A view out of the bus window in the AM. Paul said, "It's just fog. It'll burn off".
Today I took an early AM bus to Donosti, about 45 minutes and a 6 euro bus ride away, to go to the Subdelegación del Gobierno. My friend Paul also had to renew his NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero or permission to live here) for the next year, so we went together, he more photocopy-prepared than I and with a little more hudspa, my Dad's word, but I am unsure of the spelling.
After not having enough paperwork despite carrying all that the Catalunya autonomous Community had told me would be necessary, I went across the street to the photocopier/newstand, came back and asked for another number and got in.
After our "trámites" were submitted a supervisor told our attendants that we would have to go to the separate communities to apply for our NIEs. But alas, and thankfully he was too late, so we don't have to travel to Barcelona and Madrid which would be quite a hassle.
So they give foreigners in our situation an official letter to re-enter the country and then we can come back when our US summers end, if they end abroad that is.
After submitting the first application in all this process we had to walk down the street to the bank, that only accepted the fees/taxes for these applications from 9 o'clock to 10 o'clock am. We had to ring a bell to have the door opened to the bank and then the young gentleman who helped us told me I could pay with credit card. A few moments later when I pulled out my credit card, he told me that I would have to pay in cash. So Paul offered me a momentary loan. The banker was speaking on the phone to his sweetie in a flirty voice all the while helping us. He told the other end of the line that he was hoping they were having a good day and other silly things. All the while Paul is sitting in the chair next to me telling me about seeking out latin and Spanish places in Philly after his travels through Latin America and about how he feels like this is less surreal and more just real life and that he is supposed to be here. He also had found out the name of his attendant at the government office and told me he wanted to get him a gift because he was so nice. So Paul is smiling about life and in a little nostalgia but completely enjoying the present moment, all the while our bank cashier is somewhat intimately speaking to his sweetie or interest on the phone and behind us a group of several bank cashiers, and one or two customers are trying to solve some other issue. It was funny. As a foreigner I thought it was bizarre that the gentleman in front of us was just chatting up a storm on the phone while he did some sort of double count of our change and made change twice and then condensed it into one lump sum, making himself busy I think. But at the same time there were foreigners across the table from him who could have understood perfectly. A sort of surreal moment for me, part of the latent culture shock maybe, when things about the foreign land I am living in still leave me with a bit of inquisitiveness.
Birgit met up with us and we had a picnic at the beach. We found a spot and then a large machine came through and the police told us to move to the other side of the beach. It was funny. Sadly the "fog" hadn't fully burnt off, but we did get some sun. And enjoy a torta vasca. So I think all is mostly done with my NIE, I just have to visit again in June and hopefully all is good. papers and bureaucracy are international, but thankfully due to the technology of our highly specialized society we can travel more easily than when things were "simpler".
I have just taught my second-to-last-week of classes and still at moments feel like this is all surreal.
No comments:
Post a Comment