As I implied yesterday, I managed to get my cell phone after two trips to the cell phone stores and a bunch of run around. I got a great plan that will cost me much, much less than a cell phone plan in the US and I'm pretty happy with the phone so far.
Unfortunately, I went home to no internet. The internet did decide to start back up at around 11:30, but I had to get up early today to head to the bank, so it wasn't much use to me. Speaking of the bank ...
I still hate doing administrative tasks here. To be fair, I hate doing them in the US, too. But add the language barrier and I would rather be punched in the face than go to the bank here. After waiting *FOREVER* for a woman to finish telling the bank employee what she was going to do this weekend with her grandkids [side note: I have learned you cannot be in a rush here. Even if you are in a rush, things will get done when they get done. Things sometimes get done more quickly if you try to exchange a few pleasantries first. But often, they just get done whenever the person doing them feels like it], I finally talked to the employee. I explained that I have a foreigner's account, but now I have my residence card, so I want to switch to a resident account (so they won't charge me fees). She took my card, my passport and my ATM card and spent about 20 minutes typing stuff onto her computer. Then she went to look for some guy because she couldn't do one part of the switch, who wasn't there. Then she took a personal call on her cell phone (not kidding). Finally, she told me that she'd have to take my documents and make copies of them and then try to switch it later. She said they'd call me ... we'll see what happens. If I haven't heard from them in a week, I'll go back, maybe with a Spanish speaker to try to figure things out.
I also have to go to the post office today for the first time to try to get a package. Inexplicably the post office is open 8 am-8:30 pm Monday through Friday and 8 am - 2 on Saturday. This is a minor miracle considering everything shuts down early on Fridays (2pm or so) and most services like the bank aren't open at all on Saturday.
I also applied for my Tarjeta Ciudadana, which is a card you get that gives you access to a lot of services: Discounted prices at the School of Music and Dance, discounted prices at sports facilities and gyms, free parking in various areas, Free WiFi throughout the city. Hopefully that will arrive without too much trouble, and then I can be done with bureaucracy for a while!
Showing posts with label Spanish time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish time. Show all posts
Friday, May 20, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
How I burned my finger and why I'm blaming Amazon UK
Dear Amazon UK,
Were it not for your incredible free shipping to Spain, I would be done with you. Today, I burned my finger and it is your fault. Last week, you managed to smash my package contain much needed kitchen utensils and a Britta filter so my water would not taste like feet. Then you told me that I "returned" the package (apparently code for you smashing it). Then, you made me reorder things at a higher price and jump through 85 hoops to get my lower price refunded to me. But my things were supposed to be here today, finally! And you've already brought me so many wonderful things for so little money! A drying rack! Cute and comfortable boots! A cookbook!
I got home around 7 to discover a note slipped under my door that you shipped my things via MRW and MRW decided to come to deliver during my doorman's siesta (between 12:30 and 5:30 every day). I thought maybe it would say "We're sorry we missed you! We'll try again tomorrow." But no, it says "We came by to deliver your stuff but no one was here. Come pick it up at our office ______ (literally nothing filled in) after _____ o'clock (again nothing filled in). Call us at XXX-XXX-XXX (that was filled in)." Especially awesome since I (a) do not have a cell phone because I (b) do not have a residence card and (c) could not call you and discuss this situation with you even if I wanted to because I don't have the language to say "You jerks bring my package back here tomorrow so I don't have to haul my butt to your offices during work hours." So, I went downstairs to talk to my doorman - who had another present for me (my new computer charger, complete with European extension cord, so I can stop using my cord converter). He tried to call MRW. No surprise, no one answered [side note: we called the residence card office 12 times today - no answer at all]. So the doorman tells me to come back tomorrow morning (he gets there at 9) to check with him about what to do. I have a meeting at work at 10, so I can't do that. I said I'd come back at lunch before he starts his siesta. So tomorrow, I have to leave work and eat lunch at my desk to figure out what to do about this. Hopefully, I don't have to go too far to get the package or I may have to take more time off to do it.
So how what does this have to do with burning my finger. Well, you see, I have no utensils that function well for turning over food. I have a ladle and a spoon that strains things, and another plastic spoon that can spoon sauce over things, and some wooden spoons and silverware. But no tongs. No spatula or turner. Why not? Because you were supposed to deliver those things to me today. Along with a Britta filter to make my water not taste like trash. Did I mention that yet?
I cooked chicken tonight (specifically muslo de pollo which is basically the leg and thigh still connected, often with feathers on them before I cook it). These do not turn easily with a fork and plastic serving spoon combo. I got one turned in the pan ... and then the second one slipped sending the fork into the pan and my finger onto the edge of the scalding hot pan. I now have an awesome blister on my finger. And it's your fault Amazon UK. All. Your. Fault.
Were it not for your incredible free shipping to Spain, I would be done with you. Today, I burned my finger and it is your fault. Last week, you managed to smash my package contain much needed kitchen utensils and a Britta filter so my water would not taste like feet. Then you told me that I "returned" the package (apparently code for you smashing it). Then, you made me reorder things at a higher price and jump through 85 hoops to get my lower price refunded to me. But my things were supposed to be here today, finally! And you've already brought me so many wonderful things for so little money! A drying rack! Cute and comfortable boots! A cookbook!
I got home around 7 to discover a note slipped under my door that you shipped my things via MRW and MRW decided to come to deliver during my doorman's siesta (between 12:30 and 5:30 every day). I thought maybe it would say "We're sorry we missed you! We'll try again tomorrow." But no, it says "We came by to deliver your stuff but no one was here. Come pick it up at our office ______ (literally nothing filled in) after _____ o'clock (again nothing filled in). Call us at XXX-XXX-XXX (that was filled in)." Especially awesome since I (a) do not have a cell phone because I (b) do not have a residence card and (c) could not call you and discuss this situation with you even if I wanted to because I don't have the language to say "You jerks bring my package back here tomorrow so I don't have to haul my butt to your offices during work hours." So, I went downstairs to talk to my doorman - who had another present for me (my new computer charger, complete with European extension cord, so I can stop using my cord converter). He tried to call MRW. No surprise, no one answered [side note: we called the residence card office 12 times today - no answer at all]. So the doorman tells me to come back tomorrow morning (he gets there at 9) to check with him about what to do. I have a meeting at work at 10, so I can't do that. I said I'd come back at lunch before he starts his siesta. So tomorrow, I have to leave work and eat lunch at my desk to figure out what to do about this. Hopefully, I don't have to go too far to get the package or I may have to take more time off to do it.
So how what does this have to do with burning my finger. Well, you see, I have no utensils that function well for turning over food. I have a ladle and a spoon that strains things, and another plastic spoon that can spoon sauce over things, and some wooden spoons and silverware. But no tongs. No spatula or turner. Why not? Because you were supposed to deliver those things to me today. Along with a Britta filter to make my water not taste like trash. Did I mention that yet?
I cooked chicken tonight (specifically muslo de pollo which is basically the leg and thigh still connected, often with feathers on them before I cook it). These do not turn easily with a fork and plastic serving spoon combo. I got one turned in the pan ... and then the second one slipped sending the fork into the pan and my finger onto the edge of the scalding hot pan. I now have an awesome blister on my finger. And it's your fault Amazon UK. All. Your. Fault.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Success!
I left my house at around 8:30 this morning and made it to work before 10. I walked about a mile and a half to the bank and spent the whole time practicing conversation for the bank. I practiced saying, "The ATM took my card. A woman at my job told me to come here and get a new one" in Spanish. I practiced saying, "Also, I wrote the wrong signature on the website and I got locked out of my online account! Can you unblock it for me?"
I got there and everyone was pretty busy, but I finally got a guy to help me. I asked if he (or anyone there) spoke English and told him my Spanish was terrible - but no luck there. I launched into my spiel about the ATM card and he asked if it was a machine in that place that took my card. And here was the real test. I had to say things I hadn't practiced. I told him that the woman at my job had called them, and they told her that they would have the card for me. So, he went into an office and voila! My card! It was the actual card that the ATM had eaten with my signature and everything. We tested it to make sure it worked and it does. The guy asked me if I needed the ATM translated to English, but then said my Spanish was good enough he thought I would be okay in Castellano. So now I do all my transactions in Spanish ... I can always change it later if it's too hard.
Then we moved on to the internet issue - he fixed everything for me there and we tested the key (though not the signature - so hopefully that works). I had a good combination of Spanish I had practiced and improv Spanish, but he understood everything I needed and was very helpful.
I honestly feel like if I can do this, I can do almost any face to face interaction. I think the phone would be way harder, because it's harder to understand in both directions. Fortunately, they're not huge on phone based customer service here, so I should be able to survive. Overall, I'm feeling so much better about the whole language barrier/culture shock issue.
I am not very good at patience or at making mistakes, and my time here so far has tested both of those things pretty substantially. Today demonstrated to me that I need to be more patient with myself (a constant struggle) and to be willing to make mistakes. In a weird way, if I hadn't totally misunderstood the entire banking system here, I wouldn't have had a chance to practice my Spanish today. While I was practicing my Spanish, I know I made about 4 billion mistakes, but I survived. No one yelled at me or laughed at me and the guy understood everything I needed. So, the next time I need to practice, I'll be a little less scared. And maybe I'll leave this whole experience actually speaking real Spanish - which was one of my big goals anyhow.
Between this excitement and all of the exciting things getting started at work, today is one of the days when I feel like "I can do this!" I'm sure I'll have more "What am I DOING here?!?" days, but it's nice to feel like I might be able to succeed!
I got there and everyone was pretty busy, but I finally got a guy to help me. I asked if he (or anyone there) spoke English and told him my Spanish was terrible - but no luck there. I launched into my spiel about the ATM card and he asked if it was a machine in that place that took my card. And here was the real test. I had to say things I hadn't practiced. I told him that the woman at my job had called them, and they told her that they would have the card for me. So, he went into an office and voila! My card! It was the actual card that the ATM had eaten with my signature and everything. We tested it to make sure it worked and it does. The guy asked me if I needed the ATM translated to English, but then said my Spanish was good enough he thought I would be okay in Castellano. So now I do all my transactions in Spanish ... I can always change it later if it's too hard.
Then we moved on to the internet issue - he fixed everything for me there and we tested the key (though not the signature - so hopefully that works). I had a good combination of Spanish I had practiced and improv Spanish, but he understood everything I needed and was very helpful.
I honestly feel like if I can do this, I can do almost any face to face interaction. I think the phone would be way harder, because it's harder to understand in both directions. Fortunately, they're not huge on phone based customer service here, so I should be able to survive. Overall, I'm feeling so much better about the whole language barrier/culture shock issue.
I am not very good at patience or at making mistakes, and my time here so far has tested both of those things pretty substantially. Today demonstrated to me that I need to be more patient with myself (a constant struggle) and to be willing to make mistakes. In a weird way, if I hadn't totally misunderstood the entire banking system here, I wouldn't have had a chance to practice my Spanish today. While I was practicing my Spanish, I know I made about 4 billion mistakes, but I survived. No one yelled at me or laughed at me and the guy understood everything I needed. So, the next time I need to practice, I'll be a little less scared. And maybe I'll leave this whole experience actually speaking real Spanish - which was one of my big goals anyhow.
Between this excitement and all of the exciting things getting started at work, today is one of the days when I feel like "I can do this!" I'm sure I'll have more "What am I DOING here?!?" days, but it's nice to feel like I might be able to succeed!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Like Magic
Today was magically much, much better than yesterday. I had a great day at work and started to figure things out more in terms of logistics. One of my new friends taught me how to load my bus card with tickets - I chose the monthly ticket since you only have to ride the bus 44 times to pay for it - and if I go to work and back every day for a month, I will ride it 40 times, so I think it's definitely going to be worth it.
I'm also planning to go to the bank tomorrow to pick up my replacement ATM card and hopefully get "unlocked" from my online bank account. I have been practicing the things to say, though I'm pretty nervous about the whole ordeal. I know I'll survive either way, and if I need to I can always drag a Spanish speaker with me on Monday. It will be really good for me to at least try, I think.
Tomorrow's going to be a short work day: a late morning due to the bank (they're only open 9-1:30), and an early afternoon since another postdoc is leaving and we're all going out for pintxos/drinks at around 6 downtown (and I want to go home and drop my things off before we run around town for who knows how many hours).
I don't have plans for this weekend after tomorrow night, but hopefully, I can make some! Otherwise, I might just try to get lots of work done. I'm submitting to two conferences, and would like to have some new data to present! I do need to go to the big grocery store as well as go to the "home" store to try to buy some sheets and something not beige for my place.
I'm also planning to go to the bank tomorrow to pick up my replacement ATM card and hopefully get "unlocked" from my online bank account. I have been practicing the things to say, though I'm pretty nervous about the whole ordeal. I know I'll survive either way, and if I need to I can always drag a Spanish speaker with me on Monday. It will be really good for me to at least try, I think.
Tomorrow's going to be a short work day: a late morning due to the bank (they're only open 9-1:30), and an early afternoon since another postdoc is leaving and we're all going out for pintxos/drinks at around 6 downtown (and I want to go home and drop my things off before we run around town for who knows how many hours).
I don't have plans for this weekend after tomorrow night, but hopefully, I can make some! Otherwise, I might just try to get lots of work done. I'm submitting to two conferences, and would like to have some new data to present! I do need to go to the big grocery store as well as go to the "home" store to try to buy some sheets and something not beige for my place.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Update
As if this day weren't already enough, I ran out to the grocery store to get some flour and maybe some fresh bread so I could cook a recipe and they're closed. They're not supposed to close 'til 9, but they're closed. I'm getting tired of not being able to find the ingredients I want and not really being able to cook. There are only so many variations on "lemon chicken" and "fish with lemon sauce" that I can make. Boo to Spanish grocery stores today!
Here's the part where I feel like a stupid foreigner.
So. The first time I tried to use my ATM card (last week) it got eaten by the ATM. When I got my bank account they gave me a PIN (4 numbers) and a Signature (8 letters). We used a computer to change my PIN and my Signature, so I assumed that what worked to access my account online, would work to access my account at the ATM. No such luck. Apparently, I didn't really change the PIN ... or didn't change the right PIN ... or something.
THEN, I got my bus card today and I saw online that you could transfer funds online and then just go to the ATM to activate the bus card. This was preferable because I have a dictionary and translation software at home and no Spaniards looking at me like a crazy person poking around on the ATM. In order to do this you need to use your Signature. So, I tried both the Signature I thought I was using and the Signature they gave me ... and got locked out of my online account. Awesome.
So now, I have to go to "my" branch (you can't just go to any branch - you have to go to the one the assign you to) to pick up a new ATM card and to get my online account unlocked. I'm scared to even try to load the bus card at an ATM because I don't want that to get eaten to - but I am super anxious to be able to pay way less for my bus rides. I'm also anxious because I have no clue where to put my card when I get on the bus. There are 3 different machines for 3 different types of cards. I think I know which one mine goes to, but who knows. I also thought I had changed my PIN and apparently I didn't.
This is the most frustrating part of the move. The hardest part is leaving my friends and family behind. But the combination of the language barrier and the culture barrier is the most frustrating. It's not like I can just call up customer service (not that they'd be open anyhow) and say "Here's what happened, what's going on?" I could do that, but then I'd have to deal with banking Spanish that would be very, very fast. So, I had to crawl with my tail between my legs to the administrative assistant, who surely thinks I'm an idiot by now.
I was also totally not in the mood for Spanish class today (even before all the bank business). We started class at 5, an hour later than yesterday, and I was sleepy and ready for a break, not for more mental exercise. I literally could not think of things to say in English, let alone Spanish.
To top all of this off, I forgot my tupperware, my arugula, and my apple in the fridge at work. I guess this means I have greens and fruit for tomorrow - and that I'll have to bring home two tupperwares tomorrow (that is, if I can figure out something to cook tonight that can also be reheated tomorrow).
Oh well, tomorrow is another day full of opportunities to make more mistakes. Maybe I should just start thinking of these as "learning opportunities" instead of mistakes.
So. The first time I tried to use my ATM card (last week) it got eaten by the ATM. When I got my bank account they gave me a PIN (4 numbers) and a Signature (8 letters). We used a computer to change my PIN and my Signature, so I assumed that what worked to access my account online, would work to access my account at the ATM. No such luck. Apparently, I didn't really change the PIN ... or didn't change the right PIN ... or something.
THEN, I got my bus card today and I saw online that you could transfer funds online and then just go to the ATM to activate the bus card. This was preferable because I have a dictionary and translation software at home and no Spaniards looking at me like a crazy person poking around on the ATM. In order to do this you need to use your Signature. So, I tried both the Signature I thought I was using and the Signature they gave me ... and got locked out of my online account. Awesome.
So now, I have to go to "my" branch (you can't just go to any branch - you have to go to the one the assign you to) to pick up a new ATM card and to get my online account unlocked. I'm scared to even try to load the bus card at an ATM because I don't want that to get eaten to - but I am super anxious to be able to pay way less for my bus rides. I'm also anxious because I have no clue where to put my card when I get on the bus. There are 3 different machines for 3 different types of cards. I think I know which one mine goes to, but who knows. I also thought I had changed my PIN and apparently I didn't.
This is the most frustrating part of the move. The hardest part is leaving my friends and family behind. But the combination of the language barrier and the culture barrier is the most frustrating. It's not like I can just call up customer service (not that they'd be open anyhow) and say "Here's what happened, what's going on?" I could do that, but then I'd have to deal with banking Spanish that would be very, very fast. So, I had to crawl with my tail between my legs to the administrative assistant, who surely thinks I'm an idiot by now.
I was also totally not in the mood for Spanish class today (even before all the bank business). We started class at 5, an hour later than yesterday, and I was sleepy and ready for a break, not for more mental exercise. I literally could not think of things to say in English, let alone Spanish.
To top all of this off, I forgot my tupperware, my arugula, and my apple in the fridge at work. I guess this means I have greens and fruit for tomorrow - and that I'll have to bring home two tupperwares tomorrow (that is, if I can figure out something to cook tonight that can also be reheated tomorrow).
Oh well, tomorrow is another day full of opportunities to make more mistakes. Maybe I should just start thinking of these as "learning opportunities" instead of mistakes.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I'm scared of the grocery store
Okay, here's the thing about the BIG supermarket. It's super scary.
American grocery stores can go in, get what you want, and get out. Plus I can read the labels. Plus I know where things are and what things are. Here, not so much.
But, I needed food before the town shuts down tomorrow. So I ventured down Big Hill 2 (less steep, but much longer path) to the Super Amara. So, the Super Amara is in the basement of this mall, and right above it is a fancier market with fancier meat counters, fish counters, fruit counters, etc. The Super Amara also has these things, and it was PACKED. Apparently, everyone had the same "stock up before Easter" idea I did.
I got downstairs and saw the line of registers, but no entrance. One of my best techniques for figuring out how things are done is watching other people. So I watched a lady grab one of the wheeled baskets (I saw no one with full-size shopping carts, but lots of people with the kinds of bags and carts people use to take groceries home - and a lot of people with large baskets on wheels). She headed around the corner, down the hall, and into the grocery store. The store is laid out very strangely and is sprawling, but doesn't actually have a large selection of practical things. I got to the fruit/veggie section and noticed everyone weighing and labeling their food. Of course, the labeling machine is in Spanish, so I used my watch other people technique and figured it out. I got almost everything on my list, besides meat and fish. The lines at the meat and fish counters were HUGE, so I decided to buy stuff in a package instead of having them carve it. I need to study up on my cuts of meat, parts of a chicken and fish names in Spanish before I'm brave enough. Maybe I'll go on a week day afternoon so I don't get too scared by being rushed. I managed okay until I got to the check out line. You have to bag your own stuff - and they are not good helpers. This is true even at the small markets, but then I'm typically not buying as much stuff as I did tonight. I was feeling rushed and the woman was sort of sassy, but I survived. I even managed to ask in Spanish if I could pay with a credit card (yes, but she's not happy about it was the basic response I got). Overall, it was a success. I have to see if the other Super Amara's are any closer/easier to deal with as far as buses go. I took a bus home today with all of my loot, but it is a bit of a walk from the grocery store.
I also really, really wish that the store had my favorite things in easier to find packages. I haven't been able to find broth (either packaged liquid or cubes) which is one of my favorite things to cook with. I also haven't found any shallots (though onions and garlic will suffice). There are also no fresh herbs as far as I can tell in the shops (even the small fruits/veggies markets). I'm considering growing a few things out on my terrace since I have both shady and sunny spots, but (a) I'm terrible at growing things and (b) I'm not sure where to buy pots, soil, seeds, etc. We'll see if I can figure that one out!
I had my first American food craving today. Seeing everyone on Facebook talk about Easter (and hearing all about it here) made me crave jelly beans, which are nowhere to be found. There's actually a decent bulk candy section at the Super Amara ... unfortunately, no jelly beans. However there are gummy things shaped like toes. Which is creepy. And lots of gumdrops.
In other news, I currently have a Spanish keyboard and a PC at work. Apparently, a Mac was supposed to be available for me, but someone else claimed it when I had visa troubles. I guess they're working on getting another one, but it's sort of hard to justify given that they have perfectly nice PCs. Unfortunately, a PC sort of messes me up. As does the Spanish keyboard. I think I discussed my issues with the @ symbol earlier, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The left shift key (a.k.a. the only shift key I use) is moved over slightly to the left, so I end up hitting the < key which is next to the left shift key. Basically all punctuation, besides commas and periods are in different places. There are also keys for ñ and ç which are jammed in and I hit all the time by mistake. I'm getting more used to it though and I'm sure soon enough it won't be a problem.
I got my office key only one day after I asked for it. I also got my new debit/credit card in the mail today (less than 48 hours after opening my bank account). It's good to know I can officially bank in Spain, though I'm having trouble understanding the "young people's benefits" my card comes with - especially because the website is a combination of crazy financial Spanish and young people's slang. I THINK I get discounts on trains and buses within Spain and around Europe, which would be great. I'll have one of my more proficient friends parse it for me.
I also got my two pairs of shoes that I ordered. I got a great pair of shorter boots with a cute chunky heel that are cute and SUPER comfortable. I also got a little pair of black mary janes since I forgot all of my black shoes at home. I'm really happy I have them. I still have a few other things I forgot or would like in my wardrobe (long sleeved shirts to sleep in since it's cold at night, cute scarves to accessorize since it's cold and everyone has them and thinks I'm sort of crazy not to, more layering pieces).
It sprinkled today for about 10 seconds at two different times, as far as I could tell. Not bad considering it was supposed to rain from noon to midnight. Tomorrow is supposed to be very warm, and sunny. That should be nice considering it's now supposed to rain Friday through Monday.
I'm feeling unusually exhausted for 9 pm. I'm starting to think it's a good thing I have a few days off. I'm going to go in to work tomorrow, but I don't anticipate putting in a full day since I only know of one other person going in. I have plenty of work to keep me busy - but I might prefer to do it sitting on my sofa. :)
American grocery stores can go in, get what you want, and get out. Plus I can read the labels. Plus I know where things are and what things are. Here, not so much.
But, I needed food before the town shuts down tomorrow. So I ventured down Big Hill 2 (less steep, but much longer path) to the Super Amara. So, the Super Amara is in the basement of this mall, and right above it is a fancier market with fancier meat counters, fish counters, fruit counters, etc. The Super Amara also has these things, and it was PACKED. Apparently, everyone had the same "stock up before Easter" idea I did.
I got downstairs and saw the line of registers, but no entrance. One of my best techniques for figuring out how things are done is watching other people. So I watched a lady grab one of the wheeled baskets (I saw no one with full-size shopping carts, but lots of people with the kinds of bags and carts people use to take groceries home - and a lot of people with large baskets on wheels). She headed around the corner, down the hall, and into the grocery store. The store is laid out very strangely and is sprawling, but doesn't actually have a large selection of practical things. I got to the fruit/veggie section and noticed everyone weighing and labeling their food. Of course, the labeling machine is in Spanish, so I used my watch other people technique and figured it out. I got almost everything on my list, besides meat and fish. The lines at the meat and fish counters were HUGE, so I decided to buy stuff in a package instead of having them carve it. I need to study up on my cuts of meat, parts of a chicken and fish names in Spanish before I'm brave enough. Maybe I'll go on a week day afternoon so I don't get too scared by being rushed. I managed okay until I got to the check out line. You have to bag your own stuff - and they are not good helpers. This is true even at the small markets, but then I'm typically not buying as much stuff as I did tonight. I was feeling rushed and the woman was sort of sassy, but I survived. I even managed to ask in Spanish if I could pay with a credit card (yes, but she's not happy about it was the basic response I got). Overall, it was a success. I have to see if the other Super Amara's are any closer/easier to deal with as far as buses go. I took a bus home today with all of my loot, but it is a bit of a walk from the grocery store.
I also really, really wish that the store had my favorite things in easier to find packages. I haven't been able to find broth (either packaged liquid or cubes) which is one of my favorite things to cook with. I also haven't found any shallots (though onions and garlic will suffice). There are also no fresh herbs as far as I can tell in the shops (even the small fruits/veggies markets). I'm considering growing a few things out on my terrace since I have both shady and sunny spots, but (a) I'm terrible at growing things and (b) I'm not sure where to buy pots, soil, seeds, etc. We'll see if I can figure that one out!
I had my first American food craving today. Seeing everyone on Facebook talk about Easter (and hearing all about it here) made me crave jelly beans, which are nowhere to be found. There's actually a decent bulk candy section at the Super Amara ... unfortunately, no jelly beans. However there are gummy things shaped like toes. Which is creepy. And lots of gumdrops.
In other news, I currently have a Spanish keyboard and a PC at work. Apparently, a Mac was supposed to be available for me, but someone else claimed it when I had visa troubles. I guess they're working on getting another one, but it's sort of hard to justify given that they have perfectly nice PCs. Unfortunately, a PC sort of messes me up. As does the Spanish keyboard. I think I discussed my issues with the @ symbol earlier, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The left shift key (a.k.a. the only shift key I use) is moved over slightly to the left, so I end up hitting the < key which is next to the left shift key. Basically all punctuation, besides commas and periods are in different places. There are also keys for ñ and ç which are jammed in and I hit all the time by mistake. I'm getting more used to it though and I'm sure soon enough it won't be a problem.
I got my office key only one day after I asked for it. I also got my new debit/credit card in the mail today (less than 48 hours after opening my bank account). It's good to know I can officially bank in Spain, though I'm having trouble understanding the "young people's benefits" my card comes with - especially because the website is a combination of crazy financial Spanish and young people's slang. I THINK I get discounts on trains and buses within Spain and around Europe, which would be great. I'll have one of my more proficient friends parse it for me.
I also got my two pairs of shoes that I ordered. I got a great pair of shorter boots with a cute chunky heel that are cute and SUPER comfortable. I also got a little pair of black mary janes since I forgot all of my black shoes at home. I'm really happy I have them. I still have a few other things I forgot or would like in my wardrobe (long sleeved shirts to sleep in since it's cold at night, cute scarves to accessorize since it's cold and everyone has them and thinks I'm sort of crazy not to, more layering pieces).
It sprinkled today for about 10 seconds at two different times, as far as I could tell. Not bad considering it was supposed to rain from noon to midnight. Tomorrow is supposed to be very warm, and sunny. That should be nice considering it's now supposed to rain Friday through Monday.
I'm feeling unusually exhausted for 9 pm. I'm starting to think it's a good thing I have a few days off. I'm going to go in to work tomorrow, but I don't anticipate putting in a full day since I only know of one other person going in. I have plenty of work to keep me busy - but I might prefer to do it sitting on my sofa. :)
Monday, April 18, 2011
So Much Bureaucracy
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!
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!
Ay yi yi ...
Stay tuned this evening for the tale of So Much Bureaucracy - it is almost too good to be true. Unfortunately, I have to abandon my apartment so the workers can install the curtains (hopefully this actually occurs - they dropped the curtains off, so I'm hopeful)!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The rest of the day
I was so worried that today would be awful, and I think it's been one of the best days yet, in terms of adjustment. I read outside on my terrace for a lot of the late afternoon - though I managed to bruise the crap out of my elbow carrying a chair out there. I also managed to watch some stuff I rented on my iPad before I came. I cooked dinner, caught up with friends + Pete + my parents.
I'm starting to reach for things and know where they are (particularly in the kitchen). I put away a bunch of stuff that was still in my carry on bags. I hung up most of the stuff that needs hanging up (although a lot of it is doubled or tripled on hangers because I have so few right now). So I'm officially unpacked and moved in. I only have a few more things I need (and a few more things I want) to make things more manageable.
One thing I want is color. I have a beige couch, a beige rug, white entertainment center, white + stainless steel kitchen, white sheets, white chairs, brown (ooooh) dining table, three coffee tables (2 brown + 1 white), white closets with brown interiors. Grey floors, grey and white bathroom, etc. I need something pink. Or green. Or blue. Or any color. I'm thinking about getting some pillows/cushions that I can then take out on the patio to sit on instead of the chair (which is too hard and also too tall - my feet don't touch the ground. Even my two turquoise dish towels help with the color problem. It just feels a little more sterile. Hopefully either this or next weekend I can get out to do a little shopping in the 'burbs or at least with a car. I also need to figure out how to cook for one person - anyone have any tips about Europe friendly recipes for one person??
Tomorrow is supposed to be Spanish Bureaucracy day (when I get register for the census, get my resident card, get my health card, possibly open a bank account, possibly get my bus card - after which the bus will be <70 cents per ride!!). We'll see if it actually happens since I need a signed copy of my lease and my rental company is operating on Spanish time. Worst case scenario - I go next week to get it. It's weird, though, because my visa is only good for 30 days and then I need to have my residence card, or I'm here illegally. I also NEED my residence card to open a bank account and to get paid. Additionally, once I have my residence card, I get free wifi in my apartment (and most places in the city). So, hopefully it will all work out soon!
I'm starting to reach for things and know where they are (particularly in the kitchen). I put away a bunch of stuff that was still in my carry on bags. I hung up most of the stuff that needs hanging up (although a lot of it is doubled or tripled on hangers because I have so few right now). So I'm officially unpacked and moved in. I only have a few more things I need (and a few more things I want) to make things more manageable.
One thing I want is color. I have a beige couch, a beige rug, white entertainment center, white + stainless steel kitchen, white sheets, white chairs, brown (ooooh) dining table, three coffee tables (2 brown + 1 white), white closets with brown interiors. Grey floors, grey and white bathroom, etc. I need something pink. Or green. Or blue. Or any color. I'm thinking about getting some pillows/cushions that I can then take out on the patio to sit on instead of the chair (which is too hard and also too tall - my feet don't touch the ground. Even my two turquoise dish towels help with the color problem. It just feels a little more sterile. Hopefully either this or next weekend I can get out to do a little shopping in the 'burbs or at least with a car. I also need to figure out how to cook for one person - anyone have any tips about Europe friendly recipes for one person??
Tomorrow is supposed to be Spanish Bureaucracy day (when I get register for the census, get my resident card, get my health card, possibly open a bank account, possibly get my bus card - after which the bus will be <70 cents per ride!!). We'll see if it actually happens since I need a signed copy of my lease and my rental company is operating on Spanish time. Worst case scenario - I go next week to get it. It's weird, though, because my visa is only good for 30 days and then I need to have my residence card, or I'm here illegally. I also NEED my residence card to open a bank account and to get paid. Additionally, once I have my residence card, I get free wifi in my apartment (and most places in the city). So, hopefully it will all work out soon!
Things About This Town
I went out for my wander this afternoon. It got cut slightly short by the fact that there was a huge children's festival going on down by the port AND the fútbol game was about to start. There were SO many people in the city center it felt like the Cubs game had just gotten out in our neighborhood. I had also found a frutería (tiny market with mostly fruits and veggies, some cheese, a tiny bit of pasta, and a small wine selection) and a panadería (bakery with really tasty freshly baked bread, pastries, and often gelato) that were both open, so I stopped in to each to get some fruit, veggies, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of wine. It's good to know about those options in case I ever run out of food on Saturday or Sunday, since both of the markets within relatively easy walking distance of my house are closed starting at 1 on Saturday. I got some veggies and some more apples. They have a kind of apple that I don't know the name of but know by site that is great - super crispy like a granny smith, but not as sour. SO yummy!
The children's festival was super cute. There were bounce-houses, groups of musicians playing, and kids going crazy, all by the beautiful old carousel that overlooks the sea. Very cute.
The football game people were slightly less cute. For those of you who don't closely follow Spanish fútbol, last night Real Madrid and Barcelona played last night. They are basically two of the biggest rivals in soccer - Barcelona, it is commonly agreed, is one of the best teams in the world right now. Soccer is bigger than ever in Spain after their World Cup win last year. Making things even more dramatic, from what I understand, they spent the last three seasons in the second division of La Liga (basically, the pros?), before being sent back up to La Liga this year. This means they're playing Barcelona in a couple of weeks IN San Sebastián. I'm going to have to stay far (far) from the stadium that day, unless I can convince anyone to go to the game with me. :) Anyhow, the team is called Real Sociedad, and everyone (tiny babies through very old people) was decked out in their Real Sociedad finest today, for the game against Sporting de Gíjon. There were a fair amount of Sporting fans running around too - Gíjon is about 4 hours west on the coast, so it's interesting to see so many fans here.
Since it's gorgeous outside, and I'm not paying attention well enough to write whole paragraphs here are some more observations about San Sebastián:
• People who live here really enjoy the city. The beach, the parks, the benches, the sidewalks, the ice cream shops are all full when the weather is decent. Today was the busiest I've seen it so far, but it's sort of great because everyone really enjoys where they live.
• People walk incredibly slowly. I am not a super-speed walker, but I walk at least three times as fast as the average person here. I am trying to make myself slow down - or at least not be frustrated with slow walkers!
• People here are also much less racially diverse and also much skinnier by and large than Americans. The latter is probably due to the fact that everyone walks all the time (up giant hills) and portions are much smaller. I am not sure how this works though, given the fact that they eat copious amounts of cheese and pig products, and have gelato shops every ten feet. The racial diversity thing throws me off though. I've lived in Chicago for so long that it's strange to see such little diversity.
• San Sebastian has three beaches. The main one (Playa de la Concha) is the only one I've spent much time near, and while it's not a nude beach, kids are pretty typically naked on it. By kids, I mean up to and including about 5. Then, they typically just wear underwear - until they're about 10, both boys and girls. I guess this saves on having to buy a new swimsuit every year. The adults are typically in various stages of dress and un-dress, which is weird for an American beach, but actually pretty tame for Spain. I'm going to go try to check out the beach in Gros (one of the neighborhoods) next week. I've heard they have great surfing there, which might be fun to watch.
• Just when I thought I had escaped the curse of "what neighborhood is this" in Chicago where I never knew which neighborhood was where or where a particular place was (with the exception of a handful of neighborhoods), I'm back in the throes of it. I found out on Friday that I live in Aiete (a highly residential neighborhood on the hill), and I went to dinner and a bar in Egia. Last night I was again invited to go out in Egia or Gros (both of which are across the river - which, like the Chicago River, curves, which makes it all the more confusing). I've visited El Centro (the downtown/shopping/banking area) and Parte Vieja ("old town" with lots of restaurants, bars and some shops). I still need to explore a lot of other areas.
• I'm trying to figure out which church would be the best for me to try to visit during Holy Week - fortunately, the town has about 8 billion Catholic churches, including a cathedral (Buen Pastor), a basilica (de Santa Maria del Coro), and a convent within easy walking distance of my house. There's apparently another church just up the street from here, which might be less scary than going to a cathedral or a basilica during the holiest time of the year when I don't speak the language. And I have no clue what people wear to church here ... especially on Easter. I'll learn soon enough, I guess!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Things are looking up ...
After the conference today, I set off with the aim of getting to the electronics store when they re-opened after the 3 hour lunch break/siesta all the stores take every day. I had a lovely walk, but unfortunately, once I got to the store, I realized they (like many other stores) close at 1 pm on Saturday - and don't reopen 'til Monday. That's right - closed Saturday afternoon, and all day Sunday. I am already imagining that this will make running errands tricky when I have to get everything done after work or Saturday mornings! Anyhow, I decided to console myself with some gelato (there are great, plentiful gelato shops all over the city, particularly in El Centro and Parte Vieja). On my way to the gelato shop, I happened upon one of the fabled Chinese shops - the best way I can describe this is a combination between a dollar store and a very, very small Walmart. Basically, they have everything you could ever want for your home, for really, really cheap. Of course the quality is also terrible, but if you need a few things, it doesn't matter so much. My haul today: two trash cans (kitchen + bathroom), broom, dustpan, garbage bags, dish soap, hand soap (X2), storage for my silverware (my apartment has no drawers in the kitchen - design oversight, but now I have a place to put them on the counter), another storage container for the rest of my kitchen utensils (cooking spoons, grater, kitchen shears, etc.), a hamper, 12 regular hangers and 2 pant hangers that hold 4 pairs of pants each (not nearly enough, but makes my closet slightly more organized), a basket with suction cups for the shower, two dish towels, a cheap hairdryer (I'll get a real one once I can get to the electronics shop) and a cutting board. The apartment was supposed to come with a cutting board, but didn't - and I couldn't deal any more without vegetables or being able to cut meat (plus since the counters are brand new, I didn't want to destroy them by cutting stuff up on them). Overall, I feel better about my place. I was able to actually put things away which makes me feel a little bit more like I live here.
I also took out the trash and the recycling (thrilling, I know), but it's very easy and on the way to my bus stop. Basically, there are four dumpsters - glass, plastic/metal, paper/cardboard/styrofoam, and regular trash. The only thing that needs to be bagged is your regular trash - so I carried all the cardboard from the boxes that all my pots in pans came in when I moved in, and dragged them out to the recycling. Not having a closet of trash also helps with the whole "feeling lived in" thing.
I think one thing that's daunting about this place is the sheer quantity of storage space I have. I have never lived in a place where I have so little stuff and so much room to put it! I have a whole closet that is nearly empty - more than half of my entryway "cupboard" is empty - though I might move my shoes in there. I have whole cabinets in the kitchen that are empty, as is the entire entertainment system. I need to either start accumulating things or find cheap/easy ways to decorate ASAP. The empty, white space is part of what makes me crazy.
After I got home from the shopping/trash adventure, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I had several hours to fill before an acceptable bedtime, and the time 'til I start work on Monday seemed never ending. I also found out that my direct supervisor will be out of the center Tuesday and Wednesday. Since I'm going to get my residence card Monday (fingers crossed my rental company comes through with the lease!), I probably won't be at the office 'til late afternoon, if I go up at all. This means I probably won't be starting new work 'til after the holiday. I have plenty of old work to finish up, but I was hoping to have something new to throw myself into for the 5 day holiday break. I know I already described how much everything shuts down, but what I didn't realize is that EVERYONE leaves town. Everyone I had talked to in the past few days talked about the trips they were going on, and my supervisor told me today that most everyone is taking off the whole week at work. So anyhow, between this news that I was going to have a quiet week, and worrying about the cat (who is slightly better today, yay!), and feeling homesick for Pete ... I was pretty worried about what I was going to do to occupy myself not just 'til Monday morning, but also next weekend.
After being totally pathetic for a while (and having Pete call me on it - one of the reasons he's the best husband ever), I decided to try to make some plans for next weekend. I e-mailed the girl I met last night (who will be out of town for some of the weekend, to see if she wanted to get together this or next week). I e-mailed my Basque teacher from Chicago who is in town for the holiday to see if she might be available. Then I e-mailed two other post-docs. One of them is going out of town for the holiday - but said she'd like to hang out some time. The other said she is going to be around and will be sure to include me in some of her plans - AND she invited me out for drinks tonight. So, even though I'm a little bit sleepy, I think I'm going to go. Hopefully, it'll be fun, and I won't go too crazy being alone next weekend!
Finally, I think I'm going to be in awesome shape with all the walking I'm doing. I know I won't walk quite as much once I'm working more or less full time, but I've been walking over 5 miles a day, most of which is in hills. I need to get a mat so I can add Pilates and yoga to that list and I'll be all set. :)
I promise my posts will shift more toward life here and less about my whiny adjustment as the time goes on! It's been really interesting to observe differences here in how things are done!
I also took out the trash and the recycling (thrilling, I know), but it's very easy and on the way to my bus stop. Basically, there are four dumpsters - glass, plastic/metal, paper/cardboard/styrofoam, and regular trash. The only thing that needs to be bagged is your regular trash - so I carried all the cardboard from the boxes that all my pots in pans came in when I moved in, and dragged them out to the recycling. Not having a closet of trash also helps with the whole "feeling lived in" thing.
I think one thing that's daunting about this place is the sheer quantity of storage space I have. I have never lived in a place where I have so little stuff and so much room to put it! I have a whole closet that is nearly empty - more than half of my entryway "cupboard" is empty - though I might move my shoes in there. I have whole cabinets in the kitchen that are empty, as is the entire entertainment system. I need to either start accumulating things or find cheap/easy ways to decorate ASAP. The empty, white space is part of what makes me crazy.
After I got home from the shopping/trash adventure, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I had several hours to fill before an acceptable bedtime, and the time 'til I start work on Monday seemed never ending. I also found out that my direct supervisor will be out of the center Tuesday and Wednesday. Since I'm going to get my residence card Monday (fingers crossed my rental company comes through with the lease!), I probably won't be at the office 'til late afternoon, if I go up at all. This means I probably won't be starting new work 'til after the holiday. I have plenty of old work to finish up, but I was hoping to have something new to throw myself into for the 5 day holiday break. I know I already described how much everything shuts down, but what I didn't realize is that EVERYONE leaves town. Everyone I had talked to in the past few days talked about the trips they were going on, and my supervisor told me today that most everyone is taking off the whole week at work. So anyhow, between this news that I was going to have a quiet week, and worrying about the cat (who is slightly better today, yay!), and feeling homesick for Pete ... I was pretty worried about what I was going to do to occupy myself not just 'til Monday morning, but also next weekend.
After being totally pathetic for a while (and having Pete call me on it - one of the reasons he's the best husband ever), I decided to try to make some plans for next weekend. I e-mailed the girl I met last night (who will be out of town for some of the weekend, to see if she wanted to get together this or next week). I e-mailed my Basque teacher from Chicago who is in town for the holiday to see if she might be available. Then I e-mailed two other post-docs. One of them is going out of town for the holiday - but said she'd like to hang out some time. The other said she is going to be around and will be sure to include me in some of her plans - AND she invited me out for drinks tonight. So, even though I'm a little bit sleepy, I think I'm going to go. Hopefully, it'll be fun, and I won't go too crazy being alone next weekend!
Finally, I think I'm going to be in awesome shape with all the walking I'm doing. I know I won't walk quite as much once I'm working more or less full time, but I've been walking over 5 miles a day, most of which is in hills. I need to get a mat so I can add Pilates and yoga to that list and I'll be all set. :)
I promise my posts will shift more toward life here and less about my whiny adjustment as the time goes on! It's been really interesting to observe differences here in how things are done!
Conference brain
I have conference brain ... meaning I've heard so many talks and seen so many posters, I can't quite focus anymore. Today is good because the conference is only a few hours long. Today is less good because I have hours (and hours) to fill before I go to work on Monday. Fortunately, I have a plan that involves trying not to obsess about Sophie or how much time I have to fill. I'm going to walk to the city center to try to find an electronics shop where I can buy a hairdryer and an iron. Then I have to come back and get some food at the market, and I have an exciting evening of finishing some reviews I have due this week. Then tomorrow I'm going to try to seek out the "big" grocery store (where hopefully they have a trash can - though my friend I met last night was not optimistic) and maybe a prepaid cell phone ... we'll see how that goes! Hopefully I can explore my neighborhood a bit more in the process. My mental map of where I am and how to get from one place to another is getting better. I worry much less about getting the bus in the right direction now - hopefully that will continue to improve.
I'm also supposed to go to get my residence card, my health card, and my census form on Monday, but the company with my lease hasn't given me my copy of my contract yet (and are being very Spanish about when they'll get it to me - "soon" they say, when I tell them I need it by Monday).
My fingers are still crossed about Sophie - I e-mailed her vet, who doesn't seem overly optimistic or overly pessimistic. I'm hopeful that she'll pull through this!
I'm off for a little more conferencing!
I'm also supposed to go to get my residence card, my health card, and my census form on Monday, but the company with my lease hasn't given me my copy of my contract yet (and are being very Spanish about when they'll get it to me - "soon" they say, when I tell them I need it by Monday).
My fingers are still crossed about Sophie - I e-mailed her vet, who doesn't seem overly optimistic or overly pessimistic. I'm hopeful that she'll pull through this!
I'm off for a little more conferencing!
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