I am courageous, resilient, and unstoppable!

Wow! A lot has happened since my last update! When I went to my scheduled visa appointment, they told me I don't need a visa because my classes are for less than 90 days. That is true, but because I had to come over early for orientation, my total stay within the Schengen area is going to be more than 90 days. They told me they couldn't issue a visa for a class duration of under 90 days and that I would need to visit the foreign affairs office in Spain once I got to my final destination, so that's going to be fodder for a future story.  In the meantime, I flew from Los Angeles on the 12th as planned. I was very blessed in that the seat next to me on the plane was empty, and the kind grandmother in the adjacent seat moved to another empty seat so I could have the whole row to myself. That was really nice because it was an overnight flight, and I was able to lie down and sleep some. I didn't sleep like a baby or anything, but it was better than nothing. Just being able to...

My passport didn't come in the mail, so on Tuesday this week, a couple of cousins and I made a trip down to Tucson, Arizona to the passport office. We got up at 3:30AM and left around 4:30AM. It was a LONG day, but thankfully, it was productive. They were able to sort through all the paperwork and print off a second passport booklet for me. We came back home the same day and got back around 1AM. I am SO grateful that it all came together.  A couple of friends and I left for Los Angeles, California, around noon today, and we just got to our AirBNB. It's 9PM local time. It's been a long day, but we had a good time. I'm going to miss everyone so much, so I'm really glad I've been able to spend time with so many of the people I love the last few days. The support and love that I've had showered on me has mean a lot to me.   I have an appointment at the Spanish consulate in Los Angeles to apply for my student visa tomorrow, and I fly out from the airport in the s...

 I may have to postpone my trip, and I'm trying to stay calm about it. The people at the passport agency seem to have made a mistake, and my passport still hasn't arrived. I've been on the phone with them every day trying to do what I can to get things moving again. Unfortunately, I'm not having a lot of success. The customer service people are really nice, and I've only gotten someone with an accent I couldn't understand once, but they can't do a lot for me.  I'm supposed to be able to get an appointment to go into one of the centers this week to have it processed in person, but they won't let me schedule the appointment until Tuesday. It's been really frustrating because I'll have to cancel my plane ticket, hotel rooms, train tickets, and a lot of hope if it doesn't work out as planned. It's not going to be cheap to change everything right now. I know God has everything under control, and He's working things out for my best good...