Bureaucracy Rant

26 Sept 2011
I have to rant just a little bit today about all of the bureaucracy that I have run into today. As I have explained before, I'm working on applying for my identity card in Spain so that I can stay here for another 9 months. This requires me to go to a police station or office of foreigners in order to present my application. However, I've run into some issues with finding the right place to go.
This morning I got up really early (it's my day off so any time before 9 is early) so that I could get to the police station on Isabel la católica in time to get a number. Apparently, at this station, they hand out 100 numbers and if you aren't lucky enough to get there early enough to get a number you won't have an appointment that day. So I got there at about 8:00 AM and got to be number 17! I thought to myself that I was very fortunate and that maybe I'd have time to go to the beach that afternoon. I waited about an hour for my turn to talk to the nice policeman. He looked at my documents and told me that I needed to go to a different office and that I couldn't apply for my identity card there. He was nice enough to look up the office and give me a map with the office marked with an "X."
Then, I trekked to the far edge of the city to the Office of Foreigners. Once there, I had to get in line to get a number and prove to the information people that I had my documents ready to go. However, they looked at my documents and didn't seem to know what to do with me. Consequently, they gave me a number for the more information line. I waited in this line for THREE HOURS! Once it was my turn, I thought that I would finally have this taken care of and I could continue on with my day. Sadly, the lady behind the desk told me that I would have to go to yet another office! I'm not entirely sure why I couldn't do this at any of these offices, but a former Fulbrighter friend of me assured me that the address the lady gave me is indeed the office that I have to go to.
I was in a pretty bad mood after all of this--mostly because I had wasted a perfectly beautiful day inside waiting. However, I met up with a Fulbright friend for crepes (with Nutella--yum!) and drinks. I started to feel much better about my day! I'll head to this new office next Monday and finally put all of this behind me.