Today was the day that the administrative assistant at work was going to take me around to get all the various cards and things I need to be legal here (and to get paid, get healthcare, etc.).
I was supposed to meet her at 9:30. So, at 9:30 I headed downstairs. The woman who is sort of in charge here came out to tell me that my contact from work (E.) was running late and would be there in 15 minutes. I asked the woman if she had my contract (lease) signed for me to take with me. She said, "yes", which apparently meant "not really." So about 15 minutes later E pulled up on her scooter. And I realized I was going to be riding around on the back of the scooter all day. She came in and asked the woman for the contract. The woman's "si" to me turns into 5 minutes of a rapid fire Spanish conversation. I understood things like "on it's way" and "the guy has to follow a path." I turns out that of course they did NOT have the signed contract, but were messengering it over - from the building we were about to go to (ugh). So we waited. And waited. It's 10:30, 10:45. We got coffee from the vending machine in the communal living room here [side note: the coffee from this little machine is dirt cheap and they have plenty of decaf options. You also get to choose how sweet your coffee is on the machine. Unfortunately, the least sweet coffee tastes like you're drinking super sweet coffee flavored milk - you get what you pay for, I guess). Finally, the woman came in with a FAXED copy of contract - not the original. The original wouldn't be there 'til the afternoon. Keep in mind, I asked them for this copy 5 days ago. I thought E was going to kill the woman. But she didn't and we headed out to the scooter. She said on the way that she was pretty worried they wouldn't accept the copy of the lease, but it was worth a try. So, she laid out what we were going to do today: register with the census, register for my resident card, open a bank account, register at my health center, get my bus card, and get a cell phone. She said "we might be lucky and finish everything today."
So, we got on the scooter (I have known this woman for all of 5 days and we've talked for maybe 5 minutes before this - but modesty isn't a thing in Spain I guess - on the scooter we went). We zipped down the hill to the area where all the offices were. I needed 6 passport photos (taken in a photo booth) and some photocopies before I could fill out all my paper work. So, we got the photos and the copies. Then we went to the comisario (police station, basically), where we grabbed a number from a machine. We saw there were about 14 people ahead of us, so we ran over to the padron's office (essentially the social security office) to register. This was where we needed the lease we didn't have - and one copy of it was on the 4th floor of the building we were going into. So ... we took a number again (2 people ahead of us) and E got on the phone with the people upstairs. They were completely unhelpful and we our number was called. We sat down with the guy behind the desk, who was not to happy we had a copy. E explained to him the situation and he finally agreed to fill out the paper work. She said after that she knew him from doing this with other researchers, or he might not have been so helpful. I was registered with the census, and we sprinted back to the comisario.
We got there, and there were only 3 people ahead of us. As we were waiting they cut off the line for people taking numbers - it was 12 and everyone who didn't already have a number had to come back tomorrow. We got in, and filed the paper work for my resident card. E explained to me that after 40 days, I'd come back to get my card ... this is sort of cutting it close since I can't leave the country and get back in without it - and I'm going to puerto rico in ~ 44 days. Fortunately, she said that it is often ready earlier since they get shipped in batches. So, then we had to run to a local branch of the bank to make a transfer from my employer's bank account to the comisario to pay for my resident card. We took a number (again) at the bank, got the paper work for our transfer, and went back to the comasario, where we took another number (they make exceptions on the whole "no new number" thing for people making the bank transfer). It took FOREVER to get in this time. We got yelled at once for being impatient and trying to sneak in early. We finally got in and gave them the transfer paperwork. They took fingerprints (because obviously the set I sent the FBI and the Spanish government earlier are not sufficient). Then we decided to go get my bank account before the bank closed (even though my health center is in the same neighborhood as the comisario, etc.).
So, we sprinted back to the bike, and went into El Centro and went to the main branch of the bank. We ran into the bank and ... took a number! Fortunately, no one was ahead of us in line this time. We sat down with the woman and she determined that I would get a "young person's account" since I'm under 30. I also had to open a foreigner's account since I don't have my resident card yet. Once I get it, I get to go to the bank and they will not charge me any more fees (it's 14 € every six months for the foreigner account). With the youth account account I get discounts on group tours and other "young person's events", apparently. The bank is also where you apply for a bus card, so I got a bus card application to fill out as well. After more than an hour there, we left with all my bank account information, and the promise that my bus card would come "after Easter." Then we went to a computer to change my PIN and password to sign into my account online. A guy also showed us that I have a "virtual credit card" I can use online. I have no idea when I'd ever use it, but it's nice to know it's there, I guess. Then E decided it was time for lunch - we'd already been at this for over 4 hours and we were both starved. So we went to a little pintxos bar and had a couple of sandwiches and she had coffee. Everyone around us was enjoying some wine, which made me want some, but we still had a lot to do.
After lunch, it was back to the scooter, and back to Amara where the health center is located. The health center looks really new and convenient. After taking yet another number, we talked to a lady who got my account set up. She assigned me a doctor who "speaks more or less the English," who is in every afternoon. If I need an appointment, I call or go online, show up and go to the office number I'm given online. The health center is completely free and covers everything except for dentistry, chiropractic and a few other miscellaneous things. Hopefully, I won't have to visit them often (if at all), but it's good to know they're there. I get my permanent health care card in 2.5-3 months.
After the health center, we went back downtown to get my phone. E decided I should get a phone with a contract, because they give you the phone free (or cheap), whereas a pre-paid phone you have to pay for the phone and the plans are more expensive. So, we asked the woman at the store who insisted that I need my official residence card to open this kind of account. I decided to just wait on the phone until I get my resident card - it's not like I'm calling tons of people in Spain and I have a phone I can use for emergencies here.
So then it was almost 4 o'clock (6.5 hours after we started all of this), so rather than going into work, we headed home. We decided we WERE really lucky because we didn't have to wait too long for anyone or anything. Now I have to wait 40(ish) days for my resident card to arrive to the comisario. We'll call in a month or so and see if it's there. When I get it, E and I go back to the comisario to retrieve it, then we'll get my phone and change my bank account to a non-foreigner's account. Now, I just have to wait for my ATM card, my bus pass, and my permanent health card to show up in the mail!
I'm pretty relieved all of this is done - though I wish the resident card would come sooner! I'm ready to finish these other things now! I also have to say I am SO lucky to have an employer who helped me take care of all of this. Bureaucracy is hard enough in your own language and country, let alone a new country with a new language. I would have been totally lost today and it would have been way, way more stressful than it was.
I managed to get some grocery shopping done this afternoon. I know I still have at least one more big trip to make before this weekend to make sure I have enough food - my local market is totally closed from Wednesday at 9 until Tuesday at 9.
I'm struggling a little with cooking here (especially with coming up with stuff to take to work for lunch ... I'm hopeful I'll have decent leftovers tonight, but we'll see). It's hard to cook for one person, especially with limited ingredients since I have yet to go to the real supermarket! Hopefully, I'll be brave enough to go this weekend. I'm also hoping I can get ahold of one of those great carts that everyone here has, so I don't have to haul my stuff by myself. My supervisor and I are both working on Thursday - apparently we can get into the building. So I'm feeling pretty good about that - I'll only have 4 days to fill instead of the dreaded 5. I'm trying to look at these days as an opportunity to relax a little and be really refreshed to start work in earnest next week.
Saving the best news for last, I managed to go a whole day yesterday with NO tears. I knew it would happen eventually, but looking back to last Tuesday (it's hard to believe I've been here almost a week), I thought it wouldn't. I remember saying to someone "I wish I could just see a week or a month from now and know I'm okay." And I am. Okay, that is. It's not easy. And it's still not particularly fun (especially at night, and especially being away from Pete). But it's okay - and that's all I'm asking for right now.
Congratulations if you made it through this novel. I'm happy to have this as a chronicle of my time here, and I'm sure I'll be glad I have it to look back on in the future. Hopefully, it's not too tedious to read!
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