...or maybe a cup of tea. It's about 8pm in Prague and I don't think caffeine would be the best choice at this point
If we were really meeting up for coffee, I would ask how your week was and what is new with you. I'd like to hear how your life is going before I get into what's up around here. There are a lot of changes going on in this household. As I type Kept Man is finally hanging a bar that we got from Ikea back in October for extra pot and pan storage as well as a chalkboard for the kitchen. We'll probably only doodle on the chalkboard but at least it will be something on our big white walls.
Besides cosmetic changes on our walls, Kept Man is getting a change of status. As of Monday he will no longer be a Kept Man. That's right, he's going back to the world of 9 to 5! What will I call him now? Maybe I'll go back to the old standby of G Unit.
Disregarding the fact that I have to come up with a new nickname, I'm so happy for that Kept Man has been offered this opportunity. The past two years bouncing between Morocco and Czech Republic has been a bit frustrating for him. I know the idea of having almost two years off traipsing around Europe and North Africa sounds fun but after a while I get the impression it's a bit boring. In case you're internally screaming, "What is the job Nuala!?", he'll be working for a huge company doing customer service. It's not glamours but it's steady work with interaction with others and it means we'll be able to save a lot more money while we're here in the Czech Republic. Plus he gets his own cubie. No more sitting at home twiddling his thumbs. Or making me dinner. Yep, I'm already going through withdrawals.
With all these new exciting work happenings it was inevitable that Morocco's bureaucracy would crash the party as if it wanted to give us a final parting gift. This new job wants a criminal background check from Morocco since we lived there in the past year. I think I can honestly voice the opinion that Morocco is the most frustrating and stupid bureaucracy ever.
For comparison Kept Man already got the background check for the Czech Republic. He went to the post office, presented his passport and told them what he wanted. One business day later it was available to pick up. All for the low low price of 50 CZK (approximately $2.50). In the meantime emails have been sent to the Moroccan Embassy with limited useless information given in response. Finally I called the Moroccan Embassy today to try to get some help on how we can get this stupid piece of paper that says that Kept Man has no criminal record in Morocco. I was basically told that that the Embassy could not help us and we would have to go to Morocco. I mean REALLY?! Why is it so hard to do this? Why does this become an international incident? Why is Moroccan civil service so f'd up? What is wrong with having a form to fill out a standard fee to pay and instructions on how to do it? Why is everything a huge hassle? It is unbelievable. Those of you in the States, thank your lucky stars for the DMV. It is a pantheon of order and helpfulness. Those of you in Czech Republic who think the Czech Republic is difficult, go to Morocco, then we can talk.
We're trying to go through the Moroccan Embassy in the US now. Maybe they will be more helpful. HR seems content that we are still trying to get this piece of paper and Kept Man is scheduled to start Monday even without Morocco and their "Kept Man is not a criminal" documentation. Keep your fingers crossed that it all works out.
So my week in a nutshell - Job for Kept Man (yeah!) - No more chef at home for me (boo!) - Morocco sucks! - Czech Republic is awesome! - Kept Man still starts on Monday (yeah!)
Thanks for the tea time and a sympathetic ear. I appreciate you listening to me rant and rave about things out of my control. And celebrating Kept Man's new job with me. Next week we'll learn if I can remember how to cook! I'm also hoping to get some pictures to share with you from the Farmer's Market here that is along the river and near our house. Let's hope for blue skies. And maybe I'll have a story about going to an Irish pub for St. Patty's Day. Big plans, that's my middle name. Have a great week!
If we were really meeting up for coffee, I would ask how your week was and what is new with you. I'd like to hear how your life is going before I get into what's up around here. There are a lot of changes going on in this household. As I type Kept Man is finally hanging a bar that we got from Ikea back in October for extra pot and pan storage as well as a chalkboard for the kitchen. We'll probably only doodle on the chalkboard but at least it will be something on our big white walls.
Besides cosmetic changes on our walls, Kept Man is getting a change of status. As of Monday he will no longer be a Kept Man. That's right, he's going back to the world of 9 to 5! What will I call him now? Maybe I'll go back to the old standby of G Unit.
Disregarding the fact that I have to come up with a new nickname, I'm so happy for that Kept Man has been offered this opportunity. The past two years bouncing between Morocco and Czech Republic has been a bit frustrating for him. I know the idea of having almost two years off traipsing around Europe and North Africa sounds fun but after a while I get the impression it's a bit boring. In case you're internally screaming, "What is the job Nuala!?", he'll be working for a huge company doing customer service. It's not glamours but it's steady work with interaction with others and it means we'll be able to save a lot more money while we're here in the Czech Republic. Plus he gets his own cubie. No more sitting at home twiddling his thumbs. Or making me dinner. Yep, I'm already going through withdrawals.
With all these new exciting work happenings it was inevitable that Morocco's bureaucracy would crash the party as if it wanted to give us a final parting gift. This new job wants a criminal background check from Morocco since we lived there in the past year. I think I can honestly voice the opinion that Morocco is the most frustrating and stupid bureaucracy ever.
For comparison Kept Man already got the background check for the Czech Republic. He went to the post office, presented his passport and told them what he wanted. One business day later it was available to pick up. All for the low low price of 50 CZK (approximately $2.50). In the meantime emails have been sent to the Moroccan Embassy with limited useless information given in response. Finally I called the Moroccan Embassy today to try to get some help on how we can get this stupid piece of paper that says that Kept Man has no criminal record in Morocco. I was basically told that that the Embassy could not help us and we would have to go to Morocco. I mean REALLY?! Why is it so hard to do this? Why does this become an international incident? Why is Moroccan civil service so f'd up? What is wrong with having a form to fill out a standard fee to pay and instructions on how to do it? Why is everything a huge hassle? It is unbelievable. Those of you in the States, thank your lucky stars for the DMV. It is a pantheon of order and helpfulness. Those of you in Czech Republic who think the Czech Republic is difficult, go to Morocco, then we can talk.
We're trying to go through the Moroccan Embassy in the US now. Maybe they will be more helpful. HR seems content that we are still trying to get this piece of paper and Kept Man is scheduled to start Monday even without Morocco and their "Kept Man is not a criminal" documentation. Keep your fingers crossed that it all works out.
So my week in a nutshell - Job for Kept Man (yeah!) - No more chef at home for me (boo!) - Morocco sucks! - Czech Republic is awesome! - Kept Man still starts on Monday (yeah!)
Thanks for the tea time and a sympathetic ear. I appreciate you listening to me rant and rave about things out of my control. And celebrating Kept Man's new job with me. Next week we'll learn if I can remember how to cook! I'm also hoping to get some pictures to share with you from the Farmer's Market here that is along the river and near our house. Let's hope for blue skies. And maybe I'll have a story about going to an Irish pub for St. Patty's Day. Big plans, that's my middle name. Have a great week!
hooray for the new job for Kept Man! and UGHHHH...i am sorry for all the bureaucratic crap you are dealing with right now...why must these things be so involved when they could actually be so simple?! hang in there, i hope it s all resolved soon!
ReplyDeletethanks for coffee!
WOOOT! But...I am sad that I am losing my "Cooking with N and G" show. I guess now it will just be "Cooking with N" and it will feature you trying to boil water, getting frustrated, and throwing the water all over the floor. Actually, I like it.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, congratulations G Unit.
Yay for G getting a job!! Boo for Nuala not getting G's dinners anymore. And a billion BOOs to Morocco. Because WOW that's stupid. I really hope you get some better news from the embassy in the U.S. Effing Morocco.
ReplyDelete