The Appointment

So I headed out to that God forsaken office armed with a written explanation of how I had sent a fax in twice for an appointment and didn't get a reply and how my lawyer had called them and confirmed that I had an appointment.

The guard at the door let me in.

Then the next guard said I didn't have an appointment but let me in anyway and told me to sit down and wait.

I waited for an hour thinking he'd get back to me.

He didn't.

So I asked him if I needed a number.

Guard: What number? What are you here for?

Me: I need to renew my residency.

Guard: Here! Take this.

It seems he had forgotten all about me but he gave me a very nice number and I got to submit my application shortly as I was the next in line for that particular queue.

Then it got confusing.

Last time I did it - all I needed to do was submit:

1. Application form + 3 copies of it
2. 3 copies of my passport
3. 3 copies of my old residency card
4. 3 copies of bank statements
5. 4 copies of a statement saying I had a health insurance
6. 3 copies proving I owned property here

Well, this time - he only took the originals and 1 copy of each and said the photographs were for another office.

Argh!

Then he gave me a stamped document that said he'd received my application today and then told me to go to a website: www.map.es.

I'm supposed to input my NIE, the date I submitted my application and my birthday.

I asked him for an explanation which I didn't understand at all and later on examined the paper more carefully on the train back home.

Well it seems that this website tells you whether your residency card is ready yet or not and it seems to say they will send you the results via ordinary mail - which isn't very promising since ordinary mail can be delayed for months or lost or sent back.

I guess I'll have to check in about 2 months and keep checking after that to see how things are going.

Typically this morning I got a request to submit a rough estimate for a big translation project and so I was going nuts trying to get this together. Then my English bank informed me that to cash in bonds I had to get all these documents together, one of which I looked for hours - and I asked the bank if they had it and they said no. Then it turns out the bank did have it!

Now I have to find out when the Spanish bank will ever be open again as the Torremolinos Feria has started. I apparently need to go to them and get a copy of my passport and utility bill certified.

I've never been good at multi-tasking so today has been a very stressful day.

I'm drinking keemun tea with some honey now and trying my best to relax.