Permanent Resident

Isma and I have started to fill out the paperwork for his green card and work permit. Before we began filling it out on our own, he talked to an immigration lawyer about doing the paperwork for us. It would have been a piece of mind knowing that someone experienced would take care of everything. However, the lawyer fees would be around $2500 on top of the cost of filing for residency. On top of that, the lawyer suggested that we wouldn't have trouble doing it on our own. The first round of paperwork is filled out, we're getting the money order today, and it will be in the mail next week. It will be months before we hear back about the paperwork; I don't remember exactly how much time. Isma heard at Catholic Charities, where he went to get some translation done, that due to new immigration laws an inordinate amount of new immigration petitions were being filed, so hopefully we get ours in ahead of the wave and it won't increase the wait time. We'll keep you updated.

Complexities

Have you ever tried to move from one state to the other? After living in Spain, I've come to realize that moving from one state to the next is almost as complicated as moving from one European country to another. First, you need new IDs: in Europe that means going to get a residency paper, in the US that means getting a new driver's license. And second, you have to transfer professional licenses: I have to get an Illinois teaching license even though I have an Indiana teaching license.


I can't decide whether to rejoice at the states' independence from each other or bemoan the fact that now I have to fill out a stack of paperwork, take exams, and pay for a new license all before I can be hired for a teaching job in Chicago. If only Chicago was in Indiana!! Yes, redrawing state lines sounds like the perfect solution...

Thievery

I figure out at the end of last week why it seemed that I hadn't been paid this month yet. Good news: I'd been paid. Bad news: some sneaky bugger was siphoning funds out of my bank account. I'm not certain who or how, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a trip to the kitchen with my card at a well known American restaurant (but here in Madrid) allowed some waitress or waiter to copy my card number, plus the security numbers on the back.

I blocked the card Friday, went to the police station the same day with Isma and Tamy, and went back myself Saturday morning since I was missing some documentation. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the bank to file my claim. In a few month I should have my savings back, so I'm not too stressed out anymore. Though you know, I didn't actually get angry. People at work wondered at me, how I could tell the story with a smile on my face. Hmmm. Strange American (or strange me) I suppose.

Don't worry, they took quite a bit, but I had withdrawn from the bank just before blocking my card, so I have money and they didn't empty the account (though they probably would have if I hadn't caught it). So all will be well soon.

Friends, School, and Taxes

April 24-26
Friday after work I promised myself to conquer my 100 million task-long-list. I think I crossed off two before heading off to the young adults' small group. They were the most time-sensitive things, though. I was working on a "station" for a prayer night we were having Saturday evening. Basically, the stations consisted of a table, maybe paper to write on, and a short reflection, questions, and verses to think and pray about. I was doing one about carrying others' burdens and putting all your burdens on Jesus.

Saturday morning I went grocery shopping before heading over to San Fernando to help clean and paint the church. I was worried about getting a t-shirt very dirty (since I have a limited supply), so someone lent me a t-shirt to wear for the day. The irony is that I got not a pin-drop of paint on the t-shirt. My pants, the ones I own, on the other hand, looked half white, half the original blue. It ended up coming out in the wash. In the evening, we had the aforementioned prayer and worship night. It was good to spend time praying with friends for the group, church, and community and to sing together. The next morning I had a pounding headache, so I stayed home from church and slept. By the evening I was feeling somewhat better, and went to youth group. Even if I hadn't been feeling good, I may have gone because I needed to bring the snacks (sandwiches and homemade chocolate chip cookies, mmm) and I wanted to hear Guille, one of my friends, preach.

April 27-May 3
This week Eusebio was in Romania, so I substitute taught his class. Because I was taking on more responsibility and doing more work than usual, the school paid for my lunches. Nice bonus. The first day was horrible, but as the week went on, things went much better. It's amazing to see the difference between the two classes. One class is measurably chattier than the other, and mainly for this reason, the number of times the teacher must say "quiet," they get less done. Between Wednesday and Thursday I watched 1972 movie "Sleuth" with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine at Isma's house. There was no school on Friday, so Isma, Guille, Tamy, and I went to Parque Juan Carlos all day. We played Uno, talked, and lied around relaxing. A few of them got a little pink, but I was fine (thankfully...I do need to buy sunscreen, though). Saturday, my church had a barbecue in Alcobendas at the seminary where the pastor lives. I enjoyed getting to know the people in my church a little better. I talked with one of the women from Romania, Mihaela, who is an English teacher for businesses here. She lived 8 years in London, and has been here for about five. Such an interesting lady. After the barbecue, Isma and I took a walk from my house down to the river. I have some pictures in a previous blog. On our way back, yelling and fireworks filled the air. It appears that we were the only ones not inside watching the soccer game. Real Madrid lost. Boo hoo.





Sunday was Mother's Day here (Mom knows, since I called her), and Isma and Guille's mom invited me for lunch. It was wonderful to be included in their family for the day (and their mom cooks the most delicious food). After lunch and relaxing for a few minutes, the three of us left for youth group. Isma was leading that night, since all of the leaders would be at a church meeting about selling the existing church plots to buy land to make a church in which all of the smaller congregations could worship together. That was an emotionally charged meeting, I'm sure. What made the evening even better was locking the keys in the car and having to go (with someone else's car) the 30 minute trip back to Guadalajara to get the extra keys). Pffff. After all that hullabaloo, the evening went well, which I'm sure was not our doing.

May 4-8
This week I've been running around fretting and doing legal things. Monday I stood in line to get my application for a Spanish class next fall. All week long I was trying to complete my tax papers to turn in at la Hacienda. Each time I thought I was finished, I'd see another blank that I couldn't answer without 1. papers from my house or 2. explanation from someone who'd done it before. Wednesday, on my way to Guadalajara to visit Isma and his mom, I stopped in Alcalá, one city further out from Madrid than mine (Torrejón) to visit the language school and look into classes there. Turns out that each school does it differently. Near where I work, the deadline was Friday for every language. In Alcalá, you can't sign up for classes until September. Thursday I decided to stay in Madrid for the afternoon to do errands. After school let out for the morning at 12:30, I ran to Hacienda (like IRS office?) to turn in my papers and do whatever else they told me to do. That went smoothly. Then, to kill time until 4pm when the language school's office opened, I went to Retiro Park to relax and work on English classes. Around 3:40, after grabbing a hamburger for lunch at Burger King, I caught the bus back to the neighborhood I work in, waited in the ginormous line at the school, and turned in my papers. (side note: ginormous really is a word, from c. 1948, combining gigantic and enormous. Can you tell I looked it up?)

It's a relief to have those papers out of my hands. Now I just need to wait for Hacienda to send me the papers by mail, and see what I do with them at that point. They said a few days, others said a few weeks, and other people have told me a month. So, I'll be patient.

Thursday after shopping:

Laughing fit. Ouch.

Carnaval

Conversation upon seeing one of my first graders running in the hallway.

"Alejandro, come here," I said, motioning with my hand for him to return toward me.
"Es que...(it's that...)
"Come here."
"Es que...es que...tenía que...el profe me..." (it's just...it's just...I had to...the teacher let me"
"Alejandro..."
"Ah...(light bulb moment)...I no run...sorry teacher Erica."

Yay! No run, in English, from a very very very out of it first grader. It made my day. I'm such a meanie; I still made him go back and walk.

-------------------------

Yesterday the school was chock full of strange characters: clowns, hippies, vampires, Roman soldiers, butterflies, princesses, cooks, etc. You would think that you had entered a strange new world. The kids were ready to celebrate Carnaval from before the school day began. I thought about staying for the celebration after school, but after a very full day, I just wanted to go home. I worked all Friday instead of the normal half day, making up hours that I had begged off to travel. The 27-2 of March I'm going to be in Sevilla with Angelita, staying with her son and his family. At dismissal, the parents, coming to dress their kids in costumes and to see the parade and celebration, filled the entryway to the brim, forcing me to elbow my way to fresh air. Even though I had left the school and my students behind, costumed kids were everywhere...in the grocery store, in the train, walking to the bus. What fun...the more innocent side of Carnaval. During the morning, the fourth-sixth graders delighted their teachers and classmates with songs and poetry (complete with noise-makers, masks, and party hats). One hour less of teaching for me. The first graders behaved better than my fourth graders and we enjoyed ourselves learning about the circus and singing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes." During my lunch break, I taught my Friday afternoon private class and grabbed a sandwich to eat in the park in the 20 minutes that remained before classes at the school started again. Me on one bench, and a homeless man sleeping on a nearby one. Perhaps that's why one man walking by gave me a strange look and muttered. Excess of food and joviality and homelessness...what a juxtaposition.

Did I tell you I got my residency card? Well, I did, about a week ago. It expires in September, when I entered the country. Have a good day everyone!

Vacation!!

I know that I’ve been neglecting you all lately, so my profuse apologies. These last few weeks have been consumed with Christmas shopping, baking, and outings with friends and the church group. I’ve been busy with work as well, lesson planning and creating materials for classes. Let me catch up on what has transpired since I last wrote, ashamedly almost a month earlier.

December 8th was Immaculate Conception Day, a just reason in Spain to cancel school. Saturday was Constitution Day, so I’m not quite sure if the holiday was moved to Monday, or if we didn’t have school for Immaculate Conception Day. At any rate, it makes little difference from a practical point of view. There was no school, and in many cases, no work, a fact that many of us took advantage of. Thursday afternoon after school, I substitute taught in a private class of 4-5 year olds for a friend. Crazy! After that, my weekend began. Friday afternoon, I left with Tamy, Eva, and Sara, all from my church, headed for Rascafrías, where the youth groups from Canillejas, where I attend Sunday mornings, and San Fernando, where I go to youth group, were to have a retreat. It was good to meet people I hadn’t talked to before and to grow closer to some of those I already knew.

Monday Isma, Tamy, and I went to Aranjuez, a royal palace established on the banks of a river and surrounded by an arboreal park. It was beautiful, despite the constant drizzle of rain. After taking a nauseating amount of photos of ourselves, we went to Chinchon to eat lunch. It finally stopped sprinkling, so our wandering search for the restaurant where Ismael had been last time didn’t leave us drenched. On the way home, we stopped by to see some friends and take (guess what) more pictures. The Tuesday after such a wonderful extended weekend is always a rude awakening, returning to real life with my longest day of work, but it doesn’t make the weekend any less sweet.

The next Friday evening I went with some friends to see Cortylandia at the Corte Inglesn near the Puerta del Sol. Amy will remember the Puerta del Sol…the plaza where the bear is. Here’s a link if you want to see what it was like: Cortylandia. Saturday we went to hand out coats to homeless in downtown Madrid. Drizzly, wet, and cold...we were laden down with bags full of coats and our sandwiches and so couldn’t use the umbrellas we had brought. The trek was a success in that we found where the homeless are and aren’t. Or better put, my group mainly found where they are not, the other group found where they are. I hope that armed with this information, next time we can serve even more people and have some meaningful conversations. That Sunday I attended at meeting at church about the volunteer work I do at La Alameda elementary school, so didn’t go to youth group until the very end, in time to eat and say goodbye to friends.

This last week before Christmas vacation was quite a doozy energy wise. Monday, was English class with Tamy and Sara at my house. Afterwards, friends came over to help make gingerbread cookies. They were a great help, especially spirits wise, as the flat appearance of the cookies was beginning to stress my cookie ideal. Wednesday I went with the kids to see the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens in an English theater. It was great, though not appropriate for half of the kids who came from our school. It was acted for kids, but the English was more than above their level. I think the first graders understood “sit down,” “stop,” “yes,” “ghost,” and “Merry Christmas.” Not much more. It was fun during the play, but a mess coming and going since they miscounted the kids and didn’t have enough room in the buses. Imagine running through the streets with first graders looking for a taxi. Nightmare.

Thursday I was excited to get to spend an hour with the entire class, teaching about Christmas in English. First, the pictures from home with our Christmas traditions, second the book "Twas the Night Before Christmas," (and for my eled friends, I did a walk-through first and comprehension questions throughout), and third a memory game with Christmas picture cards I had made. When the kids left, I gave them the gingerbread cookies made earlier in the week. In the after school program, we had fun playing games and giving out cards to celebrate the coming Christmas. Coming home, I had a scare when a girl about my age fell from the bus while getting off, hitting her ribs against the curb. The bus driver called the EMS, and stopped the bus until they came (20 minutes later). I’m sure she’s fine, because although she was having a little difficulty breathing, she was sitting and responsive. When the next bus came around, we all got off, and everyone was relieved (some angry, others concerned about the girl, others clueless) to get home.

Friday morning I had an appointment for my NIE (residency card). I will receive it in less than 40 days! I also went to an English bookstore that was in the same neighborhood and looked at the books and teaching supplies. Stuff is expensive!! That evening, I went to a dinner with my small group at church at a pizza place. Saturday I ran errands and did last minute Christmas wrapping. Angelita came home to grab some things and spend the weekend at her son’s house. She is still in the hospital for rehabilitation, but they are letting her out for some of the holidays. We still don’t know when she’ll be home for good. Saturday evening I went with my friend Isma to see the living nativity in Buitrago de Lozoya. Here’s something about it: Nativity (Click on "escenas" on the left, then click on each link below to see the parts of both the story before-hand and the nativity walk-through in the castle...these are under "trabajos, "política y religión," "mercadores," and "la anunc. de las profetas"). I felt sorry for the kids that had to stay in the cold like statues for the display. Despite that, I was able to enjoy myself immensely. Sunday morning I went to the church in San Fernando to see some friends sing and ate lunch at Tamy’s family, who live in the same building as me.

And now I’m in Pamplona, enjoying cooking, talking, and playing games with the family and family friends. It doesn’t seem like Christmas is tomorrow, but I’m sure the excitement of the two youngest Veldts will make tomorrow morning special. And we all have much reason to celebrate the day, even if we are all missing some things or people.

December

Address

I have found my postal code online, so here is my mailing address here in Pamplona. Please, though, if you mail something to me, double check at the post office that I have included everything here necessary for the letter to get to Spain.

C/ Monte Lakartxela 4, 7 º C
Pamplona, Navarra 31006
España

Here is some more information about size of packages/cost of postage/restrictions on sending things. If you're feeling like sending me a deck of playing cards, don't. Apparently they're prohibited in the mail, though I'm not sure why.