Sometimes I just need a day to be easy.

It’s a wonderful thing that there are so many expats in Valencia. We have met interesting people and made good friends. Heather and Jim are a lovely couple who moved to Valencia just a few weeks before us, also from Northern California, so we immediately had some things in common. (They also have an adorable pup, Elsa, that Ed has fallen in love with.) During a lunch get-together at our place a couple of weeks ago, as we discussed some of the challenges of expat life, Heather commented, “Sometimes, I just need a day to be easy.” Well said! I couldn’t agree more.

Last year, I wrote a few emails (now blog posts) describing some of our funny and sometimes frustrating expat experiences: the bank account adventure, peanut butter shopping, and the challenge of finding the right size bed sheets.

WATER, PLEASE

Expat life continues to be challenging. As you know, we moved to a new apartment recently. And as you might imagine that process provided ample opportunities for interesting expat experiences. The water was turned off in our new apartment because the previous tenant had neglected to pay the bill. Getting it turned back on was like the experience of opening a bank account – it took four trips to the water utility’s office to get it done. To be fair, our move date was January 4 and that’s still holiday time in Spain. Many businesses close over the holidays, including the offices of the building owner from whom we needed a very specific document to take to the water utility. Rental agreement in hand, Ed learned of this additional requirement at his first visit. Next, someone came in from their holiday vacation to get the necessary document. The first time it was the wrong document, so now he’s made three trips.

Then, it turns out the water utility needed a photo of the water meter which is in a locked room. The realtor said he could have someone come open the door OR we could buy a “standard triangle key” and open it ourselves. Ed went to a hardware store and asked for such a key and the response was “por el agua”? Si, por el agua. A proud owner of his very own triangle key, Ed got the photo and headed out for another trip to the water utility office. Four trips (a half hour walk each way) and one triangle key later, we had water.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE (OF REALLY NICE PEOPLE)

I’ve been doing some sewing and after piecing together a small wall hanging sized quilt, I needed to find a quilter. I had done this once when we were here last year and went back to the same little shop only to discover it had closed. The internet wasn’t much help, and I was just about to ship my little project to the quilter I’ve used in the U.S., which is a slow and expensive option. Then, one day we were walking by a fabric store, and I noticed a beautiful quilt hanging in the window. I went in to ask if they provided quilting services. The lovely woman in the store spoke zero English. I tried to use my limited Spanish, but we ended up communicating through Google Translate. Eventually, she called the quilter that provides the service and we attempted to have a three-way Google Translate conversation. We made a little progress, but it was very slow and frustrating for all of us. After about twenty minutes of this comedy routine, another customer came into the store. She was a 40ish woman who had 5 young girls with her. They all tried to help, but none of them spoke much English. Finally, the woman called her 12-year-old son who is fluent in English (but knows nothing about quilting, of course). I told him what I wanted, he told his mother and the shopkeeper in Spanish what I had said, the shopkeeper relayed the information to the quilter who was still on the phone. Round and round we went. Eventually, we got it done and everyone hugged before saying “Buenas Tardes! Adios!”

KITCHEN ROBOTS?

We decided we need a blender and/or food processor and looked at the options one day when we were in the mega-store, El Cortes Ingles. (Remember the 30+ immersion blenders from a previous post?) Well, we couldn’t find a food processor. We did find several “robot de cocina“ contraptions to choose from. I’m not sure what a kitchen robot is but they’re quite expensive. We didn’t feel up to the challenge and ordered a food processor/blender combo on Amazon.com. Easy.

COMMUNICATING ABOUT HEALTHCARE STUFF

We have had a few encounters with the health care system here (fortunately nothing too serious) and that can be a bit stressful. It’s not too difficult to find a doctor who speaks some English, but often the office staff don’t speak much, if any. Typically, I begin these encounters with the best of intentions. I prepare and practice my question in Spanish. Whew! I’m so proud of myself! Then, the other person responds, and I can understand somewhere around 30-50% of what is said. Yikes! This isn’t ordering lunch; this is healthcare stuff. I should say that I don’t expect everyone to speak English and my Spanish is getting better, but as Heather said, sometimes I just need the day to be easy.

At one healthcare encounter, I was proud of myself when I said, “Tengo una cita en enero pero no recuerdo el día ni la hora.” The receptionist responded, “Su tarjeta de seguro, por favor.” I handed her my insurance card and easily understood when she told me, “Tu cita es el 18 de enero a las dos de la tarde.”

Phone calls can be overwhelming. When I get an automated greeting or message, it’s nearly impossible to understand what’s being said because they talk so fast. I went back to the fabric store one day to pick up my finished quilt and while in the store my phone rang. It was a Spanish number and when I answered I was listening to a recorded message spoken in Spanish – fast Spanish. I knew it had something to do with a healthcare appointment, but had no idea if they were confirming, cancelling, or changing the appointment. Nor did I know if I was supposed to DO something – like “press 1” to confirm. I turned on speaker phone and asked Ed to listen along with me, but still no entiendo (sort of like no comprende). It was a stressful moment, and I was on the verge of a mini meltdown (silly, I know, but little things start to pile up). A young man who was in the fabric store came to the rescue. He came to my side and quietly told me that they were just confirming my appointment and there was nothing I needed to do. I thanked (and hugged) him too!

SPAINIVERSARY

On February 3, we celebrated our one year anniversary of residency in Spain. This means that our TIE cards are expired. TIE stands for “Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero” and it’s a card that contains all your identity details and is proof that you are a Spanish resident. As recommended, we submitted our applications for renewal in early December, 60 days in advance. Now, we wait for the Valencia bureaucracy. We’ve heard that it can take between 2-6 months to get approval. After that, we go back to the police department where they check fingerprints, photos, and issue a new card. Then, there’s the fact that we can only stay in Spain for 90 days after the TIE expires (until May 3). We have some travel plans coming up and we can move about Europe with our U.S. passports. However, I’m not sure what happens after May 3. Worst case scenario, we get back to Valencia in late May from our trip to Greece and they don’t let us back into Spain. Unlikely, but something to ponder over a glass of wine.

FRIENDS AND NICE PEOPLE

Two things make all of this so much easier than it might otherwise be. First, as I mentioned above, we have some wonderful expat friends to commiserate and trade stories and tips with. Second, Valencianos are kind, patient, and eager to help. It’s a caring and gentle culture. People are patient with one another (even with expats), and they just seem happy. Happy to be alive. Happy to be together. Happy to help.

I have a sentence that I’ve committed to memory. “Gracias por su paciencia mientras aprendo español.” I say it often.