Placed in País Vasco

First time in País Vasco (San Sebastián) 2008

After a few anxious day, I finally got my placement in País Vasco (Basque Country), Spain!

The Spanish Consulate in DC started doing placements last Friday. Everyone is placed in order that they turned in their online application, so I knew that unless they were really speedy, I wasn't going to get my placement til after the weekend (I am #562).

Monday they placed 6 people...boring. Tuesday they really started cruising and Matt (#295) and our friend Tony (#389) both got their placements in País Vasco and Murcia, respectively. I was getting nervous because I wanted to get placed in the same region as Matt, and I knew spots were filling up fast. I wasn't sure how many people they were accepting to País Vasco. I was pretty much a nerd the past couple days, looking at the numbers that were being placed and trying to figure out when I would get my placement. I have to give a shout-out to http://www.expatriatecafe.com/forums/index.php for keeping me from totally freaking out!

On Wedesday, I worked from 8:45-6, and I was pretty sure that would be the day I received my placement. I told Matt he HAD to contact me somehow if/when I got it. I was obsessively checking my phone all day (don't tell my boss) and around 3:00 I was thinking that maybe it wasn't going to happen, since it was already 4 in DC, and the Spanish aren't exactly known for their work ethic.

However, at 3:30, I got this from Matt:

Pitt , Elizabeth Estadounidense Adjudicada ESPAÑA País Vasco...We're going to Pais Vasco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So then I was happy. I accepted the position as soon as I could and jumped around at work a bunch.

It was a relief to have my placement, and my first choice, nonetheless. I'm so excited to be in the northern part of Spain! It was one of my favorite places to visit when I was there in 2008, and living there will be amazing. Here is a link that talks a little about País Vasco: http://www.red2000.com/spain/region/r-vasc.html

The next step will be getting my school placement, which will let me know what I'll be teaching and help me decide which city/pueblo I want to live it...they said they want to send them out at the end of May, but I'm not crossing my fingers, especially since they have to come via snail-mail from Spain. I'm just hoping PV is on top of everything!

originally published 5.13.2010