Jet-lag, Jets, Birds, Nests

Last Thursday I was up and about at 4.30 am (just because its nice here at that time) and the Blonde Maori was making cocktails at her place at 2 am on the Friday morning so I was somewhat jet-lagged by Saturday.

I sorted out my flights around Christmas which turned out to be very head-shaking. How do airlines sort their prices? Originally I was looking to go Auckland-Vancouver-Auckland and the cost was $3,342 plus I still had to get to/from Auckland; horrendous. Then, when the Singapore job was confirmed, I realised I couldn't go NZ-Canada-NZ and then go into Singapore because there aren't that many days in 2008 so I started to research convoluted options. It was all in the too-hard basket so I took the opportunity while in Wellington of going to the Flight Centre and asked Esther to sort it all out. She came up with this:

• Wellington-Auckland
  
• Auckland-Vancouver
  
• Vancouver-Frankfurt (yes, you're correct, that's in the diametrically opposite direction to Singapore)
  
• Frankfurt-Singapore
  
• Singapore-Auckland
  
• Auckland-Wellington

The dates of the last two legs are totally flexible so I can plug them in whenever I sort out the Singapore swimming season.

Cost? $3,239! How do they do that?

Going through Frankfurt adds time but takes $1,500 off the price!

Next thing; the birds. They are becoming more friendly by the day. Whether its because someone is living here and it makes them feel secure or, more likely, its the cooking smells soaking into the wood and attracting them, but there are more of them, more varieties and they come nearer the house and onto the deck more often.

Next, next thing; the Department of Labour (DoL) issues work visas here. I started on a two-year one matching my first contract then switched to a work-to-residency visa for my next one which was three years. So, at the end of my fifth year I should have had automatic residency but the DoL screwed up and had given me a normal work visa. Also, as an aside, I totally forgot I was on a work visa and let it run out, only remembering a few days before I was due to visit Canada which meant I wouldn't have been allowed back in!! Anyway, the nice man who I've dealt with all along simply waived the fact that I was an alien and the other fact that I should have been out of the country before the visa ran out and stuck another one in my passport to keep sport in Godzone on the straight and narrow. So far so good. However, the DoL admitted they'd screwed up with the work-to-residency visa and, as I was now over the allowable age to apply for one, said they would write to the Government Minister in charge and suggest he over-ride the law of the land and grant an exemption.

You following this so far?

Well, nothing happened. Then more of nothing happened. And then the more of nothing continued to happen so I wrote to my friendly DoL man but got an automatic response that he was away for ages and ages and if it was an emergency etc... He has all my files and is very helpful so I waited for him to return. When he was due to return he didn't respond so I was a bit up in the air (just following the metaphor of today's blog title). Then SNZ had a brainfart and decided to disestablish me and, as my work visa is tied to a particular position in SNZ that meant I wouldn't be able to enter NZ without a flight ticket to leave! Rancho Relaxo, what would happen to you?

By the way, Princeton University, where Albert Einstein's brain is kept, defines 'disestablish' as deprive (an established church) of its status . If the NZ coaches had been on the ball when the disestablishment proposal was made they could have formed a group to push antidisestablishmentarianism which has 28 letters and 12 syllables :)

So, I wrote to my friendly man and explained the situation. No reply. So I wrote again. No reply. This morning I spent an age web-surfing trying to find his direct dial number as the DoL general number won't accept calls from mobile phones, but I couldn't find it. Put it on the back-burner and think of another way.

So, I'm driving to Greytown and the phone rings; its my friendly DoL man.

'Got your latest email. What's Swimming New Zealand thinking? Are they mad?'
'Yes'
'I think that strange woman from the North Shore has a lot to answer for; every time I see her utter something I cringe and think we're in big trouble.'
'You are absolutely correct.'
'There's been a cock-up; I sent the request to the Ministry ages ago but they are saying they didn't receive it. Your current situation won't affect it as the request is based on what should have happened two years ago, not what is happening now. I'll chase up and sort it out.'
'OK'

At least something was happening.

Then, as I was driving back from Greytown he called back,

'Ha, ha! The Minister approved the request in October but no one told us.'

So I can now live freely, without let or hindrance, in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Probably also the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau and possibly Scott Base in Antarctica!

And, shortly to be added to that list, Singapore!