AHHHHH!!!

I would like to start this post of by thanking Katrina Deem. If it were not for her answering my 1000 facebook messages I would be even more of a mess than I am now.

Today I received my housing confirmation!! I never actually got an email from whoever I sent three emails to at the housing office. Then yesterday I emailed Margarethe, at MCI, asking for her help and apparently she took care of business because I received my confirmation from the OeAD this morning.

So good news... I have housing. Bad news... I have to share a room with a stranger. I guess I just need to get over it. My first thought was omg all of my things are going to be stolen, I have never shared a bedroom with anyone in my life. Then I started thinking of the worst possible roommate I could get, which wasn’t hard to do considering my experiences thus far, but she will be in the same room as me, not just an apartment!

Then I messaged Katrina, she studied in Innsbruck last year, she helped a lot and reminded me that I could be rooming with an Austrian girl who will introduce me to tons of people, take me places, and teach me things. So my hopes were up.. then I reminded myself that I have the worst luck of anyone I have ever met. Well maybe not everyone I have met, but definitely everyone at the Front Desk at Harbour Lake, for those of you that don't know, that means something.

She also answered a ton of my questions! Apparently this is a nice place with both Austrians and International students and the "nightline" bus runs there until 3am (great news! haha).

Here is the link to the place I will be living in: http://www.housing.oead.ac.at/01_housing_folge_e.asp?RECORD_KEY[Housing]=id&id%5BHousing%5D=64

Another thing I had to work ridiculously hard for was to get coverage for Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains. I have been calling my insurance company for four months trying to see if they cover me for that, I spoke to Tricare, Deers, Tricare Overseas, and every Tricare department in the US. I never got a clear answer or the paperwork I needed. Turns out they mailed it to my father instead of me. They sent a letter saying I am covered medically overseas but nothing about evacuation or repatriation.

I called again yesterday, FUMING. This was the first and only time I got a man on the phone and I hate to admit this but next time I need to call an insurance company I am only talking to men. It took him three minutes to tell me what I needed to know, something that six women couldn't do in five months. I am ashamed to be a girl right now. haha

Anyway! They only cover Emergency Evacuation if it is required by a physician. They do not cover Repatriation of Remains. So if I died while overseas I would be staying there forever! Although it is required that I be covered for both of these things so my next mission was to get covered!

This was simple, I dug up an old email from Maureen and all the information was there, I emailed a woman at the insurance company and sent her my information and my overseas insurance card is on its way and I only paid $42 for six months!!

Now I need my visa. I heard it only takes two weeks but I want it ASAP. Much easier said than done. The visa form I found is absolutely insane. There are multiple areas in which I have no idea what to put like "member state of destination", "member state of first entry", and what do I submit as a valid US visa, I don't have a visa, I AM A US CITIZEN! They also need two passport photos, copies of my plane tickets, three months of personal bank statements (proving I can afford to go), a letter of continued employment (I have no idea what this is for or what I should use for it), housing confirmation letter, medical insurance letter for coverage overseas, and copies of my freshly paid for emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains coverage.

Now once I get all of this information together, what do I do with it? I have no clue. Do I mail it? Do I drop it off somewhere? Do I have to pay for this? If I do, do I send a money order? A check?

I wish someone knew. It is now Friday and if I email anyone at UCF I know I will not have a response until Monday and I would much rather take care of this tomorrow. But I guess I do not have a choice.

For some reason I feel like I am making these things out to be much more difficult than they are but what am I supposed to do? I wish there was a how to guide. If it were not for Katrina every thing would be a disaster!


tschuss!