Less than 24 hours...

So, I'm trying my hand at blogging...

A lot of people have been asking why I'm going to Chile, and how long I will be there, so my first post will tell the story of how Scott and I got to this point:

After three years in the same school, and seven years in Maryland, I wanted to do something different. Scott and I began talking about moving overseas for a year at some point, and me teaching English while he began his own company.  All of our plans were for further down the road, until his friend Scott B. heard about Startup Chile.  The Chilean government was offering grants to 100 teams to start their own internet/technology based company in Santiago, Chile.  Scott and Scott B. applied, and became one of the 100 teams accepted into the program.  I, of course, could not pass up this opportunity to join him in Santiago.  We leave on July 11, and have a Visa that is good for up to 1 year.  As of now, our plan is to stay for a little over 6 months (his program is 24 weeks).  I found a couple of contacts down there, and plan on teaching English--because I don't know Spanish..yet!

At the moment... I have my two suitcases filled, a carry-on suitcase... and part of Scott's suitcase filled! We will arrive during Winter, but be there for Winter, Spring, and Summer... how is a girl supposed to pack for all those seasons??  I tried using those space bags, but the travel version because you don't need a vacuum.  They do save some space, but weight is the bigger issue.

The process to prepare for Chile has been very long, but I feel quite accomplished when I get to cross things off my list.  Getting a visa was the hardest.  I needed: A letter of good health from the doctor, two passport photos, an HIV test, my passport (which I had to apply for and expedite in order to begin the visa process), two visa forms, and my bank statements.  Once we applied, it only took 5 days (including the weekend) to get out visas.  Our one hole so far (at least my hole) is a cell phone... if you have any thoughts or know of the best way to go about obtaining a cell phone, or unlocking my iphone, I am all ears!  Then there was getting a bank account without international fees, giving my parents Power of Attorney, getting my international drivers license AND moving out of my apartment and either selling furniture or taking it to my parents.

Ok... so I may not be the best blogger, but hopefully when we start to do more exciting things down in Chile the material can wow you without needing good writing skills to make it look good.  It's time to finish packing, and get ready for my parents to get here so we can do the "last supper" with both of our families at Matchbox...yum!