Universal Truths

Bona Nit.
As the dusk turned to evening and evening to night, I've been pondering the right words for my next post.  I've been thinking about our experiences yesterday and how they reminded me of the states.

Ryan is in need of receiving a Resident's Card for Spain.  If you have ever dealt with any government (especially Spain's) you will know that achieving any such document requires LOTS of other documents.  After a few days of filling out forms, making copies, attaining letters, and so forth Ryan was ready to go.  Seeing as I have a lot of time on my hands, I accompanied him.  As we walked there, he filled me in on his last experience there....

"I waited at least few hours standing in line with the hot sun beating down which felt like forever."

Great I thought to myself, this is not going to be fun. Then again when is dealing with forms, paperwork, or government fun??

We arrived to the building and he conversed with a guard outside who essentially said "Yes, this is where you need to go."  Upon entering the air conditioned, quiet, chair-filled room, we talked with another representative who said since he was a student, he needed to go back outside, down the street to another building or as Ryan said "Students may enter in the back."  The sun and standing must just be down the road I thought to myself.  We arrived to another guarded area where Ryan conversed his purpose and was prompted to go to the left.  We arrived in an seating area in a parking garage and took a number.  Silver lining: 50 cent bottles of cold water.  Downside: this was just a holding area.  We only waited about 15 minutes before our number was called 405.  This new official gave Ryan a ticket and told him to enter another building.  Can you guess what we did upon entering this room???  Yup we grabbed another ticket which read 555. 

After sitting down, I scanned the room to figure out what number they were on: 489 only 66 more to go!  Silver lining: air conditioning and seats!  Downside: lots of crying and small children.  We waited and waited and waited and waited.  Luckily we came prepared with my guidebook of Barcelona to read and his drawing pad.  We chatted.  We walked a small child perpetually throw anything around her and drive her mother crazy.  We sighed....but slowly the numbers counted up and soon we were only 10 more, 9 more, 8 more to go.  You should be told soon is the same as two hours here.  On 554 we packed everything up and sat with baited breath awaiting the change....Ta Da!!!!  555 in room 6. 

We entered the small room and Ryan and the woman starting talking.  This was all in Spanish of course.  Ryan kept handing her papers and she kept asking for things.  The only thing I truly understood was tres anos or 3 years.  Then in her gesturing and tone, I could tell something was missing.  Sure enough, he needed some paper from the university stating specificially when he starts and finishes from the unversity.

My new universal truth:
Government always translates to a long oftern unpleasant wait to discover you still don't have all the papers you need.