Another year or two in Santiago...cuak!

So looks like we'll be in Chilito for awhile longer. Our plans had been to move back to the States sometime in the upcoming months, preferably at the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere's summer, but that won't be happening. I went to the U.S. Embassy today to apply for V's immigrant visa and was shot down, because you need to be a permanent resident to apply. I feel like a permanent resident in Chile. After all I've been here for almost five years. Unfortunately, feeling like a permanent resident and being one aren't the same thing. My Chilean carné needs to say "permanent resident" or something to that effect on the back of it. Así que cagué! And I could have applied for permanent residence in September, because after having two consecutive years of student visas and finishing your studies here in Chile, you are also eligible to apply for permanent residence, but you have to do it before your student visa expires. Mine expired September 12th, so I traveled to Mendoza to get a tourist visa because I didn't get all the paperwork together before the 12th to apply for my temporary visa. But I didn't know all of this was going to be so complicated, so I didn't even look into the details of it all. Plus I've had a hyper-busy 6 months: I finished my thesis in September defending it on September 11th, then V, C and I went to Diaguitas for el dieciocho. Then I went to the States for a week to get some paperwork done there, came back to Chile and started teaching English, planning our wedding our honeymoon and my family's trip to Chile. And we just got back from our honeymoon the other day. So just today I finally got the paperwork together to go turn it in and was met with a bit of a surprise.

Bang. Bang. She shot me down.
Bang. Bang. I hit the ground.
Bang. Bang. The embassy official shot me down.

A friend of V's had told us in October I needed to have permanent residence to apply for the immigrant visa from here, but other people had said I didn't, which may have been true back in the day, but isn't true now. Anyway, by October it was too late to apply for permanent residence anyway, because my student visa had already expired. I also could have applied for a temporary visa years ago, but didn't know it would have been easier that way.

Un año más, qué mas da?
Un año más, cuánto se han ido?
Un año más, qué más da?
Cuánto se han ido ya?

So anyway, it takes me a while to digest things. I'm not exstatic about being in Santiago another year. Probably if I still lived in Valpo I wouldn't mind being here longer, at least not as much. It's especially annoying since they've started constructing a building right next door and the drilling sound hasn't stopped all morning. I thought we were in economic crisis?!?!

...but on the good side, now that I'm done with school and the marriage-planning is over, I will actually have time to hang out with friends more. Yay! Some of the best time spent in life is hanging out with friends. It's been quite the introverted last four years, having soooo much to study and I've spent most of the little free time I've had with V, obviously. So I've seen much less of my friends then I'd like to.

I finally am working again in what will probably be one of my main careers in life (teaching) and will actually be excited to work for a year without having to uproot and move back to the States. I must admit I was not looking forward to leaving my capoeira group, which is actually planning a trip to Bahia, Brazil this (Southern Hemisphere) winter. Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! I missed the last one because I had to study... but we'll see if a trip to Brazil pans out for me. I do have more important priorities like spending time with my hubby and establishing a career path for myself, as well as making money to fund the trip.

I also very much like Chile, and to be honest, even Santiago. (Although Valpo's way better.) I think my biggest disappointments are 1) I won't be hanging with my family as soon as I had planned. 2) I think it would be so great for V to get to know MY country and especially to get an outside perspective on his own culture. In general, I think living abroad is really healthy for people because it gives you the chance to see that culture is relative, even your own, especially your own. This is really hard to see when you've never lived within another culture. It's such a great opportunity, but it will have to wait awhile. Good thing V's not been too interested in studying English. Looks like he won't need it for a while.

The visa track I am now on is waiting for my temporary visa. Once I've had that for a year, I can apply for my permanent residence. Then I can apply for V's visa. But who knows? Perhaps by then we'll have two babies, a dog, a couple cars, a house and decide to just stay.

The lady at the embassy said I could go to the States and do the paperwork from there, but we'd have to be apart. Plus I heard that's a large pain in the butt, and takes even longer.

Meanwhile, I spose I'll keep blogging.