Long live Bureaucracy!

Organizing an exchange like this is a lot of work.  There's a reason why people go through programs!  We were able to set up some things like car insurance and school registration ahead of time but most things we have to handle in person.  All residents in Germany (and Europe too for that matter) need to register their new address with the Einwohnermeldeamt (Residence Office) as soon as possible upon moving.  Proof of this registration is necessary for all sorts of things ranging from setting up a bank account and getting a driver's license.  Foreigners like me need to also register at the Auslaenderamt (Foreigner Office) so the authorities can determine if we're allowed to live here, work, study, and for how long.  Luckily I am married to my dear Andrew, a Brit, so I should have an automatic residence permit (barring of course criminal activity -- so far I'm in the clear.  The folks at the Foreigner Office still needed to examine everything, of course this included submitting my proof of residence from the Einwohnermeldeamt.  I then was sent directly back to the Einwohnermeldeamt with the document from them and obtain a confirmation that the document they gave me earlier is correct and then return to the Auslaenderamt.  Like we have nothing else to do!

THEN there was the small but crucial issue of proving my proficiency in German.  "Frau Richardson, you can take a German class at this institute and get a certificate and then you get the permit!"  Mind you, all of the exchanges so far were in German!  The lady had a form and desperately needed to know which box to check regarding which document I had submitted proving my proficiency and since there was none, she couldn't possibly determine on her own whether I could speak German or not.  Finally Andrew retrieved a certificate from 1994 from an exam I took at the Chicago Goethe Institute (I didn't even know we had brought that to Germany!) so she could check the box and we could go on our way.  We needed four visits, 2 photos, various documents and 125 Euro to procure my permit.

Then there's the Ministry of Education in Bavaria, to whom we are forever grateful for approving our request for this exchange in the first place.  We are, however, struggling to understand  how the left hand really has no idea what the right hand is doing.  Case in point:  Andrew's contract.  About 10 months ago, we submitted all the required documents (many of them notarized) and filled out all the paperwork necessary.  In March, we checked in again on our initiative and discovered that they needed more forms filled out.  We were told Andrew would receive his contract the day before school starts, Sept 12.  Well, we were literally packing up our life and definitely would have preferred to have something in writing before we boarded the plane but what were we going to do?  Then, Sept 12 came and went and no contract materialized so Andrew called and apparently our case hadn't been processed in months and could we please submit X documents again?  Also, it's quite normal that new employees endure a delay of compensation of several months in order for all the paperwork to get done.  We might not see a check from the Ministry until December!

My new employer

Yes, we have some savings but 5 months' worth?  Fortunately, we anticipated the extraordinary expenses of this year and set up a Home Equity Line of Credit in Milwaukee before we left.  We have numerous running expenses that continue to need to be paid (mortgage, home owner's insurance, property tax, etc).

In addition, I got a job!  I am teaching two English classes at the Volkshochschule (Community college) in Neumarkt.  Now approximately $250 per month certainly isn't a substitute for a full-time salary but luckily Germany offers a little something called Kindergeld.  This financial support is calculated by the number of children you have and limited by your household income and keeps many families afloat.  (Side note - there is no additional tax deduction for children like in the US.)  Since we're legally registered... (see above) we get it too!  That's just over 500 Euro a month.  Who knew my uterus would be our biggest source of income?

Our little cash cows with their cousins Mijo and Jennifer (2 on left)