Residency Card

At last I can sit back and wait. As of yesterday I finally finished searching out, gathering, collecting, fetching, filling in and out, and completing ALL forms for my tarjeta de residencía.

Let me take you back through the process. It all started when I applied for a visa. See to live here, one needs a visa. So I collected my documents from the police, proved the health insurance, filled in and out several hundred pages of questiones about my mother's birth and why my father has a moustache, had some passport-sized photos taken, got some legal documents from Spain, wrote an essay on illegal immigration from Morrocco and why we should be using alternative fuel sources, and last but not least took a breathalizer. I think there were a few more hoops to jump through but I can't remember them. Once I placed all of these documents and results in a neat folder I boarded a train and went to Chicago where I handed them in between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm. Not before, not after. "You should recieve your visa in 4 to 6 weeks sir I was told..."

Six weeks later this statement was questioned and a phone call was made. "Oh I am sorry, you are mistaken. The type of visa you applied for takes somewhere around 3 to 4 months. It's the student visas that take 4-6 weeks..."

So I went to Spain and decided I'd just come back whenever it showed up. Well around Thanksgiving it rolled on into town. Chicago that is, and if I could come between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm I could pick it up. A bit of fog in Madrid, an overnight stay in London, a late arrival in Chicago all added up to me showing up there at 3 pm on Friday. "If you could come on Monday sir, between 9 am and 2 pm we would be happy to give it to you."

Three hours there. Three hours back. A headache from listening to too much music. And an official looking visa was finally stamped into my passport the following week...

With that I set off for Spain again. "Once you arrive, please go to the police where they will tell you how to start the process for your residency card..."

Now in Spain: "The first step is to go to the delegacion del gobierno, not the police. They won't know what to do with this. At the delegacion they can tell you what to do. "

Delegacion: "Why yes, we can help you, just fill out this paper, and make sure you have all the following documents. Then call this number and make an appointment."

Me: "Hello I'd like to make an appointment."
Delegacion: "What for?"
"I have a visa and I need to apply for a residency card."
"What sort of residency card?"
"The type where I am just allowed to reside, not work."
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Look here, at the top of the paper which I was given at the delegacion it says application for residency card with a work exception."
"Why didn't you say that in the first place? You're appointment is January 24th at 12.30."
"You mean January 24th as in a the date that is nearly two months away?"
"Yes, have a nice day."

Two months later and with slightly more confident spanish I roll up for my appointment at 11.45. Better early than late. And am promptly ushered in where I recognize the lady who had given me my instructions two months prior.

Me: "Busy huh"
Her: "Yeah"
Thoughts of why I had to wait two months for my appointment, and then happen to show up find I am alone and they can see me early can't help but run through my head. Maybe people had forgotten about their appointments...

Her: "Oh! We seem to have all your information on the computer. We don't need these papers [that you spent hours collecting from various people and organizations here in Spain] just your passport will do. Sorry about that."
Me: "No problem." I just spent hours on them, no worries, it was good practice collecting various bits of worthless information. Something I have definately benefitted from. One can never be too skilled at collecting paperwork for the government. If you like I could run collect some more papers I have in Madrid and then drop by Hong Kong to get them photocopied if you like...

I was concentrating on remaining amiable when she then mentioned that all I had to do was go up to the fourth floor where they had everything ready for me. Ahhhhh that makes it easier to keep smiling...

Ana is very helpful on the fourth floor. She gave me my papers and told me to NOW go to the police where they will fingerprint me and get me my card. She then met with me three more times the following week or so...

Police: "Is this your correct address?"
Me: "Mmm, what happens if I say no?"

Ana helped me change my address two days later.

Police: "Do you have your letter of authorization?"
Me: "What letter of authorization?" No one thought this was important enough to mention.
Police: "I can't do anything without that letter, everyone needs one."
Me: "I don't suppose you could really and I suppose they do..."

Back at the delegacion I broached the subject with Ana.
Me: "Do you know anything about a letter of auth...?"
Ana: "Yes, would you like one?"
Me: "Yeah that'd be great since it's required." Thanks for telling me about it the first time.
Ana: "Just pop back in next Tuesday and we'll have it."

Next Tuesday I pop in and, small miracle, there is my letter!
Ana: "Here you go, but hang on a few days until the copy we send to the police gets there..."
Me: "I am tired of waiting, I am going to go anyways.¨

Small miracle occurs at police station...
Police: "Do you have your letter?¨
Me: "Yes."
Police: "Passport, authorization, and photos?"
Me: "Yes."
Police: "Okay, come back in 45 days and we should have your card ready, have a nice day."

In 44 days I should have a residency card... That is, if there isn't a list of documents that no one has mentioned yet in order to be able to collect your residency card. Never mind that it will have my photo on it. Forget about connecting the picture of my face with my real face. Not when thirteen forms of identification and a thorough family geneology are readily available to be demanded...

Sonnet on Sarcasm and Laughter

Contagious, infectious and likely to spread

into rushing flames. Be careful which you

choose, for the one you use could cause you to lose,

what was once something you held very dear.

But lest you worry about choices and friends

remember that fog creeps in silently

where familiar creeks run freely and trees turn

into tiny debris. But water spigots and lost friends

have as much in common as the absent father

and his daughter. So avoid radio flyer wagons

with small children in the back, for they often

lack those false things in life. And always be sure

to embrace a life that bridges the chasm

so oft created from not laughter but sarcasm.

Empty

Aye it's been a week. I must confess I felt empty this past week. There was nothing burning itself into being in my soul. I had no interesting thoughts to spell out, no major catastrophies, nor triumphs. Just another week of the the 52 this year. That is not meant to hint that I am depressed. Only that it was a normal week and I felt uninspired.

And I confess that still I feel empty. Empty in a meaningless sense, no, just empty of words to put in this space. There is something about being empty though that is at times refreshing- if one can avoid being frightened of the sensation of being empty. I think Buddihists try to empty their minds. Other people try to empty their bodies of all impurities. Still others try to empty their hearts. I don't want to say that this thing emptiness is either good or bad, only that when something is empty, it has, at that moment, its largest capacity to recieve.

To live one's whole life empty would be a tragedy. But maybe in one sense to live one's whole life full would be the same. I am just thinking out loud. Ecclesiastes 5 says that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Either he is saying there is a time for all to pass, or that all does pass, full stop. Whichever it is, perhaps includes both times of empty and of full.

It is not easy to become empty, but perhaps it is something I should be more aware of. Emptying myself of the unneccesary. Not carrying more than is needed in this life. Jesus talks about carrying each other's burdens. If I am supposed to help people in this way, than I definately don't want to be carrying more than I need to for myself.

Empty serves a purpose. It is preparation to be filled. Absence increases awareness. When you go without, you appreciate even more when you have. When I eat, food tastes best when there is hunger. When I think, I think best if my head is empty of all excess. When I worship God I long for my being to be empty of all noise that distracts. When I begin to love a girl, I hope it is with an empty heart, to be filled only by her love.

In the end I long for emptiness so that I can be filled again. I do not want to be empty forever. I do not want an empty stomach, mind, or heart. I want to think, to love, and to feel full. Even to the point of overflowing. Overflowing with God's love, with his peace, with his hope, and with his presense.

So that when I am full, I will have much to give out, and in doing so, be filled even more...

Poesía by my friend Yau

Silencio...

Silencio es el árbol viejo adormecido por el viento.
Silencio son las olas, en el oscuro mar; silencio...
Silencio es la boca, que se abre y grita: "silencio"
Silencio se deja escapar, por entre la maleza,
entre las ondas de un péndulo.
En un castillo de cartas... allí se esconde el silencio.
Silencio es la flor roja, solitaria en el cementerio.
Silencio son dos enamorados que con los ojos recitan versos.

Silencio...

Silencio que todo lo toca, que vibra al correr el viento;
silencio que la luna ahoga al pasar bailando en el cielo.

¡Silencio!

Silencio que se nos ha dado ajeno al propio cuerpo;
silencio, ven y toca mi alma, hazme beber de tu beso.
Silencio es una gota, que baja, rauda, del cielo.
Silencio son dos niños descubriendo algo nuevo.
Silencio es una guitarra, que no ha descubierto su dueño;
silencio son las hojas, de un almendro en invierno.

Silencio...

Silencio es un poema, que abocado a un ritmo lento,
desoye las dulces notas del más leve... silencio...

Two weeks ago I had a toothache.

I have a friend here named Karlo. Like Carlos without the s at the end. He is a dentist from Peru. I went to see him today.

He sat me down in the chair, opened my mouth and started looking, poking and prodding. All the while he made noises. "mmm" "huh" "hmmmm" "hmph" "umm" NONE of which were the least bit encouraging.

If I am paranoid about one thing, its my teeth. Some people worry about their weight. Others about their hair falling out. Still others about the people watching them behind tinted windows in unmarked cars. Like I said, I worry worry about my teeth. They always seem to be loose. Can anyone else wiggle their teeth back and forth? I chipped a front one the other week- WITHOUT even biting the pen. All I was doing was holding it with my lips. It took me two weeks to believe that the rest of it wasn't going to spontaniously fall to pieces. A front tooth at that. Who would marry someone without a front tooth? Then there was this aforementioned toothache. For two days I thought I was going to have to pull it myself. Then all of sudden all the pain left. So I talked to my good friend Karlo, who told me to drop by his clinic, and then starting grunting these really soothing noises. So I naturally assumed he was about to fit me for dentures.

"Oh no," I sighed once he withdrew his mirror. (That means "oh no" in English) "¿Que pasa?" (That means something like "what?")
"Oh nothing, everything looks fine," he replied. Not exactly what I was expecting, and relief started to spread through tensed muscles. Then he commenced to say that there was nothing to worry about, as long as I took perfect care of my teeth and I never ate anything hard again because there is a large hairline fracture (if its possible to have a large hairline fracture) running sideways across my front tooth. "It should be fine as long as you are careful, if not, well the bottom half of your front tooth could break off."

At this point I am down to only 2 and a half of my four front teeth. I still might have a bright future, just not such a bright smile. Shame really, I was hoping to at least keep my teeth longer than my hair. I'll stop that thought there though, in case I should get what I wish for.

Karlo finished up the visit telling me that everything is fine, nothing to worry about. Just be sure to put all solid food through a blender from now on if you want to keep that front tooth. As for the ex-toothache, well you have a filling that is pretty close to the nerve... Actually it's a humongous filling, I wonder why they even decided to keep the tooth. Anyways, don't worry about it hurting again in the future. But if it should happen to hurt, it shouldn't last ages.

So all was well after all on the tooth front. And I breathed a contented sigh of relief after I had chomped down on some nice supper earlier tonight. Stretched out on the couch I ran my tongue along the bottom of my other front tooth to find it a bit rough. Within ten seconds I was at a mirror, and sure enough, the third of my four front teeth now has a slight chip. At this point I was labeled paranoid by all involved, but I know deep inside that it's only a matter of time now. Maybe for my last meal I'll have a nice big steak with some hard broiled candy for dessert. After that I'll have a picture taken to remember my teeth by, and by then it will probably be time to leave for the denture fitting down at Karlo's clinic...

Coffee and cigarettes

can often be seen walking down the street, hand in hand. Or sitting in a cafe or a park bench, side by side. Rarely are they separated. Until 1 January 2006 when a new law came into effect, banning smoking in all public places. Including workplaces, restuarantes, shopping centers, cinemas, and even bars (over 100 sq meters). Spaniards responded in typical fashion- with withdrawal symptoms- unsteady hands, panic attacks, and general grumpiness. In the forecast: slight drop in tobacco sales, slight increase in chewing gum production, and a large number of stressed workers walking out on their job just to light up.

This means that for the first time in recent history, the smell of coffee and second hand smoke have been separated. As a non-habitual lighter, I must confess I'm not sorry.

Although I do wonder, whether or not I may have to change my subtitle, as the amount of second hand smoke dwindles around my brew of coffee.

lunes azules

Mondays can be awful. Today was Monday and it was awful. It was by far the most depressing day of the last month and for no other reason than the fact it was a Monday.

It was sunny today, so sunny in fact, that I went for a walk, and stopped periodically just to feel the sun on my face. Before it was sunny, there was a lot of fog. I like fog almost as much as thunderstorms. And thunderstorms are nearly as good as sunny days. And I really like sunny days. I had some Galaxy chocolate. Galaxy chocolate is some of the best chocolate there is. Cadbury lovers disagree, but they don't know anything about chocolate, even though they think they do. I listen to my new Spanish group (oreja de van gogh) on my iPod. I finished one of the four (admittedly) books I had been reading. Life should not have been blue, but it was.

I come up with no other reason other than the fact it was a Monday. Tomorrow's Tuesday, if it rains I'll ponder the question- why rainy Tuesdays are better than sunny Mondays.

My mum took this one of the small man. He stopped walking so he could be in the picture. 

Take II. 

Photos of Badajoz, where I live, taken last spring. 

untitled

Well its 2k6 now and it's been one week since I've been here. And in honor of all the bands that can't think of a name for at least one song on their album, I have titled this untitled.

I've had loads of free time this Christmas season. Officially two weeks off from teaching english. Because it's Spain though, most of my students took the week before off as well. So I'm am headed towards three dead weeks. I think the more time I have in my life, the less I do. Let me run off some of the things that happened.

I went running twice. I grew my hair a bit longer. I mixed up my shaving routine and went three days instead of two.

I scourged iTunes looking at how I could best spend the 20 dollars my sis and bro gave me. After two weeks of listening to hundreds of 30 second clips I settled on two albums and a few extras. La oreja de Van Gogh (van gogh's ear) and the White Stripes with a couple El Canto del Loco canciones.

I made some more progress on my Spanish novel. For those of you who just choked with surpise, its a Spanish novel I'm reading, not writing. I made some more progress on my English one as well. Again, one I'm reading, not writing.

Confession: I read too many books at once. At one point two weeks ago, I was involved with five books at the same time. Let me list them. Martín Zalacaín el Adventurero, Searching for God knows What (again), The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, and Moby Dick. I recounted and came up with four. Five sounded better, so I won't go back and change it. Since then I have given up on Moby Dick (for the time being), and decided the Gospel as tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale should be paused until I can fully concentrate on it. My next book will be Shaming of the Strong. I love to have a waiting list of books to be read. It makes me feel... content. End of confession.

I went to see a parade. Here in Spain they celebrate "the three kings" or "the three wise men." It is as big if not bigger than Christmas and most of their gifts are given on this day. That day is January 6th. At this parade they threw hard candy at the crowds as they went by. One would think that tossing it would be sufficient but in this case, it has to be thrown. Think Randy Johnson fastball. And the children love every minute of it.

I went and ate churros for breakfast one morning with my good friend Juli and his girlfriend María. A girl named Becca who was staying with us over Christmas made french toast one morning as well. The rest of the mornings I had muesli, two types mixed, crunchy with Swiss style. There was even one morning where I didn't have breakfast as I didn't get up very early.

I took pictures of Bethany and Daniel, my youngest sister and brother. Except I think of myself as more of an uncle. That would make make them my niece and nephew. I think the pictures I took would win awards. Not because I am a particularly good photographer, its just that they are particularly photogenic. Stay posted for potentially postable pictures.

I attempted to go to a concert by Bebe but it was sold out. She is from the area in Spain where I am from, and is getting really famous (in Spanish circles). Maybe I'll post one of her vids on the sidebar. Stay tuned for potential spanish music vid.

Lastly but not leastly, and certainly not all encompassingly, I recorded a short vid of myself and posted it, thanking all my faithful readers. Thank you my faithful readers. With that I'll leave you with a quote I came across by Mark Twain: "If there is one thing that will make a man peculiarly and insufferably self-conceited, it is to have his stomach behave itself, the first day at sea, when nearly all his comrades are seasick."