Lucky Numbers

You know that old saying that news, good or bad, comes in threes? Well, it was true for me today as I got three pieces of good news: my visa was approved, I got a great financial aid package from school for the upcoming school year and I secured my apartment by taking a deep nervous breath and wiring my new Spanish roommate a bunch of Euros.

I also found out that the apartment is on the very same Metro line as IKEA in Madrid, which, for me, changes the saying to good news comes in fours!

Tapas

Ahhh, tapas -- those Spanish bar snacks are the stuff of legend. I've always been intrigued with the tapas concept. This is partly due to ingrained professional curiosity (I am, after all, a former professional cook) and my pride as a champion snacker.

As I'll be posted in Spain for the better part of the upcoming school year, it is my duty to learn all that I can about tapas before pushing off to Madrid. I've only had these diminutive bar noshes at a few places scattered arudn the Boston area. Here is a list of the Boston restos that that will serve as my tapas training ground:



Tapeo -- http://www.tapeo.com/home/



Tasca -- http://www.tascarestaurant.com/



Dali -- http://www.dalirestaurant.com/



Toro -- http://toro-restaurant.com/


Estragon -- http://www.dailycandy.com/boston/article/37054/Hamming+It+Up?utm_source=dailycandybos&utm_medium=rss



My favorites dishes so far: queso con membrillo, pimientos de padron, queso, marinated octopus, queso con miel, Albóndigas...did I mention queso?



Dishes I want to like, but probably haven't found a good version of yet (or until I get to Madrid, perhaps?): Tortilla Española, Gambas al ajillo, patatas bravas.

Eat it up, yum!

Congratulations, Spain

I am really psyched to be living in Spain during the year they won the Euro Cup!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92021521

I began to get into World Cup soccer the last time it was around in 2006, but because of ho-hum interest and coverage here in the U.S., I haven't really kept up with it. Maybe things will change once I land in Madrid.

Congratulations, España!

The Consulate as Purgatory

Somehow I ended up with two appointments to apply for my visa with the Spanish Consulate on St. James Ave. in Boston. One was arranged by email and the other by phone. A "quick" phone call to sort out which was the real appointment found me on hold for 20 minutes, resulting in a brusque reply, "Many people getting visas. Don't cancel your appointment." Hmmm...I guess its better to have too many appointments than none?


So I was lucky and showed up for the first of my two appointments and they had me on their docket for that day. So far so good! Here is a modified version of my conversation with the Agent at the Spanish Consulate through an inch-thick sheet of plexiglass:



Agent: So you're applying for a visa to Spain.



Me: Yes.



Agent: Hablo Espanol?



Me: No. (in my mind: But I've taken 6 years of Spanish classes between high-school and college, and I'm brushing up now like a maniac!)



Agent: Please sign your application with today's date and location



Me: Okay (signing documents)



Agent: And you have copies



Me: Yes, how many?



Agent: Two. And your supplement?



Me: What's a supplement



Agent: (sigh) You don't have a supplement form?



Me: No



Agent: (irritated, handing me the form) Please go fill this out over there.



Me: um..



Agent: NEXT!



(I fill out the supplement form, which, interestingly enough, contains much of, but less of the information as on my Schengen Visa application and get back in line)



Me: Here's the supplement form, sir.



Agent: do you have more documents?



Me: (handing over my School acceptance and information form) Yes.



Agent: (wanting a photocopy of the above-mentioned form) Copy. Anything else?



Me: (handing over my health information forms) Yes.



Agent: Copy. Anything else?



Me: (handing over my financial information forms) Yes.



Agent: Copy. Anything else?

Me: (handing over my apostille) Yes.



Agent: Copy. Anything else?

Me: No.



Agent: Have a seat. We'll call you.



The office has filled up by this time and no seats are available. I sit on the floor where after an hour and a half of waiting, my butt falls asleep. I didn't know that was even possible! After completing the Soduko and crossword in the day's Metro Newspaper and reading some of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, I wonder if I am really in Hell's waiting room instead of the Consulate and if they are just gearing up to deny me a visa and kick me out of the office. There's no room for me, anyway.



Agent 2: (calls my name, in an irritated manner, numerous times).



Me: (scrambling up awkwardly with my sleepy butt) yes, yes!

Agent 2: Are you applying for a work visa or a student visa?

Me: Student visa.

Agent 2: but your visa application is for 10 months.

Me: Yes, my program is a combination of classes and an internship in a school.

Agent 2: (looking displeased) I will have to see if this is okay.

Me: (just now realizing that there is one/are many people beyond the plexiglass in discrete offices who are scouring everyone's application) okay.

Agent 2: Have a seat.

I wait for approximately 20 more minutes, when I am then recalled to the dividing wall between me and them.

Agent 2: Okay, so you will be reviewed for a 90-day visa. Call back on July 30 to confirm.

Me: So what can I do for the remaining time, as my program is for the year.

Agent 2: You can apply for an extension at the local police station once in Madrid.

Me: (stunned) ummm...okay?

Here's to my month-plus purgatory waiting for my visa. *Salud* as they say in Spain, or if you're feeling sassy and Mexican, "arriba, abajo, al centro, adentro" (up, down, center, inside)!

Apartment Hunting Abroad

Perhaps more nerve-rattling than the trip to the Spanish Consulate (more on that later), is the ongoing experience of distance apartment hunting online. People have recommmended different websites for finding a place to live in Madrid, but I have focused my energies at <http://www.easypiso.com/>. Hold your giggles about the name. Literally, in English, it means Easy Floor or Easy Apartment, but I think people find the similarity to the English saying "easy-peasy" somewhat silly.



This website is one of many branches of a company based in New York City that serves as a repository for domestic and international roommate listings. You can browse and have limited communication access with other members for free, but it seems to be worthwhile to pay for membership, especially as you evolve from a casual to a serious apartment hunter. A paid membership (available for different lengths of time) gives you get full contact information for all members of the site, the added insurance of knowing that people are serious about finding roommates and the ability to transfer money to your new roommates through the website, thus creating a paper trail.

Through a combination of random conversations and general research, I was prepared to spend 300-500 Euros for an apartment sharing situation in Madrid. I have been really impressed with the listings and have both sent and received emails at a good rate with potential roommates.

Wish me luck!