Madrid Bureaucracy vs Valencian Bureaucracy

I must say, getting things done in Madrid is a WHOLE lot easier than getting things done in Valencia. I don't know if its because I'm a little more experienced and my Spanish is a little better, but I definitely feel less stressed and more at ease in government offices around here! I can actually breathe normally while Im in them! (almost...)


Step One: 
Empadronamiento In Valencia
This was actually fairly easy. Empadronamiento just validates your address. It helps you obtain your residency card and then it also lets you join libraries, gyms, etc etc etc.Just walk in with your lease agreement and your passport, take a number, and wait your turn. Then 5 minutes after your number is called, you happily walk out with your empadronamiento in hand

Empadronamiento in Madrid
For me this year it was a little tricky. The form can be obtained online; however, I printed the incorrect one out. You also must make an appointment. They are available every 10 minutes of the day so take your pick! However, because I am living with a family, I needed copies of their residency cards (which i was prepared with) But because I filled out the wrong form, I needed a new one: one that included their signature! But the parents were not home. Luckily the Madrid Funcionario was very nice and gave me the office fax number and I could have my spanish parents write a quick note to the office confirming i live there!


Step Two:
NIE In Valencia:
I can not stress enough how much I hate that office in Valencia. They make you stand outside in the rain, in the cold, in windy conditions, without any protetion from the elements. You wait in line for hours and hours and hours, probably to just be turned away for missing one photocopy. Then the police officer there might physically push you out of the building. Yes, this happened to me. I made about 4 trips to this office to obtain my NIE, and Im trying to push these bad memories out of my mind forever

NIE in Madrid
This year I am renewing my NIE, or my numero identitdad de extranjero (Foreigner ID number) So to do that last year I made an appointment when to do it. I show up at my appointment with all my papers and photocopies of everything. However, I forgot to pay the fee at the bank. The woman happily filled out the paper for me and sent me to the bank up the street. And guess what, I didnt have to wait on line again to get in! When I came back with my paper stating I paid the 16.32 euros,  the new woman saw I was American, and spoke English to me. It was not necessary, but it was nice that she tried! Then when I was called to the desk, I was missing a paper, but the woman said she'd let it slide. Then I was missing a photocopy of the back of my NIE, and she made a copy for me (in spite of all the photocopied papers arond the office that said "photocopies are not made in this office!". What a sweetheart. Now I just wait 3 months for them to send me a letter and I can pick up my new NIE!

Step Three:
Abono in Valencia:
Well this was fun If you want to have a monthly metro pass, first you must have passport photos of yourself. Then you go to the "Young persons office" To get your young persons card, be sure to bring photocopies of your passport! Then with your useless young persons card, you go to an office in the metro and fill out this long application. You must also bring photocopies of your passport and your new useless young persons card, as well as more passport photos of yourself (and maybe some money, i dont remember!) After that, you wait a few weeks for them to send you a letter in the mail, then you can go back to the metro station and pick up your card. Then you have to go to the counter to buy tickets, and show them your new metro pass, and your young persons card, and pay them 35 euros and you can use the metro (not bus) unlimited in zones A and B.

Abono in Madrid:
Simplicity. I love it. You bring to a tobacco shop your passport and 1 passport photo. No photocopies necessary. You say you want an abono for zones xyz. You fill out your name, address and information on a little card, and the lady tapes your picture to it and puts it in a nice plastic holder, and then you can even buy the monthly pass from her. My B1 abono cost me 55 euros. There is no useless young persons card, and its worth it because the metro here in madrid is 10000000 times better and it includes the buses!
The only catch is that it you can not the abono on say, September 15th. It is good from the 1st of the mont, until the last of the month. Ill live =)

Thanks Madrid, for being so nice to me this year (so far!)

Mi Vida..... loca!

So after 2 weeks frolicking around Italy, I made my way back to the island that is long and overcrowded to spend time with Family and friends.

my house!

While I was there I did a tour de New York, where I visited places such as Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Queens, Binghamton and Syracuse. I got to reunite with wonderful people, most notably Jamie Seminara, Lindsey Jackson, Kristin Southard, Jennifer Hinchy, and Ryan Hastings.

me and jamie

niagra falls rainbow

one of my favorite sports!

picnics in astoria park

I also got to spend lots of time with my beloved grandmother and other fantastic family members.

I was lucky to have experienced an Earthquake and a Hurricane IN THE SAME WEEK!

me and the greene beans

grandma!

post hurricane irene

i walked a llama!

I also had many rough spots in my time home. Living two separate lives in two separate countries really started to get to me. It was very difficult for me to dive back into American culture with American friends who have continued their American lives while I lived a Spanish life. I've realized that my views on life have morphed into new ones, I have new ideas, new perspectives, new friends, new experiences, new insights, new attitudes... a new LIFE

How does one balance these two lives? How do I keep myself connected to people when I can only see them once a year? When and if it comes down to it, how will I choose which life to live? Can I continue living two lives like this, where I disappear from one for an extended period of time and then just show up again, making the other life seem like one of those dreams that was so real, but at the same time still just a dream to the point where it confuses the hell out of you? ....

.... There's only one way to find out!

Meet the mets!

So here I am, back in Spain.... in my favorite city of all time: MADRID!  I could not be more content here (that is of course, unless I could bring my family here with me)

back to madrid!

Here is what I have going on this year.
I am living with a family as a nanny. I take care of a 7 year old boy (Nacho) and a 2.5 year old girl (Lucia). I care for them from 530-9 or 930 pm from Monday until Friday. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, all meals included.
I will be working in a primary school again as an English Teachers assistant. This time I am not a Fulbright grantee so the job includes less prestige and less responsibility. It also includes health insurance and unlimited days allowed to spend outside of Spain.
I have already gone back to visit Valencia, and now as a "tourist" I realize I took advantage of the Paella (best in spain)  the Horchata,  the bicycle system, and the Palm trees.

me and ruben dining in the portland ale house, my fav bar in VLC

ruben and i about to bici our way to the horchataria!

But now that I've left Valencia and started my new Vida Madrileña.... do I change the name of my blog??