Dear Glenn, thanks for your kind words and offer. motivation is really key, I can feel that every day now!
I write some regular updates in my posting and will follow yours too.
all the best for the moment!
Hi Glenn, I'm a foreigner but living in Barcelona since 2000. I have a consultation with Dr. Monegal next Tue. Would like to meet you (and help you out, if you need it) when you're in town.
Dear Adonis,
Thank you so much for your kind and gracious offer, I would love to meet you! Most people I know in my social circle are taller than me and most times I suffer in silence so it would be amazing to meet another LL'er in person.
I am arriving to Barcelona August 17 morning and having my surgery August 25. Feel free to let me know what schedule works for you.
Also, I would be grateful if you could share some knowledge with me: How do I move such a large sum of money to Spain within a week? My current plan is to arrive in Barcelona and immediately go to my bank (citibank), open an account under my name and then link it to my overseas citibank online banking.
But I have heard conflicting stories. Can foreigners open a bank account in Spain? Can I just walk into a bank and open a new account with my passport? Do I need an NIE number first? Do I need to register with the local police station first? I've heard that international transfers will take a long time to clear, is that true? I'd be very grateful for any wisdom you give on the issue.
The dates you mentioned are good for me. We could meet one day after work in Barcelona. Where will you be staying when you arrive?
Regarding the money transfer, I assume you want to move CAD to EUR in Spain. I think you should ask your bank in Canada (Citibank) about the fees and exchange rates they use (be aware they are hidden fees depending on the rates they use), and then compare with an online agent such as Transfer Wise (regulated by the UK FCA). If you are a good customer of Citibank I guess you could get a good rate with them but I would check and compare anyways. International transfers take at the most 1-2 business days.
Foreigners can of course open a bank account in Spain. In fact, very often it is a requirement before starting school, university or getting a residence permit. All you need is a passport. However, because you will be here for longer than the standard tourist, I would also get the NIE. And yes you will need to go to the local police station first for the NIE. If you need help with the language I can go with you.
Hi Adonis!
Thank you so much for getting back to me, and with giving me your valuable advice on the banking issue. I'm sorry it took me a while to get back to you.
I've been working on trying to transfer the Euros BEFORE I arrive, so maybe I will not have to arrive so soon; instead I might just arrive a few days before surgery. Nonetheless, I am still very much looking forward to meet you! I will PM you my email right now.
Best,
Glenn
Hey All,
I'm currently waiting at the boarding gate now for my connecting flight to Barcelona. My surgery date was moved to Thursday, August 27, so I changed my flight to arrive on Monday instead. I'll be spending my first three nights in Barcelona at an Airbnb near Clinica Diagonal.
I'm anxious and happy at the same time. It's almost as if I'm dreaming and I still haven't woken up. I've been waiting for years for this and now everything is happening so quickly it seems. There are still a million random things that I'm worried about (what if my debit card doesn't work in Barcelona? what if I run into pickpockets? what if the mobile SIM card doesn't fit my phone? what if I get off at the wrong bus stop? how am I going to get home from the airport when I fly back to Canada? etc etc). But I think for now the best thing for me to do is just take a deep breadth and realize that everything will be ok. I need to just relax and enjoy the process. Barcelona, here I come!
...Boarding now, talk to you guys later. Wish me luck!
Quote from: glenn on August 24, 2015, 12:01:47 AMHey All,
I'm currently waiting at the boarding gate now for my connecting flight to Barcelona. My surgery date was moved to Thursday, August 27, so I changed my flight to arrive on Monday instead. I'll be spending my first three nights in Barcelona at an Airbnb near Clinica Diagonal.
I'm anxious and happy at the same time. It's almost as if I'm dreaming and I still haven't woken up. I've been waiting for years for this and now everything is happening so quickly it seems. There are still a million random things that I'm worried about (what if my debit card doesn't work in Barcelona? what if I run into pickpockets? what if the mobile SIM card doesn't fit my phone? what if I get off at the wrong bus stop? how am I going to get home from the airport when I fly back to Canada? etc etc). But I think for now the best thing for me to do is just take a deep breadth and realize that everything will be ok. I need to just relax and enjoy the process. Barcelona, here I come!
...Boarding now, talk to you guys later. Wish me luck!
Good Luck pal, be Strong be Brave. trust in God everything will be alright !
Quote from: glenn on August 24, 2015, 12:01:47 AMHey All,
I'm currently waiting at the boarding gate now for my connecting flight to Barcelona. My surgery date was moved to Thursday, August 27, so I changed my flight to arrive on Monday instead. I'll be spending my first three nights in Barcelona at an Airbnb near Clinica Diagonal.
I'm anxious and happy at the same time. It's almost as if I'm dreaming and I still haven't woken up. I've been waiting for years for this and now everything is happening so quickly it seems. There are still a million random things that I'm worried about (what if my debit card doesn't work in Barcelona? what if I run into pickpockets? what if the mobile SIM card doesn't fit my phone? what if I get off at the wrong bus stop? how am I going to get home from the airport when I fly back to Canada? etc etc). But I think for now the best thing for me to do is just take a deep breadth and realize that everything will be ok. I need to just relax and enjoy the process. Barcelona, here I come!
...Boarding now, talk to you guys later. Wish me luck!
I am sure you will be ok. Good luck. We are waiting to hear from you soon.
Thanks Freewill and Concernedmom! Really appreciate the well wishes!
After I sent off my previous post I boarded my flight to BCN. A seven-hour flight and I was sitting directly next to the lavatory :-) The beneficial tradeoff was that the two adjacent seats were empty, though. I made use of them and slept on the whole flight using the three seats as a bed. As I disembarked the plane during landing, I chuckled to myself passing through the business class cabin. Those puny seats were no comparison to what I had, ha!
It was a long lineup to pass through immigration, but the line moved very quickly. I barely had time to utter a warm-hearted "Bon dia!" before the immigration officer quickly thumbed my passport to the last page to give me my entry stamp. It was the most efficient international entry I'd ever been in.
Initially, I was going to get into town first and then buy a prepaid SIM card because it's cheaper that way, but I ended up just getting a 3G card from a mobile reseller called Labera at the airport for just 15 EUR. It had everything that I needed it to do (Vodafone network; 500 minutes I think; 1GB data).
It works like it's supposed to. No complaints so far at all.
At the airport I also bought a T10 ticket to take the #46 bus into the city. If I'm not mistaken I think it's the most cost effective way to get into the city from the airport and drops you off at Placa d'Espanya.
From there I walked to University Hospital where Dr. Monegal was on call at the ER. It was really good to finally meet Dr. Monegal in person. I could really feel his passion as he discussed past cases and the nuances of each case. It totally put me at ease of the upcoming surgery. He talked about the post-op PT with such enthusiasm that it actually made me look forward to the MIC! Even now, I can't wait to get settled into the MIC and start doing PT stretching, biking, parallel bars, pool walking.
He also told me to be mindful of the second to third day after surgery. That's when the anesthesia wears off and you go from 0 pain to alarm bells in your body waking up. (So if I start going a bit crazy a few days after surgery, you guys please be sure to remind me of this!)
After my meeting with Dr. Monegal I walked around a bit more throughout the city. I was mindful to stay out of touristy places because I didn't want to be prey to pickpockets since I was walking around with all my bags. I would have been an easy target, I'm sure.
I bought some simple groceries and made my way to the Airbnb where I'm staying. It's near Can Vidalet station, which is walking distance to Clinica Diagonal. My host family for the next three nights is with Elena and her family. Only Elena speaks a little English and my Spanish is atrocious, so our interaction is mostly based on smiling and pointing. Her young toddler son, Leo, and I have taken to playing a never-ending game of peek-a-boo with each other as as we repeatedly say "Hola!" to each other behind cover.
Anyways, I've got WIFI here, a cool breeze coming from the window and clean sheets. What else does a man need?
Tomorrow I'll probably visit some tourist spots during the day. In the early evening user Adonis has been nice enough to come by my area and hang out for a bit, looking forward to it!
good luck glenn, I will be keeping close eyes on your thread. I hope you will keep us updated on everything.
What is going through your mind right now? are you more nervous then before, are you anxious or scared. do you dream of things gong bad?
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