Funny work permit story!

So... two posts in one day!! This one is just a funny, typical story!

I haven't technically received my work permit yet, I just had all of the forms and knew I would get it. But, the final step was to bring all of the forms to the immigration department at the police station. So, I had to wait for my uncle/boss/owner of the restaurant to have time to go with me to the police station.

So, yesterday, I woke up and got ready to go to the station. Well, I walk out to meet my uncle, who lives on a boat, and the police station is not boat accessible. And, we doesn't have a car, and there wasn't one we could borrow. So... he decided we would bike there! Then, over the next 30 minutes I was constantly convinced I was going to die. Not only have I not biked for a long time, but combine that with lots of loose gravel, hills, small roads with lots of cars and trucks, etc. and I was seeing my life flash before my eyes. And I didn't want to disappoint Alf Roald, so I was trying my best to both, keep up, and not die. Mission accomplished!

So we bike for 30 minutes, and fortunately, walked our bikes for the hardest parts, and get to the police station. Which.... has moved. There is a sign on the door that said the station moved 2 months ago, and the new location was about 5 miles away, through tunnels and along highways, and over bridges. So, we were totally stranded with only our bikes at the previous location of the police station. At this point I think we are done for the day and have to bike home. Alf Roald calls some relatives but none are available with a car. So, in true Alf style, he looks at all the cars in the parking lot, says it's crazy we can't use any of them, and then looks at the names of the companies still in the building. He finds one company he knows and goes upstairs to look around the office until he recognizes someone...

Success!! Not to my surprise, he knows the owner of the company, who leant us his Mercedes SUV! Apparently he is a developer and is building a new apartment complex near my house, and Alf told him to save him the largest one, he would buy it and move off the boat....

Anyway, so now we're in the car, driving to the new location of the police station. We successfully turned in all my paperwork, my credit card didn't work, we left, went to an atm, and came back to find ourselves 20th in line to get back to the window. (The first time, we were 5th). My uncle breaks in the line and goes up to the window, explains that we were there before and have all our papers. So we go in front of 20 people, spend 10 minutes at the window, and she said she'll call in a few days when my permit has been processed.

We drive back, return the car to the man, and bike back to the house. Alf gets on his boat and rides away!

So, that was quite the adventure!