise in decision-making and throwing things out, particularly for those of us on the verge of packratdom. But it's also a good way to start fresh and separate myself from my material possessions (I think too strong of an attachment to them will only hurt you in the long run).

In a similar vein, I also separated myself from another long-term obsession of mine: my hair. I finally decided to chop off my waist-length hair to an above-the-shoulder, practical and comfortable cut. I'm not sure I find it more attractive, but I think it's a healthy move to distance myself from vanities in my outward appearance and focus on feeling good inside. And boy was my long hair uncomfortable. So I suppose I am a feminist, after all, and this change is in keeping in line with my principles of health, comfort, and practicality over fashion. After all, we feminists believe women are equally valuable in all ways, right? So that means we can sacrifice looks for comfort and health, too, just like men? I like to think so. :)

A long few days of work ahead, combined with more packing fun. And all the while I am desperately trying to keep my mind off of that damn carta de nombramiento that should be coming soon to tell me where in Extremadura I will be working. This is yet another test of patience. So...zen.