Bureaucracy Rant 14/12/08

I’m sure I wrote a similar post over a year ago…but here we go again: the bureaucratic process in this country is absolutely unbelievable and only minimally tolerable. Since the wedding I have been dealing with government agencies non-stop. I had really thought that I was at the end of it all once I had finished dealing with all of the pre-wedding mess! As it turns out, all of the agencies with whom I had been previously dealing (Absorption Ministry, Student Authority, Interior Ministry, Housing Ministry) decided that once I got married I magically became a new entity and had to restart most of the processes I thought I had finished over a year ago. What have I been doing over the past while? First step was to get from the Religious Council in Efrat (where we registered the wedding info) our marriage document, which proves our marriage and affords me legal name change capabilities. I took that document to the Interior Ministry to get a new Identity Card and update my name in my “Passport” (I still travel on a temporary travel document—which they keep offering to renew for free…). Once things get updated in the Interior Ministry’s computer that’s when things start going wrong. I went to the Student Authority to register for this school year’s financial assistance (aka full tuition for all Immigrants). I brought all of the documents that I thought I would need. Everything was going great until she realized that I was newly married. I was told that I could not file for the money until I was updated in the system of the Absorption Ministry (the parent office), turned in an updated bank account statement that proves that my husband and I share a bank account (what if I wanted a separate account?!?), and filled out a direct WITHDRAWL form with the university. So off I went to take care of this long list of things.

It turned out that I had to move my bank from Jerusalem to Givat Shmuel because in Israel, unless you are at your branch, the only transaction you can do is withdraw or deposit money. They can’t even look up your account info. SO it took a few weeks for the papers to transfer and for David to be able to sign on it. Then I was able to get my new statement and the direct withdrawal form. In the meantime, David and I bought a car (she’s SO pretty). In order to reap the Immigrant Benefits I had to send literally every piece of Israeli (and some American) documentation to the Tax Authority. The process was supposed to take a few days but ended up taking weeks. One of the documents was my Immigrant Document—which it a MUST for the Absorption Ministry. While the Tax Authority was taking its time, my appointment with the Absorption Ministry came around. I didn’t have my document back so I called 4 days before to confirm that I could still come. The woman on the phone said that as long as I had my I.D card I would be fine. So I schlepped into Petach Tikvah and waited my turn. When the woman I sat with realized that I didn’t have my Immigrant Document as well she started yelling at me for wasting everyone’s time by coming without that vital packet of information (which could be looked up using my ID number, but they are stupid at government offices, what can ya do?) I started yelling back that I had called specifically to make sure I could still come and after arguing with me for 5 minutes the woman asked me what day I had called. Turns out that the woman who was on duty that day was new and didn’t know better. Awesome right? So I made a new appointment, which didn’t come out until the next month, and decided to wait for my money. [By the way, that same afternoon I got a call from the dealership telling me that the Tax Authority had just delivered my papers.]

A month later with all of my papers in hand I showed up at the Absorption Ministry again. This time I sat with a different woman. She was really dumb and could hardly read and typed so slowly it killed me. I was there for over 45 minutes to change my name, address, and bank account number. Literally. And she was the typical Russian worker who only kind of speaks Hebrew and spends most of your time with them schmoozing (yelling) in Russian to the other Russian ladies. It also means that if you are a Russian Immigrant you get much better treatment… So she is going on with my changes and when I tell her that I also need to hand in bank account update info (as per the request of the Student Authority) she told me that she doesn’t deal with anything to do with money and that I’ll have to make another appointment with someone else to update that information. I started arguing. As soon as I mentioned that it was for the Student Authority she said immediately “Oh, it’s for them? Sure I can take care of it for you.” Obviously. 45 Minutes later I was on my way. Ready to go to the Student Authority (almost) and ready to deal with my stopped rent subsidy. I am entitled to some form of rent assistance for 5 years. This is another one of those things that magically stops when you get married.

A few weeks ago David and I went to yet another office to file for our rent money. That really wasn’t so bad to be honest. I had already been through so many places in the last month that I had my file perfectly filled with all of the things I knew I would need. We just have to go back every year to sign again and show them our contract or else they stop payments. It seems that the government stops payments at any given opportunity, that way if people don’t notice that they aren’t getting money anymore the government saves. Gotta love fuzzy math!

Last week I collected the last remaining pieces of paper that I needed from the university and prepared myself to go to the Student Authority. I took a 10:10 bus from home into Tel Aviv. When I got there, I took a number when I came through security. By the time I made it to the floor of the offices there was hardly any space to move. The place was PACKED with students trying to secure their money. The number was to the first counter where the woman asked what you needed and then put you on a list to see various counselors based on your needs. When I got there, there were 25 people in front of me. It took almost an hour to be called to this first desk. When I did it took about 3 seconds and I was on a waiting list. About 20 minutes later it dawned on me that my name on my ID card and the name on my file was different. I asked the woman about it and she went to look for the file. After over 30 minutes of looking she couldn’t find it. She sent me to look in various stacks and boxes (g-d forbid anything be digital or in a filing cabinet). I couldn’t find it and started to get REALLY REALLY worried. In these agencies, the paper file is everything and they can’t function without it. Eventually they had their schlepper girl look for it and loe and behold it was in the place where it should have been in the first place. That minor heart attack aside, all I had to do was wait another hour and a half. FINALLY my turn came. It turns out that I hadn’t updated them since I dropped my minor, but since I hadn’t brought new documentation with me, and since I was taking the same number of class hours I just signed the form to get my money and left. Turns out I have to mail them (aka go back or they will never get it) each receipt to prove that the university actually took the money from my account that the government put in. Also I am signing that I understand that the gov. will deposit the money as they have it: aka, I have to pay and they will try to reimburse me. I was there for just over 3 hours.

Since the bus to get there comes once an hour I had to wait 40 minutes for the next bus. I spent about 20 in a mall because it was raining, and I spent the last 20 waiting at the stop because I wasn’t sure when the bus actually came and I REALLY did not want to miss it! By the time I got home I was exhausted and hungry, but I wasn’t done. I had to call my cellphone company to try to cancel an external service that I didn’t know I had that I really didn’t want. It took 4 phone calls to cancel the damn thing and in the end it took 3 seconds. Our Internet is also not working properly but I just don’t have the energy to deal with them right now, today. Instead I am letting out all of my frustration here.

Don’t get me wrong though. I might be complaining, but that doesn’t mean I regret for a second being here. This is just proof to my belief that if someone moves here because of any other reason other than that this is the only place in the world they want to be, they won’t be happy. As annoyed as I am this second, I still know that I made the right decision to move here. I love this place and some bureaucracy can’t make me hate it. But I would like to share some wisdom: patience, patience, and always bring every bit of documentation you can with you!!!

I Love My Daddy

My Dad was just here for a week to spend time with us and to be here for the Yoni Schiff’s Bar Mitzvah. It was wonderful to have him here for MANY reasons. First of all, it was a fantastic feeling that I have seen my dad on 3 separate occasions over the last 6 months. That’s more time than we’ve been able to spend together in the last few years. It was a really nice feeling knowing that I didn’t have to miss him so much because I would see him again so soon. Now I’m much more sad that he’s not around because with my school schedule and my parent’s busy lives (not to mention Seth who is probably busier than all of us combined) I’m not sure when our next reunion will be. It’s a hard thing saying goodbye to my parents each time. I don’t think it is something I will ever get used to.

It was great having my dad stay with us because it was the perfect opportunity for him to get an insight into our lives on a daily basis. It is really important for me that my parents understand what my life is like so we can all relate to each other. I am SO glad we got a 2-bedroom apartment so we are open to opportunities like this to have my parents as guests. It meant so much to me for him to spend some time with us that wasn’t centered around any specific event (except for the weekend.)

Another great thing about my dad being here, was that when he left, I didn’t feel like he was abandoning me or that I was being ripped from him (whether by my own choice or not is not the point), which I felt the last few times I parted with my parents. Instead I felt like I was in the right place. I had my schoolwork to attend to and my house to run and take care of. I felt that I was/am in my right place and it was totally normal for my dad to drop in and then leave. I’m not saying it was easy to say goodbye… but at the same time I can’t stop being excited about the life that I am building here and now and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I think that was something that was important for me to feel and important for my dad to see and experience. If I had to leave them at least it was to a place where I am truly happy. I love the home that David and I are building together and there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be and no one with whom I would rather build it. As much as this is something I have always known, until my dad left I hadn’t felt it so strong or clearly before. I am no longer a child who has left home alone. I am married woman who has moved on to my own home in the normal order of life. I am happy and I am flourishing and I am thrilled that my dad could be here to see it.

School is going GREAT! I absolutely love it and we’re already 5 weeks in! I chuckle to myself every time I think about the fact that I am getting a college degree for learning about Israel. I feel like its everything I ever wanted to know about Israel and Jewish history and more! I just wanted to gush… it is a wonderful feeling to also be settled in my studies especially since it has taken me so long to get here. I feel like I am finally on the right track and it simply feels great. I can’t wait to learn more and solidify my place for myself here even more. (AND my Hebrew is getting amazing!!!!!!!)