I'm ok

After my more panicky blog posts I thought I’d let people know that I am actually fine now, and have managed to sort my life out in the 6 days I’ve been here.

I’ve found an amazing flat with 2 other British language assistants and a Spanish girl. It’s right by the bus station, which is perfect for my commute to Ermua, and about 5 minutes away from the Athletic Bilbao stadium (another great reason why my male friends should visit). I’m so relieved that I’m not homeless anymore but having to spend a week in a hotel as well as pay for the deposit on the flat and one month’s rent means that I am officially broke and considering putting money from my English overdraft into my Spanish bank account until I get paid in November. And yes, I have managed to open a Spanish bank account after signing about 50583373 forms without understanding any of them, and being forced to put 100 euros into the account in order to get a debit card which I may never actually receive because I wasn’t 100% sure of my Spanish address at the time, so I ended up inventing the flat name and number of the block. I got the street and postcode right though, a minor success. I also managed to get the dreaded Numero de Identidad de Extranjeros without too much hassle or queuing, which was a nice surprise. Although I’d filled in and photocopied the wrong kind of residency form, but the nice lady printed off the right one and I was allowed to fill it in there and then.

And, most importantly, I’ve managed to make some friends! Everyone in Bilbao, both British and Spanish, have been so lovely. I’ve so far met 4 other British Council Language Assistants and we were invited out last night, randomly, by a woman working in Santander bank; very welcoming.

Next task: Start work tomorrow. Before I can do this I must make sure that I catch the right bus, get off at the right bus stop, and find out where the schools are in the town.