getting a visa- really not that much fun.

Okay, so for any of you who ever plan on getting a visa, start the process now! Oh, if only that were an actual possibility. For real, getting this visa has been the biggest headache of the whole study abroad process. Spain, like most European countries, requires visas for all people remaining in their country longer than 90 days. In short, of course I needed a visa. Thankfully, student visas are more readily available than work visas. I applied for my visa this summer but only after receiving my passport (it had to be renewed). European consulates ask for your passport with your visa application, which means that you can't leave the country until you get your visa- clever, really. About ten days before I left, I realized that I still didn't have my visa, so I got on the phone with my congressman in Washington. After a week of calling my congressman, the Spanish consulate, and my study abroad advisor in Oxford, and a whole lot of prayer, I finally got approval from the consulate. Once again, the Lord provided beyond my expectations. He also blessed my mom and I with a wonderful night in New Orleans. In order to get my visa, I had to show my face to the Spanish consulate. New Orleans is a wonderful city, even two years after Katrina. We ate on the balcony of a local restaurant on Jackson Square, where we were serenaded by New Orleans jazz from the street below. The night was topped off with beignets at Cafe Du Monde (a must for any newbies to New Orleans!) and a nice walk down Bourbon Street, which my mom called our "educational experience" of the night. At 9am on Monday morning, I went to the Spanish consulate, and I now am in possession of my visa and passport! God is good!