life as we know it:: part 1 - stamps

Well - come to find out, living in a different country is difficult.

Goethe, the most beloved German poet, said of his people...
"Germans make things more difficult for themselves, and for everyone else."

Sometimes, if you are lucky, you can find an employee of the city, state, or nation that gives you a break and/or does not know what they are talking about - and blesses you with his/her holy "stamp"; the ultimate authority on all papers German.

Example 1 - the Martin family. They received a 5 year residence visa on the same day they applied, as employees of Young Life.

Example 2 - the Roberts family. They talked to a different employee in the Foreign affairs office, and although they work for the same organization, applied for the same residence visa they were given a different story, different requirements, and had to reapply for a 1 month visa for 6 consecutive months until they were blessed with the holy stamp of approval.

The strategy is this - take every official looking paper you have (stamp em if you got em) when seeking a stamp that allows you to live, eat, work, or travel in Germany. Sit very quietly in the chair you are asked to sit in. Say please and thank you. Pray that no questions will be asked and don't give TMI (too much info) - this can prove to be the kiss of death.

We are praying, currently, that the sun is shining on the day of our Visa appointment. But, not too beautifully - because if the day proves to be very beautiful, shop owners and government employees have been known to close up shop and take the day to enjoy the sun - no matter what the sign on the door says:)

Without this "stamp" we can't : drive our car, buy a cell phone, or travel in and out of this country after 3 months. Houston, we have a problem.

So we are praying that Bayern Munich wins this weekend, the stamp pads are fully inked, and that we will soon be able to have the "official" stamp of approval from the German bureaucracy behind us, so we can love Germans well!