Disappointed

I won't be going to Zafra. Kirsty has informed me that it does not make sense for her to hire me for only three months and after extensive research I have realized it will be impossible to stay without one...although sometimes I want to believe differently. Anyway, I still have not given up. I have a plane ticket and I am determined to do everything I can to get there. I have informed the agency that I would like to be readded to the list of au pairs and that I would like to shorten my stay. I really want to go to Spain, so I have applied for a few short stay jobs. I can not go back to the consulate so soon with a change of plans, so I have resigned to go for three months if that is all I am allowed. I have also applied for one job in Mexico (another Spanish speaking country) and a few in other places. I would like to be able to learn Spanish, but I also really just want the experience.

Hopefully I will hear back from the agency soon. Probably sometime after all the holiday fuss. I'm super disappointed...but I guess these things happen. I feel a little silly for telling everyone, it just seemed so sure. I'll let you know what happens.

AHHHH

So the second attempt was even worse. The guy at the window recognized me and sent me back to his supervisor. She explained to me again about the work visa and I gave her all I had. Still she insisted I must have changed the documents because she read them all. I had feared this and knew I should have had enough composure to fight her the first time, but I was not ready and when I was it was too late.
So now I am attempting to do all the research I can on staying in Spain longer than three months. I guess worse comes to worse I go for three months and that's it. From what I can tell it is only legal to stay in the Schengen countries for three months within a six month period, meaning I can stay three months and ten must stay out of the 14 Schengen countries for another three months. Most of what I've read says that they rarely enforce these rules, especially if you do not do any travelling outside of teh Schengen coutries (as the agreement of these countries is that they will not chekc your passport when travelling between them). However, with my luck I will be the one person who they enforce this rule upon and be exiled from Europe for 20 years.
I am awaiting replies from the agency and Kirsty about what can be done about this.

Ugggg

So yesterday morning I woke up at 6, got dressed and drove to NYC to see about a visa. The commute wasn't bad, an hour of traffic between the first toll and the tunnel. I made it to the parking lot by 8:20, parked the car and went across the street to a Starbucks to pee. Back across the street there was already a line outside the embassy building. I was about number 20. The guy behind me decided he wanted Starbucks and offered to buy me soething in exchange for saving his spot. I got a latte.
At about 8:40 someone came and let everyone in the building. We were ushered into a service elevator and taken to the 30th floor. There we rearranged the line to make sure it matched the one outside. A few minutes later we were allowed through security only to stand in another line.
One by one we approached a window where we stated the purpose of our visit. Each person was given a paper to fill out and a number. I was Student Visa 4.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly. I got in line at the student visa window and at about 9:40 I was called to the window. Here's where everything went downhill. The guy was nice enough. He took my paperwork and to my surprise read everything thouroughly. Then he said he needed to go talk to his supervisor. About two minutes later he came back, handed me back all my papers and said I needed to go speak to the supervisor at the front window. So I did.
The supervisor said that I needed to get a work visa in order to be an au pair. This apparently needs to be started at the other end, meaning Kirsty needs to apply for something.
Anyway, I didn't get the visa. If the embassy is correct about the work visa, it shouldn't be a problem since it should take a lot less time to get everything and process the visa. i've got phone calls to make. I'll keep you updated.

Lost in Mail Land

I have everything ready to go to the Consulate...but it seems that despite your best efforts things don't go as planned. My flight is booked (January 21st is my departure), I have my police records, I am healthy to travel and have the proof, I have some financial means of staying there, I have health coverage of the international variety...but the letters I need are still somewhere. Neither I nor Kirsty knows where...so I assume it is a great conspiracy against my future. Anyway this has left me frustrated...and I decided I needed to share that with the internet world. So thank you people who read this, whether you felt my pain or are sick of me whining, thank you.