Wow ...
I just had to phone my embassy to enquire about some more extraordinarily irritating new pieces of documentation required.
My passport is not considered valid proof of nationality here in Belgium.
No no no ... I require a Bewijs van Nationaliteit
Hmmm, I wonder where the information about my nationality is gathered from?
So I phoned the Embassy and had conversations with a lovely Kiwi.
Nothing was a bother, we talked, there was laughter and the process is under way, well ... apart from my new $45nz Apostille to be attached to my new $26nz birth certificate to be translated into Nederlands by an official translator and taken to the court for verification, paid for and picked up ... surely a gazillionth new birth certificate in my 3 years abroad ... to be ordered by email, avoiding my sister selling me to the gypsies next time they're looking to purchase a demanding older sister surplus to requirement.
Ahhhh moving countries ...
Actually, I got into a conversation with a lovely Oxfam man on the street today. He's from the Netherlands and is having problems getting his university qualifications recognised here in Belgium.
I asked the obvious ... 'Why are you here?'
He rolled his eyes and said 'Love'.
Knowingly, I said 'Ahhhhhhhhhhh', and continued with, 'I'm not sure Belgians should be allowed out to find partners.'
He nodded, agreeing and accepted my excuse of 'I'm poorer than most Oxfam recipients at the moment'.
I wished him luck with his paperwork, he wished me luck with mine and said 'Perhaps when you have money you'll think of Oxfam'.
I said I would.
2 comments:
The joys of immigration. Good lord.
When we were getting The Duke of Orange his green card, we showed up at the consulate with a wheelbarrow full of papers and photos. The stern woman behind the bullet proof glass rejected our photos. "These are WRONG," she said. Finally, after much cajoling, (honestly, why we had to wring it out of her, I do not know) she explained it to us. "Wrong ear."
What? Huh? Turns out we were supposed to have The Duke photographed in 3/4 view from the left, not from the right. Or vice versa, I forget now.
The wrong ear ... it would be so funny except that's it's true.
It's a crazy old world these days ... and laughing with these people over the 'things' that they say doesn't further ones cause at all because ... it's really not funny, it's real life!! :)
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