Tina's wanderings around the world

Oy! Bug bites, more and more bug bites. At least these ones aren’t huge, they’re tiny little ones…a bunch of tiny little ones. Not as bad as some infamous flea fiascos I’ve had in the past, but these aren’t particularly delightful. 55 at last count… that big red spot on my leg? Oh yeah, mosquito bite the size of my palm. Whoooo! Let’s see, so where do I even begin…let’s start with the interview. It’s still in process. It all began when I took my cookies into the office (I just nearly wrote awfice—do you think that signifies something???) with cookies. P.S. (yes, a post-script right in the middle of a paragraph!) AWESOME idea. I have since found out that I am now known as the cookie girl. How could they not hire the cookie girl? Exactly. I’d had quite enough of the waiting game, so I bit the bullet and went in. Unfortunately, the person that I really needed to talk to wasn’t in the office, but I did manage to schedule a phone interview (the first step in the interview process) with him ...

Obtaining a visa for Brazil—almost certainly a difficult process, one which I was very nearly denied. I had just finished filling out the computerized application form, when I was lucky enough to come across another American, Courtney from LA. She informed me that I needed to show a bank statement, which I had definitely forgotten to print out. A quick trip to an internet café later, and I found myself back in line with Courtney. When it was my turn, I nervously walked up to the desk, hoping this would be my one and only trip to the embassy. As usual, when they asked what my occupation was, I entered student, not giving it a second thought. The embassy lady asked me to write in my university—then she asked me for my student card. I replied that I didn’t have it, and that in fact I didn’t have one. Embassy lady: “So you lied?” Ouch. Me: “No,” I replied. “I just graduated.” EL: “Do you have proof?” Me: “No.” EL: “Well, you lied, and this is your one application.” Me: “I didn’t lie, but t...