Things I'll Miss and Won't Miss in San Francisco

As much as I need a break from San Francisco, there are things and places that I will miss. SoMa of course is at the top of my list.  Not all of South of Market area-- but most of it.  Here are some of the other things I'll miss about San Francisco.

• Large amount of Vegetarian, Vegan and Organic options in restaurants and stores
• LoveFest/LoveParade or whatever they change it to again this year
• Triptych 
• Golden Gate Park
• Blue Bottle and Peets - wah!
• Being surrounded by internet and technology folks (my peeps!)
• Sipping Hot Cocoa during the holidays by the tree in Union Square
• Rainbow Market and Whole Foods, even though you're pricey I'll miss you too!
• Yerba Buena Gardens
• SoMa, Castro, North Beach and Mission Bay -  I'll miss you...

Here are some of things I won't miss:

• Fresh fertilizer in the potted plants on our street
• abundance of crack in certain areas of SoMa - both kinds!
• that snobby SF persona that is unwelcoming to tourists yet feels this is the best place on earth
• 6th Street and the TL - Farewell!

Is this home?

This may be our future temporary nest!  Cross your fingers for us.

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.