Things are turning for the better

I had a feeling this Sunday that things will start turning for the better, but now I have tangible proof:

1. Carla arrived safely
2. My HTC TyTn II arrived (will do a review in a few weeks when things settle down, but it's a really nice phone)
3. I got my residence papers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This means I exist in the great Republic of Croatia. Which means I can buy a car!!!!!)

Let me back up a few days and say how happy I was to see Carla! It is amazing how quickly you forget the little things (and big things) that you love about your spouse. Carla absolutely loved the apartment, which means I did a GREAT job picking it out. :-) She commented that the apartment was actually a lot bigger than it appeared in pictures. I think it's just the right size (800-900 sqft) which is about half of our place in Ottawa.

Carla enjoyed Dolac (the farmer's market). She was craving peanut butter, which is not a common product over here, but by some fluke we found it very quickly. Then we had some nice Croatian chocolate (yummy......) and walked around town.

Last night we went out for supper to an East Indian restaurant (the only one in town) and the food was pretty good. I think they will be seeing us on a regular basis. :-)

This morning we had to report Carla's temporary residence as she is a tourist. I don't know if other European countries do this, but if you are a tourist in Croatia you need to report to a police station. If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel will do it for you, but if you are going to stay at our place, we will have to go with you to report in with the police station. The foreigner needs to report in within 48 hours of coming into the country. They never tell you this when you come into the country so I don't know how the authorities expect you to know this rule. Out of the many unnecessary rules that I have been subjected to, this one should be the first to go.

Speaking of unnecessary rules, as of this morning, I still did not receive my residence papers, which would enable me to buy a car, open a bank account, and do other vital things that modern life demands (get a cell phone number). So, after I registered Carla in with the police, I went and pestered the people responsible for holding up my residence papers. This time they actually called around to see if the process can be sped up (he actually told the other guy on the phone "I can't look at him (me) anymore!" I don't care, just give me my PAPERS!!!!

The approval was faxed over and I was told to wait until several other bureaucrats touched the paper that was to symbolize my existence in the Croatian society. Sixty minutes later (it does not sound long, but after you have already spent 2 hours waiting and sweating in the hot building, it WAS long) I got my papers. Then, I had to request my personal ID, which luckily could be done in the same building, and for which, luckily again, I was super-prepared for. Half an hour later I had my temporary personal ID! Woohoo!!!!!

I called the car dealership and it looks like I might be able to pick up my car some time on Friday. Which is perfect timing since we are driving to island Brac for a week-long vacation. The car dealership did not give me proper information so I spent two hours to and from the dealership just for them to photocopy my temporary personal ID. Grrrrrr! Instead, they should have sent me to the proper place to pay for the car. So, I lose a day and have to run like a chicken with a head cut off tomorrow to make everything happen for Friday. It will be close, but I will make it happen.

I also loaded navigation software on my new phone/PDA and this software ROCKS!!! My phone has built-in GPS so now I can use it for directions when I drive. Excellent! The roads are a bit confusing so a GPS device will be a life saver.

I'm off to bed at a decent hour as I have to start my day pretty early tomorrow. I will try and post something before I leave for the coast. If you are really interested, this is where we are staying on island Brac.