K's Triumphant Return to Spain

So hey, I know. It's been a while. Lo siento. And while I'm sure if you're a true devoted reader, you neither need nor want excuses explaining my blogging absence. But here they come any way.

First off, towards the end of March my compy died. Moment of silence, please. So I schlepped my broke ass to the nearest Apple story (an hour bus ride away) to price out a new computer here in Spain. Holy import fees Batman! By no means cheap in the US, Macs here in Spain sport a pricetag close to 2000...EUROS! So I was left without technology for almost two agonizing months. And if you think going without my blog posts was rough, imagine how my poor parents felt with their eldest an ocean away and unable to reassure them on a daily basis via facebook updates that she was alive. But then at the end of May I was led out of internetless desert by one Jenie Gao, when she was kind enough to bring me over a new computer from the homeland. (If you'd like to know more about this angel of mercy, I highly advice checking out her blog. Girl's got the art thing down.)

So I sat down with my new shiny MacBookPro and attempted to actually type the several blog posts I'd been composing in mind for several weeks. At which point I realized my mind is not the steel trap I'd always hoped. And without the slightest hint of guilt I said to myself, well I'll just do it mañana.

But then I was off to a rural camp for summer work. And then I was cruising the Mediterranean with my fabulous mama. And then I was home, on the couch, and just couldn't be bother. And that's when it hit me: I'd contracted my least favorite part of Spain, the Mañana Bug.

But now I'm back in Spain and without further ado, a post...

The Mañana Bug is a cultural phenomenon here in Spain that seems to drive all foreigners crazy. It's when you set out to something, be it simple or of weighty importance, and are told "vuelve mañana."

There are a million reasons you might get this response, ranging from technical difficulties, to an error in your paperwork, to the fact that tomorrow simply seems like a better time to the other party.

This is best perhaps explained with an anecdote. I offer to you now the story of how I opened my first Spanish bank account...over the course of three weeks.

Attempt 1: Along with my other rooms, one of which was Spanish, and 2 of which were American, went to the bank to open accounts. After weighting in line for a while, we went to a banker and told her what we needed. She immediately asked for some documentation that only I had in hand. Instead of opening my account and the others later, she told us all to come back mañana.

Attempt 2: So we did. But after speaking to another lady she told us that we needed another form, a green one. But then proceeded to hand us a yellow one.

Attempt 3: So I went back, this time by myself, with all my ducks, hopefully in a row. And as luck would have it I did! But their computers were down.

Now I want you to keep in mind that at this time I was working from 8 till about 3 and that the banks are open from 8:30 to 2:30 most days, therefore finding time to do all this was nigh impossible. So finally on my next day off I decided that this was a numbers game more than anything else and would journey to as many banks as possible until one decided to take my freaking money. Three banks later I finally opened an account. Once all the papers were signed, I let out a sigh of relief, and then told the man that I'd also like to open a second account that I could put my roommates on and that we could use to pay our apartment bills. "Of course!" he said, "but...vuelve mañana."

While we're on the subject, it might also interest you to hear about a corollary to The Mañana Bug: The Spanish No. This is when you have a seemingly simple request, but through some Iberian logic "esto no es posible." For instance asking for salsa brava sauce for your french fries, but being told no because that sauce is only for another for potatoes cut and fried in wedges, not in rectangles. Or asking for a document to be scanned at store whose job it is to scan, print, and copy, and being told no because the scanner is turned off, functional, but turned off.

There's just no need and no rush apparently to do anything in this country. And for no other reason than that, my dears, I just kept putting off blog entries hasta mañana.

K Learns Spanish: Lesson 15

un rato- a little while, as in we'll have it in un rato.

maleta- suitcase

un reto- a challenge, as in it's un reto to get something accomplished without someone telling you despues de un rato.