Extranjeros Espana.

Extranjeros Espana mean a Spanish words which mean Spain foreigners. It is something like permit card that we are allowed to stay here. No sooner did we arrived here we have to proceed for Extranjeros Espana. I applied for Extranjeros Espana on 10^th, September, 2014.

The procedure for applying.

First, I went to Foreign office in San Sebastain (Basque Country, Spain). The document required are;

     1. The passport (all page photo copy),

     2. Visa,

     3. Demonstration of financial resources to show that you can live (example bank statement),

      4. Health Insurance,

      5. Student card.

After submitting documents they verified my documents and gave me a paper that contain my data.

It is not over there. I have to go to Police station. It is also in San Sebantain (Basque country, Spain). I submitted the documents along with the filled form given from Foreign office. They asked me to pay the fee for Residence Visa. We have to go personally to the bank and pay it. As soon as I paid in the bank, I rushed to the Police station. I might be late because it get close at 1 pm (Spanish Standard Time).

Fringe print was taken and they asked me to come after 40 days along with receipt (money receipt from bank) and document they gave.

Mess up, Food Shopping in Spain. Vinegar cannot be cooking oil.

Shopping at least once in a week become unavoidable to me because I have to eat to survive. In Bhutan, normally people prefer to do shopping on Sunday. I too prefer here in Spain but I was encounter with shocked and nothing I could bought on Sunday when I went to buy. Every shop closed here in (Basque Country) Spain on Sunday.

Now, I go once in a week to buy something to cook and buy foodstuff to sustain for a week. Walking in an open air and visiting the shop one by one in order to buy is enjoyable. It sometime become tedious if it rain.

Way back to home with mind scare of what if it rain.

Selecting the items isn’t easy. Every item is written with Spanish. Thanks to Google translator for translating me to English. But still a few funny story I got to share. I was in shopping complex without cell phone. I try to buy face cream. I randomly picked from the face cream corner. I didn’t enquired whether it was face cream because I was confident as it was in face cream corner. I never realized it was hand cream until I translated after reaching home.

Again same silly incident occurred for the second time. I picked up cooking oil with very confident because it was in cooking oil corner. It gave me second shock when Google translator displayed it was vinegar. It is difficult go anywhere in Spain without cellphone with available internet.

Now I won’t face any problem because I will utilize Google translator efficiently.

very confident in vegetable corner as I can recognize even though name tag are in Spanish.

Trip to Concha beach.

Pose and View of North Atlantic Ocean

Concha is the Spanish term which means shell. They bay of North Atlantic Ocean, Concha beach is the so called because of its shape. It is famous urban beach in Europe. It is located near San Sebastain, Basque country, Spain.

Source:http://www.sansebastianturismo.com/en/to-do/let-s-go-to-the-beach

We made trip to San Sebastain on the day when Traditional Traineras Final was held. Traineres is a traditional boat that was used to move catch fish from big ship. It has now become like a sport and it has its own league.

                           

Traineras.

We start our journey from Mondragon to San Sebastian. From Mondragon its north-east direction and it take one hour drive by bus.

We had enjoyable trip visiting bay of North Atlantic Ocean (Concha beach) and even attain party that day.

On the way to party.

View of party.

My roommate in Spain.

Loneliness can be of emotional loneliness and physical loneliness. Physical loneliness can be cured if we have friends and even an emotional loneliness will cure to some extent. My loneliness in Spain was cure after I got friends.

Mr. Patrik

Now, I will introduce my new friends that I got after reaching Spain. They aren’t Spanish. They are from different country like me and here as an international student. They are my roommate.  

We are of four in flat. Two from Italy, they are Italian and one from Slovakia, he is Slovakian. Let me first introduce Slovakian. He is none other than a good looking guy known by name Patrik Vepr Filipek. He is here for exchange program. He is going to study Master in Mechanical Engineering. To talk about him. I just say he is good. He has a sense of friendliness and of course sociability. I just love his personality.

Mr.Pierpaolo Loddo

My second friend who is going to be my roommate is Pierpaolo Loddo. He is from Italy, 2010 world cup champion country. He is also the exchange program student going to study Master in Mechanical Engineering. Pierpaolo is a nice guy who always search a solution to help other. In short he is supportive and friendliness.

Mr.Gain Nicola

Gain Nicola Carboni is the third friend who is going to be my roommate. He is Italian. He let three of us to laugh frequently. He scare us sometime by shouting. But remember he is good guy possess friendliness. All my roommate are friendliness. I am happy to be their friend and have them as my friends.

I believe in cycle of karma and we are together here because of previous fate. Thank you god for three precious friends.  

Dinner time 

Trying to Pose

My view on Spain.

   

View of Arrasate Mondragon.

Part of Mondragon

             

Scenario of the place is so beautiful and fascinating. “Clean and understanding place” is words I am going to describe.

Clean place because it is clean with proper litterbin (different bin for different waste) being placed at suitable place. I can find no litter on the ground. People are civilized here. They reached their litter to litterbin.  

Understanding place because people are comprehensible to each other. It was amazing to witness people following traffic rule strictly. Walker on the road cross only through zebra crossing even when no vehicles is moving. On the other hand driver respect zebra crossing. They wait at zebra crossing if people target to cross zebra from the distance.

You may be alone here physically but you are never alone mentally. No sooner than we ask about something, they try to response us with the answer. If people speak English then I guarantee you, Spain is your home.

The real happiness is with people of Spain. Irrespective of all age, they have the time to gather at rest place in the city. Come weekend, the party come along with. And very interesting night is being observed. We will not witness the chaos and disorder make out of drink.

I am happy here, Spain

Teaching and Learning environment is different.

It’s totally different from my country, Bhutan regarding teaching and learning in foreign country, Mondragon University, Spain. I can’t say which one is the best, practice that my country adopt and practice they (Spain) adopt.

Learning will going to take place in their case because communication between tutor and students is taking place. It is friendly class out here and can ask any question. Student don’t hesitate whatever they response to the question put up by the tutors. One interesting thing, I could notice is that student used personal computer, PC and utilize PC in fruitful manner. They used search engine like Google to get answer for the question. Tutor don’t even come around to check weather students used PC effectively. Tutor trust student very much.

Comparing with our practice (Bhutan), no interaction between students and tutor. Students hesitate to communicate with tutors. The gap between students and tutor still exist. Given a chance to use PC in classroom with WIFI available, I am sure student will misuse (example. face booking) the platform. I even misuse the platform here, Mondragon University, Spain.   

Formality in the class.

Bhutan maintain a good decorum between tutors and students. Students know how to response tutors and respect tutors.

It is out of question to ask weather decorum exist in foreign country. We can called our Tutors by their name. No respect from students to tutors.

I will learn their culture during my stay in Spain and will adopt best one in our country if possible.

Finally question to viewer, which culture is good? 

My Nostalgia in Spain.

                            

Pose near university

Mondragon University.

It was 16:00 hours when I reached in Spain (Mondragon University, MU) on 1^st of September. Miss Adrune, the international coordinator of Interweave project provide me with the guide to guide me to reach to my residence. They were two female students of MU. They took me to my residence and informed me everything present in the room: How to use the things that present in the room? Where is toilet? Where is bathroom? Where is sitting room? How to cook anything? with their limited words in English.  

I was all alone in the room as three roommates, one from Slovakia and two from Italy are yet to come on 3^rd and 4^th of September respectively. My friends from Bhutan and Nepal were in different domicile. The deepest sorrow of being alone in Spain after coming all the way from Asia (Bhutan) was something I can describe as “My Nostalgia in Spain”. The tension over tension is flowing with non-stop. The language which I speak is what they don’t understand and the language which they speak is what I don’t understand, eventually a huge language barrier is being created. The food they take is what I feel like tasteless and food which I used to take is where I couldn’t find here. My nostalgia in Spain become bit a sensation one when I badly miss my loving parents. No matter how the people of Spain are kind enough and showing the hospitability to me but it failed to replace the love and care that my parent give to me.

The situation over my mind is under control of “my nostalgia of Spain” but I still have deep faith to god almighty, my only root teacher (Tsa-Wai-Lam) and thanking parents. The day routine of praying when I gets up in the morning and going to bed in the evening shall be followed.

In the name of erasing the “my nostalgia of Spain” I decide to go to my friend domicile (Where Keshav from Nepal and Anup Thapa, friend from Bhutan stay). They were lucky enough as they got roommate from Spain. He is Joseba who is going to pursue master in Electrical Engineering. He help us. Thank you Joseba. You are my first Spainish friend I listed in my friend list after reaching here.

My VISA of Spain was approved.

Finally I got VISA of Spain after almost a month I submitted documents. Thank you everyone for helping me to obtained VISA. Now everything is ready and I am ready to leave to Royal Palace of Madrid.  

Come 1^st of September, 2014 I will be leaving to Spain via Belgium capital Bessel. 

Documents submitted.

                                    

It was on day 4 in New Delhi I could submit the documents to the office of Spain Embassy, New Delhi. I could submit documents within few days because of staffs of VISA section in Bhutanese Embassy being supportive. Visa Officer Mr. Jigme Norbu coordinates the procedure of Visa processing sequentially. He requests his visa assistance (Indian) and driver to reach us to desire destination. We have to go to Hospital to withdraw Medical Certificate, go to Jawaharlal Nehru University to get Medical Certificate translated in to Spanish.  

Finally all the procedure was completed and documents was submitted to office of Spain Embassy, New Delhi. Verbal interview is conducting. Why you are going? Who sponsor you? What course you are going to take? Which university you are going to? From which university you are going? For how long you are going to stay?

I would like to thank Mr. Jigme Norbu, Visa officer at Royal Bhutanese Embassy, New Delhi for rendering full support and guidance. I also thank all your assistance visa staffs (Indian) and drivers for helping me.

Address

New Delhi
Royal Bhutanese Embassy,
Chandragupta Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi 110021.
Phone : 91-11-26889230 / 9809 / 9807
Fax : 91-11-26876710 / 24674664 / 24102231