As I will be a homebody looking after Baby C I have insisted we should have a phone line installed at home. That way I can play on the t’interweb all day, because Baby C will, of course, be an angel and snooze all day in a set routine from the first.
I looked around at various offers and talked to some friends and decided the best bet was to go with Telefonica for both the line and the internet provision. This way if there is a problem with either then you are only dealing with one company, instead of two who can insist that the problem is with the other.
I also thought it would be easier as we don’t have a line installed at home as yet, though there is a phone plug.
When am I ever going to learn about thinking that things will be “easy” or “easier” in a Gran Can life?
We signed up with Telefonica in English, a company that sign you up and pass you on to Telefonica for installation and all. This way at least we understand the contract we are getting.
My first mistake was entering our address as the address on our rental contract, because you would expect the address on your rental contract to be the address that you live at. Nope.
For some reason the landlord or the agency had made a mistake and given our address as the street that the other side or our block is on, maybe because that is the landlord’s address, who knows. Mr. C had worked this out but I had not until I was driving along the other street and realised that there were two number 64’s if the address on our contract was correct. Fortunately Mr. C managed to sort out the correct address for the phone company, but not before having a ‘lil grump at me, but you can see how I could make the mistake.
Correct address given, we were waiting for the technician to contact us which he did in the given time so we were hopeful of a smooth installation. He came along poked around at our phone plug and told us that we couldn’t have a line as the bit of line connected to the plug was not connected to the external line.
Well that’s easy to remedy, you just run a line from our apartment to the external line.
Can you guess what’s coming next? Can you? No, of course it wasn’t that simple.
The main external supply line ends about ten metres up from our block on the street facing the outside of our block. Three years ago our installation chappie had to run a cable from the external line to the apartment, but had made the mistake of not asking permission from the homeowner on the corner of the block whose wall he ran the cable along. The homeowner took the cable off and made a denuncia against the technician and still refuses to allow the single, white, telephone cable along his wall that would mean that we could get connected to the outside world.
The only other option is to go through the buildings drilling big holes through everyone’s walls, just what you want to do to make yourself popular with your new neighbours. Fortunately we managed to contact our landlord whose family live in the apartments behind and above us and they were willing to allow a connection from their telephone line to us. However, with not quite enough line to connect from them to us we have to have a second technician come out to install the extra line and our original chappie come back another time to connect the phone and t’interweb.
I did feel sorry for the our installation chappie as he explained to Mr. C that as a contractor to Telefonica he doesn’t get paid until our installation is complete, so he worked for a couple of hours for nothing. Fingers crossed we will be connected in a week or so.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Carry on doctor – part 7
It seems that the ante-natal system here in Gran Can is running on a good cop / bad cop system.
After the long, long wait and lost test results of the last visit we were decidedly wary for the next visit to the clinic in Vecindario.
We had been to the clinic here and told them about the lost blood results which bemused them as they explained that the tocological unit was in the same building as the preggy clinic in Vecindario and our doctor there should just phone up for them. Hey ho.
We were on time and in the right building. Though for some, unexplained, reason we had an appointment booked for 2.20 pm but had to be at the clinic at 9.45 am. I thought that perhaps I was going to be hooked up to a machine for a couple of hours or maybe the first time was the time you arrived and the second time was the time you actually got seen. We didn’t know so I packed Jane Austen, or at least her complete novels, and a large bottle of water and hoped for the best.
We were seen fifteen minutes after arriving. They took my blood pressure, weighed me and scanned me and that was that. They had the blood results which were all fine, bar a little anaemia, and didn’t even ask to see the movement diary. We asked if we needed to come back in the afternoon and they just looked as confused as we were and told us no.
All in all we were in and out in less than half an hour, much better than last time. I think the trick is to go early before everyone else gets up and before the doctors end up running two hours late.
After the long, long wait and lost test results of the last visit we were decidedly wary for the next visit to the clinic in Vecindario.
We had been to the clinic here and told them about the lost blood results which bemused them as they explained that the tocological unit was in the same building as the preggy clinic in Vecindario and our doctor there should just phone up for them. Hey ho.
We were on time and in the right building. Though for some, unexplained, reason we had an appointment booked for 2.20 pm but had to be at the clinic at 9.45 am. I thought that perhaps I was going to be hooked up to a machine for a couple of hours or maybe the first time was the time you arrived and the second time was the time you actually got seen. We didn’t know so I packed Jane Austen, or at least her complete novels, and a large bottle of water and hoped for the best.
We were seen fifteen minutes after arriving. They took my blood pressure, weighed me and scanned me and that was that. They had the blood results which were all fine, bar a little anaemia, and didn’t even ask to see the movement diary. We asked if we needed to come back in the afternoon and they just looked as confused as we were and told us no.
All in all we were in and out in less than half an hour, much better than last time. I think the trick is to go early before everyone else gets up and before the doctors end up running two hours late.
Friday, August 22, 2008
How to watch the olympics
This week we finally got around to buying a coaxial cable and now have tv again, just Spanish and Canarian terrestrial but tv none the less. Just in time for the olympics.
Now I know that Sonnjea over in Koji's Kitchen isn't a big fan of the olympics and I can see her point, but when you only have four or so channels to choose from and 90% of the non-olympic programming is dire then you do appreciate the efforts of the ladies and gentlemen in China.
In the last few days of watching I think that the events might need re-classifying.
I propose the following categories, which are non-exclusive.
Essentially the more classifications that a sport can be in the more likely I am to enjoy it. By this reasoning I have to say the winter olympics are really outstanding. Couples figure skating - sparkly costume, high likelyhood of falling over and for a time in the mid 80s a high likelyhood of GB winning a medal - what's not to love?
I have also discovered that not understanding the commentary has it's benefits too. It means you can focus on the important things. Have you seen the Jamaican ladies athletics outfit? It has the cutest buttons on it, whereas if you look at the track singlets for the USA they seem to have a little flash going over the shoulders that is reminicent of a superhero cape.
And is anyone else suspicious that China, the hosts, are leading the gold medals?
Now I know that Sonnjea over in Koji's Kitchen isn't a big fan of the olympics and I can see her point, but when you only have four or so channels to choose from and 90% of the non-olympic programming is dire then you do appreciate the efforts of the ladies and gentlemen in China.
In the last few days of watching I think that the events might need re-classifying.
I propose the following categories, which are non-exclusive.
- "who goes fastest" - this includes track, cycling, sailing, you're standard first past the post stuff.
- "pretty ladies in sparkly and/or teeny costumes" - synchronised swimming, beach volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics (this classification also doubles as "something to please the blokes")
- "events with high likelyhood of accidents" - anything with equipment and/or animals, so gymnastics, things with horses, sailing
- "Men in tights" - greco roman wresting, weightlifting, gymnastics again
- "Is that a sport?" symchronised swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and BMXing anyone
- And finally, the most important category, "things we are likely to win a medal in" so for Team GB that would be sailing, rowing, cycling
Essentially the more classifications that a sport can be in the more likely I am to enjoy it. By this reasoning I have to say the winter olympics are really outstanding. Couples figure skating - sparkly costume, high likelyhood of falling over and for a time in the mid 80s a high likelyhood of GB winning a medal - what's not to love?
I have also discovered that not understanding the commentary has it's benefits too. It means you can focus on the important things. Have you seen the Jamaican ladies athletics outfit? It has the cutest buttons on it, whereas if you look at the track singlets for the USA they seem to have a little flash going over the shoulders that is reminicent of a superhero cape.
And is anyone else suspicious that China, the hosts, are leading the gold medals?
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Carry on doctor - part 6
You'd think by now we would have mastered getting to an appointment on time, at the correct building and being seen within a reasonable waiting period. YOU'D THINK!
A quick update from the last visit. We found out that we couldn't change maternos to the one in Vecindario because we live in the wrong district, so we are stuck with the non-materno materno in Arguineguin. I saw him last week and he was very pleased with me, I'd put on 10kg (that's a stone and half in old money, or 21 lbs in American) and he said my body had taken to the pregnancy very well. Yay gold star for me!
The following day I had more bloods taken, Mr. C will never accompany on these appointments as he turns green at the sight of a needle. The results are supposed to inform the next clinic appointment.
So on Tuesday we take the day off and trundle up to Vecindario and arrive ten minutes before our appointment time. We get to the health centre and are very surprised to see a half empty car park, no chance of being blocked in today, but actually the health centre has been closed and we have to go along to El Doctoral, the next town along.
Off we go with expletives from Mr. C. He stops and asks directions and we find the health centre but the road is blocked off so we take a scenic route through El Doctoral and get to the health centre 20 minutes after our due time.
Here the lady tells us that we are in the wrong place, we should be in the centre at Vecindario. We assure her it is shut, she assures us it is open, Mr. C and I consult and ask again and then she explains that the gynecological centre is not the same as the health centre, it is in a connecting building.
So while the health centre is closed the gynecological centre is not.
We drive back over to Vecindario and find the entrance we should have been using all along and are only half an hour late for our appointment, so not at all late in Spanish time. However there are already four women waiting ahead of us.
We wait a further hour and a half and get called in in the order of the appointments so even if we had been on time we wouldn't have seen the doctor any earlier.
I get weighed, scanned and prodded. They tell us they haven't got the blood test results as they haven't got the test serial number and for them to get it we have to go to the clinic in the Arguineguin explain why Vecindario don't have the results and get them to sort it out. Cos you know that's what you want to do as a patient sort out a health services problems for them.
So that's a two hour delay from our appointment time and still they have lost my blood test results - it does make you wonder.
Fortunately Baby C's head is in the correct position for her upcoming entrance to the world - quite a relief for me. However they said she is below the weight scale - only just - but neither Mr C or I are exactly heavy weights so we aren't too worried about that.
I now have to keep a daily diary of Baby C's movements and if she doesn't move for 24 hours I have to call an ambulance, fun. Neither Mr. C or I are too sure if this is because Baby C is little or just something everyone here has to do. I've never heard of this before and at first it seemed a bit of a hassle, but the first morning I woke up, Baby C wriggled around a bit and then got hiccoughs, so I had her ten movements in about five minutes flat. So now I just use the first half hour I wake up as she is pretty lively then.
Mr. C and I left that appointment wondering if it is us or the Spanish system that is rubbish. Generously I would say it is half us and half them, but we have decided that if we ever do this again we will do so in England or France. Mind you I think we should just get through this first one before making any plans for siblings!
A quick update from the last visit. We found out that we couldn't change maternos to the one in Vecindario because we live in the wrong district, so we are stuck with the non-materno materno in Arguineguin. I saw him last week and he was very pleased with me, I'd put on 10kg (that's a stone and half in old money, or 21 lbs in American) and he said my body had taken to the pregnancy very well. Yay gold star for me!
The following day I had more bloods taken, Mr. C will never accompany on these appointments as he turns green at the sight of a needle. The results are supposed to inform the next clinic appointment.
So on Tuesday we take the day off and trundle up to Vecindario and arrive ten minutes before our appointment time. We get to the health centre and are very surprised to see a half empty car park, no chance of being blocked in today, but actually the health centre has been closed and we have to go along to El Doctoral, the next town along.
Off we go with expletives from Mr. C. He stops and asks directions and we find the health centre but the road is blocked off so we take a scenic route through El Doctoral and get to the health centre 20 minutes after our due time.
Here the lady tells us that we are in the wrong place, we should be in the centre at Vecindario. We assure her it is shut, she assures us it is open, Mr. C and I consult and ask again and then she explains that the gynecological centre is not the same as the health centre, it is in a connecting building.
So while the health centre is closed the gynecological centre is not.
We drive back over to Vecindario and find the entrance we should have been using all along and are only half an hour late for our appointment, so not at all late in Spanish time. However there are already four women waiting ahead of us.
We wait a further hour and a half and get called in in the order of the appointments so even if we had been on time we wouldn't have seen the doctor any earlier.
I get weighed, scanned and prodded. They tell us they haven't got the blood test results as they haven't got the test serial number and for them to get it we have to go to the clinic in the Arguineguin explain why Vecindario don't have the results and get them to sort it out. Cos you know that's what you want to do as a patient sort out a health services problems for them.
So that's a two hour delay from our appointment time and still they have lost my blood test results - it does make you wonder.
Fortunately Baby C's head is in the correct position for her upcoming entrance to the world - quite a relief for me. However they said she is below the weight scale - only just - but neither Mr C or I are exactly heavy weights so we aren't too worried about that.
I now have to keep a daily diary of Baby C's movements and if she doesn't move for 24 hours I have to call an ambulance, fun. Neither Mr. C or I are too sure if this is because Baby C is little or just something everyone here has to do. I've never heard of this before and at first it seemed a bit of a hassle, but the first morning I woke up, Baby C wriggled around a bit and then got hiccoughs, so I had her ten movements in about five minutes flat. So now I just use the first half hour I wake up as she is pretty lively then.
Mr. C and I left that appointment wondering if it is us or the Spanish system that is rubbish. Generously I would say it is half us and half them, but we have decided that if we ever do this again we will do so in England or France. Mind you I think we should just get through this first one before making any plans for siblings!
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