02:30:50
Thrusday, 20th of May 2004
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Ok folks, just to let you know, the evil compy froze on my first attempt to write this post... So if you donīt end up being able to read it, it was obviously not meant to be.
My life in Spain recently has been one headache after another. About two weeks ago... At least I think it was two weeks ago. I had the worst possible week and things didnīt get much better until just recently. Mind you with the BAD luck I also had a little bit of good luck, so let me tell you how it all started.
Finally my package from my parents arrived containing some very important stuff, including coffee and vegemite (very necessary). This arrived according to the notification on Friday the 30th of April just before lunchtime. My flatmates however, did not check the mailbox until after 8.30pm, when the post office shut, so I had to wait until Monday as Saturday was a public holiday (yes the post is open here on Saturdays, along with BANKS). Anyhow, so down I go on Monday morning early before my first class to be told that they canīt find it. I got back upstairs and complain to information because the guy that had served me had been fairly rude about it and the chick at information couldnīt find it either. They asked me for a description... Hmm, yes folks, I sent this parcel to myself, so of course I know what it looks like. So then I head to the supermarket to shop and thankfully there was fresh milk (a commodity somewhat rare in Spain I understand... Strange with all the bloody cows around.) I ring my parents to ask for a description of the box, which they gave me and then after class that morning returned to the post office with my Mexican friend Leticia. Still couldnīt find it, but they did promise to look for it. A little further than I had got that morning. Oh and I discovered when I took a trip to the police station that they had lost my documents, lucky I had that letter extending my visa...
Tuesday morning, my professor for theatre told us that he was going to change the date of the exam to late May (way too early) or late June (when I wouldnīt be there), brilliant day for me.
Wednesday, I return to the post office to see if they had managed to dig up my parcel. Luck must have been shining on my because behind me in the line was my flatmate Patricia (she has always been pretty nice to me) anyhow, so when the man is serving me and telling me off, that they hadnīt found it and couldnīt possibly find it Patricia dicided to give him the harsh side of her tongue. I donīt think he liked THAT too much. Anyhow, in the end, the head honcho was brought in and promised to look for it. That had me feeling a little better.
Now the previous week I had borrowed out a book on my friendīs ID card (because mine wasnīt - and still isnīt - ready). This book practically was the assignment that I had due the next Monday. Her card got blocked for some reason and she could renew it, so I had to return it and hope to all hell that it would still be in the library when her card became unblocked on Friday. However luck was with me and I ran into another friend who has an ID card and she borrowed the book out for me again. Though for a moment I suffered a heart attack when they couldnīt find it... I just turned out that it takes several days for a returned book to make it from the return chute to the shelves... Like everything else in Spain...
The remainder of my week was fairly normal, except for the shocking weather, didnīt get above 20 (and didnīt until just recently).
Monday of the next week started in the same fashion. The computer at the internet cafe ate the disk that my assignment was on... COMPUTERS ARE TRUELY EVIL... So it was a re-write job for me. All Monday and all Monday night. I made none of my classes. However I think because I had been such a good customer, and the fact that their evil computer had eaten my disk, the guys at the internet cafe kept it open an hour longer than usual just for me. The next day I also missed my classes... Due to that little thing I like to call sleep, and then manage to find my Mexican friend who edited my assignment. Just so you know folks, part "parte" in spanish is FEMININO!
The rest of my week was actually fairly normal, except for the SHOCKING WEATHER.
Anyhow, life went on being fairly normal, the beginning of this week I went down again for the 6th time to try and get my residency card. I have had a lot of trouble with this as you already know. Missing documents, on Friday of the previous week my photos had been WRONG because they have a pale grey background and it has to be all WHITE... Now Monday I have some new ones taken... But they were wrong too because we arenīt suppose to smile or show our teeth because we might get work done on them... (Yeah, and I might get work done on my nose too and that would change my look too...) The background has to be all white, not even a dot of grey, they donīt like digital printing, it has to be from just below the level of the shoulders and up (this one is impossible to fulfil let me tell you) oh and the absolute classic, my skin was too pale in the photos and not representative of its true tone... Sorry folks, but I have dark hair and pale skin and I donīt photograph well at the best of times... As anyone who has seen my passport would know... Put me on a bright white background and you are asking for trouble. Five sets of photos and about 25� later, in tears of frustration I managed to choake out that they could take one of the pictures or I wouldnīt bother with the card since I had the letter extending my visa anyway. They take a look at the photos and choose the first set with me smiling and showing my teeth, oh and a little bit of grey in the background and showing too much of my shirt and with my terrible pale skin. Then they take out the hole-puncher thing and punch out a small square getting rid of the grey corner and the "too much shirt" issue. And they they had a go at me for my document being a photocopy and not the original and then I pointed out that THEY had lost the original in the first place. *shakes head* I have a feeling that Iīm given a hard time because Iīm the one that looks and speaks least like a European. Oh and Iīm not latino so I donīt speak perfect spanish either. So finally I actually have my application for my residency card submitted, I wonīt get it until two days before I leave Spain. *shakes head again*
Anyhow, after this frustrating morning I get back to the flat and my flatmates have a go at me for various things, only one of which I was actually guilty of. And I tell them in English, as I wasnīt capable of speaking Spanish at that point in time, that if my jacket had be bothering them before now, they should have told me about it sooner instead of snaping at me now. Then I get asked was is wrong with my eye. This was the final straw for me. I find it hard to believe that it has taken them 2 months to notice that my right eye isnīt 100% normal and then they treat it like some sort of disease. I am SICK of people asking me about my eye. SICK SICK SICK. As far as I know there is NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I donīt know what it is either, the opinion of every eye-doctor Iīve seen is different, but as far as I know it is nothing infective or dangerous. Anyhow, skipped lunch went to bed cried a little and then went to sleep getting up just in time for my class in the afternoon.
Tuesday, much to my relief, I discover that there will be two days for my theatre exam, the original date and another. TG. And then today, after getting back from my Russian class, I discover my parcel waiting for me. COFFEE!!! VEGEMITE!!! No points for guessing what I ate for lunch.
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