Culture shock? Hmmm...

Do some of you remember how several years back, when starting business school in France, the program's director told us how we were about to encounter a culture shock? He predicted we would first be thrilled about everything and love the experience. In phase two, our enthusiasm would dip and be replaced by frustration about things not going the way that we were used to. After a while, he said, we would rise up again and make friends with our new home - actually to a point where we might face a reverse cultural shock when going back to our respective countries.

In my case, the culture shock had miraculously skipped the frustration part and jumped directly from initial enthusiasm to enduring comfort. Which had made me think I may be immune against culture shocks... But I am not, as I have discovered this week.

After I had ordered my scooter two weeks back, sales rep Miguel from the dealership called to tell me that the two certificates I had handed in (foreigner identification number and census registration) where not enough for me to get the Vespa - I first needed to enlist in Barcelona's tax office before the scooter could be registered in my name. Interesting - previously he had been convinced I wouldn't need to do that. Anyway, so off I went to face Spanish bureaucracy, queue again and sign up with yet another office. After which I would finally get my moto - I thought... Well, no. Instead, I have been talking to both Miguel and the authority on a daily basis. To either find out my papers hadn't been found, or processed, or passed on, nor the moto registered... Frustrating. Especially at the moment of school start when ubercrowded buses and amazingly slow traffic make you desperately long for a scooter.

Fortunately, tax authorities have eventually been able to find a moment to process my papers, so that the registration office could process theirs and Miguel could finally process my scooter registration. So I was rather surprised when I suddenly got a call to pick up my ride this week! This pleasant turn and particularly the blitz visit of my friend and favorite travel companion Johanna from Helsinki have ultimately saved my week - big thank you to both! I guess I should now be on my way out of culture shock phase two right into the phase of big friendship with Spain. Shock cultural? Que va...

Happiness Part I


Happiness Part II