I went to Largo yesterday to go to dinner with my mom and I decided to get my passport while I was in town. I went to the Clerk of Court, which I did not need an appointment for. So it was perfect.
I got there around 12:45, took a number, and sat down. There were only two people in front of me. Side Note: The Clerk of Court even on a Monday afternoon can be a scary place, full of minor traffic offenders to angry dirt bags having to pay back child support. Anyway, I get up to the desk and realize I have to pay with a money order. I was sent to an Amscot across the street.
I get to Amscot. Let me remind you I have never had to get a money order before in my life. I hand the man my debit card who looks at my like I am crazy. Then proceeds to tell me you have to have cash for money orders and directs me to the ATM in the corner of the room. So I get out $140, pay for my two money orders, one for $110, and one for $26. I am not sure why they are split up this way but they are.
I go back to the Clerk of Court and wait in line again. This time there were about six people in line. It went by a little slower this time. But I finally made it up there. The woman that was helping me was very nice but I have a feeling she was not exactly sure of what she was doing. She went to the other woman for help a few times, but we finally finished everything. The only thing that made me nervous was that fact that they stapled my birth certificate to the passport application.
I will be stressing out until I get my birth certificate back in the mail, but at least I have officially applied for my passport!!!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Study Abroad Meeting #1
Thursday, October 21st was the first study abroad meeting. All study abroad students are now required to go to meetings in order to prepare us for the experience. It felt more like a “Lets Scare the Study Abroad Students into Staying in America ” meeting.
We were told that as soon as we get to the country we will be staying in we should go to the embassy and formally introduce ourselves. Which is a good idea but it is scary to think that if we need anything or we get into trouble we will be relying on people at “the Embassy” it sounds so official, and therefore, scary.
We were told to find as safe place. Like if we felt endangered or anything were to happen we should go there. Most of us assumed that would be the embassy the response we got was “what if the embassy is under attack?” Okay so SCRATCH that idea.
Then the advisor told us that once we land we are probably going to experience some serious shock. He is probably right. I will be in a foreign country. I will not know what any of the signs mean, I will have no idea where I am going let alone how to get there, everyone around me will be speaking German, it will be a huge time difference and I am still clueless about the euro and how it works. I am starting to stress just thinking about it.
Next question was “What makes you uncomfortable?” someone said when people are fighting around me, either arguing or physically fighting. I instantly thought, how am I even going to be able to tell when people are arguing. It is a totally new culture. Half the time I don’t even know if Americans are about to fight or if they are kidding. I have a feeling I am not going to know if people are fighting until someone gets punched in the face.
“What is something you do everyday can you do it in the foreign country? If not, how are you going to adjust?” What do I do everyday? I work and I walk my dog. I have been thinking a lot lately of how I am going to handle not working. I have had a job since I was 16 yrs old and for this last semester I have been a full time student and a full time employee. Luckily, I do not think this will be a hard change to adjust to, the hard part will be coming back to work after having a six month vacation.
Now Tucker, lets talk about Tucker.
I have had him since he was two months old.
I took care of him when he had kennel cough,
I fed him from my hands when he didn’t want to eat,
I brought him to a pool for the first time,
I potty trained him,
I take him to the vet when he doesn’t feel good,
I take him to the dog park to make him happy,
I sleep with him every night (even though he hogs the bed),
He makes me laugh,
He warms my feet,
He takes care of me when I don't feel good,
And I love him soo much!
So much that I even pick up his poop on a daily basis. When I go away for a week and my father puppy-sits, I think about him constantly, and can’t wait to come home to see him again. What the hell am I going to do without him for six months? I’m pretty sure this will be the hardest part of going abroad for me. When I have a bad day, or I am stressed out, or I don’t feel good, or I just need to cuddle, Tucker is there. ALWAYS. My mom will be watching the handsome pup while I am abroad and she should be prepared to send me a picture everyday and be an expert at skyping so Tuck doesn’t forget about me. I know it sounds a little crazy but lately he is the only part of my life that is consistent, and I won't have that in Europe.
So as of right now objective numero uno is to find a pet shelter in Innsbruck to help deal with the void that will soon be in my life!
After the meeting I started thinking about EVERYTHING that will be different. What do I eat and drink now on a daily basis?... Will they have sweet tea? They don’t even have sweet tea at most restaurants in Florida I can probably forget about it in Europe. Will anyone have ranch dressing? How do I say ranch dressing in German? How will I know what kind of shampoo to buy? Will they have Bed Head TIGI Self absorbed Mega Nutrient Rich Shampoo? Wait, what if they have something better? What if I can’t get that once I come back to the states? My mind is still racing but I will spare you the rest of my insane illusions.
So as of right now I am starting to get nervous. I know the experience will be worth it and I am excited to go but this is the first time I am actually considering how difficult all of this is going to be.
We were told that as soon as we get to the country we will be staying in we should go to the embassy and formally introduce ourselves. Which is a good idea but it is scary to think that if we need anything or we get into trouble we will be relying on people at “the Embassy” it sounds so official, and therefore, scary.
We were told to find as safe place. Like if we felt endangered or anything were to happen we should go there. Most of us assumed that would be the embassy the response we got was “what if the embassy is under attack?” Okay so SCRATCH that idea.
Then the advisor told us that once we land we are probably going to experience some serious shock. He is probably right. I will be in a foreign country. I will not know what any of the signs mean, I will have no idea where I am going let alone how to get there, everyone around me will be speaking German, it will be a huge time difference and I am still clueless about the euro and how it works. I am starting to stress just thinking about it.
Next question was “What makes you uncomfortable?” someone said when people are fighting around me, either arguing or physically fighting. I instantly thought, how am I even going to be able to tell when people are arguing. It is a totally new culture. Half the time I don’t even know if Americans are about to fight or if they are kidding. I have a feeling I am not going to know if people are fighting until someone gets punched in the face.
“What is something you do everyday can you do it in the foreign country? If not, how are you going to adjust?” What do I do everyday? I work and I walk my dog. I have been thinking a lot lately of how I am going to handle not working. I have had a job since I was 16 yrs old and for this last semester I have been a full time student and a full time employee. Luckily, I do not think this will be a hard change to adjust to, the hard part will be coming back to work after having a six month vacation.
Now Tucker, lets talk about Tucker.
I have had him since he was two months old.
I took care of him when he had kennel cough,
I fed him from my hands when he didn’t want to eat,
I brought him to a pool for the first time,
I potty trained him,
I take him to the vet when he doesn’t feel good,
I take him to the dog park to make him happy,
I sleep with him every night (even though he hogs the bed),
He makes me laugh,
He warms my feet,
He takes care of me when I don't feel good,
And I love him soo much!
So much that I even pick up his poop on a daily basis. When I go away for a week and my father puppy-sits, I think about him constantly, and can’t wait to come home to see him again. What the hell am I going to do without him for six months? I’m pretty sure this will be the hardest part of going abroad for me. When I have a bad day, or I am stressed out, or I don’t feel good, or I just need to cuddle, Tucker is there. ALWAYS. My mom will be watching the handsome pup while I am abroad and she should be prepared to send me a picture everyday and be an expert at skyping so Tuck doesn’t forget about me. I know it sounds a little crazy but lately he is the only part of my life that is consistent, and I won't have that in Europe.
So as of right now objective numero uno is to find a pet shelter in Innsbruck to help deal with the void that will soon be in my life!
After the meeting I started thinking about EVERYTHING that will be different. What do I eat and drink now on a daily basis?... Will they have sweet tea? They don’t even have sweet tea at most restaurants in Florida I can probably forget about it in Europe. Will anyone have ranch dressing? How do I say ranch dressing in German? How will I know what kind of shampoo to buy? Will they have Bed Head TIGI Self absorbed Mega Nutrient Rich Shampoo? Wait, what if they have something better? What if I can’t get that once I come back to the states? My mind is still racing but I will spare you the rest of my insane illusions.
So as of right now I am starting to get nervous. I know the experience will be worth it and I am excited to go but this is the first time I am actually considering how difficult all of this is going to be.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Passport Photo Failure
If you need to get a passport you have to call the post office, make an appointment and obviously, go to your appointment. This would be easier if the Sand Lake Post Office, Located on Turkey Lake Rd, Orlando, would actually answer the phone.
So If you need to get a passport, go stand in line at the post office for 30 minutes and make an appointment to come back the following week to get your passport.
I did this.
Then I went to my appointment and the line was out the door, again. I was faced with a dilemma. I knew if I waited in line I would be late and miss my appointment. So I took the chance and called the passport number again to let them know I was there. The woman on the phone said she did not work there and to just go stand in the front of the line and the lady on the end would know what I was there for. I said "You want me to go get in front of 20 people who have been waiting in line for 30 minutes? To get the attention of one of the two people assisting them to take her into the back and bring the help down to one person?" She said "Yes, do you understand?" I just hung up the phone and left the post office.
I went home and googled to see if I could find another place to get it done. I am going back to Clearwater on Monday for a doctors appointment so I looked there. There are quite a few so I called, no one answered. SURPRISE! But I left a message and lucky for me I got a call back two minutes later! The woman was so nice. They did not have any spots available on Monday but she told me I could go to the traffic court without an appointment. She was very helpful. So that is my new plan. To get the passport in Clearwater, on Monday, at Traffic Court.
I thought it maybe easier if I went ahead and got my pictures done.
I had two done already but I had to send them in with my MCI application. My first set were done at Fedex/Kinkos, but i heard they are cheaper and Walgreens. So I stopped by before class.
I ent straight to the back where the photo department is located and no one was back there, except a girl stocking shelves. She looked at me and said
"What do you need?"
"I need passport photos"
"ASSOCIATE TO PHOTO DEPARTMENT!"
five minutes later:
"ASSOCIATE TO PHOTO DEPARTMENT"
Now two people come over at once I tell them I need passport photos she says "stand here, how many you need? okay its finna take 15 minutes" I then asked if i could pick them up later she said ya.
I went to class and got back to Walgreens about four hours later. Again, no one was in the photo department. But I found someone and she grabbed my photos I asked if I could see them, they were horrible. She asked if I liked them and I said no but I will just go somewhere else and pay for them again. She said no no I can take more.
We then had about a ten minute photo shoot in the back of Walgreens because they use a 12.2 megapixel digital camera that has a lot of trouble focusing on anything. We finally get one and print it and realize it is still blurry.
We take another and print that one. Then a guy comes back, who clearly is the person who should be working the photo department and asked what we are doing. He looks at the picture and says it is too far away that we have to take another. So we do and look at it on the computer and he says okay that one should be okay.
"Should be okay?"
"Yes, should be okay."
"You know, I think I would just be more comfortable going to the post office to get them done."
"What?"
"The post office, they send off for the passport they should know what will work so I will just go there. I do not what to get charged twice for photos because you did not know how to do them correctly."
"So I just printed three of these for nothing?"
"Yes, yes you did. Have a good night."
And I left.
It was a completely unsuccessful day. No passport. Not even photos.
Can we all agree Walgreens is not competent enough to print passport photos?
So If you need to get a passport, go stand in line at the post office for 30 minutes and make an appointment to come back the following week to get your passport.
I did this.
Then I went to my appointment and the line was out the door, again. I was faced with a dilemma. I knew if I waited in line I would be late and miss my appointment. So I took the chance and called the passport number again to let them know I was there. The woman on the phone said she did not work there and to just go stand in the front of the line and the lady on the end would know what I was there for. I said "You want me to go get in front of 20 people who have been waiting in line for 30 minutes? To get the attention of one of the two people assisting them to take her into the back and bring the help down to one person?" She said "Yes, do you understand?" I just hung up the phone and left the post office.
I went home and googled to see if I could find another place to get it done. I am going back to Clearwater on Monday for a doctors appointment so I looked there. There are quite a few so I called, no one answered. SURPRISE! But I left a message and lucky for me I got a call back two minutes later! The woman was so nice. They did not have any spots available on Monday but she told me I could go to the traffic court without an appointment. She was very helpful. So that is my new plan. To get the passport in Clearwater, on Monday, at Traffic Court.
I thought it maybe easier if I went ahead and got my pictures done.
I had two done already but I had to send them in with my MCI application. My first set were done at Fedex/Kinkos, but i heard they are cheaper and Walgreens. So I stopped by before class.
I ent straight to the back where the photo department is located and no one was back there, except a girl stocking shelves. She looked at me and said
"What do you need?"
"I need passport photos"
"ASSOCIATE TO PHOTO DEPARTMENT!"
five minutes later:
"ASSOCIATE TO PHOTO DEPARTMENT"
Now two people come over at once I tell them I need passport photos she says "stand here, how many you need? okay its finna take 15 minutes" I then asked if i could pick them up later she said ya.
I went to class and got back to Walgreens about four hours later. Again, no one was in the photo department. But I found someone and she grabbed my photos I asked if I could see them, they were horrible. She asked if I liked them and I said no but I will just go somewhere else and pay for them again. She said no no I can take more.
We then had about a ten minute photo shoot in the back of Walgreens because they use a 12.2 megapixel digital camera that has a lot of trouble focusing on anything. We finally get one and print it and realize it is still blurry.
We take another and print that one. Then a guy comes back, who clearly is the person who should be working the photo department and asked what we are doing. He looks at the picture and says it is too far away that we have to take another. So we do and look at it on the computer and he says okay that one should be okay.
"Should be okay?"
"Yes, should be okay."
"You know, I think I would just be more comfortable going to the post office to get them done."
"What?"
"The post office, they send off for the passport they should know what will work so I will just go there. I do not what to get charged twice for photos because you did not know how to do them correctly."
"So I just printed three of these for nothing?"
"Yes, yes you did. Have a good night."
And I left.
It was a completely unsuccessful day. No passport. Not even photos.
Can we all agree Walgreens is not competent enough to print passport photos?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
It has hit the fan.
I received my first e-mail from Maureen stating that we need to get our application in. Meaning we have to pick our classes for Austria, and submit the application and learning agreement, along with two passport photos, to MCI.
Amanda and I went and saw Maureen at main campus about two weeks ago just to talk to her in person. We realized that she has her hands FULL. She is responsible for all study abroad students. Which is about 85 students at main campus. Josh is supposed to be in charge of the study abroad students from Rosen but he is busy as well.
So when it comes to some of the questions I have I am a little in the dark. I have so many people I can ask but it just takes time for people to get back to me. I wish there was more of a structured outline or to do list or even a timeline, to keep me on track.
The most confusing thing for me was picking out classes. Their credit system is structured different from the ones in the states. I am still not even sure how it works I just know I am still one credit short so I need to change a class but my application was submitted anyway, knowing full well it would have to be sent back and edited. Oh well, at least its a start I guess.
I tried to go and get my passport on Monday but no one at the port office answers the phone so I had to go by the post office, to schedule an appointment for next week. After that I believe the next step is applying for my visa.
It is also time that I start emailing my study abroad advisor at MCI, she is going to be my main go-to person over there so I should probably start getting to know her now.
I really need to find a place to live but it is so expensive, I will be paying the same price if not more, than I am paying now in my apartment but I will be in a little dorm with a tiny window. But it is all about the experience, right?
My travel plans have also changed I will be in Florida until mid February, meeting up with Julia and Amanda in Boston, and then we will fly to London stay for a few days and then continue on to Vienna. Then take a train from Vienna to Innsbruck. We decided this should work out better because it gives us a week to get used to Innsbruck and find out where some things are located.
I found this amazing website: www.StudentUniverse.com which has student airfare at a discounted rate, it is awesome!! I also was told about www.RyanAir.com, which has some amazingly cheap flights throughout Europe as well.
As of now my to-do list includes:
*Getting Passport
*Getting Visa
*Finding a place to live
*Making sure my health insurance is valid in Austria (And covers skiing accidents)
*Opening a USAA Checking account and verifying they do not charge exchange fees
*Talking to financial aid about scholarships/loans
*Apply for scholarships
*Start booking flights
*Figure out more creative ways to get free money! haha
So I have a lot to do on top of school and work and I feel like every thing has hit the fan all at once. I need to get on track and start sorting things out before I am too late. Its like I am in the final leg of the race and I can see Austria in the distance!!
I think that sums it up for now!
Oh wait! I also decided to start taking Rosetta Stone to learn German, or at least attempt to learn German. I work for Marriott and they will pay for me to use it, I just need manager approval. I spoke to my manager today and he said go for it that I just need to stick with it. They say if I spend 30 minutes a day on it I should be done in four months. I am going to start hopefully after my midterms are done this month.
Wish me luck!!
Amanda and I went and saw Maureen at main campus about two weeks ago just to talk to her in person. We realized that she has her hands FULL. She is responsible for all study abroad students. Which is about 85 students at main campus. Josh is supposed to be in charge of the study abroad students from Rosen but he is busy as well.
So when it comes to some of the questions I have I am a little in the dark. I have so many people I can ask but it just takes time for people to get back to me. I wish there was more of a structured outline or to do list or even a timeline, to keep me on track.
The most confusing thing for me was picking out classes. Their credit system is structured different from the ones in the states. I am still not even sure how it works I just know I am still one credit short so I need to change a class but my application was submitted anyway, knowing full well it would have to be sent back and edited. Oh well, at least its a start I guess.
I tried to go and get my passport on Monday but no one at the port office answers the phone so I had to go by the post office, to schedule an appointment for next week. After that I believe the next step is applying for my visa.
It is also time that I start emailing my study abroad advisor at MCI, she is going to be my main go-to person over there so I should probably start getting to know her now.
I really need to find a place to live but it is so expensive, I will be paying the same price if not more, than I am paying now in my apartment but I will be in a little dorm with a tiny window. But it is all about the experience, right?
My travel plans have also changed I will be in Florida until mid February, meeting up with Julia and Amanda in Boston, and then we will fly to London stay for a few days and then continue on to Vienna. Then take a train from Vienna to Innsbruck. We decided this should work out better because it gives us a week to get used to Innsbruck and find out where some things are located.
I found this amazing website: www.StudentUniverse.com which has student airfare at a discounted rate, it is awesome!! I also was told about www.RyanAir.com, which has some amazingly cheap flights throughout Europe as well.
As of now my to-do list includes:
*Getting Passport
*Getting Visa
*Finding a place to live
*Making sure my health insurance is valid in Austria (And covers skiing accidents)
*Opening a USAA Checking account and verifying they do not charge exchange fees
*Talking to financial aid about scholarships/loans
*Apply for scholarships
*Start booking flights
*Figure out more creative ways to get free money! haha
So I have a lot to do on top of school and work and I feel like every thing has hit the fan all at once. I need to get on track and start sorting things out before I am too late. Its like I am in the final leg of the race and I can see Austria in the distance!!
I think that sums it up for now!
Oh wait! I also decided to start taking Rosetta Stone to learn German, or at least attempt to learn German. I work for Marriott and they will pay for me to use it, I just need manager approval. I spoke to my manager today and he said go for it that I just need to stick with it. They say if I spend 30 minutes a day on it I should be done in four months. I am going to start hopefully after my midterms are done this month.
Wish me luck!!
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