¡EXITO!

Well, any of you who hear from a daily or near-daily basis know just how much of a pain in the ass it has been to apply for a student visa. The requirements for the San Francisco Consulate are as follows:

Visa Application Form (yet to be completed, but it's just one page)

Health Clearance completed no more than 30 days before the Consulate appointment signed by a licensed physician (this took forever due to the incredible lack of communication between the Education Abroad Program [EAP] and Student Health, but finally completed!)

HIV Test completed no more than 30 days before the Consulate appointment (this was easy)

Police Clearance, aka Verification of a lack of a Criminal Record (yet to be completed but the Napa Sheriff's Dep. told me it wouldn't take more than a day)

4 Passport Photos (just taken today! Now the Chileans get to think of me as I look during the last days of finals week, yikes.)

Acceptance Letter from U Chile (Got it!)

Letter of Academic Standing from UCSB (Got it!)

Valid Passport (had it since 2005)

$131 (Got it, thanks to my parents)

Proof of financial security (Also, thanks to my parents)

And that's it! Oh, plus I had to apply online to U Chile in order to be able to sign up for classes and this took about two weeks of constant panic because there were zillions of technical problems and they kept pushing back the deadline.

But, except for one or two little things to tie up, and of course the actual appointment to get the visa, I'm all set! Now I just have to get through my last final tomorrow, and I'm home free. Relief!!!