Worldly Chatter

Well, a few months back we filled out all the proper paper work for yet another permit for me to say in the Netherlands. We waited and waited but heard nothing about it. A little nerve racking I assure you! All we had to do was show the IND that nothing had changed; Dutchie still had her job and was making the proper about of money. We also had to show that I was in fact insured as well as all the housing and other paper work we needed the first time around. A bit had changed since last we sent stuff over to the IND but pleasantly in our favor. Not only did Dutchie have the same job but now she made more than was required. I had more insurance than I knew what to do with as well as being employed. The government loves seeing immigrants working once they arrive so my contract with the agency was sent over too.

All was in order so we sent it over via the town hall here in Hilversum and waited until the IND received it and billed us for it. We paid them gleefully and waited for my one piece of paper that stated I could pick it up, again. I truly hate the waiting game! You see, Dutchie and I learned from our experiences with the IND when we first applied that if there is a discrepancy with something, they are all over it. They won’t wait to inform you that there is something amiss and they are ever so quick to deny you for the smallest thing! So when we didn’t hear anything the first month we drew a nice sigh of relief because if there was anything wrong, we would have heard about it by now. Forewarning for those who apply for permits in other countries, most governments are like this. They make you wait if you are approved and deny you if your letter is an afternoon late.

Once again my permit was sitting in Hilversum collecting dust before they bothered to send word out that they had it! My first permit as well as my approval to marry Dutchie sat comfortably in their filing cabinets for weeks before I heard anything about it! Oh, and the reason I know this is because the first two times I was all over the INDs bottom, demanding to know where stuff was and they kindly informed that Hilversum has had it for some time now. They are pleasant as punch while I have flames coming out of my ears, desperate to find information after months of waiting. To say the least I felt bad about calling all steamed. We have come to learn that the IND isn’t always the problem, in our case, never been a problem just doing their jobs. It has always been Hilversum but I digress.

My five year permit is here! Just one more step now to permanent residence here in the Netherlands! It is definitely easier than we thought and we both know how blessed we are for it! We have it now and the only thing left to do to gain full residence is gain a level to in the Dutch language and wait out my five year permit! A lovely day indeed, despite the fact that my mug shot isn’t!

 Previous posts for: The waiting game and My first residence permit

Dutch Residence Permits, Worldly Chatter, Living Abroad, American Expats, IND, Immigration

Do you remember my little adventure into the Consulate in Amsterdam on Friday? Well the Civil Affidavit needed legalization for me to use it and that took place in The Hague, or Den Haag to the natives. Dutchie was born and raised in Den Haag so she thought it best she tag along because with my directional skills I was bound to get lost in the middle of the city! The office was open for legalization purposes from 8:30-12:30 and to get it done asap we opted to take the 7:59 train from Hilversum to Leiden where we transfer as to get to Den Haag. The Dutch railway system has this summer deal called Zomertoer (summer tour) where two people ride for 59 euro and you can travel anywhere all over Holland! For two days in a seven day span you can go absolutely anywhere in Holland so we bought one but for 69 euro because that includes buses and trams. We are planning on going to the Efteling, a theme park here, so if we used it today and this weekend it would pay for itself and we wouldn’t have to drive to either location. Sweet, we thought. This journey to Den Haag took an hour and a half! It normally takes about an hour by car but this was first thing in the morning so with morning traffic on a Monday you are looking at an easy 1-2 hour drive. Anyway, we get there and the building we need is literally right around the corner. We go in and go through one metal detector and have our personal effects put on a belt for scanning, exactly like at the airport. Up to the first floor, we go and take a number. Wait maybe two minutes and hand her my civil affidavit. She doesn’t need my passport or residence permit, just ten euro so we give that up and wait another five to seven minutes when it is handed back to us. We leave the building and head back to the station.

For something that took about twenty minutes, we needed to ride an hour and a half. However, the one thing that struck me was how easy it was to enter and exit the building. This, like the consulate, is a government building yet all we had were two men waiting for us, we went through the detector as I said and that was it. There was none of this drama with unlocking and locking five gates and doors to get one piece of paper! The differences in security are so drastic!

We were done and back in Leiden by 10:30 where we decided to stick around and with our lovely little zomertoer tickets we also went to Amsterdam for a late afternoon stroll before heading home where Dutchie finally got to see the consulate and the gates that make up this huge fortress around the building! I will right about our Leiden and Amsterdam ventures tomorrow with pictures!

The Hague, worldly chatter, Den Haag, Ministry of Justice, NS Dutch rail system

Thanks to handy directions on www.9292ov.nl and a little help from a Dutchman, I finally found the Consulate! Ik heb een vraagje. Ik zoek voor deze adres, waar is het alstublieft. Now my Dutch is a serious work in progress but Dutchies really do like it when you try, even if you do botch it up. Ik weet het niet maar… and he calls a co-worker who might know. He does! He tells me I am on Museumplein and to goes straight that way and it hangs to the left. Alles is Museumplein? Dat klopt. (that’s right) Hartelijk bedankt! (Thank you SO much!) I walk on and there was the American flag! I love Dutchies! Yesterday I had to deliver mail on my own bike and as I road past an intersection I dropped mail and this older woman called me and helped me load it back up! She was in her late 60’s I would gather and in the middle of this busy road assisted me in putting my mail in my bags while I balanced the bike! So sweet she was, really! She went on to tell me how I needed to get bigger bags to do this; the black bags aren’t big enough and doesn’t Selekt mail provide them. I am getting better with the conversing! I love Dutchies but I am losing track here.

I see the building and go around to see a line of about 15 people and rising. I go to the front and ask if this is all for the consulate. Of course it is was the reply. So I get to the end of the line and wait. You see, This line leads to a locked gate that is unlocked every time they let someone in. When no one is entering, it is locked. A security guard asks for people with passport issues to come forward. I am there for a civil affidavit so I get to bypass the now 20 some odd people. He unlocked the gate, let us pass and locked it again. We now entered a small overhang where we had to hand over our possessions for search and had to have the metal detector wand passed around us. We get our stuff back after the search and wait in another line. This one is to actually enter the building! Again, he asked for passport persons and told me to come with. He unlocked the door and let us through, locking it behind us. Once inside, we are in a little room where there is a booth with a woman behind it and shelving you might find at a hotel where they keep the keys and another door. The security guard searches my bag again and asks me if I have any electronics. Of course, I have a cell phone. Can I have it please, you will get it when you are through. He hands me a card and places my phone in one such shelf then tells me to go to booth 5 to the right and unlocks another door! He unlocks it so I can now enter the waiting area and booths then promptly locks it behind me. So much security its maddening!

So now that I am inside the Consulate I go to the booth and hand in my piece of paper. I need to redo it the kind woman with a southern accent says; I will get you another one. I fill it out and she processes it. I pay thirty US dollars at another window and wait. Another person calls me and tells me to raise my right hand. “Do you swear that the information you have provided for this affidavit is the truth to the best of your knowledge?” “I do” I then sign it, he signs it and stamps it and I am done! All this security for a piece of paper that took maybe ten minutes to get!

I then go to the door but find I cannot leave that way, I must take another one that leads me right back outside and I am standing in the overhang again but I don’t have my cell phone! I whip out the card and wait for the security guard to open the door I just went through and tell him I need my phone. He is aware but procedure states you get all electronics AFTER you leave the building. Are you kidding me! I have to leave the building just to get a phone. Fine, I wait another minute or so when he comes back, takes the card and leaves again only to return a moment later with my phone. All the while, he is locking and unlocking every time he needs to go in or out!

Now here is an interesting contrast. I was informed that I can get the seal I need in Den Haag and don’t have to send it to Albany! Great! I call the number given to me when I get back to Hilversum and am told that I can come in Monday through Friday between 8:30 – 12:30. Now, when we need stuff from government offices here in Holland, pertaining to Dutch stuff, all Dutchie has to do is one of two options. Call and explain what she needs where she is told how much and they will mail it or she walks right into the building with none of the stuff I just went through and gets it. I go to the Consulate and I get ALL this security and all Dutchie has to do is walk right in to her buildings! Very, very big difference! I will be going to the Ministry of Justice on Monday to finally get the one piece of paper that is preventing our marriage. We can then go to the town hall here in Hilversum, hand it in and get married in September!

I just had to tell you of my little venture into Amsterdam today! I had to mention the drama that goes on just to get in one building!

American Consulate, Affidavit of Civil Status, Worldly Chatter, Amsterdam, Museumplein

Absolute madness! That is what I have to say about my morning in Amsterdam. I had to go to the consulate to an affidavit of my single status in America. I need this so I can marry Dutchie, as you know. So, I take the 8:22 train this morning from Hilversum to Amsterdam Central and get there around 9:00. According to the site, I can take the 2, 5, 16 or 24 tram to get there. After going to two different money exchange places and an ATM on Damrak I saw the number 2 come in so I took that. I wanted to be there around 9:30 – 9:45 so I can actually get this done because the hours to do anything are from 8:30-11:30am.
I hop on, stamp my strippenkaart and take a seat. I go ALL the way to the end of the line! There wasn’t one stop for Museumplein throughout the whole ride! I get on the tram heading back and get off at Leidseplein knowing that Museumplein is nearby. This on its own has killed nearly 35 minutes of my morning mind you and I still had to head in the general direction of the consulate. I go that way and find myself at a money exchange place. I ask where to go and he tells me I have to continue to go straight and head towards the Museums but it would be easier if I waited for the 5 tram, it will stop right in front. I head towards the tram stop but see that only the 7 and 10 tram are coming this direction, it is now 10:30. I know I have an hour to figure this out so I have a smoke and wait, and wait and wait. Only the 7 and 10 trams have stopped here. Therefore, I head up again; following the kind mans directions and find myself between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Now, I know what you are thinking, this means I am close right! Museums mean Museumplein, your finding it girl!

That’s what you think!

I stop at one of those little souvenir stands that sells Van Gogh t-shirts and other such stuff and ask the woman tending it as to where I am to go, I know I have to be close after all. She states to go right and past the field, the Museum Park, and then right diagonally. All right, let’s do this! I go, looking for the consulate, I walk past the field and head right after that. I am starting to freak out here. I am not seeing it. I have now circled Van Gogh 3 times! I bump into some men who are cleaning and working in the park. They ask me what is wrong so I tell them I am lost; I need to get to the consulate. He tells me I am headed in the right direction, just keep taking this road all the way down and on the left will be the consulate. This calms me some. Only some mind you. It is pouring buckets here and I didn’t bring the umbrella. I go and do this where I end up on a street I have never seen before and further freak. I am actually now crying I am freaking so bad! Not only have I circled Van Gogh 3 times but I have also ended up on Leidseplein 4 times and have circled the entire length of the Rijksmuseum twice, circled the park 3 times I believe and have now found myself on a street I don’t know where is and still have not found the consulate! I walk up the street the kind workers said I was supposed to be on and look up and down for the consulate. No, nothing, nada, NIKS!

I walk back down the road and head back to the road I don’t know, there is a payphone there and a tram stop. Now, do you remember the cell phone I bought the other day? I bought twenty-euro worth of minutes with it; I just forgot to add it! So I have no minutes on my phone while I am lost, crying and freaking! I call Dutchie and she informs me there is no point in looking further, its 11:15. Bugger off! I took off work to do this and got nothing done!

I get on the tram and headed back to the station. I grab a sandwich and cappuccino before catching the train back to Hilversum.

You see, dear readers, I have the directional skills of a lamppost! I panic when I am lost despite my best efforts not to. I was supposed to have this done today and now have to go back next week. Dutchie has offered to go with and I feel bad because of it. I should be able to do this darn it all. Take the 2, 5, 16, 24 tram and get on Museumplein where the consulate will be.
American Citizen Services
U.S. Consulate General
Museumplein 19
1071 DJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Simple right? Uh huh, right…

American Consulate, Museumplein, Wordly Chatter, Directions, Amsterdam