Not that I'm complaining, but . . .

trying to get anything accomplished around here can be so frustrating!

You may or may not know that Ross & I each ran into our share of speed bumps trying to get things in line before we left home. No matter what we read, or how informed we thought we were, someone at the Dutch consulate would tell us some "essential" piece of information that would come from left field. We've actually laughed about it many times, because it's quite bizarre compared to what we're used to (ie: a handy pamphlet, or an informative human to talk to).

This morning was our meeting with the Aliens Police to apply for our residency permit. This was frightening for two reasons. First of all, they're called the "Aliens Police", and secondly, even though we had all the documents they requested we bring, we were fully prepared they were going to tell us we forgot something essential that we've never heard about.

If there's one thing that's consistent in Dutch policy it's this quote: "I can't help you. You have to call this number. . ." Once we call the number of the day, someone will answer. Unfortunately, this person can't help us, but they will immediately put us on hold for an indefinite amount of time. At this point, there's a pretty good chance that someone will hang up on you. Repeat.

Did we mention that using the phone here is incredibly expensive? In our few days here, Ross & I easily spent close to 100 Euros using the the phone. For most of that, we were on hold.

Everything is so bloody bureaucratic. Ross likens it to the movie Brazil where every issue has it's own department, and there's no communication between any of them. Our meeting with the Aliens Police went well, but afterwards we were sent on a wild goose chase to answer this one question: Can we apply for a SOFI number? (SOFI is like a SIN).

Anyone sitting behind a reception desk can sense when you're about to ask a question, and the second they hear that tone of voice, they send you off in another direction, building, or town, as it happened today. Or they reach to a stack of paper in front of them and say the famous line, "I can't help you. You need to call this number. . . "

Argh!