Just to keep things interesting, Rich has now applied for a third job. This one is in London. So now we've got London, Nottingham and Copenhagen as possible nesting spots. We are careening from excited to move to Denmark to freaking out about it to thinking that staying in the U.K. is a better idea then back to excited about Denmark again. The uncertainty is exhausting! We are now in a holding pattern while we wait to hear about the jobs and also wait for the car to be repaired. Rich emailed the landlord last night to extend our moving-out date to July 15th. That lifted the pressure a little bit and gives us a couple more weeks to sell the car (if the mechanic ever finishes it). Not sure what else we can do at this point...
~K
Tuesday, May 31
Monday, May 30
In other news
The French did indeed say "no" yesterday. The exit polls gave the figure of 54% "no" and 44% "yes". But there are consequences of "no".
And here's a pretty good article about how each country feels about this constitution:
EU Constitution: Where member states stand
The French did indeed say "no" yesterday. The exit polls gave the figure of 54% "no" and 44% "yes". But there are consequences of "no".
And here's a pretty good article about how each country feels about this constitution:
EU Constitution: Where member states stand
And just when you thought the Brits couldn't get any sillier...
Crazy Frog ring tone hits top of UK charts:
"LONDON (Reuters) - The Crazy Frog mobile phone ring tone shot straight to the top of the British singles chart on Sunday -- the first time a ring tone has achieved such a feat."
---
A ring tone is #1 on the singles chart here. A ring tone!!! That means that instead of real music, people prefer a ring tone!!!!! This does not bode well in any sense.
Crazy Frog ring tone hits top of UK charts:
"LONDON (Reuters) - The Crazy Frog mobile phone ring tone shot straight to the top of the British singles chart on Sunday -- the first time a ring tone has achieved such a feat."
---
A ring tone is #1 on the singles chart here. A ring tone!!! That means that instead of real music, people prefer a ring tone!!!!! This does not bode well in any sense.
Sunday, May 29
Everybody's gotta have a plan, don't they?
...well, we've got four (at least).
So, we've been having this period of uncertainty about our move to Denmark. This has motivated a definite "ooky" feeling within us. Sort of a feeling of mild terror, peppered with a general malaise, and only partially mitigated by a notion of gung-ho-edness that is struggling to stay aboard in this rough sea.
After sleeping on it and generally trying to ignore it (it = the uncertainty), we think we may have come up with a course of action. This was something I had been mulling over last night, but didn't bring up because I thought it would just be written off for being too "inactive". This is usually my preferred path: the see-what-happens/let-fate-decide path (I don't like making decisions). Anyway, the idea is that we let nature take its course. So... what do you think?
OK... let me explain. I've found a job opening at the National Museum in Copenhagen as a docent/factotum/groundskeeper. It's full-time from July through September and then it goes to 60 hours per month. This seems to be a rather perfect opening "salvo" for getting our feet firmly in the soil over there. So, I'm definitely applying for that. But I've also decided to apply for a job as a cataloguer/researcher at MACE in Nottingham, a one-year fixed term with a paycheck of £20,000. Catching my drift? We roll the dice and see what happens. The scenario could play out in any of the following ways (in no particular order):
PLAN A: I get the job at the National Museum and we proceed with our June 30th move to Denmark. However, we might keep our UK apartment to mid-July, just to buy a little more time with selling the car and what-not.
PLAN B: I don't get the National Museum job, but I get the MACE job. We move to Nottingham for a year, I work for a pretty nice salary, get some good archiving experience, and then we figure out where to go from there (Denmark?).
PLAN C: I get offered both jobs. HUGE decision. Will get back to you on this one.
PLAN D: I get neither one in which case we will either go ahead with our June 30th (or mid-July) move to Denmark or push it to September so that we have more time to "figure things out". If we go with the latter option, I will definitely have to find a "summer job" here.
---
Well, now you know. I'm glad I got that off my chest. It's good to have a plan(s).
...well, we've got four (at least).
So, we've been having this period of uncertainty about our move to Denmark. This has motivated a definite "ooky" feeling within us. Sort of a feeling of mild terror, peppered with a general malaise, and only partially mitigated by a notion of gung-ho-edness that is struggling to stay aboard in this rough sea.
After sleeping on it and generally trying to ignore it (it = the uncertainty), we think we may have come up with a course of action. This was something I had been mulling over last night, but didn't bring up because I thought it would just be written off for being too "inactive". This is usually my preferred path: the see-what-happens/let-fate-decide path (I don't like making decisions). Anyway, the idea is that we let nature take its course. So... what do you think?
OK... let me explain. I've found a job opening at the National Museum in Copenhagen as a docent/factotum/groundskeeper. It's full-time from July through September and then it goes to 60 hours per month. This seems to be a rather perfect opening "salvo" for getting our feet firmly in the soil over there. So, I'm definitely applying for that. But I've also decided to apply for a job as a cataloguer/researcher at MACE in Nottingham, a one-year fixed term with a paycheck of £20,000. Catching my drift? We roll the dice and see what happens. The scenario could play out in any of the following ways (in no particular order):
PLAN A: I get the job at the National Museum and we proceed with our June 30th move to Denmark. However, we might keep our UK apartment to mid-July, just to buy a little more time with selling the car and what-not.
PLAN B: I don't get the National Museum job, but I get the MACE job. We move to Nottingham for a year, I work for a pretty nice salary, get some good archiving experience, and then we figure out where to go from there (Denmark?).
PLAN C: I get offered both jobs.
PLAN D: I get neither one in which case we will either go ahead with our June 30th (or mid-July) move to Denmark or push it to September so that we have more time to "figure things out". If we go with the latter option, I will definitely have to find a "summer job" here.
---
Well, now you know. I'm glad I got that off my chest. It's good to have a plan(s).
"May we"
[a blog entry for the benefit of our American "audience"]
"Mais oui!" Jacques Chirac's plaintive cry as his constituents vote "Non" today. The big news over on this side of the pond right now is that France is voting on the EU Constitution. This is a very devisive issue and something we're still struggling to understand. But the prediction is that France will end up with a "no" majority and so will Holland when they vote on Wednesday. This will send EU politics into turmoil and make Tony Blair's life hell when he takes over his post as EU President on July 1st (this seat of power shifts every two years, if I remember correctly). And of course, voting "no" is voting against a constitution. The proposed constitution would make the EU more like the US in so much as there will be "federal" laws and "state" laws. This is a major flashpoint within the debates because obviously the 25 nations in the EU have very different laws and cultures. Most countries are very reluctant to give these up in favor of a more homogenous EU government. According to the Sunday London Times, this is the basic idea behind the constitution:
"The Key Elements of the Constitution
The EU already has rights to legislate over external trade, agriculture and many areas of domestic law. The constitution will extend its rights to some new areas, most controversially into criminal justice, asylum and immigration.
-Enshrines EU law as supreme over national law, though opt-outs remain
-Creates a full-time (but unelected) president of the EU, a foreign minister and diplomatic service.
-Incorporates the EU charter of fundamental rights into law, guaranteeing freedom of thought and many other basic rights for the first time
-Preserves member states' vetoes on direct taxation, foreign and defence policy, but allows majority EU voting in other areas
-Allows states to opt in or out of new initiatives. Also allows them to leave the EU"
[Source: The Sunday Times, May 29, 2005, pg. 13]
As you can see, it's a bit complicated and since neither of us fully understand it just yet, we'll refrain from weighing in with an opinion on the matter. From what I've read, I think I'd personally vote "no" myself because I believe in the countries maintaining their separate "flavor" and culture, but I'll avoid going into a debate about this because I don't know enough about it.
In any case, it will be very interesting to see how this unfolds. If you think cynically, we could be looking at a complete break-down of the EU. Or it might just prolong the inevitable. Who knows? Anyway, it's not looking very good for Jacques Chirac right now since he's the one that has been campaigning full-time for this constitution.
-RP-
[a blog entry for the benefit of our American "audience"]
"Mais oui!" Jacques Chirac's plaintive cry as his constituents vote "Non" today. The big news over on this side of the pond right now is that France is voting on the EU Constitution. This is a very devisive issue and something we're still struggling to understand. But the prediction is that France will end up with a "no" majority and so will Holland when they vote on Wednesday. This will send EU politics into turmoil and make Tony Blair's life hell when he takes over his post as EU President on July 1st (this seat of power shifts every two years, if I remember correctly). And of course, voting "no" is voting against a constitution. The proposed constitution would make the EU more like the US in so much as there will be "federal" laws and "state" laws. This is a major flashpoint within the debates because obviously the 25 nations in the EU have very different laws and cultures. Most countries are very reluctant to give these up in favor of a more homogenous EU government. According to the Sunday London Times, this is the basic idea behind the constitution:
"The Key Elements of the Constitution
The EU already has rights to legislate over external trade, agriculture and many areas of domestic law. The constitution will extend its rights to some new areas, most controversially into criminal justice, asylum and immigration.
-Enshrines EU law as supreme over national law, though opt-outs remain
-Creates a full-time (but unelected) president of the EU, a foreign minister and diplomatic service.
-Incorporates the EU charter of fundamental rights into law, guaranteeing freedom of thought and many other basic rights for the first time
-Preserves member states' vetoes on direct taxation, foreign and defence policy, but allows majority EU voting in other areas
-Allows states to opt in or out of new initiatives. Also allows them to leave the EU"
[Source: The Sunday Times, May 29, 2005, pg. 13]
As you can see, it's a bit complicated and since neither of us fully understand it just yet, we'll refrain from weighing in with an opinion on the matter. From what I've read, I think I'd personally vote "no" myself because I believe in the countries maintaining their separate "flavor" and culture, but I'll avoid going into a debate about this because I don't know enough about it.
In any case, it will be very interesting to see how this unfolds. If you think cynically, we could be looking at a complete break-down of the EU. Or it might just prolong the inevitable. Who knows? Anyway, it's not looking very good for Jacques Chirac right now since he's the one that has been campaigning full-time for this constitution.
-RP-
Saturday, May 28
Gosh darn it...
Car-wise it got better, but then got worse. I spoke to the guy I ordered the parts from and he said he would send out replacements right away. They arrived yesterday. It seemed like things were back on track. Unfortunately, the parts were very poor used quality. The windshield-washer pumps seized up and the drive-belt pulley was just as noisy as the one already in the car. I asked the mechanic if it might be a wiring problem that is toasting the pumps. He said he did not have them connected to the car's electricity but to an external "probe". So, I told him to forget about the drive-belt pulley and just order the pumps new. The only crucial problems were the windshield washer and the AC. Still don't know if the AC is working because he hasn't put in the part yet. We're hoping and praying that at least THAT will work. Unfortunately, this means the car won't go into the paper until next week, midweek, putting us further behind. If I were a cartoon character, I would have several exclamation points hovering over my head.
---
We had a bit of a crisis the other day. Well, not really a crisis, but just a period of uncertainty about our move. We had notified our landlord on Thursday morning by e-mail that we would be vacating at the end of June. We worded it as though we were asking permission because it was a year lease, but he had told us we had the option of getting out of it after 6 months (a verbal agreement between us, though). He replied that legally we were obliged to give TWO months notice to get out of the contract, but that it was OK because they should be able to lease it to someone else rather easily.
This made us a little concerned that he would have good cause to keep our £565 deposit if it wasn't rented by the time we left. Our landlord in Arizona (by the same name as this one) was a nice fellow -- we thought -- but he ended up taking our $1200 deposit through some creative math. Since he legally could have gotten away with making us pay the remaining months of our lease, we had no choice but to say OK. Anyway, back to our current situation... this fear made us question our timing for moving to Denmark. Should we push it to the end of July? Or if we're pushing it one month, should we maybe push it to September so that we have a "clean break"? Lots of intricate factors, which I won't go into because it's way too complicated to write out, were weighed and re-weighed. Things were suddenly up in the air and we weren't sure what to do. K talked to her mom and got some advice: to keep our original goal, there is nothing to gain by waiting around in England.
We decided to take that advice, but wanted to check the deposit thing with the landlord. K e-mailed back and asked flat-out if he would keep our deposit if the apartment wasn't rented out by July 1. Thankfully, he replied that he would not charge us more than the months we are actually here and as long as the apartment is left in good order, we will get our deposit back. He said we had been good tenants, so he had no reason to be strident. What a good bloke!
So, we're still on track with that anyway.
---
But just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water... K finds several disconcerting discussions on-line about Denmark. Comments by people who hate it there. Things like "no jobs", "highest taxes in the world", "don't like foreigners", etc. Or this guy's long tirade.
We know it's silly to change our minds because "we read some stuff" (and we haven't actually changed our minds), but our resolve has been severely challenged. The "period of uncertainty" has returned ten-fold.
-RP-
Car-wise it got better, but then got worse. I spoke to the guy I ordered the parts from and he said he would send out replacements right away. They arrived yesterday. It seemed like things were back on track. Unfortunately, the parts were very poor used quality. The windshield-washer pumps seized up and the drive-belt pulley was just as noisy as the one already in the car. I asked the mechanic if it might be a wiring problem that is toasting the pumps. He said he did not have them connected to the car's electricity but to an external "probe". So, I told him to forget about the drive-belt pulley and just order the pumps new. The only crucial problems were the windshield washer and the AC. Still don't know if the AC is working because he hasn't put in the part yet. We're hoping and praying that at least THAT will work. Unfortunately, this means the car won't go into the paper until next week, midweek, putting us further behind. If I were a cartoon character, I would have several exclamation points hovering over my head.
---
We had a bit of a crisis the other day. Well, not really a crisis, but just a period of uncertainty about our move. We had notified our landlord on Thursday morning by e-mail that we would be vacating at the end of June. We worded it as though we were asking permission because it was a year lease, but he had told us we had the option of getting out of it after 6 months (a verbal agreement between us, though). He replied that legally we were obliged to give TWO months notice to get out of the contract, but that it was OK because they should be able to lease it to someone else rather easily.
This made us a little concerned that he would have good cause to keep our £565 deposit if it wasn't rented by the time we left. Our landlord in Arizona (by the same name as this one) was a nice fellow -- we thought -- but he ended up taking our $1200 deposit through some creative math. Since he legally could have gotten away with making us pay the remaining months of our lease, we had no choice but to say OK. Anyway, back to our current situation... this fear made us question our timing for moving to Denmark. Should we push it to the end of July? Or if we're pushing it one month, should we maybe push it to September so that we have a "clean break"? Lots of intricate factors, which I won't go into because it's way too complicated to write out, were weighed and re-weighed. Things were suddenly up in the air and we weren't sure what to do. K talked to her mom and got some advice: to keep our original goal, there is nothing to gain by waiting around in England.
We decided to take that advice, but wanted to check the deposit thing with the landlord. K e-mailed back and asked flat-out if he would keep our deposit if the apartment wasn't rented out by July 1. Thankfully, he replied that he would not charge us more than the months we are actually here and as long as the apartment is left in good order, we will get our deposit back. He said we had been good tenants, so he had no reason to be strident. What a good bloke!
So, we're still on track with that anyway.
---
But just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water... K finds several disconcerting discussions on-line about Denmark. Comments by people who hate it there. Things like "no jobs", "highest taxes in the world", "don't like foreigners", etc. Or this guy's long tirade.
We know it's silly to change our minds because "we read some stuff" (and we haven't actually changed our minds), but our resolve has been severely challenged. The "period of uncertainty" has returned ten-fold.
-RP-
Thursday, May 26
Car Frustrations
So the BMW is still at the mechanic's. It's not really their fault that it has been there that long, it would have been a lot faster if they sourced the parts themselves. It would also have been A LOT more expensive. I think/hope that we have saved money this way. It has been rather frustrating, though. I thought it would have been done a long time ago, but it took a lot longer to locate the used parts this time. The remaining ones were supposed to have been received by the mechanic on Tuesday. He only got one of them. The other two are still apparently MIA. If they have gotten lost in the mail, this week will also go by and we still won't be able to put the car up for sale. Then I have to harrass the place where I ordered the parts from, then they have to resend them, etc., etc. I'm trying not to think about this because it really makes my temper rise. Something I don't have any control over and something that is REALLY messing with our plans. We NEED to sell this car to get the money to pay our final bills and to rent an apartment in Denmark. The longer it takes to get this thing sold, the more desperate we will be, and the less money we'll agree to take for it.
If the parts don't arrive today either, you might be able to hear me scream...
-RP-
So the BMW is still at the mechanic's. It's not really their fault that it has been there that long, it would have been a lot faster if they sourced the parts themselves. It would also have been A LOT more expensive. I think/hope that we have saved money this way. It has been rather frustrating, though. I thought it would have been done a long time ago, but it took a lot longer to locate the used parts this time. The remaining ones were supposed to have been received by the mechanic on Tuesday. He only got one of them. The other two are still apparently MIA. If they have gotten lost in the mail, this week will also go by and we still won't be able to put the car up for sale. Then I have to harrass the place where I ordered the parts from, then they have to resend them, etc., etc. I'm trying not to think about this because it really makes my temper rise. Something I don't have any control over and something that is REALLY messing with our plans. We NEED to sell this car to get the money to pay our final bills and to rent an apartment in Denmark. The longer it takes to get this thing sold, the more desperate we will be, and the less money we'll agree to take for it.
If the parts don't arrive today either, you might be able to hear me scream...
-RP-
Saturday, May 21
Way to go, Belgium!
Belgian film wins Cannes's coveted Palme d'Or:
"Belgian film 'The Child' wins Cannes's coveted Palme d'Or
CANNES, France (AFP) - 'The Child', a Belgian drama about a petty thief who sells his baby son, won the Cannes film festival's prestigious Palme d'Or at a red-carpet ceremony.
The movie, by sibling directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, triumphed over a field of 20 other pictures by a veteran pack of American, European and Asian filmmakers.
The brothers dedicated the prize to Florence Aubenas and Hussein Hanoun, a French journalist and her Iraqi interpreter who have been held hostage in Iraq since January."
Belgian film wins Cannes's coveted Palme d'Or:
"Belgian film 'The Child' wins Cannes's coveted Palme d'Or
CANNES, France (AFP) - 'The Child', a Belgian drama about a petty thief who sells his baby son, won the Cannes film festival's prestigious Palme d'Or at a red-carpet ceremony.
The movie, by sibling directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, triumphed over a field of 20 other pictures by a veteran pack of American, European and Asian filmmakers.
The brothers dedicated the prize to Florence Aubenas and Hussein Hanoun, a French journalist and her Iraqi interpreter who have been held hostage in Iraq since January."
Wednesday, May 18
Good news from the Danish Immigration Service
Because I didn't feel very secure about the information I got from them when I called last week, I decided to call them again today to ask more questions about the "free movement clause". There were too many insecurities hanging around this. I needed to find out the exact requirements.
I'm relieved to be able to report that it will be much easier to apply (and likely be granted) this allowance than we originally thought. An EU citizen has the right to seek employment in any of the EU member states and, in doing so, is allowed to bring in any immediate family members. Turns out that I don't need to prove that I already have a job and a temporary address is OK (i.e.- we can sublease a smaller apartment for the short-term while we look for something more permanent). The fact that I've worked in Belgium and went to postgrad university here is also a plus. Furthermore, the fact that K has been working this entire time definitely works in our favor (she's not "sponging a living from the state").
We just need to fill out the regular family reunification application and indicate that we want to use the "EU rule". Then we just need to supply as much supporting documentation as possible (and we still intend on supplying a dizzying amount, as I said before). Processing can take up to 4 months, but it is completely fine that we move to DK before then.
Anyway, this is great news obviously. Takes a lot of pressure off, gives us a little more flexibility. So, now the only stumbling blocks are:
-finding an apartment
-moving our belongings (and selves) to DK cheaply
-selling the car
-nailing down a job once we're in Copenhagen
-RP-
Because I didn't feel very secure about the information I got from them when I called last week, I decided to call them again today to ask more questions about the "free movement clause". There were too many insecurities hanging around this. I needed to find out the exact requirements.
I'm relieved to be able to report that it will be much easier to apply (and likely be granted) this allowance than we originally thought. An EU citizen has the right to seek employment in any of the EU member states and, in doing so, is allowed to bring in any immediate family members. Turns out that I don't need to prove that I already have a job and a temporary address is OK (i.e.- we can sublease a smaller apartment for the short-term while we look for something more permanent). The fact that I've worked in Belgium and went to postgrad university here is also a plus. Furthermore, the fact that K has been working this entire time definitely works in our favor (she's not "sponging a living from the state").
We just need to fill out the regular family reunification application and indicate that we want to use the "EU rule". Then we just need to supply as much supporting documentation as possible (and we still intend on supplying a dizzying amount, as I said before). Processing can take up to 4 months, but it is completely fine that we move to DK before then.
Anyway, this is great news obviously. Takes a lot of pressure off, gives us a little more flexibility. So, now the only stumbling blocks are:
-finding an apartment
-moving our belongings (and selves) to DK cheaply
-selling the car
-nailing down a job once we're in Copenhagen
-RP-
Tuesday, May 17
Just want to make a quick rememberance of Prince, a good ol' boy who died a year ago today.
We miss you, big fella!
We miss you, big fella!
B-mer
Of course, one of the things that also has to occur before we can move is that the BMW has to go to a new home. It wouldn't be convenient to bring it to Denmark: too thirsty for petrol (that's "gasoline" to you Americans), too hard to park in a city like Copenhagen, and the steering wheel is on the wrong side. On top of that, there is about £5000 of "equity" in it that we could really use. That being said, we're sad to have to sell it. One of the nicest cars we've had! Such a comfortable ride, too.
Before we can sell it though, there are a few things that need to be fixed. The windshield washers don't work, the treads are starting to separate on one tire, the AC doesn't get cold, and there is a cricket-noise from the engine when it is idling. The car has been at Norwich Automobile Company since last Tuesday. I opted to go there instead of the dealer because they're cheaper.
They narrowed the AC problem down to a bad ECU. Unfortunately, there was no freon (or whatever the new kind of gas is called) left in the car, so they had to fill it first. That set us back £100 because the gas is somewhat expensive and this model takes over 1.5 kilos of it. I'm trying to locate the needed parts used, so that is why the car has been there a week now. Just spoke to BMW today and they're saying this model doesn't have an airconditioner ECU. I told the mechanic this and he disagreed. They haven't dismantled that part of the car yet, so I told him to go ahead and find out exactly what part needs to be replaced.
There might be more legwork required by taking it to this place instead of a place that specializes in BMW, but I'd rather save the money. I'm guessing all the repairs will end up around £300-400, including the parts. I'm hoping and praying that it is not more than that!
-RP-
Of course, one of the things that also has to occur before we can move is that the BMW has to go to a new home. It wouldn't be convenient to bring it to Denmark: too thirsty for petrol (that's "gasoline" to you Americans), too hard to park in a city like Copenhagen, and the steering wheel is on the wrong side. On top of that, there is about £5000 of "equity" in it that we could really use. That being said, we're sad to have to sell it. One of the nicest cars we've had! Such a comfortable ride, too.
Before we can sell it though, there are a few things that need to be fixed. The windshield washers don't work, the treads are starting to separate on one tire, the AC doesn't get cold, and there is a cricket-noise from the engine when it is idling. The car has been at Norwich Automobile Company since last Tuesday. I opted to go there instead of the dealer because they're cheaper.
They narrowed the AC problem down to a bad ECU. Unfortunately, there was no freon (or whatever the new kind of gas is called) left in the car, so they had to fill it first. That set us back £100 because the gas is somewhat expensive and this model takes over 1.5 kilos of it. I'm trying to locate the needed parts used, so that is why the car has been there a week now. Just spoke to BMW today and they're saying this model doesn't have an airconditioner ECU. I told the mechanic this and he disagreed. They haven't dismantled that part of the car yet, so I told him to go ahead and find out exactly what part needs to be replaced.
There might be more legwork required by taking it to this place instead of a place that specializes in BMW, but I'd rather save the money. I'm guessing all the repairs will end up around £300-400, including the parts. I'm hoping and praying that it is not more than that!
-RP-
Monday, May 16
Progress Report
We're definitely making a little headway in this new venture. Six action items have been pulled from the "board" since last Monday.
About 7 weeks until our anticipated relocation date. At the moment, the outlook for reaching that goal looks good. Provided that no surprise roadblocks pop up before then, we should be able to move out of here on June 30th. If I were to make some guesses about "possible" stumbling blocks, I'd say it would be something regarding either a residence permit for Kristen, not finding an apartment in time, or not being able to rent an apartment from here (which was a problem when moving here from Belgium). I know it might be "jinx-acious" to name these things, but I'm hoping that by getting them out in the open, they will be defused.
I spoke to the Immigration Service in Denmark last week and it looks like we can use a new EU "loop-hole" to get a residence permit for K. There is a newish law called "EU Free Movement" which means that an EU resident is able to move around freely in the EU as employment permits. This same loophole would supposedly allow for spouses to be granted de facto entry. According to the lady on the phone, as long as I have worked in an EU country while we were married, I can claim it. I told her that I had worked in Belgium from October 2003 to August 2004 and we were married in June 2004, so it was only 2 months of work during the marriage. She said that didn't matter, so I'm putting some faith in this stranger.
To use this loophole, I have to write a letter explaining EVERYTHING and that I would like to claim "free movement". Then I have to provide: marriage certificate, copies of pay-stubs, and proof of employment in Denmark (working on it). We're going to give them so much proof and support documentation that they're going to have to open a new wing in the office to handle the workload. K is getting into my damn country!
We're going to use our embassy appointment on June 14th to submit this plea. And I think we'll fill out the "family reunification" application too, just in case. It's going to be a lot of work!
-RP-
We're definitely making a little headway in this new venture. Six action items have been pulled from the "board" since last Monday.
About 7 weeks until our anticipated relocation date. At the moment, the outlook for reaching that goal looks good. Provided that no surprise roadblocks pop up before then, we should be able to move out of here on June 30th. If I were to make some guesses about "possible" stumbling blocks, I'd say it would be something regarding either a residence permit for Kristen, not finding an apartment in time, or not being able to rent an apartment from here (which was a problem when moving here from Belgium). I know it might be "jinx-acious" to name these things, but I'm hoping that by getting them out in the open, they will be defused.
I spoke to the Immigration Service in Denmark last week and it looks like we can use a new EU "loop-hole" to get a residence permit for K. There is a newish law called "EU Free Movement" which means that an EU resident is able to move around freely in the EU as employment permits. This same loophole would supposedly allow for spouses to be granted de facto entry. According to the lady on the phone, as long as I have worked in an EU country while we were married, I can claim it. I told her that I had worked in Belgium from October 2003 to August 2004 and we were married in June 2004, so it was only 2 months of work during the marriage. She said that didn't matter, so I'm putting some faith in this stranger.
To use this loophole, I have to write a letter explaining EVERYTHING and that I would like to claim "free movement". Then I have to provide: marriage certificate, copies of pay-stubs, and proof of employment in Denmark (working on it). We're going to give them so much proof and support documentation that they're going to have to open a new wing in the office to handle the workload. K is getting into my damn country!
We're going to use our embassy appointment on June 14th to submit this plea. And I think we'll fill out the "family reunification" application too, just in case. It's going to be a lot of work!
-RP-
Saturday, May 14
Nerd Alert!
To help us organize, plan, and execute this move, I created an "Action Board". This is comprised of a bunch of little slips of paper with things like:
NOTIFY gas, electric, water that service should end June 30
ASCERTAIN what the requirement’s are for K’s visa (call embassy).
RENT apartment in Copenhagen.
TAKE BMW in for service estimate and recommendation for sell-price.
These slips of paper are hanging on our wall, loosely grouped in three priority categories: HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW. The idea is to make sure we take care of everything that needs to be taken care of and each time an action item is completed, it is removed from the wall (with immense satisfaction and sense of accomplishment).
-RP-
To help us organize, plan, and execute this move, I created an "Action Board". This is comprised of a bunch of little slips of paper with things like:
NOTIFY gas, electric, water that service should end June 30
ASCERTAIN what the requirement’s are for K’s visa (call embassy).
RENT apartment in Copenhagen.
TAKE BMW in for service estimate and recommendation for sell-price.
These slips of paper are hanging on our wall, loosely grouped in three priority categories: HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW. The idea is to make sure we take care of everything that needs to be taken care of and each time an action item is completed, it is removed from the wall (with immense satisfaction and sense of accomplishment).
-RP-
Wednesday, May 11
Paperwork
I'm not sure where it is more difficult to get residency, Denmark or the US. No problem for me to move back there, of course, but it is a bit daunting to get a residence permit for K (even though we're married and have been together for almost six years). It's not as simple as just going to the embassy and saying, "We're married. Give her a visa." Have a look at the requirements.
If you don't feel like reading it, I'll summarize. For me to be able to bring K into the country, I need at least the following:
- 54,148 Danish kroner in my bank account
- a permanent address (a 3 year lease or owned property)
- a job
- proof that we've lived together for at least two years
There are several other little niggling demands, but you don't necessarily have to satisfy them all. Each applicant is thoroughly scrutinized and a decision is made based on overall "merit". So, as long as we've satisfied a good portion of them, we'll probably be good to go. At the moment, the only problem for our decided timeframe is the fact that we couldn't get an appointment at the Danish Embassy in London until June 14th. This might mean that Kristen will have to stay here a little longer or we put off the move until August or September. We'd rather not do this because in terms of jobs for me, we need to strike while the iron is hot. Plus, it's not economically sound for us to stay here longer. The sooner we get out, the better.
This all seems pretty daunting, I know, but I have a few ideas and some tricks up my sleeve, so we might just be able to pull this off.
-RP-
I'm not sure where it is more difficult to get residency, Denmark or the US. No problem for me to move back there, of course, but it is a bit daunting to get a residence permit for K (even though we're married and have been together for almost six years). It's not as simple as just going to the embassy and saying, "We're married. Give her a visa." Have a look at the requirements.
If you don't feel like reading it, I'll summarize. For me to be able to bring K into the country, I need at least the following:
- 54,148 Danish kroner in my bank account
- a permanent address (a 3 year lease or owned property)
- a job
- proof that we've lived together for at least two years
There are several other little niggling demands, but you don't necessarily have to satisfy them all. Each applicant is thoroughly scrutinized and a decision is made based on overall "merit". So, as long as we've satisfied a good portion of them, we'll probably be good to go. At the moment, the only problem for our decided timeframe is the fact that we couldn't get an appointment at the Danish Embassy in London until June 14th. This might mean that Kristen will have to stay here a little longer or we put off the move until August or September. We'd rather not do this because in terms of jobs for me, we need to strike while the iron is hot. Plus, it's not economically sound for us to stay here longer. The sooner we get out, the better.
This all seems pretty daunting, I know, but I have a few ideas and some tricks up my sleeve, so we might just be able to pull this off.
-RP-
Monday, May 9
Sunday, May 8
I'm sure you're not surprised
We fell in love with Copenhagen. So much so that we've decided to move there despite the fact that there are no job opportunities at the archive at this point in time. We were never planning to stay in the UK permanently and, let's face it, we aren't in love with it. This makes leaving the UK not only obvious but also easy.
Sometime during Kristen's visit to Copenhagen, we decided that we did want to relocate to this city. At that point, it was still a somewhat shapeless idea because we didn't know when, just that it would be this summer. Things have come into sharper contrast now though. Today we decided that we are going to move out of this apartment on June 30th with an arrival in CPH on July 1st.
Kristen will be working at the theatre through that date, so the relocation planning will be mostly my chore this time. Things need to get in motion ASAP because we don't have all the time in the world and there are A LOT of "threads to keep in ol' duders head" (for 10 points, name the film that I'm referencing here).
It's sort of humorous... the time-span between our moves seems to be decreasing: almost exactly a year in Belgium, 10 months in the UK, and ?? in Denmark? No, this time we're going to stick around for a while. I swear we're not on the run from the law or anything, we're just damned indecisive! But it would be nice to settle down for a while. Then again, for us, settling would be staying somewhere more than two years (the longest period of time we've lived in one place since we've been together). Honestly, it's starting to be a little bit of a hassle to have ties to all of these places!
This move might be one of the more challenging. It's not going to be easy to get a residence permit for K and then she's going to have to learn to speak Danish. Speaking of which, I could do with some schooling on that myself! I was really rusty when I arrived on April 4th, but had come a long way by May 7th. Even still, my grammar is quite poor, there are a lot of holes in my vocabulary, and I definitely speak with an accent (both American and, oddly enough, a little Swedish). K has her work cut out for her. Danish is not an easy language, but at least most people over there can speak English quite fluently. I need to send her to the same place Crown-princess Mary went (an Australian who was able to speak fluent Danish within a year).
-RP-
We fell in love with Copenhagen. So much so that we've decided to move there despite the fact that there are no job opportunities at the archive at this point in time. We were never planning to stay in the UK permanently and, let's face it, we aren't in love with it. This makes leaving the UK not only obvious but also easy.
Sometime during Kristen's visit to Copenhagen, we decided that we did want to relocate to this city. At that point, it was still a somewhat shapeless idea because we didn't know when, just that it would be this summer. Things have come into sharper contrast now though. Today we decided that we are going to move out of this apartment on June 30th with an arrival in CPH on July 1st.
Kristen will be working at the theatre through that date, so the relocation planning will be mostly my chore this time. Things need to get in motion ASAP because we don't have all the time in the world and there are A LOT of "threads to keep in ol' duders head" (for 10 points, name the film that I'm referencing here).
It's sort of humorous... the time-span between our moves seems to be decreasing: almost exactly a year in Belgium, 10 months in the UK, and ?? in Denmark? No, this time we're going to stick around for a while. I swear we're not on the run from the law or anything, we're just damned indecisive! But it would be nice to settle down for a while. Then again, for us, settling would be staying somewhere more than two years (the longest period of time we've lived in one place since we've been together). Honestly, it's starting to be a little bit of a hassle to have ties to all of these places!
This move might be one of the more challenging. It's not going to be easy to get a residence permit for K and then she's going to have to learn to speak Danish. Speaking of which, I could do with some schooling on that myself! I was really rusty when I arrived on April 4th, but had come a long way by May 7th. Even still, my grammar is quite poor, there are a lot of holes in my vocabulary, and I definitely speak with an accent (both American and, oddly enough, a little Swedish). K has her work cut out for her. Danish is not an easy language, but at least most people over there can speak English quite fluently. I need to send her to the same place Crown-princess Mary went (an Australian who was able to speak fluent Danish within a year).
-RP-
Saturday, May 7
A Viking returns
I suppose you've noticed how quiet it has been around here. This is because I have just spent the last 5 weeks in Copenhagen without a reliable internet connection. Since I am the primary contributor to this blog (ahem... no offense, ~K) and was not in the position to post, well, things tend to get a little quiet.
OK... I admit it. There were times when I "perhaps" could have written a short post or two, but decided to use my time in other ways instead. Some might call that laziness, I choose to call it "prioritizing" or "time-management".
Anyway, I was in Copenhagen because I was doing an internship at the Danish Film Institute's archive as a part of my MA program at UEA. I am so glad that I was accepted there because it was a fantastic experience. The DFI Film Archive is top notch and probably one of the best I've been to so far (not just saying that because I'm Danish either). There was quite a difference between it and the ones I've visited in the UK, for sure; specifically in terms of their equipment, collection, and ethics. As an archivist, it would be a fantastic place to work and I hope someday I am able to do so.
Copenhagen is a wonderful city. I was staying in an apartment across from the National Museum, near Tivoli - you'd be hard-pressed to get more central than that. I borrowed/cheaply rented an apartment from the son of one of my father's former colleagues. He and four other friends from the film college in Denmark were going to move in on May 1st, but had to rent the apartment from April 1st if they wanted to hold onto it. Luckily for me, this meshed perfectly with my plans. It was a virtually empty 5-bedroom apartment with nary a light-fixture. I slept on an inflatable mattress (actually pretty damn nice... rivaling some "real beds") and read by the yellowish-green light of a flourescent sconce-light that had been laying (unattached to a wall) in the laundry "room". It was a somewhat spartan existence, but comfortable. Kristen came to visit for one week during the middle of April. A cozy time in that big apartment. It's a great place, but definitely a fixer-upper. From the kitchen window, you can see the freefall tower at Tivoli. Countless people were hoisted up there each day and then released when they least expected it. Watching this occur became my "television". Lots of noises to get used to: the screams from Tivoli, the belltower at Rådhuspladsen (city hall), the traffic on Vester Voldgade, the neighbors below and across from me, the early-morning deliveries in the courtyard, and the garbage-collectors twice a week at 7am. I slept hard before, but now I can sleep through ANYTHING! Except for the huge party the neighbors below had which lasted until 5am and resulted in a puddle of vomit in the stairwell -- this was the same day Kristen arrived.
I got up every morning (on the weekdays) around 7am and took a train to Glostrup and then a bus to the archive, a 30-minute trip. At the archive, I did all kinds of things that I won't go into here because it will likely bore you (archiving is a "special" field for a "special" kind of nerd), but basically, I tried a little (and sometimes a lot) of everything that they do during their workday. It was a very educational and fulfilling experience. For blogging purposes, let's just leave it at that. If you really want specifics, you can read the journal that I wrote. By the time I finished, it had just surpassed the minimum length for an MA dissertation: 12,000 words (about 35 pages, double-spaced).
This past week, I got 6-7 roommates and moved out into the living room. I had been staying in one of the bedrooms, but decided to move out of there before they were going to move in. If I was moving into a new apartment, I'd probably like to do so without some stranger living there. I did my best to stay out of the way and to lend a hand whenever possible. In fact my introduction to everyone was during trips up and down the stairs, helping them carry things up to the fourth floor. They seemed to be a bit taken aback by how many flights of stairs there were, something I had long-ago gotten used to! At any rate, it went from being an empty, echoing apartment to a packed, socializing lounge. A bit shocking at first, but everyone was cool and made me feel at home.
---
We like Denmark. We love Copenhagen!
-RP-
I suppose you've noticed how quiet it has been around here. This is because I have just spent the last 5 weeks in Copenhagen without a reliable internet connection. Since I am the primary contributor to this blog (ahem... no offense, ~K) and was not in the position to post, well, things tend to get a little quiet.
OK... I admit it. There were times when I "perhaps" could have written a short post or two, but decided to use my time in other ways instead. Some might call that laziness, I choose to call it "prioritizing" or "time-management".
Anyway, I was in Copenhagen because I was doing an internship at the Danish Film Institute's archive as a part of my MA program at UEA. I am so glad that I was accepted there because it was a fantastic experience. The DFI Film Archive is top notch and probably one of the best I've been to so far (not just saying that because I'm Danish either). There was quite a difference between it and the ones I've visited in the UK, for sure; specifically in terms of their equipment, collection, and ethics. As an archivist, it would be a fantastic place to work and I hope someday I am able to do so.
Copenhagen is a wonderful city. I was staying in an apartment across from the National Museum, near Tivoli - you'd be hard-pressed to get more central than that. I borrowed/cheaply rented an apartment from the son of one of my father's former colleagues. He and four other friends from the film college in Denmark were going to move in on May 1st, but had to rent the apartment from April 1st if they wanted to hold onto it. Luckily for me, this meshed perfectly with my plans. It was a virtually empty 5-bedroom apartment with nary a light-fixture. I slept on an inflatable mattress (actually pretty damn nice... rivaling some "real beds") and read by the yellowish-green light of a flourescent sconce-light that had been laying (unattached to a wall) in the laundry "room". It was a somewhat spartan existence, but comfortable. Kristen came to visit for one week during the middle of April. A cozy time in that big apartment. It's a great place, but definitely a fixer-upper. From the kitchen window, you can see the freefall tower at Tivoli. Countless people were hoisted up there each day and then released when they least expected it. Watching this occur became my "television". Lots of noises to get used to: the screams from Tivoli, the belltower at Rådhuspladsen (city hall), the traffic on Vester Voldgade, the neighbors below and across from me, the early-morning deliveries in the courtyard, and the garbage-collectors twice a week at 7am. I slept hard before, but now I can sleep through ANYTHING! Except for the huge party the neighbors below had which lasted until 5am and resulted in a puddle of vomit in the stairwell -- this was the same day Kristen arrived.
I got up every morning (on the weekdays) around 7am and took a train to Glostrup and then a bus to the archive, a 30-minute trip. At the archive, I did all kinds of things that I won't go into here because it will likely bore you (archiving is a "special" field for a "special" kind of nerd), but basically, I tried a little (and sometimes a lot) of everything that they do during their workday. It was a very educational and fulfilling experience. For blogging purposes, let's just leave it at that. If you really want specifics, you can read the journal that I wrote. By the time I finished, it had just surpassed the minimum length for an MA dissertation: 12,000 words (about 35 pages, double-spaced).
This past week, I got 6-7 roommates and moved out into the living room. I had been staying in one of the bedrooms, but decided to move out of there before they were going to move in. If I was moving into a new apartment, I'd probably like to do so without some stranger living there. I did my best to stay out of the way and to lend a hand whenever possible. In fact my introduction to everyone was during trips up and down the stairs, helping them carry things up to the fourth floor. They seemed to be a bit taken aback by how many flights of stairs there were, something I had long-ago gotten used to! At any rate, it went from being an empty, echoing apartment to a packed, socializing lounge. A bit shocking at first, but everyone was cool and made me feel at home.
---
We like Denmark. We love Copenhagen!
-RP-
Sunday, May 1
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