Birthday Blog

I began this entry on the evening of my birthday, Nov. 3rd...

I promised that I would be honest with my feelings and my experiences and I will stay true to that promise. I don't want to pretend that everything is candy-coated and perfect if, in fact, that is not the case. Now, let me just say that things aren't BAD. Today was just my first genuinely frustrating day. And it happened to be my birthday, so when things don't work out as I hope, it feels kind of doubly bad, if that makes sense at all? I can handle frustration and I will manage through this situation just as I have this whole process. I can't promise there won't be an occasional tear, but I can promise I will come out on top.

So, happy birthday to me... I get to go to Jaén to get my NIE number! By my introduction, you can obviously tell that this probably does not have the result I would have liked, but I am going to tell you the story anyway...

By now, you should be familiar with the necessity of the NIE number (as familiar as I am, anyway). I need it to get paid. Anyway, our teacher told us last week that we were scheduled for our NIE appointment on November 3^rd at noon. Wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my birthday, but I wasn't going to be disappointed to get started on the whole 'getting paid' thing. (Please allow me to correct myself... the place that I had to go to was not the police station... it was the foreigner's office... I've been reading a lot of material and I apparently got the two mixed up... sorry)

So, we have to catch the early bus to Jaén at 8:15. Our appointment was at noon, so that put us there about 2 ½ hours ahead of schedule. Joanne had been there before, so we followed her direction in getting to where we needed. After a slight detour in the wrong direction, we eventually found a couple officers on the street who drew us a mini-map on a piece of paper and sent us on our way. Joanne's sense of direction was only slightly off, we were very near where we needed to be. We get to this park area and across the street is this big building. It looks like a courthouse of sorts in it's size. There are flags flying in the front and guards at the door. However, the sign on the door said that the "Officina de Extranjeros" (Foreigner's Office) was around the corner. So, around the corner we went. The door to the foreigner's office was like the rabbit hole in Alice In Wonderland, we would have just walked right by if we weren't paying attention. Anyway, we make our way into this door and it is just a mass of people – so many people and quite a giant mess. We eventually figured out which line was the one we needed to be in and took our places. It was 9:40. Once it was our turn, we get to the counter and this older gentleman that had clearly been doing this same, boring job day in and day out for years. Neither one of us was sure what we even needed to say or do as our teacher at the school really did nothing to prepare us for this appointment. So, we produced our passport and the application for the NIE. He entered each number (passport number) into his system and BOTH of them came up that we didn't have an appointment today. We showed the little note that Isabel had written for the two of us (on a yellow sticky note) saying our appointment was today. I don't think this did any good, but he attempted our number in the computer again and pushed a couple other things to which our appointment popped up. Whatever he did, we were grateful. I was on the verge of a very angry attitude. We got our 'tickets' at 9:50 and sat down in the waiting room. It stated clearly on the ticket that our appointment was at noon. We were told to arrive early in case we could get in early. Well, we did not need to arrive nearly as early as we did, that's for sure. But we also weren't willing to leave in the small chance we our number was called. For future reference, it's unnecessary to show up but 30 or 40 minutes prior to the appointment because you won't get in any earlier. We got in maybe 15 minutes before noon. Anyway, this room was filled with many different types of people of different countries and ages, etc. There were French, Italian, Indian, and many African people. I've been told that many of the Africans come up for the olive harvest that is beginning very soon. It was about the size of the pool room at the Sip-N-Spin (for those of you who know about that), maybe just a bit longer. It had the stench of body odor like that in a gymnasium after a junior high basketball practice (boys, of course, haha!). It, literally, had a fan in two of the 5 windows in the building; small little fans at the very top that was expected to do the circulating of air in the room. They definitely were not effective. Eventually, one of the workers opened up the windows and let the wind do the circulating. It was a bit better. So, we had our tickets, each one with a number on it. My number was H039 and Joanne's was H037. When we first arrived, they were working on H004 or something... we had a ways to go. They had a board up on the wall that announced what number was next; like a keno board or bingo board. You had to wait for your number to come up and it would also tell you what desk you were to go to when you passed through the double doors. Joanne got called back at about 11:40 and I was around 11:50. I go through these doors to this desk where this tiny little mean man was sitting. I can't speak much Spanish, but I give him the documentation I was told we needed. He then asked me if I was with 'her' and pointed to Joanne. I said that I was and he yelled across the whole room to the man who was working with Joanne, "She's American!" and then directed me to join that table. Ok... So, I grab all of my stuff and head that way. This guy was in the process of telling Joanne she didn't have an appointment. Well, not for the NIE number. We had appointments for fingerprints, apparently. Fingerprints that Joanne doesn't even need. He finished with her and whatever happened, she ended up getting her NIE number. All she needed to do was go pay a fee at the bank across the street and then come back for her certificate. They tried to tell her to come back tomorrow (everything is TOMORROW here). Anyway... she's got her stuff lined up and it's my turn... this man was a balding little man with glasses... he scanned a set of papers that had appointment times on it. As he scanned, he came across my appointment... FOR OCTOBER 31^st! Apparently, I was supposed to be there on Monday. NO ONE gave me this memo. NO ONE. I attempted to explain that my teacher had told me that my appointment was for today and I knew of nothing else. He replied, "No. Tu maestra es muy mal." ("Your teacher is very bad.") What the hell?! My teacher is very bad?! I seriously said to Joanne, "I think I'm going to cry right now." But the balding ballbuster started collecting my documentation and punching things into a computer system, so I just sat there waiting and thinking... Firstly, I was really pissed that my teacher hadn't given me the information about my apparent appointment, but who knows if they even told her! Things are so freakin' disorganized. (So you know, I am consiously putting in an effort to not cuss... let it be known that I REALLY want to.) Secondly, I was starting to get really concerned about the possibility that this number thing would ever even happen. Thirdly, I was simply putting in a strong effort to not sit there and bawl like a baby. Whatever he did, he produced a piece of paper with a number on the top that is, apparently, my NIE number. BUT, my process is much different than Joanne's since she is a European already. I don't get to just walk to the bank, pay a fee, and come back for a certificate. Nope. I have to go back to that same body odor scented building in 2 weeks to get fingerprints with the tiny mean man that I first met. I believe that I actually have the NIE number, so I THINK I can submit it to my school and whatnot so I can start to get paid. I really have no idea. When I go back to get my fingerprints, I am getting an actual card, like an ID card. I have to get these fingerprints, give them a couple passport pictures (which I was unaware that I was supposed to have), and they submit it all to the system. And THEN, weeks later, I can go retreive the card. I THINK. I don't actually know. I just know that I have to go back over and over again and it really pisses me off. The actual process isn't what pisses me off, I don't think. It's the fact that I have had NO IDEA what the hell is going on and no one seems to be very helpful at all in this area. At all. Yes, it sucks to have to continue to go back and forth because it's not like it is a convenient trip for me to take, but I assume that an foreigner to the states would have to fill out tremendous amounts of paperwork and would have to wait, too, so I understand that this is probably a part of becoming a resident. And that's all well and good. I just wish there was someplace I could go to to read about how this works (in English, so I understand fully) or to talk to someone that can translate everything for me. When it comes down to it, I simply HATE being disorganized! I promise you that I am trying very hard to accept disorganization. I am. And believe it or not, I'm getting better at it. But when it comes to things that are of serious nature like this, I expect organization. I blame the states. HaHa! Even though it took forever to get some of my documentation returned and my efforts in this journey were just as trying from the stateside, I could at least call and speak to someone about the issue and I could understand the process, even if it frustrated the hell out of me. I just wish that this part was handled so I could sit back, do my job, and enjoy my time here. In time, I hope that becomes a reality.

We walked directly to the bus station after our experience at the extranjero's office. I was one grumpy unit and did nothing to hide it really. Joanne had got the certificate she came for and was done with her part of the process. I was jealous and just really angry at this point, so I plugged in my headphones and let Marshall take me away for the duration of the trip home. Believe it or not, that always works in calming me down. :)

I came back to the village to have a couple birthday cards waiting for me. One from the parentals that had some very nice words and a couple photos in it. And one from JW and Linda Platt... How very kind of them! I love getting mail. It definitely made me feel a little better after such a fantastic beginning to my day. I went up to my room and unloaded the documents I had brought to the appointment and loaded up with my computer. I then headed to the library with my Skype gear in hand. The highlight of my birthday was twofold. First, I got to see Dad and Janet via the internet and talk with them for awhile (before the electricity went out in the library and ended our connection quite abruptly and unwelcomely). It definitely would have bummed me out to not have talked to Dad on my birthday, so I'm super glad this was able to happen. Janet later said they were eating Taco Soup... man, I miss some American food! Especially the winter food... chili and homemade chicken noodle soup... mmmmmm. Anyway... haha... The 2^nd highlight was all the love on Facebook. It's a good think Facebook reminds people of birthday's! It was great to hear from so many people. It was great, but definitely made me miss home and my family and friends just a little bit more than I do on other days. :)

After the library, I came home to eat. Joanne convinced me to go have a drink on my birthday, so we went to El Polos for a beer. I, literally, had one beer in celebration of my birthday. I hope that I am not disappointing my readers and all of the people that expected me to have this exciting birthday because I'm in Spain. I'll celebrate my birthday and the end of the political BS when I get paid by taking a trip somewhere fun. Then, I will post the fun story. For now, I'm sorry that you had to read that the day wasn't quite up to par with birthday's of my past. But I don't want to lie to you. Or myself. So, the last birthday in my 20s was not everything I dreamed of, but that means 30 is going to be that much better! I will celebrate it times two and make up for this frustrating experience! :)

I'll post another entry later this weekend or sometime early next week. I have some notes and stuff, but I thought I'd make this one about my birthday only. A couple good birthday 'presents' I got... Clint Massey officially booked his summer trip here and that makes me so happy! And Maggie Flamik and Dan Crawford have made their trip official for the end of March/early April! I'm so lucky to have such great friends! I know many of you would visit if you could, but it makes me feel really good when you have people in your life that are willing to travel to the other side of the world to see you. :) I'm being selfish and saying it is ME that they are coming for, when in fact, I'm sure Europe has a bit of an influence, as well, haha! :)

Until next time...