I have a VISA!
All the visa crap is FINALLY over with. It didn't seem very essential that I physically went to Chicago (all they did was fingerprint me and give me back my passport) but at this point I don't really care. While it was disgustingly grey here in Detroit, it was a BEAUTIFUL, sunny day in Chi-town (further proving my hypothesis that clouds permanently hang over Michigan). We actually never even set foot outside in Chicago. The Consulate is in the Hancock building so we drove 4 hours, parked IN the Hancock building, ate lunch downstairs at the Cheesecake Factory, went to my appointment, and then drove 4 hours back. The drive was uneventful. I-94 is the worst, most boring freeway in the world. On our way home we went to the state quarterfinals at EMU. Churchill ended up losing in four games to Bedford, but it was still a lot of fun. After that I came home and watched puppies play (haha) and fell even more in love with Taylor Hicks. All in all, not a bad day.
On Monday I received my pre-departure packet which, among many things, included info on my family. They sound pretty good so far. I will be staying with a husband, wife, and their 25 year old daughter who is in med school. The house itself seems pretty normal, it has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms (so hopefully I'll get my own bedroom), as well as a pool and a garden. It says they have 3 little dogs and they are "calm, conversational, and they like to read" (the family, not the dogs). The house is 5 blocks from the university and 7 blocks from the downtown area, so hopefully I can walk everywhere. The only small drawback is that the mom smokes, but I think most people there do. I'm sure it won't be a problem.
Alisia just brought us a few packs of those chocolate Hostess cupcakes with the cream filling. I honestly haven't had one since middle school. They're actually not bad...
Along with my family info I also got our semester schedule (although not my class schedule yet). Turns out we are taking two weekend trips. They actually seem kind of similar, both are to lake areas with a picturesque volcano or two near by. I REALLY hope we will get a chance to climb the volcano or at least go hiking around there. It should be nice, though. I had forgotten those little trips were included in our program so that makes me more excited.
Another thing in the pack was a list of students going on the trip (there are only about 10 of us) and contact info. I emailed everyone with my flight info to see if anyone has the same flights, mainly because I have a 7 HOUR layover in Santiago and it would be nice to have someone to chill with. One of the girls has already emailed me back saying she has the same layover and the same flight into Valdivia. That is great news for me, especially because she seems really nice and friendly. There might be a couple others with us, too. We shall see...
I don't mean to brag, but I have an INSANE amount of going out to dinner/lunch in the next week before I leave... Today work is taking me to Mexican town for lunch. Thursday I might be attending a going away party (not for me). Saturday is my Mom's birthday so we are going to dinner in Canada at SPAGO (YUM). Sunday I think Colleen and I are doing a Mom lunch at PF Changs, and my Mom also mentioned a possible Greektown dinner with my Grandma and company. Also somewhere in there Sue wants to take me to Buddy's with the XC/track girls and I'm also supposed to go to dinner with another friend. Sooooo much eating...
Now that my visa stuff is done (YEA!) it's time for the final, dreaded leg of my Chile preparation. Yes, it's time to organize my stuff, figure out what I need to take, SOMEHOW fit everything for 4 months into 2 suitcases, wash my clothes, pack my clothes, and make many runs out to miscellaneous stores. Oh MAN. That's all I have to say. I'm going to end up spending a lot of money I think... mainly on clothes and things that I don't need but rather think I need (or that I just want). AND there's a huge pile of laundry that I have to wash and fold and sort out. YUCK. Although I seldom do this, I'm going to sound super girly and say one of the HARDEST parts about packing is choosing what SHOES I'm going to take. Why do shoes have to take up so much room??
Okay, I guess I'm done. I'm excited for Mexican in about 45 minutes! Best tortillas in the world here I come!