… And when I woke up, I was on a different continent!

One of the inherent difficulties of a travel blog is that the writer is dealing with a new experience — new food, new people, and new internet connection issues.  I think I have mine sorted out, now, so the updates should be more consistent from now on.  I’ve been in Madrid for six days, now, but I’ll start from the beginning and work my way forward in the storytelling.

 

The long silence on this blog could well have indicated that I killed myself out of frustration with the passport system.  That is not the case.  (I have decided, though, that the time I was arrested for trespassing was a more positive interaction with the government than these long months of anguished waiting and unresponsive customer service representatives.

 

As it turns out, I did get my passport – 23 hours before my flight left.  This is the lovely man who brought it to my door.  I could have kissed him!  (… Maybe not.)

 

Can you tell how pleased I am?

So I did indeed board the plane to Chicago, and then board another to London, and then board another to Madrid.  Aside from bouts of crying on the planes and two small run-ins with the airport security, it was an unremarkable voyage.  (First, I forgot to put my hand gel in my 1-quart clear plastic bag.  Then, the security made fun of me for having so many 3 oz. packages in my bag.  But they let me through nonetheless.) 

My luggage even made it with me all the way to Madrid!  After it came down the carousel, I put on my packpack, slung my (very heavy) daypack over my shoulder, and rolled my little suitcase behind me. I then proceeded to take the Madrid metro toward the house of Amy Menchhofer, daughter of my beloved high school English teacher.

Thirty minutes later, when I arrived at her apartment, I was so dehydrated and jetlagged and exhausted that the floor seemed to move under my feet.  Amy and her Spanish husband Nacho offered me beer and wine and soda, but all I could do was gulp down water – about 2 liters of it.

After I napped and showered (both much-needed after almost 20 hours of flying), we went out for tapas with some of Nacho’s relatives around 10:30 p.m..  We shared plates of spicy green peppers, potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce, potatoes in a milder cream sauce, and some other tasty treats.  We also shared two pitchers of sangria, and by the end of the night (about 1 a.m.) I was so tired and “tipsy” that I was falling asleep at the table.

 

They let me sleep on their couch, and as I fell asleep the lump started growing in my throat again.  To quell the tears, I repeated one phrase over and over: “You can’t cry while you’re asleep.  You can’t cry while you’re asleep.”  And then I slept.

 

Packing 19 Outfits From 10 Items

Four days.  Three requests to expedite my passport application.  One potential last-minute trip to Chicago’s passport processing center.  No passsport.

Instead of stressing, I’ve been making sure I have everything I need for the next six months.  Planning outfits, anguishing over whether to take or leave the pink polo shirt.  Lame!  I have, however, developed a very nice capsule of outfits that intermix well without being too redundant.  Here are the pieces:

Cornflower blue t-shirt, teal and pink polos, and red and turquoise spaghetti strap shirts.  Brown dress with white polka dots.  Khaki and navy capris, and brown and blue skirts.  A brown cardigan and cute brown walking shoes cap off the list.  With appropriate jewelry, almost all the pieces go together to make very nice outfits.  Here is an example of eight outfits from six items.  Plus, the different jewelry can change the look of an outfit, even if the shirt and bottom are the same.

   

I’ve also been spending time rushing around St. Louis county, getting copies of my birth certificate, getting vaccinations, getting blood drawn.  This is the picture of the pediatrician’s waiting room where I spent the morning:

Maybe it’s time for me to get an adult doctor.  … But the picture books are so fun!

 

More Hiccups and Some Help

There are officially eight days left.  It’s one week from my third annual Two Pi Day party, where I will say “adios” to all my Kirkwood friends and console myself with massive amounts of pie … while I cry.  What a sad, rhyming plan.

I’ve been getting a little nervous and sad already, and when I do my 14-year-old little brother likes to hug me and say, “Don’t worry, you’re not going anywhere.  Your passport isn’t coming, so you aren’t leaving.”

It’s true: my passport still has not arrived.  However, I got in touch with my U.S. Representative, Todd Akin, and help is reportedly on the way.  Apparently Congressmen have some magic sway over who gets (or doesn’t get) a passport in time to catch their flight.  I just hope Todd doesn’t know it was me who signed all those left-wing, close-Guantanamo-and-let-gays-marry petitions.  Otherwise I’m stuck here for sure!

Also: I’m not quite sure how I was supposed to know to call my congressman.  My sister told me to, and a friend from college also recommended it.  But if I were some poor, isolated loser, I would never have known!  I don’t think it says that anywhere on the State Department website, and the passport customer service guy definitely didn’t mention it.

On the up side, I’ve purchased even more stuff.  New shirts, new guidebooks, new TSA-approved suitcase lock, new rechargeable batteries, new makeup, new chapstick — new everything.  One thing I have not bought is a new cell phone that will work in Europe.  I have discovered, however, that I can postpone my (Verizon) account for three months for the small fee of $15, and it will save me $30 in phone fees and three months of service.  Yay!  (Comparatively, if I had terminated my account early, I would have saved $60 and paid $175 and lost my three months of service — and my beloved phone number!!  The thought of losing that dear, dear number for good makes me a little queasy.

In summary:

• If you haven’t gotten your passport, call one of your congressmen.  They’re very friendly.
• If you can’t stop worrying, shop more.
• It makes more sense to postpone, not cancel, your cell phone plan.

 

My Poor Passport

I applied to renew my passport more than 14 weeks ago, as soon as I found out I’d be going to Spain.  The U.S. State Department’s website is still advertising that it takes 10 to 12 weeks for processing.  So as the weeks pass and my mailbox remains empty, I’ve been getting anxious.  On the passport website, I’ve checked the status of my application several times.  “Thank you for submitting your passport application! It is currently being processed,” the site cheerily announces.

The site also advises, “If you are traveling within 2 weeks and have not received your passport, please contact the National Passport Information Center with the above locator number. It will enable them to update you on the status of your application.”

So I called today.  I spent about an hour on hold at various points during the day, but I was eventually connected to a customer service representative.  We spoke for about two minutes, during which time he said, “Alright, your application is being processed.  That’s all I can tell you.”  No estimate of how much longer it might take.  No explanation of why I was told to call the number, if they could only give me the same information as the website.  One redeeming factor: the representative let me know that, if I hadn’t received my passport within three days of my departure date, I could call back.  Thank you, federal government.

Photo credit: gadgetgirl of Flickr.

 

The Gear

I finally bucked up and bought a backpack.  It means something very scary — I’m really, truly going abroad for six months!  I do feel better knowing that the pack is a good one, the REI Grand Tour for Women, and should treat me well.  It has a bunch of sweet features (Zip-off daypack? Yes please!  Stow-away shoulder straps? Mhmm!), lots of pockets, and fits pretty darn well.  I feel pretty confident I can make it through the wilds of Madrid safely.  ¡Gracias a Dios!

 

I’ve also recently acquired a Packtowel, a travel alarm, a camera case, a 2G memory card, some comfy walking shoes, little Woolite packets, a travel pillow, and a hostel sleep sack.  Interesting discovery: I was going to invest in a converter, because the sockets over there put out a higher current, but the only electronics I’m bringing over (laptop, iPod charger, battery charger) all accept that higher current.  Some forethought just saved me about $30.  May the luck hold!