MIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mia has the best and the worst times in BCN. She has missed squezze foods,and all her little organic baby snacks but she has adapted really well so fast. Mia has joined in all the fun of course getting here wasn't so fun but all the rest has been the superfun.Mia is a REAL trooper.We all love Mia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Night in Our Aparment

We've had an exhausting couple of days.  Between the jetlag, heat and moving on the other side of the world with a baby, I was ready to hibernate the rest of the summer.  The first night in town we stayed at AC Hotel on a great deal.  It was a perfect clean stylish little place to grumpily crash out at with a huge pristine white pressed bed -- which delivered the best nap of my life.

Today was very eventful.  Here's the recap:

• This morning we moved into our apartment.  The rental ad said the unit was "5th floor with no lift" but in reality they should have called it what it was and that is the 7th floor.  Apparently the 1st floor really doesn't start until the 3rd floor.  You get the picture here.. (update: we actually moved outta this place after 2 days.. roaches.. ew!  Our new place has an elevator!)
• Federal Cafe- found this adorable cafe in the hood.  Had a delicious cage free egg bake with spinach and mushrooms. 
• Gym - the whole family joined a local gym and went swimming.

I've also noticed some interesting details about doing business here.  At this point it's not clear if this is a Barcelona or a Spain thing.

• Bank Draft - Seems to be the standard form of payment for rent, gyms and about everything that has a recurring bill.  Not a debit or credit card. It seems businesses want a direct wire bank draft.  Convenient for everyone except the sender.
• Capitalization fees - If you decide to join a gym, send a kid to school, start up some yoga classes or even purchase insurance there is a capital contribution fee for anyone doing business with a company for the first time.  These fees are a one time fee and in addition to regular monthly or other revolving fees.  For the gym it was about 50 euro, for preschool it varies from 200-300 euro and for private schools I've seen anywhere from 1500-3000 euros.  Insurance I was quoted was about 50 euro

The other detail our whole family noticed is the chocolate and Nesquick obsession.  It's EVERYWHERE!  Even Hello Kitty Nesquick cereal and crunchy chocolate doodles (think cheetos!).

Planning for Barcelona!

Our destination will be Barcelona! The other schools applied (and accepted- ahem!) were located in Madrid, Grenoble and Malmo.  Even though the schools all had interesting programs - they just didn't sound as enjoyable and diverse as Barcelona.

Since so much time has passed I went back to my original checklist to see how I'm doing.

1.  Packing up and minimizing all the crap you accumulate over the years is actually quite difficult. Although I did get a fair amount of things tossed away, donated and and/or sold there's still much to do.  My main problem is paper!  There's a lot of sorting, shredding and filing in my future.

2.  Visa's - Holy crap!  I had no idea how tedious each step can be. Our appointment at the embassy is early June however there are a couple more things we are waiting on. Emma's passport is now officially 3 weeks late and the agency hustled me for an additional expedite fee, which doesn't actually guarantee it will be expedited.  For whatever reason, when ever I call for an update they keep asking if we are going to China!? 

Another item is the FBI clearance letter with apostille.  Of course the letter and the apostille can't be done at the same time or place.  The clearance letter is returned to you by mail and then you mail off the apostille request to another agency.  The whole time you are waiting and everyone is taking much longer then they said they would.  I'm just hoping we get these items back before our appointment.

3. Learning Spanish --it's going well.  I have another class today!

Book > Living Abroad in Spain

As part of our preparation for the big move, I have purchased the book Living Abroad in Spain. Technically, it's the second of the series I have purchased but this one is the latest edition that was published just last year.  This book is worth every cent and is definitely one we will be taking with us because of all of the excellent resources mentioned through out.

The book is great because it gives you a first hand account from a real expat in Spain.  It covers details such as visas, employment, apartment leasing, transportation and the medical system as well as the  basics like culture, climate and prime living locations.  If you are considering moving to Spain I highly suggest picking up a copy of Living Abroad in Spain.

Getting the baby a passport

The baby needs a passport in order to apply for a visa.  It seems funny to get passport photos and going to the passport office for a 4 month old, but it's necessary.  Since it will be just me taking her to apply for one, my husband needs to send in a notarized parental consent form (Statement of Consent DS 3053) and photocopies of his ID. 

Here are the complete instructions on how to get a passport for your baby or minors.

Set in stone.

After years of discussing it, we finally made the decision to live a year abroad.  We, meaning me and my husband and our two girls.   I've decided to document the entire planning, moving and living abroad experience.  Our plans are to move to Spain in June of 2011, although it could be another European country.  He is applying for various MBA programs in Europe and although Spain is our desired destination, it really depends on the outcome of the application process.

There's so much to do before the big day. It's really up to me to take care of the visas, packing up and a my fair share of overall planning. 

To Do:

• Pack Up - Minimize all unnecessary crap from our home and move only the most important and treasured items to a storage unit. My goal is to make it all fit in a 5x4 unit Is this even possible?
• Visa's - I know he will be on a student visa but what about our daughter and I?  Do we apply for family member of a student or apply under a general visa? No clue!
• Learn Spanish.  Even if we don't end up in Spain - I really should know Spanish.  After all, my favorite American cities have many Spanish speakers.

I better get started then.