We did it!

We went to the American Consulate in Frankfurt and my husband had his interview for the Visa aka Green Card! Whew! Man it feels good to have that done and behind us.

On the trip from Spain to Germany- crossed the border to grey skies and a construction site.... welcome back!

It went pretty much as well as it could. We left early (had to drive 1 and a half hours from here and were worried about morning traffic in Frankfurt) and turns out we left so early that we missed said morning traffic and were way too early. But no big deal. There was already a line and we got in it.

We had the normal (we've had to go this embassy quite a few times over the past years for Reports of Birth Abroad or passport renewals etc...) wait in line, security and check-in inside... Then we got to the window where they wanted to basically make sure we had all our paperwork with us. There are multiple checklists that tell you to take all the documents you've scanned and uploaded into the system with you in their original form- so like original birth certificates etc.

The checklist had 12-14 things on it. Depending from where you got the checklist. And for each thing you need the original document and one photo copy. Just double checking all that the day before was enough to give me nightmares that I had forgotten something etc. But I had it all. And guess how many original documents they asked me for? Two.

TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The perfect socks for his interview at the Consulate!

And when I said something about the copies and other documents she said, no no, they're trying to cut back on all the paperwork! THEN WHY THE HELL DID I HAVE TO FIND AND COPY AND BRING ALL THIS STUFF WITH ME?!?!?!?

Oh my goodness I got really annoyed by that. You can imagine. But then we were told to sit and wait for our number to be called for the interview. At this point we waited in line and through security etc for only about 45 minutes or so, and thought ok, we're here early so this might go quick. Nope.

We waited another 4 hours. Just sitting here. Well, not just sitting, cuz I can't just sit in a folding chair for that long. We also got up to walk/stretch our legs. Had to go out and in again because our parking ticket expired. And then more waiting. And chatting with others that were also waiting. About how long we were waiting for, among other things.

When our number was finally called we got up to the window and she apologized - I had the feeling that they were low-staffed or something. But from there everything went smoothly. A few questions, a lot of her typing into the computer, printing something out for us and letting us know that one form we filled out wrong and there's another form we need to fill out and wait on. Which is the only thing we have to wait on and then the Visa should be ready.

We made it back to the car just in time, in case you were worried....

But no one can tell us if we have to wait a month on this other form- or 6 months. The good ol' internet also hasn't helped us get any details either and the lady we had the interview with just said it's another department so she wasn't sure either.

So we feel good. There's light at the end of the tunnel. And within the next 24-48 hours they'll have all missing/wrong forms updated, uploaded and submitted.... and we're excited and finally really looking forward to this being almost done.

But it's also not all done. And we don't know how long it will take in the end... so it's mixed feelings for sure.

Worked a little bit at my in-laws house, put a new roof on the shed.

We're still in Germany, have been for two weeks now. While being here I got the news of a tragic and sudden death of an old friend. That mixed with the normal video calls with my parents and going through things here that we might take stateside have just all combined to exasperate even more the feeling of just finally wanting to go! I just want to see my family, move forward with the plans we set in motion 16 months ago and see my US-based family and friends! Not miss another wedding, reunion or funeral.

And just as a side note- I'm pretty sure that writing my local representative is what expedited the case in the end. I mean, it still took well over a year which is ridiculous. I don't want to know how long it would have taken without having written them. But I'm really grateful for my father suggesting I do it (thanks dad!) and apparently the staff of the representative then check-in with the departments that are processing stuff, which makes your case less likely to be forgotten about/delayed/pushed to the bottom of the pile. So another thank you to Robynn Jones for always checking in with me and them- write your local representatives if you need something people! It might actually help!

Otherwise we're making plans for the next 1-? months... We would love to just teleport back to Spain. We loved it there and had a really cool opportunity set up we had to cancel last minute due to all these appointments in Germany. We were loving the beaches and scenery- culture and trying to start learning the language. But it's just too far. If this does all go through quickly I don't feel like another 2 day trip, driving 10 hours a day to get back, pack and possibly travel stateside. We're staying somewhat close.

The Netherlands? Switzerland? In the coming days we'll talk to 2-3 possible WWOOFing farms, Workaway hosts and friends to figure out what will work out best. And as always we'll let you know what we're up to along the way.

One of our last outings in Spain, we had such a good time there!

Oh, and thanks for reading. Like, I really appreciate that you guys check in every now and then and are curious what we're up to. This also helps me. Writing and sharing with those who are interested. It makes me feel not so very far away- and somehow more connected despite the distance and not getting to talk to you all personally.