My first day at the elementary was not a real day as it was Friday. The principle gave me my schedule last Friday on the meet and greet day and said Friday I’m off, but I went as it was part of the contract from the beginning to be there on the 1st… So the principle and I did paper work and filled out the bank info so I’ll get paid my $1000 month stipend.. and then I was told giving my IBAN #(like a routing # in the US) and account info wasn’t enough…. I needed a bank certificado… something with my name, the bank info, my IBAN# my NIE #a bank stamp and a bank signature and my blood type on it to prove I had a real account… wow I didn’t see that coming…and he said just go to your bank and get it as if it was a trip to McDonalds.

But a snag: My bank is online only, called and N26 and so I have no actual branch to go to to ask for said document. And so hasta mañana..count the day’s till I get that IF they will do it. Then I realized Mercury is retrograde! And with the apartment fiasco I thought oh no, I’ll never get paid cause no one has heard of this certificado thing and with mercury retrograde everything goes wrong or you repeat everything twice. No wonder I’m in hell… Every decision and every communication has gone wonky, and remembering the words of my mother echoing from her grave; never sign contracts or make major decisions under Mercury retrograde because it wont come out the way you planned…Ya think??

So at 12:30 pm I finished my shift at the school, waved to the teachers and met Jorge outside to go with me for my Padron appointment.. to get the famous document called the Padron certificate that proves I live here so I can eventually get my TIE card (ID) card issued by the police).. We arrived at the town hall (ayuntimento office) a mere 20 minute walk away) for said appt on time.

Well…rejected was stamped on my papers. Of course Mercury retrograde again….According to Jorge who translated for me, the nice lady at the town hall said my proof of address wasn’t good enough. We brought everything I read we needed and this was the response:

1.The lease that I took the worst apartment of my life over to get: was ok.

2. The proof I paid the first months rent: was ok.

3. The copy of my passport: ok.

4. Proof the building has water and Electric: not ok! I could here the buzzer in my ear.

Well, I didn’t have that. Apparently per the nice lady behind the glass, I am to get the owner to send me HIS last utility bills to prove what? He has water in the place and I’m not in a burned out building with no utilities. Oh and the Tax roles on the place as well… really?

So ” rejected” was stamped on my paper work. Next appt: October 18th!!!

Is this a problem? Yes. I still don’t have my “TIE” card (my finger printed identity card) from the Police which I need to apply for very soon… Why is this an issue you ask? Cause I have to have my “Padrón” the certificate from the town hall proving I live here and it’s not a burned out homeless shelter with no utilities as part of the TIE application. And I can ONLY schedule the TIE appt with the police in 1 of 4 other towns 40 miles away. AFTER I get the Padron. I won’t have a car in another 10 days. And there is a HUGE backlog.  And no appointments until the cows come home or pigs fly whichever comes first.

So my plans to get everything in place has been thwarted by the Spanish buerocracia, break ins,  and sleeping on bare mattresses. I did however buy a printer as there is no Kinkos here and I can’t manage how to get copies of the new required documents in this town as I don’t know if there is such a place to get copies and I cant handle more issues…. But as I don’t have internet in said new apartment with no AC and no bedsheets, I cant really research…well you know where this going. Poor Jorge no sex for him tonight.

Anyway update: Today we walked to the local internet store after 4pm of course as the town shuts down from 2-4 for siesta, and incredibly they took my bank info and said I can have internet today. Like in 2 hours! No hasta mañana? No see ya in never??? First thing done on the same day? I nearly started celebrating with a beer before noon. Anyway, so I have internet for $29 month now.

The one good thing is as I started at the school today; the staff made me feel welcome. The teacher’s all greeted me. The 400 kids were so happy running around the place. But I don’t really see them till Monday so I did not interact with them, I just stayed in the staff room. But that was ok I could see their little faces waving at me from afar….And now I have a schedule with a binder of each class, all their pictures and ages for each 45 min class. Oh and they played the Hawaii song ” over the rainbow” as the kids came in the building at 0900 for their first class but how cool! Each day it’s a different song they said. I felt at least the school and the kids and staff saved my mood for the rest of the day.

And I don’t believe in coincidences… I think God wanted me to hear that song this morning to be happy. Or as they say in Jamaica, “there are no problems, only situations” but is that before or after the siesta? Or with no AC? Anyway I digress,  All I know is, if it wasn’t for all their smiling faces at the school I would have cried today.

Funny, I found out later I had my shirt inside out all day at the school… No body mentioned it and Jorge never noticed when I left… Wtf?

Update…Tomorrow Jorge and I will go to a little island called Tabarca, to get away and snorkel. It’s a 20 min ferry ride from Santa Pola. A 40 min drive from here. We did go to a mall tonight and found a place to buy some sheets and towels. So I’m off to take a shower, as now I don’t have to use toilet paper to dry off and I can sleep on sheets with a box fan keeping me alive.

Until next time.
Somewhere in Spain