Wonder how wanderful a CPA can be?

I originally started this blog with the intention of journalizing my Spain trip. However, as I was talking with friends, one pointed out the idea of just making it a travelog, knowing how wanderfully wanderlusty I can get. I have some trips, both planned and spontaneous, that I want to take before the end of this year so this blog should be alive and kicking till then. :P By next year I will have to start earning money to sustain my wanderpul wanderlust and maybe if I get lucky, get my wanderpul fix courtesy of my job :)

Anyway, as I now have redefined this newbornblog, I can now talk about where I am right now. As dorky and boring as it may sound, I am in an all expense paid AICPA Leadership Workshop here in Peachtree City, GA. The AICPA, the largest accounting body in the whole world, holds this workshop annually especially designed for the minorities. I, being the non-expecting type, obviously did not want to define my expectations about this conference. Thus, by default, the events exceeded my "expectations." LOL The main thing about this workshop is to encourage especially us minority to achieve the CPA designation and what that designation can do for us. It's amazing what CPAs can do. CPAs are all over the workforce - from academia, public accounting, government, private sector, entrepreneurships, and the list could go on. The speakers ranged from partners in auditing firms, owners of their own companies, liaisons for the Oscars, CFOs of non-profit organizations, specialized consultants for law firm management, professors in big universities, etc. Now, I am a recent grad and heck I didn't know being a CPA could open all sorts of doors. Seriously. These people were living testaments of what is out there for us. It's very comforting and encouraging to know that somewhere down the road, I can use this designation as a leverage and at the same time also be able to focus on my personal interests.

Anyway, I don't wanna bore you with all this accounting shmooblah. (If you did make it this far, it wasn't that bad right? . :P )

I have not been outside a 200 meter radius in more than 40 hours and this is definitely not wanderpul. It is now 2am. We have a presentation competition. After that, I will have to peace out before the formal farewell since I have a plane to catch to Spain! Then, no more accounting blog stuff for a good, long while :P

Hasta el domingo que yo estaré en la ciudad de Granada!
I hope my Granada travels will turn out wanderpully so I may recount wanderpul stories here in this blog. :)

Getting the Schengen Visa and Packing

Way back when I was still drowning in school work amidst my professional slacker activities (or lack thereof), it fortunately hit me that I need to get on with the program and get a Schengen visa. So, like any other normal person would, I get on the Internet and start doing my research as to how to go about getting one. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find information on the Internet nowadays, right? Err not this time. To make a long story short, the Spanish Embassy website did not have the list of which documents I would need to apply for a visa. I called several times but would only get the automated answering machine. In short, it was very frustrating. So, I decided that I would just need to drive up to Washington, DC to find out which documents I need. I drove 250 miles all for a piece of paper. Turns out, I only needed two more items on the list. Anyway, I got those two items and drove back to DC on May 1st only to find out - after 4 hours, 250 miles, $7 for parking and walking 4 blocks - that the embassy was closed for Labor Day! (And dad even took off work) So we went back the next Tuesday and finally turned everything in. (I got my visa on the 21st)

Fastforward: I graduated on the 18th then sat around for more than a week. I leave for Georgia for a leadership workshop on the 29th then fly out of Georgia on the 31st for Spain. I started "packing" on the 28th - a bit late - I'm always late. =) It is now 28th in the afternoon and I'm almost done. I think I overpacked. Oh well what can a girl do :)

I have 3 more movies to watch before I leave. This is a must. LOL. So I'll blog ya later. :)

PS Sorry for the hurried accounts I am running out of time here :) Promise I'll blog better in Spain. Hasta luego!