So, you are in Spain, unemployed, and want to request your NIE (or change the address from your existing NIE)? (NIE - numero identificacion extranjero, like an ID card)
Not so obvious requirements (apart from volante empadronamiento, pay the fee - taza etc)
In Andalucia (might vary in other regions) you need to have at least 7,300 Euros in the bank (go to your bank for a stament (estado de cuenta), plus let them stamp it - sellar).
From the private medical insurance (which you must have) - print ALL pages, so they can see what is covered. Ideally, get these documents stamped from the insurer (or bank)
bring your proof of payment for the medical insurance (again, stamped...)
If you are at the Police station, and just one doc is missing... you may ask them, if you can come back the same day. They MIGHT allow it.
Note: Once all is approved, you will get the NIE right there, they will print it during the appointment. No need to come back later.
Feel free to add comments :) stay safe all!
To get an appointment might take in some cities up to 3 or 4 weeks. The better your are prepared, the less likely it is you will have to go back (and need to wait another 3-4 weeks...).
Am here 8 weeks now, 3 left. It was dream to get to know Uruguay, ever since I had this interview with Tata in Montevideo, in 2016.
Thanks to my bosses trust (which I earned, I guess) they had no objections for me working from Uruguay for 3 months.
Funny sidenote: my boss ist Mexican, and works from Punta del Este, hehe
A bit of a setback when flying here... I thought Covid was over... But no...when checking in in Mexico City, they asked for my full vaccination history, plus a medical insurance, specifically including Covid... So, while I ran to take a quick Covid test (negative, yeah),my beloved Tanita bought the health insurance...
10 hours stopover in Bogota, Colombia, where my dear colleague Andres picked me up from the airport, and then we went for lunch with colleagues. yummy arepa del choclo!
The flight then to Montevideo was a bit messy, but hey 😅
The lady I was renting from (Rossy) gave me very good instructions how to get to Balneario Las Flores, and she even reserved a bus ticket for me! Buses have Wifi, so she knew I was on the bus. Rossy and her husband Augusto even went to pick me up at the bus stop ♥️
And yes, I came here with two suitcases...external 24 inch screen, and my favourite pillow. So picking me up was appreciated 🤗
the cabin I rented is about 200 metres from the beach, I work Mo - Fri, and have the weekend to explore.
More of what I have seen and learned, in a different post then.
Firstoff... Breakfast here is usually wayyyy richer than in Spain, France or Germany, for example... Although it surely compares with a full oirish breakfast, hahaha...
There are big regional differences, and also depends of course on your wallet. In the street you get something for a cheap as 50 cents. While even in the cheapest restaurant (a Fonda) you will pay at least 3 USD.
You can east pretty any of these during any hour of the day. Tamal or Tlacoyo at 5 PM? No problem. But I would still call them breakfast food, hehe...
So, to the list (I am not going by order, I love them all pretty equally).
Tamales. from 75 cents to 2 USD. My favourites are from Emy, a bit posh, yeah. But the ones with Rajas and the ones with Mole... get a black coffee, and instant heaven. Well, until the GF tells you to clean the house (on weekend), or you have the first meeting (weekdays...) :P
Gorditas de chicharron, preferably made of the blue sweetcorn (mais azul). I prefer Comal to fried, big time. Between 50 Cents and a Dollar and a half. I usually have them with Nopales (the cactus) or quelites. Plus a bit cheese, and red (spicy) sauce. Again, have them with black coffee, and instant heaven (all other comments from above apply, too :P )
Tlacoyos. preferably made of the blue sweetcorn (mais azul). They usually come with Frijoles (beans), requeson (curd) or haba (green beans). The stand just outside of the Mercado Medellin (with Monterrey) is great! Costs? Between 50 Cents to 1 USD. Similar to the Gorditas, you have them with Nopal, cheese and sauce (red or green, hehe...). What to drink? well, black coffee, what else... (insert sign here for instant heaven).
Caldo de res- just a simple stew, made with beef. Gosh... Here, if you want, you can substitute the coffee for a coke.
Huarache, with e.g. cecina. Cost between 3 and 5 USD. My favourites in the Mercado de Jamaica. Where? Close where the flowers are, hehe... Best with a black coffee (imho). Instant...
What many Mexicans love, would be Pozole. I myself eat it, when hungry, but am not crazy for it. sorry :P
And, while you eat these usually in the street... bring some Kleenex. You never know, what sideeffects coffee and spicy sauce have. and paper is sometimes scarce in these simple toilets :D
Typical song for a typical Mexican breakfast? De Itztapalapa para el Mundoooo
So, December 31st 2016 I took a plane to start living in Mexico City (where I still am, hehe). On the flight over I got a free upgrade to Business (cool, hehe...), but customs took the 3 pounds of spanish ham I brought (fair trade me thinks).
How did I end up here? I was a happy camper in Torrejon/Madrid, wasn´t I...
I had that idea already a few years ago, to live half a year or so in Peru... But yes... So I finished Hesses Steppenwolf last year in March. And Hesse always makes me think. Having a look in OCC mundial (mexican jobsite), I found a a few interesting jobs. But for some they wanted someone maximum 45 years of age. I was just that, for 2 MORE MONTHS!!! Then I´d be 46!!! :-(
So really, that gave me a kick. Started off with getting a new passport (mine was only valid for 1 more year). And then, off jobhunting. Not only in MX, but also Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama... I think I still have accounts in more than 20 websites, hehe...
Anyway, 1000 applications more or less, I found something. Average every 80 applications I had an interview (Panama, Argentina, MX, Uruguay, Costa Rica). None in Chile, Peru, Ecuador. Well, some I managed well, some I just failed. But usually they said "bugger, that you're still in Spain, we really need someone that can start in a month top."
The CompuCom Interviews, well... first the english test. Not that tricky. Then first real interview. 3 people, the HR girl from MX dialled me in. Connection was bad, I couldn´t hear them, and vice versa. After that, I thought "dude, thats it, that was crap".
But no... second interview. Again, the HR girl dialled me in -- very bad connection. So I asked for the dial in details, left the bridge, and dialled in myself. MUUUCH better. the interview was scheduled for 30 mins, but we talked for an hour. :-)
Signed the contract September 30, 2016, and finally started here January 23. Man, rocky times...
Since I had like 5 going away parties (with different groups, but often the same place), one guy in that bar (Pacifico, in Torrejon) said "dude, now get the fuck over to Mexico already, how many more leaving parties do you want to have???" And I was simply practising for the "maraton Guadalupe Reyes" :-P
Yes, was tough to say good bye... many good people I left behind... the most I will miss Gema, Manuel, Jessica, Bea, Ander, Clara, Carmen, Ceci, Marian, Alberto, Victorcito, gorder, Miguel, Gustavo, Iboh, Mayo...
By the way, new years eve I ended in a gay party. 30 blokes, just 5 chics. and of these, 3 lesbians... hehe... well, they had great food though... first time I had "rajas" :-D
So, the difference really in regards to Germany/Ireland/Spain?, what did I find here?
- yes, people run when crossing the street, sometimes it is dangerous.
- power cables hang very low at times, you really have to watch where you're going
- almost no litter boxes. Just in the city centre. so, litter the street, or take home.
- Girls do their makeup everywhere. waiting for the bus, in the office (one even irons her hair in the office!!!)
- boardwalks are very uneven, irregular. curbs like a foot high...
- Queues in unexpected places...ATM at payday (although nothing like the taxi queues back in the nineties in Dublin...)
- Pay is very often twice a months, bi weekly...
- The metrobus has 3 doors. one is for women only (don't enter there if yer male, they kinda look at ye...)
- coca cola light or zero? not in all places... very often just coke normal
- they do actually have rental bikes here, ecobici! I was surprised, and works well!
- in the office they sometimes do drug tests. they give you 2 days notice, and off you go to the doctor
So far, I am loving it. Great people, great food, good craic...I live in a quite safe hood in CDMX, sharing with a cool girl, Lau. And I hope some stage I can get me own feckin flat ;-)
Travelled a bit, here the map so far... we'´ll see how we end...
6 years of my life in Spain. 2 years in Barcelona, Poble Sec, and 4 in the outskirts of Madrid, Torrejon de Ardoz.
Great times, good fun...:-) :-) :-)
Got to know Spain quite well... and its not a country, but a collection of regions... people are so different, depending on where they come from... more or less nationalist, more or less progressive, more laid back or more hard working... all sorts....
What places I didn't get to visit? Hm, never made it to Ibiza, Menorca, Los picos de Europa, Murcia, Caceres (where la Beatricilla is from)...
Towns which I liked most? Salamanca - I'll never forget when I went up that tower, and on top, serene moments, scents of incent, classic music. Tarifa - the mixture of spanish and Moroccan arquitecture.
Favourite fiesta? "Fiesta de la Sidra" in Gijon.
Favourite food? Navajas a la plancha, salpicon de marisco, spanish omelette, salchichon, pan con tomate (please, Madrileño style, tomate triturado...)
favourite museum? CCCB in Barcelona; La Casa encendida in Madrid. Tabacalera in Madrid.
favourite beach? Gava mar. man, how often did I go down there, taking the bus from Plaza España in Barcelona (bus L95).
La foto he sacado en el Matadero en Madrid. Uno de mis lugares favoritos en Madrid... la Cineteca con pelis interesantes, la casa de Lector con sus expos, la Cantina con sus pizzas buenísimas, el ambiente y los camereros majos, el bar del teatro, la plaza donde hacen conciertos a veces, las naves con mas exposiciones... y todo eso en un lugar, donde hace cien años han matado cada día ganado para los ciudadanos de Madrid.
Después del fin del año y navidades con familia - Zurich von mi hermana
Munich con mi hermano
mi pueblo
y despues de todos esos viajes el año pasado (Noviembre casi dos semanas a Lanzarote y un finde a Lisboa) he dicho: en enero y febrero nada de viajes... casita, tranquila... bici... tapeo... jeje y lo he logrado!
mejor peli que he visto en los últimos dos años: "american interior" Por que? me hizo sonreír, llorar, pensar, reflexionar... animaciones como en Monthy Pithon, humor tan seco, una historia interesante y triste y loca, imagenes muy chulas, Musica muy buena (la cancion 100 messages puede ser de Johnny Cash), y cuando hablan los indios, pensé en Dead Man, la peli de Jim Jarmusch con Johnny Depp...
Pues otro finde explorando España, este vez Gijon... (despues de un finde en Salamanca y uno en Barcelona)...
SOLO HE ENGORDADO UN KILO! que no es facil... si pruebas cachopos, fabes, arroz con leche, frisuelos, paté de cabracho... y unos pocos vasos de sidra...
He quedado con una familia que conocí en airbnb.. gente muy amable... el y su mujer ya viven mas de 14 años en Gijon, vienen de Ucrania. El marido de hecho es ex campeón de Rusia en remo o natación... he olvidado... Y ahora tiene una tienda... pero son felices :)
Ida y Vuelta en bus, 55 pavos.. ida en Supra... te dan comida, y la azafata, rubia, guapa, y con una sonrisa bonita... la ultima comida ya no quería comer en el bus... esperando a mi primer cachopo, jeje
Tenia mucha suerte.. por casualidad este finde hubo la fiesta de la sidra. Y el record mundial, mas de 8.000 personas escanciando simultáneamente... yo tambien, hehe
Un grupo de amigos me adoptaron... los conocí mientras haciendo cola... Sergio me explico todas las cosas que hay que saber sobre Sidra... me parece un arte... pero yo aprendí bastante bien creo :-D Y la novia de Sergio era profe, y usuario de Oxford...;)
el Sabado andando por la costa...
Por la tarde una siesta por la playita, unos kilometros mas, y después a cantar...por la plaza mayor hubo un concierto de musica popular, y mucha gente (yo tambien, jeje) cantando...
Tarde tranquila..después de cantar tanto, sed... a cenar, y la penultima por la feria, charlando breve con chicas de una despedida de soltera...y mi hermano (que cabroncete) me despertó el domingo a las 9....
Domingo los ultimos kilometros en Gijon... Desayuno, y por casualidad vi una de las chicas de la fiesdta del viernes... el mundo es un pañuelo... tambien encontré una vinoteca (la bodega de najera, Enrique martinez 2) donde me sirvieron un Vermut de Reus :-P. era el ultimo dia de la camarera, ella el Lunes volviendo a ciudad real. Muy maja :)
leyendo ahora (gracias Bea!): Vivir para contarla, de Gabriel García Marquez
Musica? bueno, aquí una canción que me fascine cantando el sábado con los otros... un triste himno de Asturias... no todo en la vida es diversión...En el Pozo Maria Luisa...
