Taxing

So, when you live abroad, taxes are a nightmare.  Last year I had some income from the US and most of my income from Spain.  Figuring out how much I owe the US government (considering I pay about 25% tax here) is super confusing.

Know what's not confusing?

Paying taxes in Spain.

Here's how it worked:  I made an appointment online yesterday and went in to the office (5 minutes from my house) this morning.  I got there and took a number.  There was one person in front of me, so I waited about 2 minutes.  I handed the woman my income statement from my current workplace and from the University here where I taught a master's class, my rent statements from last year, a copy of my residency card, and a copy of my passport.  She spent 5 minutes talking to me about my work and how I liked Spain while she plugged numbers into her magic machine.  She then announced I was getting a huge refund, which would be deposited in my account by the end of the week.  Complete magic!!

The woman there was helpful, patient, and really interesting, and I was in and out of the office in less than 15 minutes.  I don't know of a single government office in the US that can manage that.  In spite of it's reputation of being inefficient (and the whole socialism business), things get done so easily here, it makes me wish I could take some of this back to the US.

Running

I've been running now for about 3 weeks.

And I hate it.

And also love it.

I'm pretty terrible at running and have never been an athlete.   And I hate it because every time I go, I'm convinced I'm going to die.  I'm doing the Couch to 5K program, which consists of running and walking intervals (increasing the amount you run each week).  Every running interval, I dread, and think "there's no way I will finish this!"

But here's the thing.  I never actually die.  And I finish every running interval (and could probably keep going).  I don't LIKE the feeling of running and I'm slow as dirt, but I do like feeling smug.  And running allows me to feel smug when I'm done.  And honestly, smug when I'm running and I pass anyone (even if they're walking).  I'm smug when I'm done because I didn't die.  And I managed to run.

Hopefully, I can keep this up until I'm able to run a 5K without much problem.

Stay tuned for the story of my tax appointment.

Same old everything

I've been quiet because I've been waiting for nearly a month on some job news.  I'ms till waiting, but my brain is full of "life in Spain" thoughts.

I've now been here for over 13 months.  I've been in my new apartment for almost two months.  I have a new residence card that doesn't expire until 2014.  All of which is weird, since I'd hoped to be planning my (permanent) trip home (or at least to the US) by now.  Instead, I'm faced with the prospect of another summer in Donostia.  There are worse things, of course, and worse places to spend the summer than by the sea.  But I'm ready to go home.

I can tell I've been here for a while because nothing is a surprise anymore.  Today, my bus stopped at the stop before mine, and the driver announced that we all had to get off.  It turns out there was some sort of march or protest near my office, and the bus couldn't drive us to our normal stop.  So, my normal 15 minute walk to work from the bus turned into a 30 minute walk.  But that's just a typical day here.

Hopefully, I'll be back soon with good news ...

1 year

As I alluded to earlier, I've been here for a year today.  A year right about this time, actually.  

I've been trying to think about what this year has been like and how I feel about today.

The answer, like most things in my life, is that it's complicated.   This year has somehow managed to be simultaneously the fastest and slowest year of my life.  I can't believe I've already been here for a year ... and I can't believe I've ONLY been here for a year.  I'm really proud of how less scary everything is than when I first stepped into this apartment.  But I'm still pretty scared about trying to figure out what the future holds for me ... and when I'll get back to the US.  

I'm happy I'm here and I wish I were home at the same time.  I spent the night in my new apartment last night, and will say goodbye to this apartment for good in just a few hours.  And I'll be able to say I lived in Spain for more than a year ... Hopefully not much more though.  If you're of the praying persuasion, I can definitely use some that a couple of my plans in the works will come to fruition, and I can enjoy the next couple of months in Spain knowing I'll go back to the US soon.

----

A quick story about the big move yesterday.  I have somehow accumulated a lot of stuff since I've been here (a lot of it won't be coming back to the States with me, like bathroom and kitchen stuff), but I had a ton of junk to move.  A friend of a friend offered use of his (small) car at the last minute.  So at 10 pm, my friend and I hauled my stuff to the lobby, with a plan to do two car loads.  But Basques are nothing if not industrious and with a little fancy wiggling, and me jamming into the back under the thing covering his trunk that we had to remove and relocate for the mile long ride down the hill, we made it in one load.  So the whole move, door-to-door took less than 45 minutes.  Well, almost the whole move, as today I have to move cleaning supplies, two trash cans and a whole bunch of hangers.  And, I'm really, really happy that the next time I move will be back to the US.

Things I'm Not Good At

The number one thing I am not good at is leaving.  Even if I'm not happy about where I am, leaving is always hard.  Even moving from my apartment in Evanston (which was not an easy or fun place to live) into Peter's house was hard.  So I'm not too surprised that leaving here is also hard.  And sad.  Even though moving in here was not a particularly happy part of my life, it was a part of my life.  And saying goodbye to it is not so fun.  But.  I have a signed lease.  Keys.  And a car to help me move out tonight.  So after a good mop of the floor tomorrow, I will bid my studio apartment adieu for a smaller, but cozier and better located 1 bedroom apartment.  Pictures to come.

Moving, but not moving on

I'm nearing the anniversary of my move here to Spain (probably more on that later this week), and as a result, I have to move out of my apartment.  The leases for this building were intended to be only for a year at a time, so on Tuesday I'm signing a lease for my new apartment.

First, the good part.  This new apartment is in an ideal location.  It's the perfect size for me (small), and is in good shape with nice landlords, etc.  Hopefully, within a week or so, I'll have a more functioning internet system than I do in this building, which will mean easier communications home.  The bad part?  I have to pack up my stuff, and it's not for a move back to the US.  I always knew this was a possibility, but I had really, really hoped I'd be heading home around now.  Or at least have a more solid plan for next year.  I'm working hard on a few options to get me back to the States this summer, but nothing is in place yet.  And as everyone knows, I am not good at living a life in flux.  I really want a plan.  Yesterday.  But, for now, I'm packing up and moving on.  Knowing the next time I do it will be for home.  And that's a good feeling I can hold on to for a while.

A funeral, a sprained ankle, a sick kitty, and 11000 miles

This week was unbelievably, incredibly long. And I am unbelievably, incredibly exhausted and on a plane with 6 hours to kill before I land in Frankfurt.

Here is my list of laments for the week, followed by some attempt at a little joy to counterbalance the laments:

- The whole reason I flew back was for my grandma's funeral. Under the best circumstances, funerals are a huge drag, but this one hit me hard, like a punch in the stomach. It was partially jet lag, partially the last minute planning (which I am not a huge fan of), and mostly the fact that even though I've been trying to prepare for this for at least 10 months, I was woefully, woefully not prepared. I am amazingly lucky that I made it to 29 with all of my grandparents around, that all of them came to my wedding, and that they all have had such a great impact in my life. But it felt like a punch in the stomach for two straight days.
- Upon returning to Chicago, we discovered our cat w really, really sick. After a number of phone calls and emails, we discovered it was a kidney infection, requiring a doubling in the number and frequency of her usual daily meds. Which Pete has to do on his own since I'm heading back to Europe now.
- When we discovered poor sick kitty, I decided to try to coax her down the stairs. Backwards. Then I started to turn. And managed to step sideways on my ankle. Really sideways. Ad my ankle ended up being about the size of a tennis ball in 3 minutes. A little ice, a little elevation ... And a doctor's visit the next day, diagnosed me with a "moderate sprain" and has landed me with a still swollen, incredibly bruised, sore ankle.
- I'm still not sure where I'm living in two weeks or what my life is going to look like in 3 months. No stress there at all.

But in happier news,
- I have wifi on my plane. And in seat entertainment. And an empty seat next to me to prop my foot up on.
- I have some ideas and plans for how my life might look in a few months. And have been assured by the amazing people I know and love in Spain that I will not be homeless.
- I have visitors in 4 days! And might be traveling in a week and a half.
- I got to celebrate my grandma's life, with my family, and had a few stolen moments with my parents and with Pete, that are nothing less than a gift. So I'm grateful for that.

And honestly, I would take ten plane trips across the ocean in a week ... I would lose days of sleep ... I would twist my ankle ... Deal with all of the stuff so I could be with my family for the moments this week. So that's, that.

Tomorrow will be back to regularly scheduled drama, complete with exhaustion, house hunting in Spanish, and all the other usual my-crazy-Spanish-life business.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:30000 feet in the air