Good On Ya, Holland

So, to be frank, it's a little too easy to get bugged by Holland and it's bureaucracy, grey days, rain, smelly winds from the cow farms, cyclists, cramped living styles, VDD (variety deficit disorder), customer service (or lack thereof), bla, bla, bla. Ask an expat who has lived here 5+ years! Well, today was a great day. Our residence permits have expired and due to our upcoming holiday to South Africa, we had to get them sorted out. That meant a trip to the Naturalisation Department WITH two kids (they had to be present). Now, if you have ever had the privilege to deal with the South African Home Affairs Office, this experience was quite the opposite. At the SA Home Affairs you are met with, "I'm sorry, but all the documents have been lost. You must wait in this other line and then you can get the right forms to start again. Sorry you've had to wait 2 hours to find this out, but it's just that we're so incompetent and we're proud of it. You could however pay me 1000 bucks and maybe you'd be out of here in 10 minutes". Today I felt honoured to be dealing with educated and switched on people in a first world country. How fantastic it is to experience it! On the telephone yesterday, I was issued an APPOINTMENT TIME and number which I handed in at the reception upon arrival. Oh, also, parking and leaving my car was a dream. I knew my car would be there when I got back. And...no car guards, people! I also had the option of taking public transportation which would have stopped right at the door. We chose to drive. We were ushered to a waiting room that resembled a 1st class lounge in an airport. Clean, organised, quiet, available refreshments (for a nominal fee), a lack of B.O. Remember, I'm comparing this to the home affairs! The girls were offered pre-packed colouring books and pencil crayons to keep them occupied during the short 10 minute wait. A cute little kids corner was also available. My appointment number appeared on the waiting room screen and stated the coinciding kiosk. We proceeded to number 8 and were greeted by a lovely lady who spoke excellent English. In no time at all, and Euro 40 later, we were on our merry little way with our residence permits in one hand and a spring in our step. It almost feels wrong for it to have been this easy peasy. Holland, hon, you're in my good books today!