I'm Done. . . But I Still Have To Wait!

I have to get out of this American mindset of "I want it right now!" Here it's like what's the rush, you have time and if you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow.

Yesterday and today was a journey in itself, I was so tired yesterday and that's the reason I didn't blog yesterday. Yesterday's task was to finish getting my Spain ID card,
which I actually finished today. . , but the process was exhausting. First, I had planned on getting up early but that didn't happen but no worries, I just ended up rushing everywhere I went! The first stop on my to do list was the police station and once I got there this is what I saw.
I thought someone had bombed seven police cars but the headline read this morning, "Un hombre quema siete coches de la Policía junto a la comisaría de Málaga." A man had set seven police cars on fire, for what reason and if they caught him I don't know. After the hype was over, I remembered that I had a purpose and then went in side the police station to wait in a long line just for them to tell me that I need to go somewhere else. But I am happy that I did because I they still gave me the paperwork that I needed to fill out
and told me that they do not take payments there and that I could go to any bank to the 10euro fee. What??? Then they told me that I had to go through this extra long process, I thought it would be a one-day thing, eh No! So after
I went to the place for them to approve my information, I had to go back to the police station just for them to tell me that my pictures (passport photos) were not the correct size and I would have to come back on Wednes. with everything done. So on Wednes. I went prepared to get everything done and receive my i.d. card and then they tell me that everything is finished and I have to come back in 45 DAYS to receive my card. Are you serious, after all this I still have to wait!!! But it's all good, I just know that I am going to have to write a Guide for the future students coming on this program because there is so much they need to know, that I am still learning!
After I finished all that on Wednesday I decided to get a bus card because everyone kept saying that it's cost efficient rather than to keep paying 1,10 euro for each trip. So I went to the EMT (like, our Marta station) and bought a card with 20 trips for only 12,45 euros. I was like that's not bad let me add up how much I have spent since I've been here and I have spent almost 18 euros in one week!! The bus card is something you must get the first day you get here, if you want to save money!!
Another thing about saving money, a lot of the Erasmus students here have apartments in the city and only pay no more than 300 euros a month and I pay 690 euros to live in the dorm. But after I compared the two, I realized that what I am paying for is worry-free living. They clean our room everyday, we get 4 meals a day (although I'm still getting used to it), it includes a monthly gym membership, the security, really everything else and one thing that can't be compared is being surrounded by all Spanish speaking students.
Like I've said before, even though it has only been a week it feels like longer because of the relationships I have made already. Two of my roommates are leaving today, because one is done with school and the other is transferring to the University of Granada, and last night I did not go to bed til 3 or 4 am just talking to them and exchanging information so we could stay in contact. I don't remember if I said it before but I am on the Spain version of facebook, tuenti.com, I'm almost official : ) And this morning I awoke to a constant knock at my door because they wanted to spend time with me before they left ; ( . . .which was very nice and mom if you're reading this I gave Marta,one of my roommates, an open invitation to stay with us if she came to America : ). And my interesting this just happened a moment ago, I was sitting down talking to my other roommate about Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc and our purpose and also some of the notable people that are a part of it, then she asked me about the treatment of African Americans in the US. She asked me if people were okay with Barack Obama as our President and if there is still a lot of discrimination, because here they don't like Black and Arab people because they are Muslim, martyrs, and dangerous. Which I have noticed that once I tell people that I am from America it's like their character changes and now they want to know more about me. I really can't take it personal but I don't know. Then I told her that yes discrimination still exists but the mentality is slowly changing for the better and then I showed her the African American inventor and inventions list. This showed her that without us a lot of this in the world might not have been here; such as, the stop light, various hair products, the mail box, the fold-away bed, and so much more . . . so although we might be still discriminated against for various reasons, we are still a force that helps the world go round!
Two quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr. come to me as I think about what we were talking about:
Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

This concludes my first week and the beginning of the second!