Tinder of Ride Share

I’m like a Boy Scout – I like to be prepared. Since I’ll be in Valencia in a couple weeks to house hunt, I decided to make sure that my transportation includes a cornucopia of options. My friends on my Expat group all said ‘Get Cabify’, so I downloaded the app and was summarily rejected because my credit card is from the US. They can tell – ugh! Glad I found out now, instead of standing at the airport.

On to plan B. Everyone uses BlaBla. It’s a ride sharing app with a ridiculous name but now that you’ve heard it, bet you never forget it. I know I didn’t, and after Cabify swiped left, I moved on. Cabify, you’re so in my rear view mirror. There is just one little issue. Since I’m using the BlaBla app in Spain – it’s in Spanish. And if you wonder how good my Spanish is, I refer you to Exhibit B – or my second post on this blog. I’m still wildly dependent upon that language crack dealer – Google Translate. ‘Just one more translation baby. I promise it’s the last time.’ – NOT!

There are things I like about it, but one thing it won’t do is read what’s on the screen of my phone in another app. That means I have to switch back and forth between the apps, typing wildly so I know what the error message might mean or what the alerts are trying to alert me to. I swear, when I finally move there and Armageddon comes, everyone will be running away screaming and I’ll be typing ‘El final es nye, Armageddon esta’ aqui’ into the app on my phone, my eyes growing wide with understanding and horror, right before the meteor hits me.

So trying to fill out my profile in the BlaBla app has proved a challenge. I finally got it and then – I got a freaking notification. What are they trying to notify me about? I have no clue. But if I want to find out, I have to type all that into Google translate. Deep breath – I did just that. Turns out, they were just sending me a hearty ‘Welcome to BlaBla’ which seemed kind of appropriate, considering my language skills. But it took like 4 loooong sentences them for them to convey their elation over my choice to sign up. My fingers cramped and my eyes crossed.

So now I have a solution. Two phones. One I’ll use to order up a BlaBla. The other I’ll use to translate whatever messages they send me in regards to my trip. I added my ‘Perfil’ so that I can attract others who might allow me to join them to where ever they happen to be going, that I’m going. I hope my admission in my BIO that I’m Spanishly challenged will seem earnest and not pathetic. Please swipe right!