For all of you in the EU, you do not need to worry about it, because mostly likely you will go home 2x a year and not need one. But if you plan on staying within the country for more than 90 days, then I believe you do. But rules are different for different countries, so it changes all the time. However, all of you Israelis, Persian, Americans, Canadians, Nigerians, and so on – listen up!

• Residence permit application form – Download this online, link here
• 18,000 HUF in fee stamps. – Obtain these at the post office. In Hungarian, these are called illeték *For renewal, it’s only 6000 HUF.
• Your student health insurance card. – Get the check from the education office upstairs, and pay for it at the post office. You will then have to take the pay stub back to the education office, so they can give you an actual health insurance card. If you have your own health insurance from home, great!
• A certificate from the school stating that you are, in fact, a student attending the university – Again, the educational office. (downstairs, for you debrecenites)
• Your student ID
• 6 months worth of bank statements – proof that you have money to provide for yourself while you are in the country.
• A flight itinerary home – doesn’t have to be an actual booked flight, just flight info for the flight you might take home.
• Valid passport - with a visa, or older residence permit inside
• Passport photos – any photo shop, but the one I go to is by the big church, next to city burger. The person I spoke to said only one photo is necessary, but it is always good to have extra.
• Proof of a place to stay – Now here it gets tricky, because if you live in student hostels, fine – just get a copy of your contract and you are sorted. If you are like me and never lived there, and now live in a flat – you need more information.
  • Signed lease contract – with both your signature and your landlord’s
  • Proof of ownership – legal document stating that your landlord, does own the property in which you are staying and is stated on the above mentioned lease
  • Residence registration form – this is a card for you to fill out, with your landlord, stating all relevant information about where you live and about you and your landlord. Can also download from the link above.

If you are a new student, you may also need proof of your vaccinations, but I am not sure. Again, that is why websites with contact detail are so great.

Good luck, bring a book, some company and prepare to wait – Aren’t you excited?!!

Some music to keep you company – and all about waiting….If you can’t help but wait, don’t want to wait, and it is going very slow

]]> http://yankeeinnewworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/16/what-you-need-to-get-a-residence-permit/feed/ 0 sahajap http://yankeeinnewworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/immigration-nightmaresii-enter-into-the-abyss/ http://yankeeinnewworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/immigration-nightmaresii-enter-into-the-abyss/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:06:08 +0000 Sahaja http://yankeeinanewworld.wordpress.com/?p=113 ]]>

Let me just explain what it is like to go to the immigration office. You will never cringe at going to the dentist ever again. First, whether going by bus or by car, you travel to what seems like the boondocks. Endless stretches of unrecognizable road, impossible to navigate back. You glance over at the driver or other passengers, nervously biting your lip, because they all seem to stare at you like you are a circus freak. Let’s just say I don’t look the part of a Hungarian out in the sticks (or in the city, for that matter) Forget sore thumb, I feel like necrosis infested amputated foot!

Ok, so you get there – wherever that is. In front of you, is a giant wall, about 10 ft high with barbed wire all around it. What is this, a prison compound? Very few cars go by and very few people walk by. Take a breath and walk in – and the atmosphere suddenly changes. The building is modern with very cottage-like landscaping in front, lots of annuals. (Fun fact – the fine for urinating in public in Hungary is much less than the fine for picking public flowers.)

Once you enter, it goes from prison, to cottage, to the worst place on earth – the DMV (that’s department of motor vehicles for those of you not from the states). The surprisingly courteous security guard hands me a number and tells me to sit and wait. And wait I do…

And wait…

And wait…

Why, oh why, did I not bring a book?

And wait…

I strike up a conversation with the two other foreign students sitting there with me. One from Israel and one from Brunei via elsewhere, I think. Time passes, and we wait. The guy from Brunei is called, but not before he tells me that this is the 5^th time he’s had to come to sort out his permit. 5^th time?!! I do not have that luxury – I am taking care of this today! The Israeli and I get called up to the majors at the same time. Luckily this is one place where people speak English.

I explained to the gentleman that I hadn’t realized that it expired, that I was busy with school. A reason, any reason to rationalize my utter stupidity. I told him I was leaving the country on Thursday, anyway. I just needed a note so I would not get expelled out of the country. He was very courteous and understanding and professional. He informed me that I could not apply for a new residence permit at the time because it was obviously way too late for that. He said he would have to get his supervisor, for I would have to do a formal interview with an official explaining all of this, in order to get my letter to leave. He asked me to do what…you called it – WAIT!!!

I have to say, I was not entirely bored. It doesn’t seem the right place and time to be listening to an mp3 player (which I was doing on the way to get myself geared up for my trip), so I talked to the Israeli next to me at the next window. He had his own issues. He needed the same letter as me, only he was renewing his residence permit. This was his second visit already. He gave them his 6000ft, only to be told, that the fee would be 7000 more, because his had recently expired. I had only 6000ft worth of stamps with me, which he would buy off me for cash (Considering I wouldn’t need them that day since I was not getting my permit) I am more than willing to oblige a good looking man…ahem…I mean, be a good Samaritan.

I was not devoid of entertainment when the Israeli left, because the representative at the window at end apparently had no voice modulation abilities at all. He was always on full volume. You know when you go out; there are those drunken people that feel the need to talk so LOUD? Imagine that volume in a bureaucratic setting. I had an aversion to him anyway, because the last time I came, he basically told me I would lose my SSN card by tucking it in to my passport. It’s not like I have it there all the time – just to bring the card to office, so it didn’t fall anywhere. He kept telling me long it would take me to replace. I was curious, and asked him if he lived in the states ever and had had one or applied for one. “No, but I imagine it would be a long process for you,” was his retort.

“Umm, ok. Why don’t you just shut it and give me my paper work?” was my response, in my head. I wish I could be that rude sometimes. Sigh. I tuned into the show in progress. He was stating in loud terms, and droning on and on to this Persian boy from Canada that since he was not a resident of Canada, it was not a commonwealth country….listening to a seemingly one sided conversation, as the Persian boy was a very quiet speaker. It was like I was listening on an old radio, with the large knobs that you turn to catch that just out of reach radio station. Oh, and tune back in…”But you can become a resident of Hungary after having a resident permit continuously for three years…..What? But you are not a citizen of Canada yet…Oh, when will you be?” I really should type all of that in caps so you get the full VOLUME effect. Poor kid. The whole office knew his business.

Finally, I get called back into a small windowless office. Uh-oh, no escape route if this all goes pear shaped. (I know, too much Burn Notice) Enter the two immigration officers – what, good cop, bad cop? No, phew, just one has to legally translate everything to me. If I had enough time, I would go through it all – but it would take aaaages, and you would want to crawl out of this room as much as I did. Suffice it to say, that I got my paperwork, so I could leave the country legally and with no issues. So LONDON calling. Here I come!! Or am I? Don’t turn off that radio just yet…because that is a story for another day.

I was residing illegally in Hungary. I was illegal.

My resident permit had expired – and no, not recently – in October! You have 3 months to renew it after it expires, or leave the country and come back. Seeing as how it was now July, I had been illegal for – count it – 6 months. Oh geez. I have no idea what to do. Will they even let me leave the country freely? Will I deported or worse, expelled, never to return? How was I supposed to finish school? It is one of those few times I wish I was from the EU. Don’t get me wrong, I love being American, but this immigration paperwork is a pain in the gluts.

I get on the phone frantically, calling all my American friends in town and ask what to do. One says not to go in, too late now, and just take my chances leaving the country. That sounds shady to the max. I am not some drug smuggler trying to flee – I just wanted a summer vacation! Not to mention I had a test that Wednesday and fly out on Thursday. It was now Sunday. I don’t need this now! I need to be reading. I called R&J, two American girls who are absolutely awesome. They would know what to do – and thankfully, they did. Phew! All I had to do was go and tell them because of school and everything and other distractions, I was not able to renew. And the immigration office will give me a form stating that I was allowed to leave the country freely. And R told me to take all the paperwork with me in case they allowed me to start paperwork on a new residence permit. I was so lucky to catch them- they were one the way to the airport about to fly home.

I got online, techie that I am, to make sure I had everything before I went in. I couldn’t go until the next day anyway, so might as well get everything now. In Hungary, this is what I had to do. It may be different in yours. Here’s some advice I must stress Get to know your immigration office. Have their number in your phone, so you can call and ask them questions. Or if nothing else, their website.

I called my landlord frantically, to say I needed a copy of my new contract so I could prove I had a place to stay. He came over that night. We went over the new contract; but those difficulties are for another day. The next morning was a nightmare. I got up at 5:30 to study and work out before heading out to run and pick everything that I needed for the immigration office. I went to the post office and paid my for my 6000 worth of payment stamps, got my letter from school saying that I was in fact a student, got my photos taken, printed out bank statements, and gathered up my passport and flight info. I was ahead of schedule to make it to Immigration office by 11. I was quite impressed with myself and how much I was able to take care of so fast…

I double checked my papers – and of course, my landlord hadn’t actually signed the papers, so they weren’t technically valid. So now I had to track him down and get him to sign it. More about that encounter later.

I am not even ready to leave for the office until 1pm – and running out of time. Most major office close at 4pm in this town, and I knew I was in for a wait while I was there. Screw the bus – I am not waiting a half hour in the heat and then ride the bus for a half hour to outskirts of town – might as well be Timbuktu for all I care. I hail a cab and tell him the address I found online. We pull up and I am confused – this doesn’t look familiar. We are at the old offices of Immigration, not the new one. Stupid outdated school website. Call that money and time blown. The taxi driver knows where the new office is and we drive for 20 min…until I reach Hell, in suburbia.

More soon.. & completely gratuitious and for no reason other than my personal entertainment = LONDON BABY in Hungarian

Another exciting edition of Bad or just plain random English in Eastern Europe…and I am never lacking in them, so why not share so we can both point and laugh?

Ah, nothing say good chicken dishes like Turkey steak...what?!!

50 cent translated for Romanians....Introducing 50 centi !! less commonly known as 50 pesos

Oh does da widdle babie wanna know de priceies? Yesh u do! priceies -sheesh!

In case you were wondering where all the punks went...at least we know they're not with Hoffa

In 2000, my favorite aunt in the world went to Greece on vacation. She, like me after her, is always on the hunt for new and authentic recipes to try. And what is more authentic than mama’s kitchen – in this case, a man named Yorgus’ mother. This is such a fresh treat in the summer time, and a great way of using leftovers. There are a ton of variations to make it your own. I’ve added other mixed veggies inside to great results – peas, canned corn, cubed carrots. I sometimes just dice the tomatoes and add it to the mix. Adding some powdered ginger or using lemon pepper adds a nice zing to the mix. With the spiced potatoes, you get a full, balanced and aromatic meal. All of it added to one word…..Succulent. Oh, yeah.

Stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers

Slice 6 tomatoes and 6 bell peppers on top. Scoop out tomatoes. Dice onions and cook until slightly brown.

• 12-13 tbs. basmati rice
• 3 cloves sliced garlic
• Salt
• Black pepper powder
• Basil + oregano
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• scooped out tomato
• 2 tbs. olive oil

Mix above and stuff the tomatoes and peppers and put in baking dish.

Cut peeled potato chunks and mix with salt, pepper, little sugar. Add to baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup olive oil on top of everything and bake at 200 degrees F for 1 hour.

Hope you like them! Sigh, the way to my heart is definitely in the kitchen. Scratch that – tell me you like my cooking and I am sold. You’ll never have to cook again. Unless you do omelettes – I always mess up the flip on that.

There are not mine, but look about the same...Just to get ur taste buds going!

I went out last weekend with E, and we were dancing up a storm and two guys came up to us. E had a boyfriend and said so, so I was left with the cuter guy. Ok by me. I went to get a drink from the bar, and he came up to talk to me. This is when I find out that this guy knows about 3 sentences only in English, and I quote, “You are beautifool”, :I ride soopair bike”, and “Do you have boyfriend?” What is a super bike anyway? I have no idea! The thing is, he kept trying to talk to me. I asked E to ask him in Hungarian what was the point of talking when I don’t understand a word he says? He told her that I have a nice smile… Well, thanks, but what a non sequitor. Give it up, kid! E proposed later that there were so many other sentences he could have said with those words For example,

• “Do you have soupair bike?
• “Bikes are bootiful.”
• “Do you ride bikes?”
• “I ride boyfriends”
• …its gets too censored at this point and plus, we were so tipsy that any sentence was funny, as long as you got to say sooopaaaaiiirrr bike in it.

Another night I went out with E and A again. I caught the eye of this really hot guy standing with his friends. He came over to me and asked if I spoke Magyar. “Nem bosci” = No, sorry. He told me to wait because his boyfriend was coming and knew English.

Say what now? “Your boyfriend?!!” Well, now, thats a new twist.

“No, not boyfriend, friend, friend”

Right ok. His friend came over and apologized, “because his friend sucks at English”. No need to apologize – I don’t know Hungarian either. The 1^st guy perks up with that comment and says quite loudly, “Yes, my boyfriend sucks!” Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves – E, A, and I doubled over laughing, as did his friend. Poor guy- I don’t think he got the joke.

Next time I will just stay home and look up what a super bike is.

In any case, now I focus on one of those so called adult skills – budget management. Every so often, I have to redefine my monthly budget. With the dollar going the way that is, it seems like even with cutting down, $$ just never seems to go as far as it did even 3 years ago when I arrived. Here’s what I recommend to make your dollar go that much further.

1. What do I spend on?

First you have to determine what would be a typical expenditure for one month. So for one month, I take a small notebook and write down everything – I mean EVERYTHING that I spend $$ on. I don’t worry about anything more than usual

1. Categories

I then separate things according to categories – Food, School, Rent, Bills, Entertainment, and so on. Depending on how I spent, I make an estimate for how much I spent in each one and convert to $ using www.xe.com I tend to take out the $$ in two days at the beginning of the month, because each time I withdraw $ from the bank, it costs me international transfer fees. May I say how much I love internet banking ?! I love that I can keep tabs and access my account info whenever from anywhere. I pay bills that way, issue checks and transfer $$ to my cc and savings all in one spot. Convenient. It still surprises how many people don’t take advantage of this when its free service at most banks anyway.

1. Trimming it down

How to save money on that? Obviously, if you can afford to live the way you have, more power to you – you can send me some anytime u want. But if you want to save a few bucks, here are tips to do – more to follow in later entries, so wait with bated breath…

o Make food/coffee at home. I’ve saved so much by cooking meals at home. I have this tendency to cook for 5 all the time. I can never cook on the small scale. So whenever I make something for dinner – I always make extra and then have enough to take it to lunch the next day and maybe even dinner again. This is why I post so many recipes from scratch, because cooking for scratch not only tastes better and more real, but is a real money saver in the long run. It may take me more time, but it’s completely satisfying in the long run – on my wallet and stomach

o Frequemt local bars that aren’t popular with foreigners – Trust me, you know which ones cater to foreigners. Always a bit fancier, right off the main street and full of waitress half bored and disgusted. In Debrecen, my friends and I can go to Havana and have a bottle of wine for the same as one crappy mojito at Belgium Beer Café. Plus the atmosphere is always more authentic. It turns out that the road less traveled is not only more wild and un-explored, but cheaper too.

]]> http://yankeeinnewworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/managing-a-budget-part-egy-i/feed/ 3 sahajap http://yankeeinnewworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/the-sites-and-sounds-of-summer/ http://yankeeinnewworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/the-sites-and-sounds-of-summer/#comments Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:32:33 +0000 Sahaja http://yankeeinanewworld.wordpress.com/?p=54 ]]> Not as much to blog about today. But I want to share some more things I discovered or (re-discovered) this summer. Take what you want from it. But the following things have brought me joy, peace, interest, or laughter or a combination of them all. Maybe you’ll like them too – if nothing else, it will give you something to do when you’re bored. Actually, that’s probably why I have nothing to blog about – I’ve been occupied with these sites!!

Websites of interest:

• http://jezebel.com/ – Site for fashion, gossip, humor
• http://popurls.com/ – A whole load of sites from a variety of interests – It combines news websites, with social networking sites, and so many more. If it doesn’t have one link that sparks your interests, you lack any at all.
• http://www.advicefromasingledatingexpert.com/ – A site manned by Evan Mark Katz, a leading dating expert. Like you couldn’t tell by the url. I highly advice you check it out sometime, the blog is excellent and the commentators more so. Even if you’re not dating or married, or feel like you don’t need advice, its still a great read
• http://www.youtube.com/user/runawaybox – the videos on this youtube channel are hilarious! I can’t get enough! It’s the Lays potato chips of youtube
• http://www.postcardsfromyomomma.com/ – Just what it says, funny msgs from mothers everywhere, some touching, some ridiculous as anything
• http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ – People send it postcards with secrets artistically done, so they can share their deepest secrets and get them off their minds, without anyone knowing.
• http://www.npr.org/ – National Public radio, keeps me in touch with what is going on with home and I am always learning something new here. Love the free program stream!

Quotes that struck a cord with me:

o A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends. (Friedrich Nietzsche)

o Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. (Charles M. Schulz)

o Wanting to reform the world without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.

o Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside (Both quotes by Ramana Maharshi)

o When the fight begins within himself, a man’s worth something.(Robert Browning)

1. There is nothing like traveling to a place where you have and know no one to really bring you the inner you and realize what is important to you in life
2. Working out in the morning brings more peace and energy to my life than coffee any day.
3. Investing in yourself and your goals and passions make you much happier than forcing yourself to mold into something that you are not
4. There is nothing wrong with diverse interests as long as you pick some of them to focus on and make that your main road. For me, its medicine and writing. And who’s to say I can not bring those together later.
5. Sometimes by doing something you thought you hated, you’ll find out that maybe it’s not so bad after all.
6. No matter how long it’s been, I love that some friends are always there and know I will be there for them.
7. Open communication can fix things that avoidance never will. But at some point you draw the line when it goes from discussion to incendiary and narrow mindedness.
8. I love people who can agree to disagree. And its so funny how people who you thought would never have something in common with can turn out to change your life.
9. Just when you think life is over as you know it, it has only begun. There are always new avenues for it.

Ok, ok I’m off my soapbox … This is by far the best summer I have ever had!!