Visa Vexations

I wrote this a while ago and never posted it. For a little idea as to when it was written, keep in mind that my visa appt. was on Nov. 19th. So here it is:

This Wednesday many of the girls visiting Spain met for out first of only TWO meetings before we leave. We talked about the traveling plans and the safest, most efficient ways to go about it. Then, we got onto more interesting topics: dress, home life, and unusual customs of Spain.
Professor Zachman told us to watch the ways the Spanish girls our age act and to emulate them. They don't leave their houses unless completely dolled up, travel in small packs, ignore cat calls, don't eat peanut butter, and never drink to get drunk. We are to do the same.
We should never wear sneakers (unless actually running), athletic clothing, polar fleeces, or clothes that make it obvious we're foreign, and stay with others. It's supposedly very American to go out in a big group of girls. Spanish women are usually accompanied with one or two more girls, and no more than that. Zachman warned us about cat calls because so many of us are blond (or as close to it as our stylists will let us be). I'm a little nervous about that because I typically mock the irritating men who employ this tactic. Did I mention they don't have peanut butter?! I go through a jar a week! Nutella will not suffice. I don't even LIKE hazelnuts that much. I'm planning on bringing some to my host family (who I still do not know) and I will probably eat it all! The last thing we are supposed to do to blend more is not drink to get drunk. No problem... For ME. We'll see how the other girls do ;)

On Thursday of this last week I ventured to Chicago with my dear friend Joanne. I love the city of Chicago (it's my kind of town, not just Frank's). I, of course, slept most of the train ride there while Jo studied. When we arrived, we had little trouble finding the building and suite. The woman behind the desk was, to be sure, the least enjoyable part of the whole process. She was short with me and rude, to say the least. But the trip definitely took a turn in the right direction when Jo and I tried a cafe we'd spotted on the way to the consulate. The sandwiches, rain-proof ceiling, delectable lemon bars, and our makeshift game of counting business men running (dressed fully in suits) outside the window kept us entertained until the next train came.
Joanne and I discussed something later that day that made me think. We agreed that while both of us were glad to be finished with the visa application process, neither of us felt as though we'd accomplished something by completing our pilgrimage to Chicago. It's strange, but the truth. We'd put hours into preparing the paperwork, schedule, and procedure for the day, yet now that it was over neither of us felt its weight lifted from our shoulders. Whatever. My biggest concern for now should be getting that B in Spanish.

However, one other small annoyance remains. The paperwork, planning, meetings, and stress that lay ahead of me regarding the pre-departure checklist for my trip are nothing. The thing that bothers me most is the movie we were forced to watch at a meeting for all of the study abroad girls on Thursday night. (Yes, the same day as my trip to Chicago. It was about sexual harassment... LOVELY!
It was loaded with advice: don't walk alone, be aware of your surroundings, etc... Terrific. We were all pretty terrified. I recall my friend Angela grabbing my leg when one of the girls in the film said, "And that's when he kissed my crotch." Doubly lovely. There was even a man in the film who had been harassed. Freaky!! Luckily, none of them were from Spain. In fact, Zachman went out of her way to make it clear that the thing that we should be the most worried about its simple pick pocketing. YAY! I never thought that would relax me!