Abroad in Spain: Travel Blog » Goals http://abroadinspain.com A look at Spanish life through an American's eyes.... Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:37:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The Spain apartment search is on http://abroadinspain.com/2009/05/22/the-spain-apartment-search-is-on/ http://abroadinspain.com/2009/05/22/the-spain-apartment-search-is-on/#comments Thu, 21 May 2009 22:10:30 +0000 Chris http://abroadinspain.com/?p=485 Anybody have a cheap apartment in Burgos that they want to rent to me?  My lease is up in the place that I’m currently living at and it’s time for me to start looking for a new place to live. 

You know, the whole “apartment search” thing for me is a little stressful.  After [...]]]> Anybody have a cheap apartment in Burgos that they want to rent to me?  My lease is up in the place that I’m currently living at and it’s time for me to start looking for a new place to live. 

You know, the whole “apartment search” thing for me is a little stressful.  After all, I can only be in the place that I’m currently at until the end of June and, because of the looming deadline, I can’t help but wonder what might happen if I don’t find a new apartment to move into by the time my current lease expires.  Will I become a member of the Burgos homeless population?  Will I have to rename this blog to “Abroad in the streets of Spain?”   I hope not. 

In any event, if you’re currently looking for a Spanish “piso,” you might want to check out a post I wrote on searching for a place to live in Spain.  Ah… and don’t forget to leave me some comments below. 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

]]> http://abroadinspain.com/2009/05/22/the-spain-apartment-search-is-on/feed/ 5 Stress in Spain http://abroadinspain.com/2009/05/17/stress-in-spain/ http://abroadinspain.com/2009/05/17/stress-in-spain/#comments Sun, 17 May 2009 19:40:51 +0000 Chris http://abroadinspain.com/?p=481 AHHHHHHHHH!  All of a sudden, I have had EVERYTHING happen to me at once and I am now just a little STRESSED OUT.  My nice, simple life in Spain has turned into a chaotic, stressful one… but the stress will not be permanent (I hope). 

You see, I’ve been procrastinating a bit over the [...]]]> AHHHHHHHHH!  All of a sudden, I have had EVERYTHING happen to me at once and I am now just a little STRESSED OUT.  My nice, simple life in Spain has turned into a chaotic, stressful one… but the stress will not be permanent (I hope). 

You see, I’ve been procrastinating a bit over the last few months and, now that June is approaching, I’m suddenly realizing that I have a lot of things to get done.  In fact, before the end of June I have the following goals: renew my residency card, look for a new apartment, get a new insurance policy, and look into a course that I want to do at the university.  All this is quite a bit on top of my regular schedule at the school and giving private classes. 

I have a June 30th deadline for all these things because in July I’m going home to the USA for a visit.  Of course, I want to leave these things done so that they don’t “linger on” until after I return to Spain in August.  I hope I can get it all done in time.  Once again, just let me say AHHHHHHHHH. 

Wish me luck!!

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

]]> http://abroadinspain.com/2009/05/17/stress-in-spain/feed/ 4 Scholarship update: Waiting to get Spanish Visa information… http://abroadinspain.com/2008/05/17/scholarship-update-waiting-to-get-spanish-visa-information/ http://abroadinspain.com/2008/05/17/scholarship-update-waiting-to-get-spanish-visa-information/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 10:53:29 +0000 Chris http://abroadinspain.com/?p=167 It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about the scholarship that I have received from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC) so I thought I’d write a quick post to let you know my status. As my loyal readers know, I have been awarded the scholarship and I will be going [...]]]> It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about the scholarship that I have received from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC) so I thought I’d write a quick post to let you know my status. As my loyal readers know, I have been awarded the scholarship and I will be going to the “Castilla y León” region of Spain this coming September to teach English for one year. As I see it, I now have three big goals that I need to accomplish this summer to prepare for my departure.  I will list those goals below:

Goal #1: Get the Visa to go to Spain:
The first thing that I need to do is get a Student Visa in order to spend my year abroad. This is the step that I am currently embarking upon and it is my first priority. You see, right now I’m waiting on information from the scholarship which will allow me to get a Student Visa (I actually need a letter from the MEC… they should be sending it to me soon… I hope). As soon as I get the Visa information from the MEC, I can start the Visa process. Don’t worry… I’ll detail every step of the process here on abroadinspain.com.  Stay tuned for that information!

Goal #2: Buy a plane ticket to go to Spain:
Once I have the Visa issue settled, my next “priority” will be to buy a plane ticket to Spain. I’ve traveled to Spain several times before so I’m no stranger to buying cheap plane tickets. Thus, when I get to this “phase” of my preparations for going to Spain, I’ll be sure to post my money-saving tips on the site. Stay tuned for that as well!

Goal #3: Find housing in Spain:
The last thing that I would like to do before leaving for Spain is secure a few housing options. I asked to be placed in the “Castilla y León” region of Spain for a reason: I’ve studied there before and have contacts there. I’m hoping that my knowledge of the area as well as my contacts there will be able to help me secure some housing options before I leave in September. Once I get my Visa and buy my plane ticket, I’ll focus my attention on this area and will post my progress on the site. This is going to be the hardest “goal” for the summer so stay tuned to see how it turns out!

I hope that my prioritizing of what I’d like to accomplish this summer gives you – my readers – a bit of an idea of what is to come over the next few months here at Abroad in Spain. Check back often as I continue to document my experience!

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

]]> http://abroadinspain.com/2008/05/17/scholarship-update-waiting-to-get-spanish-visa-information/feed/ 0 My reaction to the scholarship… http://abroadinspain.com/2008/05/04/my-reaction-to-the-scholarship/ http://abroadinspain.com/2008/05/04/my-reaction-to-the-scholarship/#comments Sun, 04 May 2008 15:08:54 +0000 Chris http://abroadinspain.com/?p=63

It’s been a few days since I was notified that I won a scholarship to go to Spain, and now that I’ve had time to let it “sink in,” I thought I’d write a short post to let everyone know my deepest, innermost thoughts (well, not really that deep).  As you [...]]]> I won, I won!

It’s been a few days since I was notified that I won a scholarship to go to Spain, and now that I’ve had time to let it “sink in,” I thought I’d write a short post to let everyone know my deepest, innermost thoughts (well, not really that deep).  As you can see from the “thumbs-up” picture of me above, the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the scholarship is GOOOOOOOD GOING!!!!

Really, I’m very happy that I have this opportunity to go back to Spain.  I loved the country the last time I was there (read about my first trip here) and vowed I would return, I just didn’t think I’d be able to return so soon.  The truth is that it was this time last year when I returned home from my six months abroad in Valladolid and it’s kinda hard to believe that in just a few short months I’ll be going back.  I really do consider myself pretty lucky to be able to return to Spain in just over a year from the last time I was there.

I’d like to take a few minutes here and explain exactly what I hope this “return trip” to Spain will do for me.  As some of my readers probably know, I already have a pretty high level of proficiency in Spanish.  Nonetheless, one of my biggest goals for my return trip is to hone my Spanish skills so that I sound as native as possible.  Another big goal for this trip is to integrate myself more fully into the culture (the last time I was there, I went with other Americans and sometimes didn’t participate in the “Spanish” way of life as much as I wish I would have).  In fact, during my last trip I was just starting to feel as if I “belonged” in the country when it was time for me to leave.  I hope that this time I will integrate myself more quickly into the lifestyle because I have already been there once and know more about what to expect. 

Now that I know I have a scholarship and am going to Spain for sure in September, my next steps are going to be getting the necessary visa, buying a plane ticket, looking for a place to live in Spain, and packing.  Stay tuned over the summer as I write about each of those steps (and much more) as I go through them. 

Hasta la próxima,
–Chris
http://www.abroadinspain.com

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