hey instantrejoinder, welcome to the group!

quote:

Also set up a Spanish bank account soon after arriving to deposit your earnings - I suggest going to branches in cities outside Madrid if possible as they may have easier document requirements. At least, that was my experience. Maybe a Madrid suburb would work.

normally not bad advice but the "spanish bank accounts" thread has an "in" for those multimadridians who want to open an account at la caixa.

i would also like to comment on the 550 euros a month rent that you got Marsha. nobody has said it yet so i will. the low rent is probably due to 2 things...

1) the person renting to you is a friend.
2) the area is not as desirable to many people as some make it out to be.

i will elaborate on number 2. yes, it is well connected to the city and the burbs. the reason many do not like that are is actually a positive in my eyes, it is a very multi-racial/cultural area. to me, this makes it interesting but some would argue that there is more crime and it is not as safe as other areas. i am not refering to petty crime like pickpockets since not many tourists get up that way but rather to more violent crimes (getting robbed at knife-point up that way rather than getting discretely pick-pocketed down in the city center). a lot of the madrid gang activity (latino gangs for example) takes place up that way (between azca/northern part of orense and plaza castilla).

normally i would have no problem living up there but for me the area is not attractive. mostly because it is arquitecturally... ok... i'll say it... ugly! i far prefer the area around plaza mayor/la latina.

to each his/her own. i look forward to hearing feedback from you Marsha after you have been here a few months.

saludos,
jer...

Hi, jer, it's Ken. A few years have passed since I was in Madrid so you may not remember me, but I was there during the summer of 2004 - we played volleyball with Rocco and a lot of the English teaching crew on Sundays. I'm coming back later this summer (August) for longer-term teaching now that the preliminary stuff from my first trip is done.

quote:

normally not bad advice but the "spanish bank accounts" thread has an "in" for those multimadridians who want to open an account at la caixa.

When I first went to a bank on Calle Mayor (it was the one right across from the Plaza Mayor, I think, but maybe it was that one near San Miguel you mentioned) they demanded all these police documents and such. My friend and I just gave up and went down to visit Granada. There was a BBVA branch near that statue of Queen Isabella, so we went there, and when asked what they needed to open an account, the lady just said "dinero y pasaporte". LOL. Spanish bureaucracy...

I may end up using BBVA again and just going through the process of getting the docs. from the police. I'll also be sure to set up an ING Direct account.

quote:

I was there during the summer of 2004

It was like that right after 11-M in 2004. All of the banks that we tried that spring/summer required the "carta de no residencia," so we got one. But from what people have reported on the board, things have slacked off again.

Thanks for the tips. I´m happy to say that I had no trouble opening a bank account at Caixa, at a branch a couple of blocks from my new apartment. Perhaps going with the mother of my landlord helped to smooth the way.

I haven´t started to work yet, but already I´ve had a couple of offers for private classes from friends here at multimadrid, so I´m hopeful of getting a good teaching schedule together in the next few weeks.

Marsha

Marsha,

You hang in there and i am sure that work is coming soon. Whatever you do, please do not get frustrated at all. Go with the flow and let put positive vibes out in the universe.

Look forward to seeing you this summer.

Shawn

Yes, Shawn, I need to remember to chase away the blues, which do visit me from time to time. Every day I spend in Madrid helps me to think more positively and with hope that this new venture will work for me.

MO

hi marsha,
i just want to second shawn's encouragement to hang in there. things will fall into place and even though you probably won't have a perfect schedule right away, i'm sure work will come.

as to how much money you need....i came to madrid with around $3000 with no work and no place to stay, but i never went hungry or homeless (or worse yet had to return to the u.s. early because of finances). i completely agree that the more money you can save the better, but don't let that worry color your first days in madrid too much.

as for plz castilla, it is well connected for work, but be sure to get into the center often. my first apt was in arturo soria and i sometimes felt very disconnected from the vibrant city i had moved to. when i was feeling frustated, just getting to the center and walking through the beautiful architecture or meeting a friend for a cafe con leche reminded me what a wonderful experience i was having and what a wonderful city madrid is.... best wishes to you!
desha

Marsha,

Just keep reminding yourself that everything is working out for the best. I even had good months and bad months where depression set in because I felt that I wasn't doing enough to make my situation better, but then, like Desha says, I would go walking and take in the beauty of Madrid. I kept myself entertained some sort of way to chase away the blues.

Stay positive and know that after we have done al that we can do, the rest is upto the universe.

Shawn

Hi Desha,

I really appreciate your words of encouragement. Just because I have taken so long to reply doesn't mean that I haven't taken them to heart!

Marsha

Marsha,

How's it going? I hope that you have found something to get you started. Please let us know.

Stay strong my sistah!

Shawn

yeah Marsha.

how about an update on all that is going on with you...

- work?
- play?
- the apt. and neighborhood?
- etc?

don't be a stranger!

saludos,
jer...