In Turkey, illegality and permission to reside wasn't so much of an issue ... there were 'border runs' to renew tourist visas, and a general desire to aide and abet the wandering ones of the world, particularly useful ones like teachers of English.
However, Belgium takes a very dim view of those who wish to wander at will in the world ... well, that's not quite true, you can wander in and stay for 3 months but you must wander out again at the end of that time, for a 3 solid months.
I moved here back in July 2005. My man and I both considered ourselves old and wise, and we knew we had to make sure that we were as compatible in Belgium as we had been in Istanbul. After two months of dating and stuff, rather than fly home and apply for the long-stay visa, we discovered I could save 1000euro by making my application to stay at the local council offices.
Oddly enough, before leaving Istanbul, I had discovered the Belgian consulate wanted nothing to do with a Kiwi who had been resident in Turkey for two years and wanted papers to live in Belgium ... 'Get thee home and apply there' was their rather coldly delivered message. I was stunned, there are only 4 million Kiwis ... what country wouldn't one.
Going home to apply to come back to Europe had epic potential ... I would fly home, apply to the NZ Belgian Consulate over in Sydney, Australia and pick up the papers when they were ready (but of course, I muttered under my breath, as I added some more hundreds to my airfare to and from the two big lands downunder).
Checklist:
1. Find flight home on airline I trust and can stand to make more than 12 take-off and landings with ... did I mention that I really don't enjoy flying.
2. Make plans to find somewhere to live while in New Zealand; the consulate people seem vague about how long the application process might be.
3. Find a job, as my holiday pay from the teaching back in Istanbul will run out.
4. What kind of job can I get in New Zealand ... sigh, I hate office work with a passion, that's one of the reasons I flew out.
So ... my Belgian did a last minute inspired trawl of the internet and discovered something that no consulate person had mentioned ... I COULD APPLY FOR MY LONG STAY VISA HERE IN BELGIUM.
So I did, after they told me 6-8 weeks ...
It seemed that my file would pop off to Brussels, a mere 50kms away, and sooner or later I would be legal however ... for reasons only known to those who pull the strings of my life, my file didn't just pop off to Brussels, it holidayed in the local office here for a couple of months.
I wrote previously of visiting said office to query the ongoing silence regarding my legal status in Belgium and being told, with a grimace, that it should take '2 more months'.
I don't think I believe them anymore. Today was one of those days when I was a sad little kiwi,
thinking dark little thoughts about losing my identity and my freedom as my finances shrink to nothing and less... A growling rebellion set in, and I questioned whether I should endure the mental anguish of learning to say those 5 unpronounceable Dutch sounds I can't make, if the paperwork people don't want to shuffle me.
It's 3am now, and I'm still thinking about all of it, trying to forget the guy from Guinea who told me it took 1 year to get in, despite starting from home; and trying to forget the lovely Iranian man who waited 4 years ...
I want to howl like a child and say, 'but I'm a Kiwi, and every country needs a Kiwi or ten ... let me in, let me work ... I'll eat Hutsepot everyday'.
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