Adjusting to life as a Barbateña

Disclaimer: I’m not sure if barbateña is actually a word, but I’m going to use it anyway. 

           After I lugged all my stuff from my hostel to my new apartment Friday, it was time to get settled into my new life.  I unpacked all my stuff and made my first trip to the grocery store, which is conveniently a 3-minute walk from my apartment.  Our grocery store is called Mercadona, and it is AWESOME.  Food is so cheap here.  I bought a week’s worth of groceries AND all the toiletries I needed for just over 20 euros.  The most expensive thing I bought was a tube of toothpaste that rang in at a whopping €2.25.

           Later in the day (and I mean around 7 because we had to wait for all the shops to reopen after the siesta), Charlotte, her mum, and I went around to try and get the ball rolling on getting Wi-Fi set up in our piso.  We shopped around to find the best price (see Mom, I’ve been paying attention all these years), and then tried to actually sign up.  Which is when we hit our first roadblock.  The people at the store told use we needed a NIE to open an account with them.  The NIE (en español, numero de identificación de extranjeros) is the identification number that foreigners from outside the EU living and working in Spain need to have.  Think of it as the equivalent of a social security number.  You practically need one to blow your nose here.  I hadn’t yet had a chance to apply for one and Charlotte, being an EU citizen, hadn’t heard of it because she doesn’t need one. 

           So alas, we headed back to the other store where they told us we didn’t need the NIE.  We filled out the paperwork only to have the woman ask us for our bank account number.  Which neither of us have yet because (again) Charlotte doesn’t need to open a Spanish bank account and I don’t have my NIE.  Finally, with some help from our landlady’s son, it looked like we were going to sign up at the first store.  But then they told us it was too late in the day and to come back on Monday.  “If it’s too late in the day to do anything then why are you open?” Charlotte and I both wondered.  We left the store, feeling slightly defeated, but at least now we had a plan. 

            The next day I pretty much just bummed around my apartment.  I also signed up with a Spanish phone carrier so I got a new phone number and sim card.  It was exciting times.  The actual exciting thing that happened that day was Shannon deciding to live in Barbate!  She had been on the fence about whether to live in Cadiz and commute, but she ultimately decided that Barbate was the right place for her.  She and I got dinner with Charlotte and her mom and we all called it a night pretty early

            Sunday was pretty laid-back.  Charlotte’s mum left early in the morning and it was sad to see her leave!  Even though I’d really only known her for a couple of days it was really nice to spend time with her!  The five of us auxiliares had lunch together at a café on the paseo marítimo, the pedestrian street that runs along the waterfront, kind of similar to a boardwalk. 

Lunchin' with new frands!

            On Monday, Charlotte and I went back to the internet place, along with our landlady’s son, to actually sign up this time.  We were in and out in under 3 minutes, so again we wondered why we couldn’t have done it on Friday.  Oh well.  Now we’re on the list, and it should be installed within two weeks.  We’ll see if they actually stick to that schedule though.  I have my doubts. 

            After that, Charlotte and I took the bus out to Zahara de los Atunes, the small town where I will be working!  It was a bit cloudy, but the beach was still really nice and we could tell that on a sunny day it would be just breathtaking. 

These narrow boardwalks lead from the road/town to the beach and follow along the length of the beach.

You can pretty much always see someone windsurfing or kitesurfing during the day.  It's super windy here so it's a really popular sport. 

            I then headed to check out my school while Charlotte chilled on the beach.  The school is really small, it has less than 100 students and only one class per grade.  The campus is the size of a city block, but most of that is a paved lot used for recess.  The actual school is a long, narrow, two-story building with about 10 classrooms, a small library, offices, a teacher’s lounge and a very small gym-like room with a stage.  I popped in to meet a few of the classes, but I didn’t stay long.  I met the principal, Fernando, and the bilingual coordinator, Patricia, as well as a few other teachers.  The people I met were all super nice, and I’m really excited to work with them this year!

Coming up next: my first day!