Vamos a La Comisaria
Let’s go to the Police Station!
By Grace Carballo ‘17
You may be thinking to yourself, “Grace, what? How did you get carded in Madrid? Isn’t the drinking age there 18? Aren’t you several years older? I’ve always thought you have such a maturity about you well beyond your years!”
All of this is true. But, yes, I did get carded here. I think it’s probably because I didn’t really pack for the clubbing scene that is very popular. I tried to pack light so all of my clothes are pretty versatile. Instead of day to night outfits, I opted for more of a Catedral to Discoteca transition and I guess this just shows I erred too closely to the side of Sunday best.
For whatever reason, I was carded in Madrid at a lovely little venue called Moondance. And shortly after, I lost my license in this very same venue.
You see, before I arrived in Madrid, one of my favorite hobbies was going to bed early. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I get such a rush going to sleep when other people are still living their lives awake and alert. I feel the same way about being the first one awake in the morning; it’s like having a Flash Pass at 6 Flags and you basically get to cut the line to start the day. This lifestyle does not work in Madrid as I coined with the phrase in my first post, “Early to bed, early to rise, is the only way to go to Madrid and not socialize.”
Something else you might not know about me is I have no sense of direction in the literal sense. I have several strong senses of direction in terms of future plans which is why people ask me “Have you chosen a major yet?” in lieu of “What are you doing after graduation?“.
My mom, on the other hand, can figure out cardinal directions by thinking about where we are in relation to the Mississippi River, which is very Iowa of her, although not as useful now that GPS is a thing. I did not inherit this and never really know where I am or where I’m going, but before I got here, other people always had that under control and I was sort of dead weight to travel with, who might be able to contribute an anecdote here and there.
In Madrid, the Metro closes at 1:30, which is when people are just starting their nights out. It doesn’t reopen until 6 AM, so after 1:30, I find myself at a crossroads- do I try to find my way home or do I dance until morning/Metro comes? And like at all crossroads, I have a tough time choosing because of that lack of direction I mentioned.
This particular evening was the second night in a row that I opted for the waiting until 6 AM route, which I do not recommend if you want to live to a ripe old age and not be irritable. It was a lot of fun because we were with Madrileños the whole time, showing us the scene, and I have no regrets except of course for losing the license.
The next day, upon realizing my loss, I tore apart my room looking for it, but I packed so few positions and soon realized it for sure was not amongst them. I FB messaged the MoonDance club page, e-mailed their sponsor, and then asked my host brother, Victór what to do in my super cute teary-voiced español.
I know it’s not that big of a deal to lose your license, it’s not a passport, but in my case it was a LOT easier to get my passport than it was to get my license and I’m very proud of possessing that little piece of plastic. The backing-around-a-corner part of the driving test nearly did me in, but someone at the DMV deemed me capable of operating a motor vehicle, and best believe that fact alone adds a lot of sentimental value to it.
I went to the comisaria, which means police station, and told them my troubles, all in Spanish. They were sweeter than sangria in their helpfulness and directed me to the interview rooms downstairs.
On the way, I spotted this great Mujeres en La Policia poster and it gave me strength.
But it was a kind policeman who filled out my actual report, which I have kept as a ~free~ souvenir. I plan to scrapbook with it in a very Pinteresty way if I ever have copious amounts of free time. Some highlights of the interview include me trying to explain, when he asked for my contact info and phone number, that I don’t have very many texts in my international phone plan and would prefer he use WhatsApp. Also, I like the a las 4:00 horas part.
This long, perhaps upsetting, story has a happy ending. I received an e-mail from the corporation that owns Moondance and they found it; I was able to retrieve it the very next day. All of this went very smoothly until I was locked in the building where I picked it up for a few minutes unable to figure out how to open the door to leave and too proud to ask for help. I followed someone out of the building like the shady character I am shortly after and have maintained all my possessions ever since!
