Waiting, Waiting, Waiting.....

My Move Date

I think I was a little too optimistic about when I could move into my new place.  I settle on June 10.  I then need to have the whole condo painted and a few minor repairs made.  I was hoping that they could paint the main bedroom quickly and I would move my bed into that room and they could continue working in the rest of the house.  The contractor didn't think that was a good idea and suggested that I move in a week later.  Actually, he's right.  It's much better for them to have the place free and clear of "things" so they can efficiently do their work.  But I was not happy.  Chris is coming on June 23.  I was hoping that I could have the place somewhat organized by the time he got here, but it's not to be.  Chris is very flexible and is totally ready to help with making this house a home for us.  So, I'll be moving in June 21 with the bed delivered that day, I'll have sheets on the bed, and I'll have a few other things before Chris arrives.  It will be an adventure!

Speaking of Chris, he has already lined up two teaching interviews while he's here.  Although there is no guarantee that he'll be offered a position for this fall, this is very encouraging.  Chris is so energetic and full of initiative, looking for ever possible angle to find a position here in Barcelona.  That is one of the many things I admire and am in awe of with this amazing man.  We'll see how these and possibly other interviews will turn out.  I can't wait to see him in about 30 days!

Beyond This Year

So I'm purchasing a home here in Barcelona in two weeks, yet I still did not have a good idea about my

residency status after this year.  My initial residency permit is for only one year.  Neither the Spanish Consulate in D.C. nor my other sources could tell me exactly what I would need to do to extend my permit.  So, I spent a full day investigating what I will need to do to extend my residency permit in Spain, digging through numerous web pages on the national government's websites.  I now have a much better idea of the process.  Basically, about three months before the permit expiration date (3/11/2014), I will need to obtain and translate similar documents that I did for my initial visa: my pension, my retirement savings, and my health insurance, as well as fill out a residency renewal form.  Two months prior to the expiration date, I will make an appointment online to go to the immigration office and deliver these documents to them.  I should then get a residency renewal permit for a two year period.  I will need to do that again for another two year period.  Then, after that (5 years total), I'll be able to apply for a long duration residency visa.  From what I could tell, this would be for an indefinite period of time.  So, at least I know the path ahead (unless they change things or Catalunya becomes a separate country!).

The Sovereign State of Catalunya?

This week I've had a few conversations about the future of this autonomous community of Spain.  One friend, Xavi, adamantly believes that Catalunya will separate from Spain and become it's own country.  He believes that for a number of reasons, which I can't go into right now, Catalunya will be much better off economically than it is today.  Even if Catalunya cannot immediately be part of the European Union, it will be part of many other European alliances and will have the support of a number of European nations in making this transition.

I had a conversation with another friend just today about this same topic.  He doesn't believe that this will come to pass and that if a vote were taken today, the majority would not vote for independence.

Everyone I talked to agreed that the current position of the Spanish national state of not allowing Catalunya to have a referendum and to vote on the possibility of independence exasperates the problem and fans the flames of the independent fervor that already exists in this region.  I think that Spain would do itself a favor if they would allow a free and clear referendum to take place and at least settle the question whether a majority wants to move in this direction.

Other Observations

Right now I am focused on improving my Spanish and I think I'll be taking an intensive course from Sept to January in the language.  But I also realize that I will also need improve my understanding of the spoken and written Catalán language.  There are many written materials that are only in Catalán.  I also find that in some conversations with friends, some groups will automatically switch from Spanish to Catalán and they aren't even aware that they've done that.  So, once I settle into my place, I'll come up with a plan to improve both my Spanish and my understanding of Catalán.

I am impressed with the care that the city government takes in maintaining the city.  There are public trash cans on each block, never overflowing, trucks cleaning the streets and street cleaners sweeping the sidewalks, workers re-staining the park benches, etc.  Of course this all comes at a price (mainly taxes), but this is what a city should be doing for its citizens.

When it comes to common medications, I am pleasantly surprised how easy and inexpensive it is to obtain them.  A week or so ago I found I had higher than normal levels of uric acid.  Besides changing my diet, there is some medication (Allopurinol) that can also help lower the uric acid level.  In the US, I would need to meet with my doctor and he would give me a prescription that I would take to the pharmacy and pay $30-$50 (without insurance) for this drug.  Here I walked into the pharmacy, asked for this medication, and paid $5.  I later went back and asked for 600mg of Ibuprofen and was given 40 tablets for $3.  Since there is no expensive advertising for pharmaceutical products here and since these medication prices are negotiated with the Spanish government, they are very affordable and available to the public.

A Parting Gift

Today I came across a beautiful song that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington did last year, but I had never before heard.  It brought me to tears as I was feeling about how much I was missing Chris and how important he is in my life.  I'd like to share with you this incredible and moving song.