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katherine_b at 02:15pm on 03/02/2004
katherine_b at 02:15pm on 03/02/2004Okay, so it's more of a mini-rant about German bureacracy. I'm still in love with this city (particularly now that I have Internet in my room - woo hoo!) but this really annoyed me today.
I decided to be a good little resident and get a Visa, although I will only be staying for a month. No, I know I don't need one, except that I would like to borrow books from the local libraries and I will need one for that.
They wouldn't give me one.
This is after standing in line for 90 minutes.
They used to be much better organised. All of the peopel from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Greece, etc. (who took a lot longer and most of whom were after permanent residency) went in one door and the rest of us (Americans, Australians, Asians, etc.) went in another. Great system.
It's different now. We all have to go in the one door and wait in the one waiting room behind barriers that snake around the room. The queue shuffles forward every 10 minutes or so, if that.
So how long do I take to be told I don't need a Visa?
90 seconds.
Yup, that's it.
The woman said I should just tell the library very firmly my situation and if they don't agree, bad luck (for me, I think, as I fail to see how it can be bad luck for them! Unless, of course, I manage to ruin their day. Now there's a thought...).
I've tried to deal with libraries before. They are impossible. Every stereotype about Germans seems to be in librarians. I'm sure they're taught how to be horrible at librarian-school.
And I have to talk them around? Excuse me a moment, will you? I have to tell the waves to go back!
*scowls and mutters a bit*
We'll see how successful I am tomorrow...
I decided to be a good little resident and get a Visa, although I will only be staying for a month. No, I know I don't need one, except that I would like to borrow books from the local libraries and I will need one for that.
They wouldn't give me one.
This is after standing in line for 90 minutes.
They used to be much better organised. All of the peopel from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Greece, etc. (who took a lot longer and most of whom were after permanent residency) went in one door and the rest of us (Americans, Australians, Asians, etc.) went in another. Great system.
It's different now. We all have to go in the one door and wait in the one waiting room behind barriers that snake around the room. The queue shuffles forward every 10 minutes or so, if that.
So how long do I take to be told I don't need a Visa?
90 seconds.
Yup, that's it.
The woman said I should just tell the library very firmly my situation and if they don't agree, bad luck (for me, I think, as I fail to see how it can be bad luck for them! Unless, of course, I manage to ruin their day. Now there's a thought...).
I've tried to deal with libraries before. They are impossible. Every stereotype about Germans seems to be in librarians. I'm sure they're taught how to be horrible at librarian-school.
And I have to talk them around? Excuse me a moment, will you? I have to tell the waves to go back!
*scowls and mutters a bit*
We'll see how successful I am tomorrow...
annoyed