SI SE PUEDE!

Yesterday was a very exciting day. More exciting than the first day I ate Croquetas here in Madrid.

Why you ask??

I voted!

This was not an easy process, but I was excited about it all day.

I received my ballot through the speedy people in Democrats Abroad and the United States Embassy. I will now use this opportunity to embarrass TOM100. By the time he took my completed request for an absentee ballot to the Town Clerk, she informed him that they had already MAILED me an absentee ballot. Seeing how I left in August... hmmm I guess that would be at least October. I guess thats the trouble with living in such a small town, everything is SO far away! 

Anyways, so I had my ballot for a week or two. I kept on trying to get my butt to the embassy, but despite being an American embassy, they still run on Spanish hours. So what does this mean? They close at 1pm!

Thanks!

So I find this out the hard way early in the week, and I set my sights on returning on Friday. This is the one day where I can actually leave school and make it to the designated location "on time". So Friday rolls around and Lindsay and I dash out of school at 12 on the dot. We take the Cercanias( commuter) train back into Madrid, and walk across Plaza de Colon. We hop on the Metro, thinking that this would save time. We have the doors shut in our face on one of the trains, and we wait 2 minutes for the following one. We hop on the train. Destination:Serrano. I was hesitant about doing the Metro thing with little time to spare, but we got on. 

We get off the Metro (one stop later) and find ourselves located across the plaza from where we started from. I say a few choice words and then begin hauling *choice word* to the embassy. 

Time: 12:35.

We are walking off to the embassy, when Lindsay realizes she needs postage for her ballot. The funny thing is, she actually didn't need this postage. But we didn't know that at the time and we had to make a pit stop at an estanco.

We continue off to the Embassy, where we arrive with no time to spare. I believe it was 12:58? We go through security, drop off our bags, get a number, and go sit in the waiting room. I see people all over the room writing in ballots and dropping completed ballots off to be mailed. It was more exciting than the polls! Well maybe not, because it took twice as long.

I was entertained with the CNN channel that was on the news. Even though I have a low interest, I had a chance to see the Rays beat the Phillies. Besides that, I was just passing the time by fanning myself off with my ballot. It was warm. 

Anyways, we are sitting waiting and the cleaning ladies start sweeping around us. The place is still packed with people, but apparently they have decided that we shouldn't be there. Lindsay and I are proactive and ignore our numbers and hop in line. Lindsay discovers that she didn't need to buy postage, and the lady inserted her ballot in a larger envelope. This envelope has pre-paid postage once in the USA through "Imperial" mail. Fancy isn't it?

Mine was all set, Durham had covered my postage. Thanks Durham!

Well friends, that is how I voted. It was a struggle, a battle at times, but I conquered. In all seriousness, I do have battle wounds. My feet (specifically my left) are NOT happy with this walk/run from Friday and have been hurting ever since. I guess that is the price to pay when I was not in the states to canvass!