Mobiles and Paperwork

04/09/12

I thought it would be a good idea to get a Spanish mobile phone.  I believed it would work out cheaper for me; not so.  I bought the cheapest mobile phone I could get in Movistar, €25 with €6 free credit.  I got one of those flip-top ones that aren’t all the rage anymore.  The girl in the shop set the phone up for me and I gave her my passport so she could enter my details on her computer.  When I got home and had a look at the print out of my details I noticed that they had listed my nationality as being Israeli, hmmm.

With my 6 euros free credit at the ready I proceeded to send about five or six texts to various people in Ireland informing them of my new number.  Immediately afterwards I received a text from Movistar:  El saldo de su tarjeta es inferior a 2 euros.  It had cost me over 4 euros to send a few texts.  Emma, my friend from Tarragona, rang me later and explained that it is very expensive to send a text outside of Spain.  When I use my old phone with Meteor it only costs 11c per text.  I shall have to sort out an online account with Meteor and top up with my debit card.  To be honest I don’t regret buying the phone from Movistar as I now have a Spanish number, which should come in handy if I find work. I think the local folk will be more inclined to ring me or text me if the number is a Spanish one.

I recently received an email from Emma explaining the situation with SESPA (see previous post on this blog).  This year there has been a lot of cuts in the health system and the education system.  The sign basically says that if you want to have a bad experience go to SESPA.  Since that protest I have seen SESPA everywhere.  Only today I looked out the kitchen window and I saw an ambulance parked outside, I think some poor old dear had fallen on the street. 

I don’t have any more photos to post at the moment so here is a photo of me and Emma in the Gothic District of Barcelona last year:

En Asturias, la gente que te abre su casa como si fueses su hermano.

While the above statement is true I know from personal experience that it also applies to Catalonia.  Muchas gracias Emma, besos y abrazos.

While I was having a beer in Paco’s last night he insisted that I accompany him down the road to a favourite sidrería of his.  I was kicking myself that I didn’t have my camera with me nor my notebook because now I can’t give you guys the name of the sidrería nor show you Paco pouring the cider from the bottle to the glass.  ¡Qué lástima! We stood at the bar and Paco ordered one bottle and one glass.  It was then I noticed the bucket at his feet.  Standing with the bucket at his feet and with the glass held very low and the bottle above his head at arms length Paco stared straight in front, as if he were staring into space.  He tipped the bottle and the flow from the lip of the bottle found the lip of the glass.  Still staring straight ahead Paco corrected the trajectory until the cider flowed into the glass.  With the glass about one third full he handed it to me to taste the cider.  I sipped at it but he told me that I must drink it all down in one go; I happily complied.  He then went through the same procedure again, with the same glass, and then drank the cider himself in one gulp.  There is no gas in the cider and therefore it is poured from a height to aerate it before consumption.  I must say it is much tastier than the fizzy Bulmers at home.  We polished off the bottle in a matter of minutes and then headed back to his pub as I had arranged to meet Mairead who had recently arrived; Mairead is the only other student from Maynooth who is in Oviedo this year.

Today I went to register with the University of Oviedo.  Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!  There is a lot of it folks.  Thankfully I had as much of it done as I could before I left Ireland but what I have left to do will all be conducted through Spanish.  Again I must remark on the friendliness and helpful attitude of the Spaniards in Oviedo.  I had to queue at a counter for about 20 minutes but when it was my turn I was brought to the desk of a lovely woman named Teresa.  From the start she told me to stop her at any time if she was speaking too fast or if I didn’t understand anything.  She was also very helpful in that she did some scanning of documents at my request and emailed them for me.  I was given a folder containing a map of the city and a map of the city bus routes, information on all aspects of the University and information on places of interest and places to visit all over Asturias.  She explained then that the computer system was down and that I would have to come back next week to register properly.  In the meantime I would have a lot to do.  I have to call to the local police station to register the fact I will be living in Spain for the next year, I have to call to some other office to get a citizens card, I will have to get a letter from Moises providing the address of our flat and explaining that I will be living at that address for the next year.  He is happy enough to sign it if I write it.  I also have to find a woman called Clara in the library who will in turn set up a meeting between me and my allocated professor for the year.  This is by way of introduction and to have an informal chat with him about the subjects I have chosen to study and to see if he will agree that I am capable of doing them.  Classes start on the 13^th of September and apparently I have until the 1^st of October to change my mind about any of the subjects I shall be studying.

I hope friends and family at home are all well and when I get my mobile sorted I shall begin texting you guys again.

Later guys.