Bienvenido a Airports: My Account of Traveling Internationally

Tonight will be my fourth night in the city of Santander and quite a few things have happened since I’ve arrived. The flights went well but my patience wore thin around the time my flight was delayed from Madrid to here. A little bit about flights – I had a connecting flight in the US and another here in Spain. When I was departing from Savannah, I was curious about when I’d need to find my bags, when I would go through immigration, and when would I need to go through security checks. Alas! I have an answer.

Although it may vary, in most cases when you purchase a ticket from a website like Expedia, Studentuniverse.com, or Travelocity, you’ll be purchasing all of your tickets within one ‘package.’ Thus, when you check in at your first departure airport, they will put the tag on your bag to be checked all the way through to your destination. For me, this was the case and I never had to see my luggage until I finally arrived in Santander the next day. I also showed my passport and visa to the people at the desk while checking in, and after a few minutes they offered me my boarding passes for all three of my flights. All was set and within two hours I was on my merry way.

My American connection in Dallas consisted of me getting off my plane and simply heading over to the next terminal. No special chores or checks were necessary even though my next destination was Spain. All I simply accomplished there was devouring my last plate of pulled pork BBQ and exchanging about $150 for euros.

After my excruciatingly exhausting flight that consisted of bobbing my head in a semi-state of delirium for eleven hours, I arrived in Madrid-Barajas and followed the walkway to immigration. It was here that EU citizens got in one line, and anyone else got in the other. Luckily, I only had to wait for about five minutes until I walked up to the booth to show my visa. They glanced at it for a few seconds, gave me a stamp and allowed me to continue. Afterwards, around the corner, there was an exit to the baggage claim or passengers could follow the signs for connecting flights. Obviously I chose the latter and it was here that I was required to walk through another typical airport carry-on/metal detector security check. When I finally made it to the correct terminal (Barajas is probably the largest airport in the universe), my flight was posted but wasn’t assigned a gate yet – if this happens to you DO NOT WORRY, it is completely normal for Spanish airports to refrain from posting specific gates until thirty minutes before the flight. While in the US we have to actually board the plan that early in advance, the Spaniards don’t usually board until ten minutes prior. While bearing this well in mind, it’s still always better to be safe than sorry if you have a choice.

When I landed in Santander, the airport was small and there wasn’t really anywhere else to go other than the baggage claim. I picked up my bag and headed out for the bus to take me to the city center. No more passport checks and nothing else was needed on my end other than a beer and the keys to my brand new flat.

As for coping with jet lag, my best advice when traveling west to east is to drink on the plane and sleep as much as you can. When morning comes in your destination city/time zone, power through the day and go to sleep around 8pm or 9pm. If you do end up waking up in the middle of the night, take melatonin, NyQuil or even drink a few more copas of wine to help yourself fall back asleep. Afterwards, jet lag will be a thing of the past and you won’t need to worry much more. On the other hand, going from east to west is something completely different; I’m sure I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

If you are, in fact, worried about your upcoming international flight, I hope this may have been of assistance to you regarding what to expect. Everything typically works out well enough and airports are usually equipped with adequate personnel and signs to help people like you and me thumb around. Good luck with your travels!

Do you have an experience similar or completely different from mine? Do you have any flights coming up and questions to ask? Maybe I or somebody else could help!

How to Pack Your Life into 50lbs or Less

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably getting ready to set forth on a journey around the world. When I previously studied abroad, I was able to make the trip with nothing more than a large-sized L.L. Bean duffle bag and an ordinary school-sized backpack stuffed with an emergency change of clothes and all my important documents. Now that I’m moving back to Spain for almost double the amount of time, does that mean that I should go with double the amount of clothes, or instead just be more strategic about how and what to pack?

I’m choosing the latter because making my way through four airports on my journey to Santander, I refuse to waddle around with two suitcases and an overweight travel pack in between terminals. Here I have compiled a standard list of items to include that I personally used to pack my own things; to maintain under the fifty pound limit, I highly encourage you to use it as well:

Clothing

7 Pairs of Underwear
6 Pairs of Socks (3 thick pairs for colder weather)
4 Pairs of Pants (Jeans and/or Khaki for work)
3 Long-sleeved Work Shirts
1 Tie
2 Pairs of Khaki Shorts
2 Jackets (one for more frigid climates)
1 Scarf and pair of winter gloves
3 Formal sweaters/Pullovers
3 Sweatshirts/Hoodies
2 Pairs of Gym Shorts/Athletic Wear
4 Undershirts/Tanks
6 T-shirts (long-sleeved and short-sleeved)
2 Pairs of Pajamas/Sweatpants
1 Bathing Suit
1 Pair each of sneakers, slippers, flip flops, and rain-boots

Other Necessities

Important Documents (passport and copies, extra passport-sized photos, background check and copies, original carta de nombramiento and copies, etc.)
Local Currency (Make sure you leave the destination airport with at least 100 USD to pay for transportation costs)
Portable USB Drive
Laptop computer and case
Empty backpack to day-to-day use
Luggage locks
Spare set of luggage keys
Outlet converters and adapters
Phone charger and extra “cube”
Rain jacket
Water bottle
Foreign Language/English Dictionary
Microfiber Towel for quick drying while traveling

Toiletries (most of which can be purchased abroad)

Toothbrush and toothpaste
Floss
Extra extra extra stick deodorant (i.e. Old Spice is not available in Spain)
Disposable razors
Tweezers
Emergency tissues
Ibuprofen

Entertainment

European Travel Book (AAA)
E-Reader and charger
Hardcopy books
Sets of playing card games for classes
DVD travel case
MP3 Player
Watch
Sunglasses
Camera
Decorations/flags/pictures from home

---

This may sound as though I’m packing either too lightly (if you’re a pack rat like myself) or enough to suit an army (if you’re an experienced vagabond), but it’s what works for me. At then end of the day it’s important to analyze everything that goes into your bags as an asset or as added weight. Choosing what to pack, how to do so appropriately, and finally putting everything away is one of the hardest parts of travel, but with a bit of preparation and research, it can be conquered.

How to Fit Everything

I also want to inform you about Ziploc’s Space Bags. While these bags can be stuffed with absurd amounts of clothing, a simple use of the vacuum can help profoundly decrease the amount of space they take up in your bags. If you, like myself, don’t actually have a working vacuum on hand, they are fully adaptable to the “roll out” method in which you literally roll the air out of each one. I highly recommend using them while traveling long-term like myself.

Carry-On vs. Checked Luggage

Another important thing to note is what exactly should go into your carry-on in case your luggage falls a behind and has to be mailed to you a few days later. Although this is fairly rare, it does happen and should be taken into account. Thing about it – are you going to need this item either in the airport or once you arrive? Typically these items include important documents, wallet, chargers, extra clothes, e-readers, MP3 players, etc. If so, you obviously need to refrain from packing it deep within the depths of your checked luggage. Unfortunately, if you’re anything like me, you’ll end up at the baggage claim with clothes thrown everywhere while trying to locate your only phone charger for your dead iPhone 4s.

>> For the record, my check-in luggage weighs in at 46 pounds.

I hope this list was helpful to you. If you ever run into any questions about what you should travel on your trip, let me know! Is there anything else that should be included on the list? What have you brought on a trip only to find out you didn’t need it nearly as much as you thought?

Coping With a Conventional 9 to 5: How to NOT pull your hair out

As crazy as it may sound, being constantly called “Excuse Me” loses quite a lot of appeal after 2-3 thousand times.

While I may not be able to talk somebody through their career in Corporate Tax, if they do, in fact, have a future in moving abroad or to something a bit more exciting, this post may actually be of some value. I received my student visa after ten very short days (quoted for 3-4 weeks) for my nine-month stint in Spain, and shortly thereafter booked my excruciatingly painful $836 one-way flight from Savannah, GA. For the record, it’s incredibly cheaper to fly from larger airports such as JFK or Washington-Dulles so if you have the opportunity to take a train to one of those for cheap, take it. The countdown stands at 35 days – for 35 days I’ll be making lists and packing bags, for 35 days I’ll be improving my knowledge of English grammar, and for 35 more days I’ll be getting free refills for people who demand their food be cooked quicker and priced cheaper.

I’ve had the tremendous privilege of being able to work at the same pizzeria that i’ve worked in since I was sixteen. I say privilege because not many establishments would willingly re-employ past employees for only 3-4 months per year; but in a resort town, seasonal employees help make local business thrive. Keeping this in mind, there’s still something terribly off-putting about returning to this same job after graduating college. Regardless of one’s great plans of traveling abroad, these harshly ordinary jobs can often times be difficult to bear leading up to departure. Whether your job is in an office, restaurant, store, or elsewhere, I wish you luck as you slowly but surely make your way through one customary day to the next.

Having plans to go to Spain has made each day of this dreadfully long summer as tedious and redundant as possible, aside from living with two of my oldest best friends (shout out). My ability to focus is skewed and blurred due to the immense anxiety and planning I undergo on each of my days off. This, as I’ve learned, is 100% ordinary among individuals participating in the Auxiliare program that I’ve recently accepted. While there’s absolutely no way for me to correct the “burnt out” feeling I have each day of work, it definitely helps to view every shift as an opportunity to pay for something: a trip to Finland to visit my old roommate; an opportunity to backpack on the Camino de Santiago; or perhaps to pay off my electricity bills that will lighten my wallet immensely from December through March. Each dollar adds up and at this point, with 35 days left (should I say that again?) it’s so important that I make each day, and every amount of money count towards my goal of having the best year abroad ever.

Another positive light to view your (or my own) ordinary 9-5 under is the fact that simply working keeps you from spending. I would’ve blown much more money over the past three months had I been given the time to shop around mindlessly for products I probably won’t need. Instead I’ve been working 50+ hours a week making sure people got lemons with their waters and croutons on their salads for a mere $2.13 an hour. With an awesome trip coming up, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle that pressures you to make purchases “just to be safe.” I’ve definitely learned from experience that preparation is important, but over preparation can be dangerous to the budget.

As your countdown diminishes, and you make your way through the last few days of your job, keep your head up. You’ve got a lot to look forward to in the coming months. And even if you don’t have a trip coming up, perhaps you have something bigger and better. A day you work your hardest is never wasted, and these days will only push you further towards whatever goals you may have ($$, experience, etc). Good luck to everyone participating in the North American Language and Culture Assistants program as you eagerly await your departure, as for me – I’ll be right back with your side of ranch dressing.

Commence the countdown! Have you ever been more excited for a future job than your current one? What advice could you offer to me or anyone in that situation? Drop a line and say hello.

In and Out: Getting a Student Visa from the Spanish Consulate in Miami

Everyone knows that asshole on the airplane who rummages through his greasy bag of delicious french fries before take off. Well, ladies and gentlemen, while flying to Miami for my student visa, I was that asshole.

As I sit in La Carreta in Concourse D of the Miami International Airport (MIA), the memories of my own student visa process are still fresh in my mind (it was today, after all). My experience obtaining a student visa for the Auxiliare de Conversación program through the Spanish Ministry of Education was painstaking to say the least; the main reason being the additional requirements needed when being a resident for longer than 180 days. If you’re simply a student studying abroad in Spain, this checklist may not be of much use to you, as one of my documents entitled a Carta de Nombramiento takes care of the requirements needed for students such as the “proof of health insurance,” “proof of accommodation,” “certificate of admission,” “proof of means of support,” and also the “trip itinerary.” Had I not been to this specific consulate before, I would expect to see something along the lines of this:

 

 

 

 

But instead, I got this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways, after a rather long and dreadful process of gathering documents and feeling dumbfounded every step of the way, it’s quite a relief to know that this part of the headache that is Spanish bureaucracy has been taken care of. Within twelve hours, I arrived in Miami, visited the consulate, and made it back to my hotel room to essentially finish out the rest of my summer. Although some individuals see the visit to the consulate an opportunity to truly enjoy Miami, I needed to make use of my time and head home basically right away.

To help coach anyone who may be visiting Spanish Consulate in Miami for a student visa, I figured it would be most efficient to let you know how things went down in the city where the heat is on:

August 4th, 2014

6:50pm Arrived at Raleigh-Durham airport

7:25pm Pit stop for a burger and a beer

7:40pm Boarding began

7:50pm Finished burger and fries on the plane/received warranted shuns and bad vibes

8:20pm Departure

10:20pm Arrived at MIA, met shuttle for local hotel outside of Departures/Baggage Claim

10:50pm Checked into Hotel and double checked all of my travel and visa documents.  Did you remember to print your visa appointment letter???

11:30pm Hit the sack

August 5th, 2014

6:45am First alarm (yea, ok)

7:12am Woke up and packed my things

7:45am Requested a taxi from hotel lobby (for hotels without standby taxis)

8:10am Taxi pickup – be prepared for heavy traffic on Le Jeune Road

8:40am Arrived at Consulate as fourth in line

9:05am Turned in my visa appointment letter to man at the desk; and he gave me a waiting number

9:10am My number is called and I headed into a small room with two windows.

This is what they collected:

• Two copies of visa application
• Two passport-sized pictures
• Original passport, and copy
• Two copies of license and student ID (used my old one)
• Original carta, and copy
• Medical certificate with doctor’s stamp AND signature, printed on letterhead with official translation from rev.com, and copy of both
• State background check and translation from rev.com, original stapled with apostille, and copy of both versions.
• Money order for $160 payable to Consulate General of Spain
• Self-addressed Priority Mail Express envelope from USPS prepaid with $19.99 of postage (it often looks like a normal stamp).

9:20am The administrator told me to wait for visa receipt

9:30am Received my visa receipt stapled to one copy of visa application, the original medical certificate and the original background check. I will use these all when applying for a Foreigner’s Identity Number (NIE) card within 30 days of arriving in Spain because the visa will only be valid for 90 days.

Within the following hour, I checked out of my hotel room, and was on a shuttle back to the airport. The consulate and my hotel are not actually located amongst the sky-scrapping hotels of Miami Beach, but instead about a $40 taxi ride away. I felt it would be best to use my money and time at the airport and just wait for my flight for the duration of the day.

All in all, the experience at the Miami consulate was fairly simple, as it had been two years ago when I did it the first time. The people were nice, the lobby felt the same, but the experience as a whole still made a fellow auxiliare and I anxious while sitting and waiting for our turns. The grim chance that I printed a document incorrectly, or accidentally overlooked a minor detail anything could’ve doomed my trip completely. Despite this all, I try not to worry. In the end, everything works out, and you and I both must trust our guts that we’ve done the research and preparation needed for this huge step in the process of moving abroad. I hope this experience helps you prepare for your visa; mine should be arriving in 3-4 weeks! Let me know if you have any questions!

Have you been to the Spanish Consulate in Miami? How was your experience? Do you have any advice for individuals obtaining a student visa?

Monsoon in Your Lagoon: Guide to Preparing for Rain

I strongly believe that the failure to prepare for weather makes the conditions worse when traveling. For many, the presence of rain or snow literally puts a damper on the experience while for others, the access to a quality umbrella and rain jacket is all they need to enjoy a destination despite inclement weather. For a perfect example of failing to prepare for constant rain, read up on my trip to Italy in Italy in a Stuffed Shell. Heading to the northern coast of Spain, I knew that rain was unavoidable during the months of October through May. Because of this, I found that researching different products only helped in my preparation for the weather to come.

As I previously mentioned, the weather in Santander is described as oceanic (whatever that actually means) with typically mild temperatures. With rain occurring almost fifteen days out of each month, I had to convince myself that the gorgeous sights and landscape I will be living it will be well worth the trade. After all, as long as I’m prepared for the weather, it shouldn’t be much of a problem, right?

Rain Jackets

To prepare for the slightly dreadful climate, I did a lot of research into lightweight rain jackets that can better suit me than my single-layered Columbia jacket. After doing a fair amount of window shopping and reading reviews online, I knew that a double layered lining was essential to prevent a high amount of condensation underneath. Often times, consumers confuse thick jackets like a Columbia Soft Shell (ahem) with a jacket that will quickly repel moisture. Unfortunately, shells can retain water that weigh you down and keep you considerably soaked. I finally settled with a jacket from Eddie Bauer. It’s a bit heavier but is double lined; when it rains for a long period of time, the dew won’t condensate underneath the jacket making me still feel wet. Whether you decide to roll with Patagonia, L.L.Bean, Columbia, REI, or Eddie Bauer, make sure to take the time to research your investment, and if needed spend the few extra bucks for something you know will last.

My budget for a new jacket was around the $90 mark, and using online coupon codes made it easy to shop around. If you’re not already a member of theclimb.com, you should sign up! They have awesome deals similar to Groupon for outdoor adrenaline junkies that thrive off buying camping and backpacking gear.

Rain Boots 

What goes well with an awesome new rain jacket? Quality rain boots, that’s what. L.L.Bean’s reputation for great longevity, and their 100% satisfaction guarantee led me to choose them as the manufacturer of my boots. They typically offer two options, boots with what’s called Thinsulate, and those without. Thinsulate serves as another layer of insulation for individuals who will wear their shoes in not only wet, but potentially sub-freezing climates as well. Due to popular demand and the fact that each pair is hand crafted, their selection of rain boots is often on backorder, so make sure to order them ahead of time! Despite the estimated delivery date being a month and a half away, it only took $129 and a few weeks for the new 8″ L.L. Bean Boots with Thinsulate to arrive at my doorstep. The sizes run fairly large but the website works well in helping buyers decide how to choose which to pick. So far, they have proven to be of great quality, and I’m excited to see how they stack up against the raging rains and bulky hills of Cantabria.

Backpacks

A few lines up I mentioned a website called theclimb.com. Finding backpacking bags and/or travel packs is easy as cake when using this website. Before you do, there are a few minor things to consider when buying a new backpack:

1) Top-loading vs. Front-loading

Having a top loading backpack will make it hard to reach things down at the very bottom. Granted, if you are a smart packer, this may not serve as much of an issue to you as most other people, but having a front loading backpack may assist in making it easier to organize all of your things when traveling around.

2) Size

I highly recommend buying anything under 35 liters due to the fact that anything larger will most likely not be allowed to use as a carry on with budget airlines such as Ryanair. In addition, the lighter you pack, the better off you are. That’s less carrying, less clutter, and essentially more room to bring stuff back if you’re the souvenir-buying traveller that likes that sorta thing. You’d be surprised with how much you can fit in a regular sized travel pack when you plan accordingly.

3) Zipper vs. Buckle

This is very often overlooked by people simply looking for “backpacking backpacks” on the internet. The search engines and camping websites can confuse traveling backpacking with camping backpacking. Because of this, it may be easier to simply use the terms “travel pack” when searching for luggage to bring overseas. Anyways, one flaw that many camping backpacking backpacks have is the fact that they are secured with an insane amount of buckles and heavy metal frames. The countless amounts of straps will help secure the bag to the wearer’s back sometimes at the expense of comfort, but also help close the pack to keep the contents safe…from anyone who doesn’t know how to open a buckle. Travel packs are more often armed with an actual zipper that can be secured with a simple traveler’s lock. These will allow individuals to keep the contents of their bags safe from any sticky hands that they come in contact with, whether that be at a hostel, airport, metro, or busy street. As biased as I may sound, I highly recommend buying a bag that utilizes a quality zipper.

4) Water-Resistance

Of course, I also think that every great traveler should make sure their pack comes either waterproof or water resistant to make sure that all contents are protected by the elements. Sometimes summer showers and winter storms appear out of nowhere, so it’s important not to get stuck without the protection needed at the time.

5) Pricing

Backpacks can be priced anywhere from $45-$300 depending on the brand name, the longevity of the product, and the quality of the material. When coming to backpacks, I decided to veer more towards budget than longevity for the sake of my own expenses. I found a great pack at Dicks Sporting Goods that has an internal frame, front loading main pockets, and multiple zippers for access. Signing up for Dicks email list allows you to receive massive amounts of promos throughout the year too.

All in all, it’s definitely important to go with your gut when making purchasing decisions, but make sure to do adequate research just in case! I now feel as though I can tackle the oceanic climate of Santander without the fear of being unprepared. Assuming it will be raining 50%+ of my time in the city, I decided that any day of sunshine would be a perfect opportunity to do some exploring of my surroundings.

What are your favorite brands for outdoor gear? Do you have any specific products to recommend for rainy climates? Let me know what you think!

Making Moves to Santander

FOR STARTERS

Somebody once told me that working though the Ministry of Education can sometimes be the equivalent of walking on legos. The wait I endured to receive my Carta de Nombramiento was a great example of that.

Alas, my time has come and after emailing my regional advisor, I’ve finally received my Carta. For those of you involved with the auxiliare program, you know this means that I have been placed in a community within my assigned region, and can even pinpoint which school I’ll be working in.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the program through the ministry of education, I have officially received my information packet indicating that I will be making 700 euros a month working for a school about an hour outside of Santander, Spain. I have waited over two and a half months to hear this news. Finally!

The school is located in a town called Cabezón de la Sal, which looks to serve as a home for about 12 people total. Perhaps this number can fluctuate a bit, but regardless it’s in the middle of nowhere. I have learned, however, that it is home to one of the largest mountain bike races come Spring, and that’s about it. Originally I wanted to find comfort in the small-town feel of Spain and venture out into the town for fresh produce, and the true Spanish way of life. As my time in Spain quickly approaches, I have instead found that I still want to be able to have things to do around the city I’ll call home. Santander, which is the capital of the Cantabrian region, is located right along the Bay of Santander and while serves as a much smaller port than Barcelona, the city stretches wide and into the mountainside to allow residents easy access to awesome hikes and less-touristy Spanish beaches.

After a little bit of research that stressed me out some more, I decided to bite the bullet and agree to commute from the city of Santander to school each morning for work. In the past, other auxiliares have done this exact trip, and highly recommended it so long as I live somewhere close to the city center where there will be a plethora of bus and train stations. Santander has a population of about 180,000 and draws in Spanish and European tourists through its local airport served by Ryan Air, and the Bilbao airport in País Vasco which is only a bus ride away. To be honest, despite its attraction to European visitors, it’s seldom visited by American tourists. It’s going to be nice not having American tourists swarm the city (as they sometimes do in Madrid or Barcelona) and ask everyone if they speak English. “HOLA DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!? WE NEED TRES OF THESE.”

FORECAST

The weather in Santander is described as being oceanic, with the mild temperatures not usually venturing outside the 40-80 °F range. Because of the close mountain ranges, I think the typical attitude towards rain in the region is if it doesn’t rain, it still looks like it may. The rainy season, which lasts from about October to May (how convenient) is brutal if not adequately prepared. Regardless, many say that when the sun is shining, there are very few places more beautiful to live in throughout Spain.

While also serving as a smaller tourist hub of Spain, Santander holds a fair amount of history. It was the favorite summer residence of Spanish King Alfonso XIII, and because of this, the elegant Palacio de la Magdalena (a main attraction in Santander for history buffs) was built to serve as the royal family’s home for the holiday seasons. In 1941, a great fire known as “The Andalusian” tore through the city center and destroyed a large portion of the medieval buildings leaving not much more than remnants and hollowed out cathedrals.

FARE

The food in Santander is allegedly “to die for,” having a very high reputation compared to anywhere else in the country. The seafood is always fresh, which is good as the majority of menus in Santander use fish as their cornerstone. The meat around the region typically comes from locally-raised cattle. Being a foodie myself, I can’t wait to indulge in the massive amounts of paella and bocadillos that Santander will undoubtedly have to offer.

I’m so excited for my new chapter of life in the city of Santander, and will surely speak more about my first-hand experiences when that time comes. For now, I have a bit more preparation to do for my visa appointment next week. Departure in t-minus two months!

Have you ever been to Santander? Do you have any advice for future travelers?

12 Months of Catch Up

A year ago I wrote a reflection of my study abroad experience on my Tumblr account, wishing towards the end of it that my next adventure isn’t anything but a small turn around the corner. I thought of the various possibilities that could help lead my

path towards a life abroad: attending graduate school, participating in some international internships, or backpacking for a few weeks before obtaining some great entry level sales position for a Fortune 500.

Fast forward through a year that has helped me figure out my future better than even studying abroad. After finishing two internships, one in recruiting and the other in advertising, and becoming well acquainted with the typical American college life of SEC football, crowded bars, and countless group projects once again,  I decided to take the upcoming year to pursue the Spanish language as a North American Language and Culture Assistant in Cantabria, Spain. As I revel over the fact that exactly one year ago I was packing my bags for what I thought to be the last time, I am also gathering my visa documents, planning my travel, working my tail off, and organizing an itinerary for the second adventure on my list.

While I know what state I’ll be placed in, I’m still falling short of the particular town or age group I’ll be molding the minds of. Regardless, there’s fairly limited amounts of blogs to assist me with becoming acquainted with the Cantabrian region so I hope to change that.

I applied for the NALCA program and had an inscrita number of 39, meaning I was essentially the 39th person to submit my application (only 15 minutes after it finally opened up). From there, I got my documents sent to the Miami consulate in a reasonable amount of time of a few weeks, and waited patiently for about three months before finding out that Cantabria would be my home for the year. For those of you who do not know what an inscrita number means, or what the auxiliare program is, here’s the website for the program:http://www.mecd.gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/convocatorias-eeuu/auxiliares-conversacion-eeuu.html

Anyways, in April I found out what state I was placed in and was given five days to accept or decline the offer. I immediately accepted in the middle of my class and have since been waiting to learn what city I’ll be placed in. Some other states move quicker than Cantabria, but since it’s so small, I’ve been telling people I’ll be living in Santander just for the sake of conversation.

Now today, I am working on gathering my visa materials and making as much money for travel as I possibly can. I also await a letter in the mail that officially accepts me into the program called the Carta de Nombramiento. For individuals simply studying abroad, this document will not be sent, however it is the official “acceptance letter” for those involved in the NALCA program.

 The individuals that participate in this program and those who study abroad are all given long stay student visas, and so when obtaining a visa, it is important to look at the requirements for those:

http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/MIAMI/en/InformacionParaExtranjeros/Pages/Visa%20Requirements/Student-Visa.aspx

These are the specific requirements for the MIami Consulate (thus for individuals residing in Florida, Georgia or South Carolina). Please be sure to check you appropriate consulate’s requirements as they all differ in often minuscule ways:

1. Two copies of the Visa application

2. Two recent passport sized photos

3. Passport and copy valid for at least six months

4. Two copies of drivers license and school ID

5. Acceptance letter and copy from school in Spain issued in Spanish (Included in the Carta de Nombramiento)

6. Information about the program of choice and copy (Included in the Carta de Nombramiento)

7. Proof of health insurance and copy (included in the Carta de Nombramiento)

8. Two copies of proof of means of support (bank statements, notarized letter from guardian promising to support with money while away – this is also included in the Carta de Nombramiento)

9. Two copies of proof of accommodation (or a print out of resources the program provided to help find housing)

**10. Local Health Certificate printed on letterhead, signed, and stamped and a copy (usually available after regular physical) and then an official translation and copy of that as well.

**11. Official background check, apostilled and notarized, and copy. Then translated using an official translator, and a copy of that as well.

12. Money order for visa fee

13. Self addressed stamped envelope to mail back passport

**The local health certificate and official background check are only required if studying or living in Spain for a duration of more than six months

The Application Process

The Miami consulate requires participants to attend the consulate in person, and because of that, individuals must make an appointment online at the cost of a few euros. Dates are typically only available for reservation roughly one month at a time, so it’s important to keep your eye on the reservation website if theres a specific date you need. The consulate is only open from 9am-1pm most days, so that’s tricky at times to work around as well. Currently, for the Miami Consulate, long stay student visas are only accepted at 9am appointments. I’ll be flying to Miami late one night, staying at a Marriott on the same road as the Consulate, going to my appointment which lasts about 30 minutes the next morning (all you do is hand in your paperwork as they look over it) and then immediately going back to the airport to fly back to South Carolina. This trip alone costed me about $320 dollars, not including the visa and appointment fees.

Thus far, with about two months left before my appointment, I have gotten a background check completed, notarized, and apostilled. I decided to roll with the state background check because according to the FBI’s website, their wait time was about 30 days. I got my SLED background check back in the mail only five days after sending out my application.

I have gotten the local health certificate completed after a fairly short check up at the doctor’s office, and have had these documents officially translated by an online company for $27 per page (rev.com). Make sure the documents include all stamps and signatures before you translate them.

Other Requirements

Passport sized photos are available at any pharmacy for about $13 for a set of two. I highly recommend ordering extra because you may need them for various forms of paperwork along the way, whether you’re studying abroad or applying as an auxiliare. Proof of means required me to ask my mother to write a letter saying she would support me with $1,000 per month, which wouldn’t happen in my wildest dreams, and I’m going to be putting a couple thousand into my bank account before printing out a statement for the consulate. This requirement should be satisfied by the carta de nombramiento anyways, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Copying my license and passport is as easy as visiting the nearest library to do some cheap printing.

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Knowing about the program and the different consulate requirements really does all come with either (a) experience or (b) research. I am a member of numerous Facebook groups full of individuals that have both participated in this program in the past, or are going to. Even when I don’t have questions to ask for myself, I read others’ and the answers that people provide for them. It definitely helps to be as prepared as possible when tackling the mountain that is the auxiliare program.

I’m thrilled to be beginning this part of the next chapter in my life, regardless of the stress and anxiety associated with it. It shows that the future is real and I truly am moving abroad once again. I’ll hope to keep this blog as informative and helpful as possible, while also giving good insight into my travels around the Cantabrian region, Spain as a country, and Europe as a whole. For now I’ll be working on filling out the visa application, keeping an eye on flight bargains, and researching various travel backpacks to take with me abroad. The budget is slim, but the more I work, the closer I get to achieving my goals. Sorry this first post is a bit scattered, but it’s been quite an eventful twelve months!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll keep you posted!