T minus 5 weeks. Sounds like a lot and at the same time, you assume that you will be "down to the last details" at this point. Well ... not quite. We have a contract on the house, but it is not sold. We have purged possessions, but not enough of them. We still need to sell cars, find temporary housing, get paperwork done. While not overwhelming by any stretch, there is still stuff hanging over our heads, not as dire as the Sword of Damocles, maybe the Butter Knife of Balduran.
Everyone who has ever sold a house moved apartments can appreciate all the minutia involved. Take that and add in a different language, a 7 hour time difference and no checking account on the other end, and you get a feel for this. I have to rent a temporary apartment in Munich, but I have no idea how I'm going to pay for it before I leave. Not "how am I going to pay for this, I don't have any money" but "how am I going to pay for this as it is highly unlikely they have a branch of Star One Credit Union in Munich". I have a feeling this is going to end up involving time travel, a lot of forms and some guy named Friedrich ("Habe ich einen Deal für dich!").
Speaking of forms, I have had my first tastes of German bureaucracy and it is rather less pleasing then a good Bavarian beer. They have a form for the landlord to fill out to prove that you live where you claim you live (the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). From my limited experience, many people are loathe to complete this form for people who are staying only a short time in an apartment. Of course, this form is needed to get everything from a bank account to a cell phone, so it is of utmost import. Thus, a conundrum. We are going to end up renting a "short-term" place for 6 months so someone will sign the form, meaning we can't move any place permanent until the end of the year or pay double rent.
None of this is daunting, of course. Merely annoying. Like small cuts from a butter knife.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 16, 2018 at 12:15 AM

    I feel your pain. However, they do have ATMs!
    Praying for the details to fall in place.😊❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robert ReidMay 16, 2018 at 8:17 AM

      I did actually think about the ATM route. The main issue is that I have to get them some of the money before I even get there. :)
      However, I'm quite sure SOMETHING will work out.

      Delete

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