Friday Five

1. I finally got my background check back from the state department! For those of you keeping tabs on this, it took approximately two weeks total to send the form, have them run it, and send it back. Not bad at all, I think. BUT OF COURSE, I forgot to request the certification of the document before they sent it back to me. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has done this and I'm certain I won't be the last. If you find yourself in the visa application process (in FL), here are some pointers:

• When you send your background check form into the FDLE in Tallahassee, include a sticky note saying that you would like to have your results certified. You will NOT be able to get the Apostille without a notary signing (certifying) the document, so save yourself the hassle!
• If you're like me and do forget to include the note, you have two options. The first is what I did: as soon as I got my background check back, I called FDLE and let them know that I actually needed a certified copy and had gotten one that was not. I asked "Larry" what my options were, and he told me he could send me a certified copy that very afternoon. Life saver. Once I have that in my hands (again), I'll be able to send the $10 fee and the document to Tallahassee to get the apostille.
• Other people on my program have said that you can just take the document and have it notarized at your bank. My bff Larry said that usually doesn't work, and if they're willing to send you a new copy for free, just do that and be safe.

2. I have officially received my placement letter from the Comunidad de Madrid! I am now legally employed by the Spanish Ministry of Education :) With that, I went ahead and moved my appointment date. I am now scheduled for mid July...omg.

3. I have also been in contact with my school! There was an info email on the school's website, so I emailed and got a response from the school's principal. He put me in touch with the bilingual program coordinator and the current auxiliar at the school. They have both been extremely helpful! The auxiliar has given me advice on good areas to live and what her life at the school is generally like. The bilingual director has told me that while they haven't yet finalized the schedule for next year, it is quite likely that I will be with either primer ciclo (ages 5-7) or segundo ciclo (ages 7-9). She also told me it is quite likely I will work at least once a week with the "cincos", or the equivalent of pre-k here (squeal!).

4. I've now received two info packets from my top-choice grad schools, and it only increased my liking for them. I won't list them here, in case grad schools are stalking me and they get offended they're not on my list.

5. On a completely unrelated note, any fellow So You Think You Can Dance fans out there?!? I am SO pumped for this new season, and I've already started picking favorites. If you didn't watch the top 20 episode, you can find a list of the dancers who made it here and my two favorite routines of the night here and here.

Also, if any elementary school teachers are looking to expand their students' cultural horizons (preferably grades 2-4), let me know! I have an idea I'd like to try out and work on.

Happy weekend, folks! Have a sangria or two :)

PS shout out to those of you who aren't from the States and are reading this!

Friday Five

I'm going to be 100% honest here: I am the absolute worst at updating blogs. I once fell 7 weeks behind in Sevilla and spent a whole night catching everyone up. Casual. This is an attempt to remedy the situation. Welcome to Friday Five, where each Friday I will attempt to actually post 5 main highlights of the week. Think of it like SNL's Weekend Update. Except probably less focused on celebrities, the news, and things that would usually be considered important. And probably less frequent in the summer, since there won't be as much going on (I promise I'll do it weekly in the fall!).

Let's do this, then.

1. This week marks the last full week that one of my oldest and dearest friends, SC, will be at home. While we first met in the sixth grade through a mutual friend, our friendship really started off when we spent the entire day together on our eighth grade trip to Islands of Adventure. We went to high school together and never had any classes, but we rode together before and after school and were still great friends. We ended up at different colleges, but we always plan on date time when we're home for a break. SC and I both applied to the NALCA program to teach in Spain, but ultimately we've both decided to deviate from that. I, obviously, went with CIEE's program instead, while SC has just recently been offered a job in Texas. Tomorrow is her goodbye party, and I am so incredibly sad to see her go so far, but this girl is destined for big things, trust me.

2. Today also marks my 7th month anniversary with my boyfriend. It might not seem like a lot, but given our circumstances, we're really impressed with ourselves. Long-distance relationships are by no means easy, but we've been extremely lucky to have had a good go of it. We'll be celebrating by having a Skype date. Can't wait till we can have a real date again! :)

PS. no one ever mention this picture is on here, because my boyfriend a) does not like taking pictures and when I finally convinced him he b) blinked. Typical.

3. Today, I wrote a check for $24 and sent off a Criminal Background Check request form to the state of Florida. According to multiple sources (including the FL Dept. of Law Enforcement site), the State does not require fingerprints in order to conduct the check unless there's someone with similar information. Considering I'm probably the only person in the US with my particular name, I'm going to guess I don't need it. I could use those $5 for the Apostille anyway. I'll keep y'all updated on how long it takes me to get it back!

4. As I mentioned a bit earlier, I actually applied to two different Language and Culture Assistant programs: one that's through the Spanish Ministry of Education and the one offered by CIEE. I received word from CIEE's acceptance in March and got my placement about two weeks ago. I was accepted to the Ministry one as well, but placement for that one was a long while away because it's first come, first served, and I had a high application number. Some people who did the program last year even told me not to expect a placement before July or August at the earliest (!). Well, looks like the Ministry is on a roll because I received my placement today...and I also was placed in Madrid. Except I've already accepted with CIEE so oops. Perhaps I'll dedicate a future post as to why I chose CIEE over the Ministry program.

5. Even though I've spent 4 years off in college in another state, I'm still not 100% able to care for myself. Specifically, while I can bake, I'm rather lacking in the cooking department. Luckily, there's Pinterest. When I move to Madrid I intend on finding a flat near my school (which luckily for me is also near the city center), but I'm not sure I'll have a roommate or not. Don't get me wrong, I had a roommate all four years in college, but I kind of like the idea of living on my own. I've yet to do it and I'm going to have to do it eventually most likely. Since I can't rely on a roommate anyway, I've been going crazy on Pinterest with recipes and craft ideas to decorate my "new" flat. These recipes in particular look delicious. Now I'm just hoping I find all the ingredients in Spain...

*Note: these posts will not always include pictures, but I'll try to. It definitely makes it look more entertaining and eye-catching. Plus, I know I'm definitely drooling over those quesadillas.

Happy Friday everyone!