Postponing my flight

Well, today was the last day that my visa could come in, but unfortunately it just didn't happen. I still would have had to postpone my flight for a day or so, but as it is, I had to postpone it by 10 days. So now I'm supposed to leave on September 8th (next Saturday), unless my visa still hasn't been approved. The good news is that since I'm flying straight into Madrid now, and not London, I saved about $80 on airport taxes, which Aeroplan actually refunded me! So even with the change fee ($55) I actually made some money! Not to mention I still have a few things to do, and now I have plenty of time to get ready.

Uh oh...

Two days to go till I'm SUPPOSED to leave, and I don't think it's going to happen. Unless by some miracle the consulate gets approval for my visa tomorrow, I will have to postpone my flight, probably by about a week at least. The good news is that I bought trip cancellation insurance, and this qualifies, as long as I can get the consulate to write me a letter that says that it wasn't my fault the visa was delayed. So they'll probably reimburse me for delaying my flight. It's only $55, but still... Now I just have to figure out what to do for the next week, since I don't officially live anywhere or have a job right now.

Visa troubles

Today I finally got a hold of the Consulate General of Spain, in Toronto. I was hoping to be able to get some reassurance about my visa, since I am supposed to leave in 9 days and they still haven't sent my visa! Since I had to submit my passport for the visa application, that means I don't even have my passport back yet! I'm getting a little stressed out, but the Consulate said there's still time. Basically they are waiting for final approval from the Spanish government before they can stamp my passport and mail it back to me. I definitely wasn't expecting this to happen, especially sinec I applied for the visa at the beginning of July, and the Consulate keeps reassuring me that it shouldn't take longer than a month, but I'm starting to wonder if I'll be flying out on August 30th after all...

iPod mania

After buying a new iPod video this past weekend, I've discovered something great - podcasts! And not just any podcasts, but travel podcasts focusing on Spain, as well as a ton of other countries. I think they'll come in handy in the next few months, at least to fight boredom on the plane.

I'm not alone anymore

Today I found out that another language assistant will be teaching in Rota with me! I can't decide if I want to live with another English person, and have the chance to live with someone who I will probably feel more comfortable with, and be able to communicate better with, or if I want to live with Spaniards to improve my Spanish skills. So many decisions to make... and only a little over a month to go!

Canadian Visa Requirements

Here's what you need to apply:

1. Valid passport.
2. If you are not a Canadian citizen, you must present a valid Canadian permit. (Record of Landing, Employment authorization, student authorization).
3. Three recent passport size photos (in color, with a white background).
4. Visa application form provided by the appropriate Consulate General which must be completed, signed by the applicant and returned along with three additional photocopies.
5. Confirmation of enrolment or registration issued by the Academic Institution in which you will be studying. If you are registered in an exchange program a letter from the Canadian Institution will be also required.
6. Proof of financial assets. A minimum statement of CDN $2,650.00 will be required by means of financial statement from your banking institution. (If your parent will be covering your expenses, you must present a notarized declaration signed by them and copy of their financial statement.) This may or may not be necessary as the letter from MEC states that they will be providing us with a monthly grant, however I sent both the letter and a copy of my bank statement just in case.
7. Overseas medical insurance coverage (this is covered by MEC and it says so in the letter).
8. Proof of accommodation: Hotel reservation or confirmation letter from Academic Institution indicating the conditions of your acommodation. Private housing must be accompanied by a notarized invitation. I simply included a letter that said I would be finding housing when I arrived.
9. Letter from your Family Physician indicating the following:
   
   • Absence of quarantine diseases including cholera, pague and yellow fever, according to the regulations of the World Health Organization.
   • Absence of contagious, parasitic and infectious diseases
   • No psychological disorders, mental illnesses, psychosis, delirium or hallucinations
   • No addictions to drugs.
10. Police Record Clearance certificate, issued by the authorities of the country or countries where you have resided during the last 5 years, including Canada
11. Flight reservation. (Only for students attending a public institution).
12. Visa application form, provided by the appropriate Consulate, completed, signed and returned along with three additional photocopies.
13. Money order addressed to the Consulate General of Spain for $125 CAD.

If you are applying from another province you can submit your application by mail. In this case, please provide also a prepaid and self-addressed PRIORITY COURIER or XPRESSPOST envelope issued only by CANADA POST. Mail to:

Consulate General of Spain

2 Bloor Street East. Suite 1201

Toronto, Ontario

M4W 1A8

Contact Information:

Phone: (1) 416 977 1661

Email: cgspain.toronto@mail.mae.es
Website: http://www.mae.es

Processing Time:
In regular cases, it may vary from 20 to 30 days. The maximum time that it should take is 90 days.

What application fee???

The Spanish consulate phoned me today... to tell me that I "forgot" to enclose my $125 money order with my visa application! I knew that something like this would happen, but the lady at the Toronto consulate refused to double check my application over the phone before I mailed it! And the so-called "helpful" guy at the Winnipeg consulate is actually still under the impression that it is free to apply for this student visa, just like he told me when I asked how much it cost. I have no idea how I was expected to know about this money order, considering that it is not listed in any of the places I have found information about visas. Another girl I know from Edmonton confirmed that she didn't know that the application cost anything either. This is so frustrating! Now my application will be delayed at least a few more days, and I'm already worried that I won't get it on time to leave August 30th!

Response from my school

A woman named Carmen e-mailed me today to answer some of my questions about the school. I think she's the head of the English department of the high school where I will be teaching (I.E.S Castillo de Luna) She says that their bilingual program is not up and running until September 2008, so my job will mainly be to help the teachers with their English and to help them find suitable English resources for teaching subjects such as Science and Math. She also said I will get to sit in on and help out with some of her English classes though, so it seems like I will get a nice mix. It's great to be in contact with someone in my town, especially since she's offered to help me find housing once I get there.

I.E.S. Castillo de Luna

I've realized over the last few days that many of the other assistants are getting to Spain a week or more early to find housing, so I've adjusted my trip schedule and cut out a few places so that I can be there by the last week in September. This also makes me a little less stressed out, since I will have some time to get settled in before school starts.

E-mailing my school

I e-mailed my school today, with some information about myself and some questions for them. I will be teaching at a secondary school (I.E.S. Castillo de Luna to be specific) but I don't know which age groups yet. I hope I get a response soon!

Useless Spanish consulate!

I have to say, the consulate in Toronto has so far been absolutely, completely useless! This visa application is yet another series of jumping through hoops, trying to find out what I need and how to apply. It's been very frustrating so far. And their website doesn't even work, no matter how many times they e-mail me the link to it!

Luckily I did get a hold of a nice guy at the consulate in Winnipeg. He went over everything I needed to apply and patiently answered most of my millions of questions. It doesn't help that the application itself is very confusing though. I think I'm almost ready to mail it in, and I'd better do it soon or I'm not going to get my passport back in time, since I need to mail it with the application! Good thing I had my passport extended a few months ago, and didn't have to wait too long for it in the mail, or I would have been in some serious trouble trying to apply for my student visa!