Estoy en Buenos Aires

I can feel it. This was the right decision for me.

Currently, I am at an orientation in Buenos Aires. Interestingly enough, the venue in which it is held is an old Catholic boarding school. Pictures coming soon...I have met so many people from all over the world--Myrthe from Holland, Lisanne from Belgium, Karl from Sweden, Victoria from Sweden, Ellen from Norway. It's like a mini United Nations here. Apparently, I do not fit the typical American stereotype as everyone, upon meeting me, thinks I am from Sweden. Perhaps I should not correct them and let them continue to assume this.

Last night, we had a talent show followed by a dance party. I don't think I have ever danced so much in my life! If that was any indication of the night life to come, I cannot wait.

I leave here in about an hour to meet for the first time my host family. The bus ride will be approximately 12 hours, depending on traffic and such. Finally, this all feels so real. I cannot wait to meet my host family, although I'm sure it will be uncomfortable at first.

"Hola, me llamo Taylor. Mucho gusto. Lo siento pero necesito dormir. Buenas noches."

I have not slept for more than 3 hours at a time for the past week. Now I understand why siestas are necessary!

Besos y abrazos until next time.

Last Days

Here is a little photo essay of my last days in town. Coffee with the girls, packing, etc...

Going Far, Far Away Fiesta

As reluctant as I initially was to host a going away party, I am so glad that I did! Thank you all so much for making my (almost) 18 years in Fort Collins so memorable. The cards, pictures, and gifts were lovely and much appreciated. I, the one who is accused of being an emotional blackhole, couldn't help but shed a few tears while reading the kind words in all of the letters. Thank you all for everything, and I will see you guys in a year!

A special thank you to the following people for their generosity:
The Lagonis
The Walronds
Sra. Silveira
The Baums
The Sanders
Stacy Evans
Jeff Randall
Dick Christensen and Tom Lundberg

Now comes the part where I must pack up my belongings. Two days left, folks. It's difficult to express in words how I am feeling at this point. This is a huge transitional phase in my life--I am not mentally in Fort Collins anymore and am not physically in Argetina yet. Where do I invest my time and energy? I'm thinking of just investing everything I have into myself, rather than concern myself with physical location. After several months of dreaming, wishing, wondering, worrying, and stressing, IT IS FINALLY HERE! Hasta luego, amigos.

Lions and tigers and Patricia! Oh, my!

For the past several months, I have been communicating with a lady named Patricia who works at the Consulate General of Argentina in Houston. To make a long story short, we do not have the warmest relationship. It's sort of an estrogen-filled, modern day version of Hamilton vs. Jefferson. Of course, I am the good guy.

Anyhow, I had been dreading my inevitable encounter with this Cruella Devil. As I walked into the office in Houston, I was relieved to see a man working behind the glass-enclosed desk. I politely told the man that I had an appointment to receive my visa, thinking he would be the one to issue it.

"Sure," he said. "Let me get Patricia."

Well, fantastic. Functioning on only an hour of sleep, I was not entirely confident that I could "play nicely" with this bitch. May the peace be with me, I thought.

A few moments later, a tall, skinny, gorgeous woman walked out from the back of the office. My mind momentarily flashed to that scene in The Shining, where Jack Nicholson peeks in from the hole in the wall and says, "Here's Johnny!"

"HERE'S PATRICIA!"
This was equally, if not more, terrifying than the movie version of this scene.

Patricia was holding all of my documents (which I had sent a few days prior) in her skeletor hands. Good sign, I thought. Then she passed me the checklist, which now had two requirements highlighted. Impossible!

One was the requirement to have a return flight, which I had already discussed with Patricia via email. AFS does not provide a return flight until a few months before I leave. Patricia had assured me that as long as I had an estimated return date, the requirement would be fulfilled.

Secondly, I needed to provide secondary international medical insurance, even though AFS and my mom's insurance cover me fully while abroad. Worst of all, Patricia demanded that I read this requirement ALOUD to her. How condescending!?! At that point, I was so thankful (for Patricia's sake) that that glass was separating us. I have some tempermental Scottish blood running through my veins, and when someone pisses me off, I simply cannot control myself. I transform from Taylor to A-Taylor the Hun.

So, to correct these problems, I contacted AFS in order to book a return flight. I talked to three different people, only to be connected with the travel coordinator in NYC. As for the medical insurance, my cousin Stephanie (who was hosting us while in Houston) contacted her insurance man, who then connected us with Doug, an insurance guy in NYC. Doug apparently has dealt with the Houston Consulate on multiple occasions and provided us with secondary international medical insurance for the low, low price of $270. I feel like this whole experience has been one long MasterCard commercial.

Translations:$250
International Medical Insurance: $270
Two tickets to Houston: $700
The wonderful experience in Argentina: Priceless

Luckily, everything worked out and I will be getting my visa in the mail in about 2 days.

Oh, forgot to mention this. In the waiting room at the Houston Consulate, I met a man named Jeff. As I was talking with him, I learned that he is from Fort Collins and has lived in Buenos Aires for about 5 years. Although he was a bit evasive about his line of work, he told me that if I ever needed anything while I was in Argentina, he is close friends with the Swedish Ambassador to Argentina. SWEET! We exchanged information and I plan to contact him before I leave to thank him for his kindness. He had overheard my conversation with Patricia and said, "You know, the people are REALLY nice once you actually get to Argentina." I will be holding him to that!

Death by Visa

I figured an update was in order, as all I have done up until this point is beg for money. Now that my tuition has been paid in full (with the help of many generous contributors), my mind is free to worry about other Argentina-related things, like the acquisition of a visa. Little did I know, obtaining a transitory visa for Argentina is notoriously difficult and expensive.

My quest to complete this seemingly impossible task began in early June, when I received a 10+ page packet via email from AFS detailing the visa process. Each state is assigned to a specific Consulate, and, as luck would have it, the Consulate General of Argentina in Houston has jurisdiction over Colorado. Every Consulate has its own set of requirements, and Houston is one of the few that requires an in-person interview with the applicant. Really? If I must travel domestically to receive a visa, it might as well be to a desireable location. Alas, my father and I will have the pleasure of visiting a city that magnifies all of the ills of American culture. We leave on August 10th and return on the 11th, so as to not expose ourselves to Houston's harmful rays for too terribly long.

Today, my dad and I went to Denver to the Secretary of State in order to receive authorization from the Apostille on some of my documents. A few days prior, we had the documents notarized by a Notary Public. Apparently, the Notary Public had mistakenly defaced my birth certificate. The Secretary of State Office closed in about an hour, and my dad and I were faced with the challenge of obtaining a new birth certificate in a short amount of time. We sped off to another government building in Denver (getting lost a few times along the way) where we would be able to replace my birth certificate. Luckily, we were able to return to the Secretary of State Office before it closed. Phew! Another trip to Denver would have been such a hassle.

Now, all that is left to do is get the documents professionally translated from English to Spanish. I cannot shake the feeling that I have overlooked something, even though I have checked that damn list more times than Santa checks his list. Ugh...a Santa reference? Proof that I work with kids far too often.

Oh, and I don't believe that I have mentioned where I will be staying yet! It's a town of about 150,000 people located in the provice of Cordoba. Rio Cuarto is the name, which means 4th River in English. So far, AFS has not provided me with details concerning my permanent host family. However, I do know that I will be staying with the Vilches family for the first month of my exchange.

That's all to report for now. Next time I post something, I will probably be writing from Argentina!