One month...

In exactly one month (February 25!) I will be embarking on adventure that I have dreamed of since I was in high school. Upon being accepted to study abroad, the journey has begun with months of preparation including appointments with everyone, writing scholarships, reading/learning about Chilean culture, booking airline ticket and of course, endless amounts of paperwork. (I feel as though I’ve killed a forest somewhere with the amount of paperwork and documents I have had to fill out!) Despite a few frustrations in trying to obtain my visa, the process has been surprisingly smooth and I couldn’t be any more pleased. ISA (the organization I am going through) has been amazing and I am thankful for them- they are very informative, organized and most importantly, very friendly! Thank you ISA!!

Mentally I am more than ready for whatever lies ahead of me. Since the end of my semester at GV in December, I have been irritable to leave. Without a job or homework to occupy my mind, Chilean thoughts and dreams have kept my brain functioning. This two month+ waiting period is killing me as I long to be somewhere warm, immersed in unfamiliarity and newness, having to learn “the ways” all over again. Words can’t describe how excited I am for it all.

The Chilean Consulate in Chicago called me Thursday to inform me that my Visa is complete and I can now make an appointment to pick it up. After what I had to go through to apply, I was surprised at how quickly they completed processing my visa (about two weeks).

At this point the only things left to do are…

- receive Hepatitis B shot (Thursday morning)
- pick-up Visa in Chicago (soon)
- continue practicing my Spanish =)
- gather and pack!

So for now, I will continue waiting until February 25 arrives and think about what lies ahead of me…