That thing that everybody do...fall in love!

Well, is been 2 years I lived in Spain..so far I cant complain at all.

The first couple of days was interesting.

First getting used to the fact that EVERYBODY speaks Spanish around me was kinda weird. I still remember, being in the metro and seeing a child speaking Spanish, that is when I thought..Dude I'm in SPAIN!. So I was frantically seeking to speak English.

Second, getting use to the fact that in Europe just because you have coins, does it mean they are pennies. I went and ate at a restaurant, I paid and gave 20 euros, got the change and just left it there, you know like in USA, leave the quarters, dimes and pennies. Well that day the waitress got a nice 10 Euro tip, in coins of 1 and 2 euros!!!!.

Third getting used to the fact the in Europe, Life is more important than work...that was EASY! Is amazing how many brakes they take here in Spain, yet being productive! I start work at 9 and finish around 6, with a Pre-lunch break, lunch break, snack break and feel like a did a lot!

I quickly made a lot of friends from around the world, I can have a UN meeting in my place, is so nice!

So to the topic: Love, I fell in love 3 times...

1) With out knowing I fell in love with Madrid. This city is Amazing, it has so much to offer is ridiculous. Art, Music, Dance, Nature, etc. I'm happy to say I live in Madrid. The Metro system is Clean, punctual and safe!. The fact I can go to a restaurant that is older than the USA makes you think!

2) Oh my beautiful A (I'm going to keep the names private), So I met this girl in Chicago before I left..of course that is my luck. In fact the picture of my profile in this blog she took!. This girl is amazing, funny, intelligent, sexy, did I say intelligent! We clicked immediately after we met. Then I find out that she is Spanish! and that she is Moving...Well I opened up!

So there I was a year waiting for her, we traveled together to many cool places....but...she never opened her hearth to me...Sadly I found out that she does not have "chemistry" with me :(
For some strange reason...I still was perusing her...don't know maybe chemistry will appear..I don't know..I would even go and meet her with her Date...don't recommend that...specially if the guy is a Douche bag! Little by little, and I guess because I was tiered that all my love was not corresponded...I started to let go and realize that she is just a good friend.

3).... oh boy...mi dulce D...boys and girls this one is RECENT...in fact I'm writing again because her...So where do I start...I met her in a International Lunch event in Madrid, where people go to speak English..(Told you I was frantically seeking to speak English). When I saw her eyes, I saw something incredibly, so I wanted to meet her, but I so freaking shy that I did not know how...I over heard that she's been to Australia..that when I interrupted and said "G'day mate, so what part of Oz you been?" from that moment we spent the whole night laughing, telling jokes and doing accents.

D is AMAZING, she is so sweet, romantic, loves poetry, romantic music...she is as hopeless romantic as I am. Of course, she had a Boyfriend....FUCK!...Murphy YOU SUCK! So I just decided to treat her like a friend and that is it.

But....she was very very interested..she would write me in Facebook, write me in Emails, call me...So we start going ou..AS FRIENDS!. Every time I got to know her better, the more I liked her, the more I wanted to kiss her and hold in my arms. But I could not, she was un-available. So we got to know each other very good. I could be myself with her, I could Sing Luis Miguel and not worry about scaring the girl, I could read poems to her and not worry she would think I was a creep..then she tells me she is Leaving his Boyfriend....then she writes this email saying that her love story is like a novel from Venezuela where there is 3 characters and one of them is you!

WOAW...I read that and I started to float, 3 and I'm one of them...and she is leaving the boyfriend...this is going to end good!

Time passes, he had and incredibly date , I cooked her favorite Thai dish, we sing Karaoke in my place using TV remote controls like mics, we told jokes..IT WAS PERFECT! so I wanted to talk about the sweet email and tell her how I felt about her. I wanted to tell her that for the first time I could tell a woman..I love you with out touching her, kissing...It was strange, more time passed till one sunday after ANOTHER AMAZING DATE, she explain the email:

So I ask her, hey so 3 charaters..You, Boyfriend and Me, so how do you think is going to end?
That is when the bomb was droped...No Francisco, is Me, you and Guy #3 ............................................................

Murphy where ever you are...what ever I did to you..IM SORRY, I dont know what..but IM SORRY.

A third guy, not only that, he had more time with her than me...The sad thing was, I was prepare to kiss her that night and tell her with a kiss everything I had inside. I put myself in her shoes and felt that she was in a hard place.

Of course, 3 days after that, I get the email. Sorry you where not selected, but thanks for playing.

Now, I do have to say, this woman did it very good. Like a very good nurse injecting you. It hurt in the moment, boy did I cried, but with a little help with my friends I stood up. We talked and said what we felt. I cant blame her, she is following her hearth like I did with her. I wish her the best and thank her for showing me that someone like me can touch a hearth like hers.

Love is hard, it has to many written and un-written rules that if you think about it..don't apply never to you!

I do confess that I'm worry about #4 who ever she is, I'm tired of falling in love by myself. But I will never give up, I will never change the way I do things, I will never stop believing in love and I will never stop apolligizing to Murphy so one day he leaves me alone!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I just wanted to vent a bit.

Life, Laugh and Love
Francisco

USPS curiosity

So after 7 days of psychological preparation I'm ready to deal with the post office.

So while doing researching to find how much will cost me to send my half ton of books, I stumble upon this:

Country Conditions for Mailing — Spain

(Includes Canary Islands)

Prohibitions (130)

Arms; ammunition; weapons; parts and components of weapons; and other related equipment.

Coins; banknotes; currency notes (paper money); traveler’s checks; securities payable to bearer; platinum, gold or silver, manufactured or not; precious stones; jewelry; and other valuable articles except in insured Priority Mail International parcels.

Foodstuffs containing saccharine in any amount.

Human remains.

Live plants and animals.

Perishable infectious biological substances.

Playing cards.

Radioactive materials.

Tobacco (admitted only to the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla).

Restrictions

Used clothing must be accompanied by a certificate of disinfection.

Did you noticed it!!!!

PLAYING CARDS ARE PROHIBITED!!! WTF!!!

But the funny part is, Playing cards come first then a less dangerous thing...you know like RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL!!

So what happens if I bring playing cards, would I disrupt some kind of Playing card Ecological balance!!! First thing I will do in Spain is investigate this, and yes I WILL BRING PLAYING CARD!!

Step 1: Have the last Party with Veronica

So after I accepted my faith with my green card, I began the process of planing my move

First thing came to my mind is, SHIT I will not be close to my best friend!!, so I will have to make plans to visit her in New York and Party hard with her.

So I spent a whole week with Vero in New York. I'm happy to say that I'm third in the Liver transplant queue, so I have hope. BOY DID I DRANK!

Started with me making Mojitos for me and Vero (Whole Bottle of Rum and.... it does not matter we got really fucked up), then every single day we drank at night. We did some bar hopping, club hopping and just hopping around.

To also add to the healthy vacation we also ate a lot! well balanced meals... you know side of vegetable, protein and grain.. HOT DOG with Sauerkraut, or Ham with Pine Apple Pizza (Boy this one even has Fruit, it is good to eat healthy).

Also this wonderful Vacation package came with lots of site seeing, sun Bathing in the beach, and the very fun oportunity to participate in the Homeless Simulation..... let me explain:
After dancing like maniacs, drinking and talking till the sun was up, I was being nice walking a girl to her home, I told Vero I was going to come back, she said is cool and that I should ring the bell so she can open the door...sadly we both where drunk while making plans, this equates to missing details or BAD IDEAS like depending on two drunk girls to hear the very faint door bell while waiting in a cozy bed with the AC full on in Vero's apartment.

So there I was 7:00 am sleeping with my finger in the 4L button, I still can hear the sound the intercom makes while the button is pressed UGH!....after at least 3 hours (well I dont know my phone died so I had to depend of complex mathematical equations , shadows and observations) some one open the gate to throw the trash, I was a gentleman and held the door for them, said good morning and went inside... great at least I can sleep inside in front of Vero's door, so after an agonizing stair climb (HEY!! Im in shape but when you body is deprived from sleep, shit gets harder) I reached the door, "4L just like the button" I said sarcastically, and "hey look there is a door bell, lets pretend that they will hear it", pushed the button and... "Clung" a very weak metallic sound, it sounded like a baby flicked a metal bell with its soft baby fingers, I barely heard it! FUCK!......... maybe if a Hit the door hard they will hear it, "Thump Thump....weeeeeeeeeee... door opens" THE DOOR IS OPEN, OMG!!! I'M SO LUCKY!!
All I can think was.......BED!

So I fell a sleep next to Vero's and cute Erika and not even thinking how cool it was that I was in a nice Venezuelan sexy sandwich, all I cared was that the bed felt good.

After my ordeal I know next time I will pay to have keys duplicated!

Overall, my time with Vero was GREAT! Looking forward to do this in Spain with her.

Step one is Complete!

How it began!

Well, how can I begin to explain to you guys my tragedy!
So I have an H1B visa, this visa lets me work in this country legally for 3 years, after 3 years the company sponsoring you, can renew the visa for 3 more years. What happens after that?! well you are kicked out of the country for at least a year before you can apply again.

Usually the smart thing to do is to get a green card, well the company after renewing the first term, told me that they started the process for me too become a permanent resident.

Well after 3 years, buying a vehicle and almost buying a condo (Thanks Wanda for saving me! :) ) they decided...to stop my application because it was fribulous!

WTF!?!?!

Apparently, the 6 years of experience I gained in the company could not be used for my application.

So now this means that in Dec I have to GO! No more Income, no more America, no more all my friends here!!!!!

Well, first thing I always do when faced with shit is to make it into something more palatable!! (boy that does not sound good!! sorry one boy and one cup style!)

I decided I'm going back to school in Spain (easy decision), I decided to stop fighting and bitching about me leaving (another easy decision), I decided to start selling my shit (another....wait I HAVE TO SELL EVERYTHING UGH!)

Suddenly these two number are so important to me 220/50
What is that you say? well if your electronics do not have that in the back (220V/50Hz), don't bring it to Spain, unless you want to make your cool Xbox360 into a Dark fog machine that fires once!!

That has been the hardest part of me leaving so far (besides leaving all my friends here of course)! I just realized how much CRAP I have! I HAVE A GEIGER COUNTER! for gods sake!
(Dont ask why...if you know me you know that I'm a complete Geek)

Well here is the list of things I'm taking to Spain:
- Important documents
- All my Books
- Camera
- Video Camera
- Laptop
-Guitars
-Clothes
That it, oh wait and of course
- Broken American Dream!