My AirBnb
GOOD
Not having to add tax and tip. The price you see is the price you get! (Except a lawyer I met, but I didn't like him anyway.)
HMMM
The Spanish government continues to ask me for documents I could not possibly have and requires me to make appointments I'm not allowed to make.
GOOD
I have hired a paralegal (Using a lawyer or paralegal to assist with things like buying a car or getting health insurance is incredibly common in Spain, due to the amazing bureaucracy.) He had already helped me get the shipment of my belongings out of customs purgatory. He only speaks Spanish, but was oodles nicer and more helpful than the fancy pants English-speaking lawyer I tried first.
GOOD
I have a Spanish bank account and a Spanish phone number. The bank teller was especially lovely and took extra time to teach me how to download and use the bank app.
HMMM
It is really, really hot every day, and will be until September. Like, 38C/100F. Yes, it is dry heat, and no, there is not much air conditioning. They don't have AC at my house or many restaurants. When they do, many have to follow the new government rules of not going cooler than 27C/ 80F. This is part of an initiative to reduce energy use because of the war in Ukraine. In theory, I support this kind of policy, but it's rough going.
GOOD
I have already connected to friends of friends who have been welcoming and helpful with advice. I have started going to meetups, but I'm balancing it with downtime alone, since my brain is worn out from struggling in a new country and a new language.
HMMM
It is wearying to just never quite know what's going on. I'm shuffling along all right. But every day there are new things to learn. How to open doors. How to weigh the fruit in the grocery store. How to pay a bill. How to pronounce the letter G so I can spell my name. Rinse and repeat all day.
GOOD
That fruit that I now know how to weigh? It's all been super tasty.
6 comments:
I remember the feeling of not doing anything the “right” way. That’s really tough. It gave me a lot of empathy for young children who also do almost everything the wrong way.
But the food!….. oh, the food. The cheeses, the churros, even the potatoes somehow taste better!
Enjoy!!
-Ellie
Seems like on the whole to be positive. No bads. Good advice on using the paralegal.
Many thanks for your blog post. Truly gives us an idea of what it’s like.Hopefully you can give yourself some nature time to relax and recharge.Question.. can we still text and call you or do we need your new number?. I assume you still have your same email. Please take care of yourself ,eat and rest and exercise like you did here in 352 and soon you will be making friends and traveling around.
hang in there! The first 3 months are the most overwhelming. The heat however I can't really comment on how to cope with that, since I wilt in 25C
Changes are good - good for your brain. But so many new changes at once are a real challenge and overwhelming. Glad you are meeting people and building community.
Well done - you've arrived and seem to be meeting each new challenge with the usual RM problem solving talent.
Look forward to following your progress.
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