Victory is MINE!

Yes, it's true. After much back and forth with the Chilean consulate here in Olympia, WA (a lot of which was both hilarious and maddening at the time so I thought I'd post it but after review decided it was ultimately too long and boring an exchange for anyone not directly involved in it, which included John and my parents because I gave them no choice), I was able to finally secure my student visa to go to Chile. To wit:
Once I actually arrived in Olympia, the honorary consulate was quite pleasant and the entire exchange took less than 30 minutes, in which time I got to use a paper cutter to reduce my passport photos and a glue stick to secure each photo to an application form. Two of these forms came home with me, one of which I have to present to immigration and the other to the school in which I am enrolled (as a "student intern practicum teacher" so I can get a tax-free scholarship as payment and a student rather than a work visa. It's actually a pretty sweet arrangement). "Don't bend them!" he warned me. "Great," I thought to myself. I'm going to keep two letter-sized forms perfectly intact without creases for a month and then a 19 hour trip. I plan on folding them just to tempt fate...

The visa was the last hurdle to jump, because since I last posted I have also bought my airfare. I fly into LA and then Santiago on Thursday, February 28, and I return on December 19. Since international but not domestic flight schedules have been announced for December, I arrive in LA at 7:00 a.m. and then... will have to get back to Seattle somehow! At least there are lots of planes that go up and down the coast, and my parents have graciously agreed to purchase my flight using miles (note the specific inclusion of this detail to use as evidence 7 months from now when I need said ticket). w00t.

I will leave you with a haiku, and a revised request for comments, people!

It was rough, but lo!
Visa in my passport, yay
Chile here I come!