The White Rabbit Goes on Exchange! (english version)

I spent four days struggling with the suitcases. Not that they give me a hard time, but I could not convince myself to fill them.

How can it be? After a lifetime dreaming, after all this time of anxiety, after all the effort to  finally travel, how is it possible that I can´t fill the suitcases?

The thing is that suddenly, from one day to another, the dream becomes tangible, it becomes true ... and although it gives me the impression that I´ve been processing this for months, the truth is that you actually get it only when you face the suitcase.

Imagine yourself using your clothes, but in another place ... think about the things you'll need on the trip, thinking that you´re not going on vacation, you´re really going to live half a year...half a world away ...

The good news is that after I understood it, I found myself smiling alone, with butterflies in my stomach, and all the energy to assemble these bags as quickly as possible!

The White Rabbit Goes on Exchange!

bBox Team! (El proyecto es “Banking Box”) http://pbox2010karlsruhe.blogspot.com

Claudia (Rumania), Stan (República Checa), Aldo (Panamá), Paulo (Brasil), Delyana (Bulgaria), Felipe (Colombia),

Xi (China) y Nair (Argentina).

Estuve cuatro días peleando con las valijas. No es que ellas discutieran mucho, sino que yo no me podía convencer a mi misma de llenarlas.

Cómo puede ser? Después de tanto tiempo de soñar, después de tanto tiempo de ansiedad, después de todo el esfuerzo para poder al fin viajar, como es posible que no quiera llenar las valijas?

Es que de repente, de un día para el otro, el sueño se hace tangible, se hace realidad… y a pesar de que a mí me da la impresión de que lo he estado procesando desde hace meses, la verdad es que la ficha cae en el momento en el que te enfrentas a la valija.

Imaginarte usando tu ropa, pero en otro lado… pensar en las cosas que vas a necesitar en el viaje, pensar que no son vacaciones, que realmente vas a vivir medio año a medio mundo de distancia…

Lo bueno es que después de que cayó la ficha, me encontré a mi misma sonriendo sola, con mariposas en la panza, y todas las pilas para armar esas valijas lo más rápido posible!

The White Rabbit Vs. The Visa - Part 2

I ♥ My Visa

Ok, as you may see in the lovely pic, I got my visa at last!

Not without some inconvenients, of course... but that's what makes life so interesting, isn't it?

Well, first, it's important to know that I called the embassy a lot of times... the first ones were a little chaotic because I had to call to the main number and then they redirected me to the consul's office... luckly, after a while they just gave me the internal number so I could call directly... such nice people =)

One day, I called and they gave me the amazing news that my Vorabzustimmung (the magical paper that makes it all better) was already at the embassy. The only problem was that I hadn't received the original papers yet, so I asked if it was OK to bring the scans... the nice phone lady said "No problem at all".

Great! So I filled my backpack with a little clothes, called my best friend Lara (from Rosario) so she could meet me in Buenos Aires and maybe enjoy a few days together, organized my stuff for when I came back... and had the brilliant idea of sending an email asking the same things I asked on the phone... Luckly, I got the same positive answers so I just took the bus and arrived at Buenos Aires Tuesday morning, after an 11 hours trip.

The White Rabbit Vs. The First Spring Rain

It's raining. A lot.

I got wet walking home from pilates... but I don't really mind.

It's the first spring rain, and one of the good ones... that kind of rain that feels almost warm... and without wind, so I can keep my window open and watch a huge amount of water fall from the sky without getting wet at all :)

The sound is so loud! It's amazing...

Right now it seems like the sun wants to say hi!, even if it's still raining (a lot).. maybe I'll see a rainbow!! :)

Thanks rain, we needed you... we missed you all winter.

This white rabbit stays in its hole and watches the rain fall down.. happy spring to everyone! :)

The White Rabbit Vs. Forgetting the Car

My car (named Kito) and I have a very open relationship... our agreement consists in: I take him everywhere, so he can get to know new places and connect with other cars... and he allows me to drive him without complaining about how little manteinance I do to him (my mom actually takes better care of him than I do)...


I admit that sometimes I have little consideration of his needs (like the time I used him like if he was a pick-up for a week in Cordoba mountains... with 9 guys all over the seats and the trunk) and sometimes I leave him sleeping outdoors because I'm too lazy to open my garage...


But I feel I need to apologize to him about last night... It's not the first time I do something like that to him, and I know I probably made him feel bad and unwanted... I'm so sorry Kito... I love you!

The White Rabbit Vs. The Cell Phone

My cell phone decided to go MIA (missing in action) last thursday... I'm afraid it was because he heard me saying that I wasn't gonna use him in Germany, I don't know, the thing is that he left me...


Of course, with my distracted mind, I noticed he was missing like two hours later... and even then, I thought I might forgotten it in the car... well, I didn't forget it... The next day I got a text in my mom's phone asking me for money to give me my phone back (It was the cheapest phone you can imagine, and old too, but I loved it!).. I actually considered it, but I decided to suspend the line so the guy (from now on, the "thief") wouldn't spend more credit...

The White Rabbit Vs. The Visa

- OECHSLE S.A. 

(WTF? Is this a company with the consul's last name?)

- Hello, I need to speak with the German Consulate in Cordoba..

- Just a moment.. 

(OMG the consulate is in a company's office! this is weird)

- HELLOOO??? 

(I present you to the old-crazy-consulate-lady)

- Hello, I'm calling just to make a quick question about the internship Visa...

- YOU NEED TO COME HERE WITH THE ORIGINAL PAPERWORK

- Oh, wouldn't a scan document be enough? I'm waiting for my paperwork from Germany, and they will send me the Vorabzustimmung...

- WHAAT? I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. COME HERE WITH THE ORIGINAL PAPERS!!! I DON?T ANSWER ANYTHING BY PHONE KID!! 

- Ok, just one more question... is there a chance that the Vorabzustimmung allow me to accelerate the Visa process and give me a Visa before October 18th?

- WHATT? NO, THE VISA TAKES THREE MONTHS AND I CAN'T TALK TO YOU ANY MORE JUST COME IN PERSON WITH ORIGINALS!! BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA

- Ok, thanks, have a nice day...

(click...)

Well this was "Visa phone call attempt n° 1"... I made a total of 11 attempts, between Cordoba's Consulate and the Embassy in Buenos Aires.. until I finally found a nice lady that understood the importance of the "Vorabzustimmung" and suddently asked one of her work partners about it...

The White Rabbit Vs. The Plane Tickets

I'm so excited about this that I'm annoying everyone, here and in Germany! Giving me the chance to annoy 10 people in a single mail list is just a bad idea... I started spamming all of them with questions about themselves (I never asked about what animal they'd like to be, maybe that's just personal) so I can get to know the team a little better... they haven't answer yet.. but they will sooner or later :)


I've already been looking for plane tickets, luggage regulation for the airlines, trains schedule... I'm really a Google person (can find almost everything there hehe), so this week I decided to compare the online tickets with the ones that travel agencies sell... and...
Unbelieveble! 200 dollars extra for the same flight just because I'm buying the tickets the "traditional" way?? Not a chance... so I decided to make the reservation online.. all fine and dandy so far...

The White Rabbit Vs. The Paperwork

I've been waiting for 5 weeks now to know the company's desition... (already got all the certificates Markus asked me for, so that paperwork is done)

If I get selected, I'll be living in Karlsruhe, Germany for 6 months! I'm really excited about this, but I want to keep my expectations low.. huh, like that was possible!
I'm this close to get my dream! My whole life dream!

I've always wanted to travel to Europe, ever since my mom & dad decided that enrolling me in a german school was a good idea... then, in high school, I went to an italian school (still european, still not so good idea if you don't want a frustrated kid)... and when I was very close to finishing school, right when I was supposed to go on exchange an get to know all the things I had studied... BOOM - Crisis in Argentina... f*ck..