Well, here we are. I have waited to write until I was out of my depressive episode where I had lost all hope of going to Spain. I currently have my catastrophic thoughts at a dull roar and am trying to utilize my "when life gives you lemons, pour them in your drink" mentality that you have all come to know and love. Here is our recent update.
Last we left off, we needed to send a box to the Consulate to return our application to us. To catch you up so far we have sold our house and left California for our multi-state road trip on June 9th. We have been to Oregon, Washington, back to Oregon, and are currently in Idaho. Soooo we send the box on Wednesday, June the 23rd, with it set to arrive by Monday the 28th, taking the weekend into account. The cluster f*** that is about to ensue is so ridiculous you would think I am making this up.
As organized people that we are, we made sure to get our label tracking numbers to track when it arrived at the Consulate and when the application is returned to us. I check the tracking number on Saturday, and it says delivery was attempted, but they are closed, and they will re-attempt during business hours Monday. Wonderful!. If they receive it Monday and look at it Tuesday, we should hear something back by email on Tuesday that it is the wrong box again or have the package by Friday, July 2nd.
You Think I Would Have Learned By Now
While we are waiting, I look for the tracking labels receipt to see if they have received the box and if they have sent the return application...and what do you know, I can't find the receipt ANYWHERE! As we are homeless and staying with family, I likely left it out somewhere, and someone threw it away as it looks like trash. I could have sworn I stuck it somewhere important but have looked everywhere! Thank you, ADHD, for striking again. No worries, though, it should be fine, and we will get the package and be good to go. Cue the side note! This is the second time we are trying to beat the clock before a holiday, and everything shuts down, aka July 4th.
Thursday comes along, and still no package, and because I am unable to track anything, I am starting to freak out. I have Johnny call the post office where we sent the box from, hoping they would have some record of the tracking number. They tell us they will look into it and call us tomorrow.
Tomorrow comes, and as I am working until the day we move, I am in the middle of my workday. Johnny asks me to talk to him during my 5 min break window and completely triggers a mini panic attack. Apparently, he got off the phone with the post office, who could track the package. According to this person, they had attempted to deliver the package to the Consulate 3x and that it has been turned away and is waiting at the post office for someone to pick it up!!! WHAT!!!! At this point, I lose my cool-headed demeanor, start to cry, storm out of the room, saying something nonsensical as "why do I try? This is never going to happen!" Get my crap together and see my next client.
As soon as I am done for the day, I write a hysterical or mildly dramatic email to my lawyer telling her what has happened. Send. During work Johnny sent me the tracking code, which I did not check before emailing my lawyer. I check the tracking code, and it was delivered on June 28th, and there is no history that I can see that it was undeliverable! So either the tracking info is wrong or the man who looked up the info is. Here's hoping it really did get there! I write a retraction email telling my lawyer, don't mind the hysterical person, the package was delivered on Monday.
Bumming Hard
Fast forward a week because I haven't quite felt up to writing. Today is now July 13th...we are back in Oregon and I am currently writing from my motel 6 room. We have not received our returned application, and between the lawyer and me, we have emailed the consulate about 4 times. We have also attempted to call, but you can't get through. I know this will happen, but I am starting to really lose that fire I need to get through the next step. If things would have gone according to plan, we would currently be in Spain breathing a huge sigh of relief.
One of my readers posted that I should have waited to buy plane tickets and because I'm me I brushed it off...you were right! Ughghg I hate being wrong, it's the worst! We will likely have to reschedule our plane tickets from August 9th to another later date. Now that my optimistic idealism has been smashed to bits, I have no belief that we will get our application, fix it, submit it without needing to fix it again, and have the Visa returned by August 9th. We are homeless, hopeless and the vision of happiness in Spain is getting harder to see...and yes I know I'm grateful for my family, and life could be worse (I am a therapist for goodness sakes), but every once and a while you need a good old pity party!
Don't worry; I won't give up! Just crossing my fingers that all of our important paperwork is somehow not lost in the world, as that might really be it for us. If you can throw out some good vibes, a miracle, or better yet, some secret inside agent at the Consulate, it would very much be appreciated...The End or to be Continued?
I'm sad so I'm going to use that to guilt-trip you into sharing my blog and subscribing! Thank you for all the support and love so far!
07/13/2021