Visa Appointment Made

Time is ticking down folks! I have officially made my appointment with the Brasilian Consulate in Atlanta. Unfortunately, it was very tricky tracking down information for this place. Unfortunately, they do not have their own website like San Francisco. Here is the website I found, concerning all visas applied for strictly in Atlanta:

http://www.portalconsular.mre.gov.br/mundo/america-do-norte/estados-unidos-da-america/atlanta/servicos/visa

This website is not always in english, so using Google Translate or Google Chrome is helpful. Also, their pages sometimes take a long time to load, so don't give up thinking it doesn't work. Just refresh. :)

Here are the instructions I received for a Tourist Visa only. I have no idea about a work or business visa in Brazil. I had to apply to their website (https://scedv.serpro.gov.br/frscedv/index.jsp) to provide all my information. In return, they provide a one page document in Portuguese that you have to attach a passport photo and sign. They also want the following documents:

1) Valid passport with  at least six months’ validity from the date of travel, signed and with at least one blank visa page in it.

2) A copy of your round-trip flight ticket, e-ticket or signed cruise itinerary on the travel agent’s letterhead.

3)   Proof of financial means compatible with the status of an international tourist, i.e., copy of latest bank or international credit card statement. You may cross out your bank account number.

4) Visa fee: Go to the US post office and get a USPS money order. The Consulate only accepts USPS money orders as form of payment.

To get proof of financial means, you must have at least $1000 in your bank statement or available credit. This is what I've read over the internet. I hope it holds true, and I will definitely come back and give an update on this post.

I have my valid passport and my round-trip flight ticket. They just want to make sure that you have an exit plan. I get to pay a whopping $140 to apply for my visa. Americans pay the most out of any nationality. I'm told it is a reciprocity for what we charge their citizens. There has been talk of allowing Brazil to enter into the US Visa Waiver Program, but there is nothing official that I can find about the progress.

As for my other progress, I have now added another 5 lbs of weight loss. I have been working on adding strength training to my program. I am now back to my normal body size, but I want to go down a lot more. My goal weight for 5'9" would be 150-160 lbs. I have short legs and a long torso, so I have a lot of work to do on my upper body. I've always had decent legs and the walking/running combination seems to be helping lots. I am also trying to learn some basic Portuguese. I purchased a pocket-sized phrasebook which should be helpful. Manny laughs at my pronunciation. He says I sound like a robot or that I'm speaking Spanish. This is frustrating. I'm trying to get him to help me rather than laugh. It is not like I have a teacher. I took Spanish for 4 years in high school with a teacher and still couldn't hold a conversation. I can understand better than most when listening to it, but I think being submersed into a language will be exactly what I need. Plus, people there know English a little, especially the people he works with. They have to for work with Cisco.

Anyway, my appointment is for next Wednesday. I will make a post after to describe in detail the process I went through and vent my anxiety. :)

Tchau!

Getting One Step Closer

So here is my progress....
I've successfully received my U.S. Passport via expedited service. I paid $60 extra to bribe the State Department to process my passport within 2-3 weeks instead of the typical 4-6 week service. All I needed was the following:

1. Passport application
2. Passport sized photo (available at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc.)
3. Original US Birthcertificate (must have full name & state seal)
4. Drivers License (bring copy of front & back just in case they don't have a copy machine)
5. Money Order for $135 made to US Dept of State AND separate $25 processing fee

For more detailed information, you can go to the State Department's website at http://travel.state.gov

You can even use this website to monitor the progress of your passport application. This site also has any travel warnings, tips, vaccinations required, etc. Very helpful website for me.

Next, I am waiting on my lovely boyfriend to send me the money for the visa application. Obviously not everyone will need to do this step, but this was part of our agreement when he asked me to come visit. The tourist visa application for Brazil is filled out online, not in person. You will make an appointment to bring your US Post Office Money Order, visa application, photos, and any required documents to the Consulate near you. I have to go to Atlanta, to Lenox Square area, to visit their consulate. From what I'm reading online, this place can take 20-23 days to process your visa application. I don't know how accurate this information is, but this consulate is relatively new and they don't even have a website!

Also, another piece of information I found, they require a bank statement that shows $1000 that will be available for your trip. Not every consulate requires this, so far I've only seen Chicago and Atlanta do. I have managed to be able to provide this, due to a very generous sponsor. Also, I am just waiting on confirming a plane ticket with Manny. We have to sit down and determine a good date. Obviously we want to set this sometime within 90 days of my appointment, as this is what is required. Once we have that plane ticket ready, I can make an appointment. I'm so very nervous for all of this that is happening. 

I'm trying to concentrate on my weight loss, as I've mentioned previously. I have only managed to drop 33 lbs, but that is not something to put down. It has taken a lot of hard work and determination. I have invested in a MP3 player, which helps me stay motivated during my workouts. I've come to enjoy Black Eyed Pea's Monkey Business and Eminem's Recovery as my motivational soundtrack. I have learned to walk like never before and I have even started jogging. I try to break up the monotony with walking outside, walking inside of the treadmill, and interval training. I will run 20-25 seconds and then run for 35-40 seconds, for up to 15 minutes. Then I will take a short break and do another 30 minutes of walking, with incline. I go outside and walk the dogs and sometimes I will jog the nearby subdivisions. I have my mother as my workout partner and I have concern about what will happen to both of us once I leave. Manny has dedicated his support to me and we have talked about getting a gym membership there. He prefers to do Jiu Jitsu and Paintball as his activities. Not something suitable to a girlie-girl like me. Here, I have been helping my mother find a local gym. She has promised me that she will continue and kick butt. She has done a staggering 70 lbs of weight loss. She is a heart attack patient, over 5 years ago. She has quit smoking since, but became diabetic, much to her disappointment. With exercise and food monitoring, she has managed to come off of her blood pressure medication and she hopes that she will one day come off her diabetic medication until she is much older. I cannot say how proud I am of her and everything she has done. She gives me motivation to keep going, I also want to catch up to her weight loss. ;)

Let me show you some before and after of where I am at....

I can't believe that I let myself get to that point, but I was truly miserable. I hated my job and my life. There was no doubt about that. My goal, before I leave, is 10 more lbs. If I can do more, that will be a bonus, but I am not going to push myself beyond anything reasonable.