Il Visto

Yes!! My official student visa arrived in the mail this week! It was a long process to apply for and more difficult obtaining on my own rather than going through a university study abroad program.  I am so happy that they accepted my documents and I received my passport back with the visa glued into one of my brand new passport pages :) 

Applying for the visa was an adventure because I also had to apply for new passport pages. Yes. My passport was almost completely full, and the two blank pages necessary to put the visa weren't available. I had to make an appointment only ten days before my travel date with proof of a travel itinerary and then they asked for 5 days mailing time. It was a stressful thinking I might not have my passport back in time! Plus it was $143 for those extra pages! 

But I received the passport back in time, and I received my passport back with my Italian student visa in time too.  At the consulate the lady said she would only give me the visa for 135 days (exactly the days of my course) when I had asked for 160. I received my passport and I got 190 days! 

Student Visa

Since my only present visa option was a study visa, I looked into taking an intensive Italian course. I could have considered enrolling into the university but of course there are fees and I won't be in Bologna within the semester dates, so no luck there. I considered taking an intensive French course but you must study Italian in order to apply for a study visa in Italy.

I looked at a few courses that are offered in Bologna, and the best choice was ALCE.  

ALCE has been incredibly helpful, available, and kind with helping me get signed up well in advance, getting the papers I needed in order to present to the General Italian Consulate in Chicago. Not to mention they did all of this within less than week and the week right before Christmas!

I can already say I would recommend this organization to anyone wanting to come to Italy and studying Italian. Plus the irony of it is that I have a major in French and Italian studies so I don't really need to be taking an intensive course, however my language skills can always be improving! 

European Visa

Part of being a non- European union citizen means you're not allowed to just go hop into Europe and stay there as long as you would like.  A non EU citizen, or in other words an American can stay in Europe up to 90 days legally without any sort of documents or visa. 

So in my attempt to spend an extended amount of time in Italy in order to be closer to my love I have had to try apply for a visa. The visa options are limited to: 

- Religious (as in mission work)

- Sport (professional athlete) 

- Work

- Study 

I had a work opportunity available to me at an Agriturismo (a combination of the words agriculture and tourism in Italian- it is a style of vacationing in farm house resorts) However, receiving all the documents to work in Italy is very difficult, especially now with the present state of the economy. 

I don't play any sport professionally, and I'm not going to Italy to do missions work, so that leaves me with the option of a study visa. Except I have already graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in French- Italian Studies so I need to get creative with my study options. 

Surprise

A beautiful surprise from my wonderful boyfriend