"Just you wait until you read the shit on you I'm gonna blog about..."

The title of this entry is addressed to Belgium, where bureaucracy reigns supreme.

I just got off the phone with my mutualiteit, the Federatie van Socialistische Mutualiteiten van Brabant. It was pleasant enough to be given the choice of speaking in French or Dutch (I chose Dutch, after intending to speak in French for some bizarre reason I'm not fully aware of), and I only got passed from one department to another.

After waiting for little over a month now for my SIS-kaart, which I need for work to fully validate my contract, I decided enough was enough and thought it best to phone up and enquire about how my application was progessing. It turns out everything they had asked me to send was there, but it was simply not being dealt with and the poor girl on the other end of the phone said she didn't know why.

At this point let it be noted that I began my application for my health insurance in December. Since then I have had to restart my application once and had to resend forms in addition that weren't fully completed by my employer.

However, she did promise me that she would personally see to it now and I should have my details and member card by the end of the week. JA!!

It's just so silly how I had to phone up to get them to simply finish processing my application! I'm happy that things are being done (although we will wait and see if it actually does arrive by the end of the week), but midly peeved at the sillyness. Now for my next mission: Stad Brussel/Ville de Bruxelles - WHERE is this twatty piece of paper confirming my address? Just so you know, Tom (Basia's housemate who I lived with while I was looking after Basia's dog, Charlie) also went to the counter at the town hall at exactly the same time as me in January and his address is changed completely. I, on the other hand am still in regio-limbo, somewhere between Vlaanderen and Brussel Hoofdstedelijk Gewest. The police came to see him the next day to check his address, whereas I had to wait about 2 weeks. GRRRRRRR

Anywho, as long as I get my health insurance sorted I will be happy - so I can stop being careful when crossing roads/operating heavy machinery etc.